KeyForge by Richard Garfield - The first Unique Deck Game (can't modify decks)

Shadybiz · Nov 30, 2018

There are 2 local shops in my area that are...SOMEWHAT likely to have it. I will be checking those out tomorrow. Will probably just pick up 4 decks to start.

QUESTION: I know that there's the website where you can play against other people. And I know that you can scan your deck and register it, etc. Is the website at the point where I can then use that same deck that I just scanned in the online play?

BassForever · Nov 30, 2018

Excelsior said:
that's reassuring to know, thanks! what's the best place to get em from? looks like amazon and ebay don't have anything reasonable...

I would keep an eye out for the starter box, especially if you plan to be the gateway drug for your friend group. It cost $40 and comes with 2 fixed decks that are designed to be incredible balanced for teaching games, along with nice quality components for monster health and keeping track of your score. It also has 2 regular decks in it so you're only spending an extra $20 to have the tools to both teach and play the game in a more enjoyable manner.

Might find some luck at a smaller comic or game store, my local one has had a decent stock of starter boxes and deck boxes.

TheYanger · Nov 30, 2018

Shadybiz said:
There are 2 local shops in my area that are...SOMEWHAT likely to have it. I will be checking those out tomorrow. Will probably just pick up 4 decks to start.

QUESTION: I know that there's the website where you can play against other people. And I know that you can scan your deck and register it, etc. Is the website at the point where I can then use that same deck that I just scanned in the online play?

You scan them into the official app/site and it has a unique link. All you have to do is plug that link into the crucible to play.
Example:
https://www.keyforgegame.com/deck-details/8bbe28aa-1da5-4bc8-8e7d-41afb9395157

That's one of mine
It's pretty slick.

laoni · Nov 30, 2018

Shadybiz said:
QUESTION: I know that there's the website where you can play against other people. And I know that you can scan your deck and register it, etc. Is the website at the point where I can then use that same deck that I just scanned in the online play?

Yeah that's what you can do now!

Shadybiz · Nov 30, 2018

TheYanger said:
You scan them into the official app/site and it has a unique link. All you have to do is plug that link into the crucible to play.
Example:
https://www.keyforgegame.com/deck-details/8bbe28aa-1da5-4bc8-8e7d-41afb9395157

That's one of mine
It's pretty slick.

laoni said:
Yeah that's what you can do now!

Sweeeeet..thanks guys! At this point, I have sort of sold my wife on the concept of the game (she, like me, likes the "no deck building" concept), but if it turns out that she doesn't really like it, I don't really have many options for real life opponents. Given this, the online play aspect is extremely appealing.

Fairy Godmother · Nov 30, 2018

I'm trying this out this weekend. Having no need to buy singles will save me some bucks.

1upsuper · Nov 30, 2018

I lost track of this game and had intended to try it out on release. Now product is sold out everywhere, especially that starter set. Didn't exactly expect that.

Vampirolol · Nov 30, 2018

Bought 3 decks. I like the idea even though I'm not into card games such as Magic.

SoH · Nov 30, 2018

1upsuper said:
I lost track of this game and had intended to try it out on release. Now product is sold out everywhere, especially that starter set. Didn't exactly expect that.

202k decks have been registered so far. I'd bet forecasting a run in something like this was really difficult so probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 250k printed. Not bad for a new weird thing.

I am really curious what the pipeline for something like this is. For example if it blew up into something insanely popular how much could they realistically spin up production with the whole unique one deck print and done? I know Amazon has been in the print on demand business for a while now but no idea how pervasive that pipeline is and costs and so on.

1upsuper · Nov 30, 2018

SmiteOfHand said:
202k decks have been registered so far. I'd bet forecasting a run in something like this was really difficult so probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 250k printed. Not bad for a new weird thing.

I am really curious what the pipeline for something like this is. For example if it blew up into something insanely popular how much could they realistically spin up production with the whole unique one deck print and done? I know Amazon has been in the print on demand business for a while now but no idea how pervasive that pipeline is and costs and so on.

Yeah, it's a good question. I'm curious what the printing process is like for a game like this in general.

At any rate, I hope they are able to satisfy demand soon. I'd really like to give the game a shot.

Stooge · Nov 30, 2018

The game is really fun. I've not played it competitively at all, just some games with friends, but really enjoy it. May hit up a local shop that has an event next week.

Ignatz Mouse · Nov 30, 2018

Found a local place with some decks, I'm excited to try more than the two I bought to try it-- especially since I am playing at home, and playing the same two decks against each other probably gets old.

Shadybiz · Nov 30, 2018

Oiy...my appointment with Apple totally blew my timetable today, so I didn't get to stop by the 2 "hole in the wall" stores near me that might have had decks in stock. I shall try again tomorrow morning. If not, well...it looks like I'm waiting. No big deal, but I am still very excited to break into this game.

cakely · Nov 30, 2018

My box (12 decks) just showed up from Amazon. Printed up the rules, now I need to find someone to play with.

Stargypsy · Nov 30, 2018

Just ordered a Starter and 2 decks today. Looking forward to playing when they show up. You should be able to find the starters back in stock at least. I ordered mine from Miniature Market.

Ignatz Mouse · Nov 30, 2018

Played a bunch with my son tonight. One game he completely overran me creatures.

hydrophilic attack · Dec 1, 2018

received my starter pack

don't know if i'll ever find anyone to play against lol

tried playing against myself but got bored. it's not really fun without the social and competitive aspect of facing someone else

does anyone know if they're planning online play? with how you register cards to an account, there's got to be plans for that right?

anyway, my two unique decks are Hutton D. Razorcock, the Third, and "Bilgewater" Arvir, Landing Strip Bard

(i love these deck names so god damn much)

both of them have shadow cards, which feels like a bummer, because shadow cards seem pretty lame tbqh

aaaanyway, i think the bilgewater deck has some promise. i can see some cool strategies with that one. the razorcock deck seems a bit more vanilla (but i don't really know what i'm talking about lol)

anyway, feel free to visit those links and admire my beautiful decks

BassForever · Dec 1, 2018

I need this game to be playable online via app on my phone.

hydrophilic attack · Dec 1, 2018

BassForever said:
I need this game to be playable online via app on my phone.

yeah that's the dream

Quixzlizx · Dec 1, 2018

My starter set arrived yesterday, but both of the decks were Brobnar/Sanctum/Untamed... I'm pretty bitter about it, lol.

BassForever · Dec 1, 2018

Quixzlizx said:
My starter set arrived yesterday, but both of the decks were Brobnar/Sanctum/Untamed... I'm pretty bitter about it, lol.

Yeah it seems to be a common problem, both in the starter sets and if you "buy a box" of decks. The procedural generation printing seems to like to make a lot of decks in with similar houses in batches. Your best bet if you want a variety of houses is to try and buy decks from different locales, which of course is hard when the game is selling out everywhere.

Ocean Bones · Dec 1, 2018

That sounds really cool. I'm game to try it.

Excelsior · Dec 2, 2018

hydrophilic attack said:
received my starter pack

don't know if i'll ever find anyone to play against lol

tried playing against myself but got bored. it's not really fun without the social and competitive aspect of facing someone else

does anyone know if they're planning online play? with how you register cards to an account, there's got to be plans for that right?

fam, https://www.thecrucible.online/ is what you want! after you register your deck with the official keyforge site, you can import it into thecrucible and play with it against others online.

which reminds me, should we share crucible tags? would anyone be down for a lil Era keyforge crucible tourney? maybe Sealed or Adaptive format?

hydrophilic attack · Dec 2, 2018

Excelsior said:
fam, https://www.thecrucible.online/ is what you want! after you register your deck with the official keyforge site, you can import it into thecrucible and play with it against others online.

which reminds me, should we share crucible tags? would anyone be down for a lil Era keyforge crucible tourney? maybe Sealed or Adaptive format?

Thanks!

An Era tourney sounds like a fun idea!

Arkestry · Dec 3, 2018

So I bought five packs and I've been playing with the different decks with my housemate, and we've had a few games now where one player has managed to get down a really big creep advantage quickly due to a creature heavy first hand. All three times it's happened it's basically felt impossible to deal with for the other player, either because they don't have a lot of creatures in their own hand, or the ones they do have are so weak they can just be cleared away as soon as they're played.

I feel like this is what discarding is for, but I haven't had the opportunity to try it myself. Is there any other tactic the player with a creature disadvantage should be aiming for? What's the strategy for coming back from that kind of deficit?

Miles X · Dec 3, 2018

Thought I recognised the name richard-garfield. I just bought Bunny Kingdom for my OH's christmas present. I love TCG so am defo gonna research this, thanks OP!

A Strong Latte · Dec 3, 2018

Arkestry said:
So I bought five packs and I've been playing with the different decks with my housemate, and we've had a few games now where one player has managed to get down a really big creep advantage quickly due to a creature heavy first hand. All three times it's happened it's basically felt impossible to deal with for the other player, either because they don't have a lot of creatures in their own hand, or the ones they do have are so weak they can just be cleared away as soon as they're played.

I feel like this is what discarding is for, but I haven't had the opportunity to try it myself. Is there any other tactic the player with a creature disadvantage should be aiming for? What's the strategy for coming back from that kind of deficit?

There's cards like gateway to dis, photon shark in logos and cowards end in brobnar that wipe the board completely. I think there's some boardwipe in every house. Might be worth looking for a deck with those. You can creative with cowards end and loot the bodies in brobnar and make a tidy bit of amber

SoH · Dec 3, 2018

Arkestry said:
So I bought five packs and I've been playing with the different decks with my housemate, and we've had a few games now where one player has managed to get down a really big creep advantage quickly due to a creature heavy first hand. All three times it's happened it's basically felt impossible to deal with for the other player, either because they don't have a lot of creatures in their own hand, or the ones they do have are so weak they can just be cleared away as soon as they're played.

I feel like this is what discarding is for, but I haven't had the opportunity to try it myself. Is there any other tactic the player with a creature disadvantage should be aiming for? What's the strategy for coming back from that kind of deficit?

Agreed with remz suggestions and in addition the Adaptive format has been incredibly useful in situations like this where seeing both sides of a deck can not only inform how to approach the deck itself, but the game in general. The bid mechanic if it goes into round 3 adds a nice bit of tension and drama and really helps feel like everyone is on equal footing since the proper chain system hasn't been implemented yet. It keeps the game entertaining even if someone in your group manages to get a monster deck.

Here is the full description for reference. Link

Adaptive
Description: Each round of this tournament consists of best-of-three matches. For the first game of each match, players use their own decks. For the second game, each player swaps decks with his or her opponent and plays using his or her opponent's deck. If the third game occurs, players bid chains to use the deck which won both of the previous games. The player who brought the deck starts by bidding 0 chains, and then the players take turns outbidding each other until a player declines to bid higher. The player who bid the highest uses that deck for the third game (with their bid number of chains applied at the start).
Philosophy: Chains are a balancing mechanic built into the base rules of KeyForge. They can be utilized to allow two decks with a large difference in strength to play at roughly even footing. This helps to emphasize the skill of the player over the strength of an individual deck and allows each player the chance to do well with whatever deck they happen to use.

JetBlackPanda · Dec 4, 2018

This game snuck up on me and it's currently completely sold out. Not a single deck anywhere in the state.

Impressive, I am very interested.

Dook's Revenge · Dec 5, 2018

Just found a 4 Horsemen deck!

Nappuccino · Dec 5, 2018

JetBlackPanda said:
This game snuck up on me and it's currently completely sold out. Not a single deck anywhere in the state.

Impressive, I am very interested.

Barnes and Nobel still has an online supply--or they did this morning, anyway.

Shadybiz · Dec 5, 2018

JetBlackPanda said:
This game snuck up on me and it's currently completely sold out. Not a single deck anywhere in the state.

Impressive, I am very interested.

Nappuccino said:
Barnes and Nobel still has an online supply--or they did this morning, anyway.

I hadn't checked B&N online, but JetBlackPanda, if they're out as well, I ordered a few decks off of Amazon. The vendor was "Millennium Games," and has 100% positive reviews, so I felt comfortable ordering from them. They DID charge a markup (like $4 per pack), but eh...that's supply and demand for ya, and I've been striking out around here, and didn't want to wait for a reprint. It shipped today, and it appears to have shipped out of Rochester, NY, via USPS.

peppermints · Dec 5, 2018

Just got two packs from B&N online. Gonna give one to my brother in his stocking for Xmas. Should be fun!

voOsh · Dec 5, 2018

For everyone looking for product, the FFG website has both starter boxes and individual decks in-stock: FFG Keyforge Store

I was checking my local game store and Amazon for awhile before I checked FFG on a whim and now my stuff will be here on Saturday.

Radiophonic · Dec 5, 2018

My B&N had a bunch of packs in their card games section, so I grabbed four to start off with. Just need to print out the rule book for reference. I assume other stores will have them as well. No starter sets though.

Shadybiz · Dec 5, 2018

CRAP! B&N indeed has them now. Just ordered 4 to pick up.

You know what..fuck it...I'ma let my marked up Amazon order ride. The more the merrier, I guess.

peppermints · Dec 5, 2018

Wait so do I need the starter set to actually play? Or can you keep score in other ways?

Nappuccino · Dec 5, 2018

peppermints said:
Wait so do I need the starter set to actually play? Or can you keep score in other ways?

If you have any damage counters from other games (or don't mind using dice as counters), you really don't need anything official to keep track of things.

JVID · Dec 5, 2018

I just printed a few token sets I found on Reddit. Got a chain counter, keys, and damage/stun/power tokens. Glued them on cardstock and laminated. I also picked up orange decorative glass stones from the local craft shop for aember. Screw you sold out $40 starter set.

Spenny · Dec 5, 2018

Fuck, I missed this train. Gonna run to my B&N to see if they have it. Do we have an ERA KeyForge discord set up yet?

peppermints · Dec 5, 2018

Nappuccino said:
If you have any damage counters from other games (or don't mind using dice as counters), you really don't need anything official to keep track of things.

That's what figured. Thanks! And there's no specific placement of cards that need a mat or anything?

SoH · Dec 5, 2018

This is a 13 minute video that should be more like 40 seconds but for the folks considering picking up from third party sellers worth at least considering people may be resealing relatively easily and how much that possibility bothers you.

edit: guuh, youtube thumbnail baiting is the worst.

JVID · Dec 5, 2018

Honestly, the digital instruction book gas done a much better job of explaining the game and much quicker than any videos I've seen.

Edit: Unrelated to video above!

JetBlackPanda · Dec 5, 2018

Thanks for the update guys! My BN has some so I grabbed two decks. Really thinking of grabbing 2 more!

Talk me out of it.

Edit: fuck it in for 4 and will skip the starter box.

Dook's Revenge · Dec 5, 2018

Pal has a deck that features Trashwind as part of the name. Lol.

Spenny · Dec 5, 2018

Aight, got two decks:

Warlock Adalius Overbird (Mars, Sanctum, Shadow)

"Scorpio" Filipe, Harbor Moneylender (Logos, Mars, Untamed)

Whatever the fuck that all means

Ashodin · Dec 5, 2018

The addiction of buying a new deck and seeing what the playstyles emerge from it is huge

Francesco · Dec 5, 2018

Do you guys think FFG got a winner here? Business model wise?

Ashodin · Dec 5, 2018

It's got over 200k decks registered on the website. Can't register 'em without buying the packs first. I'd say it's a hit.

A Strong Latte · Dec 5, 2018

Ashodin said:
The addiction of buying a new deck and seeing what the playstyles emerge from it is huge

yeah all the fun of brewing without the sitting around combing through cards part

KeyForge by Richard Garfield - The first Unique Deck Game (can't modify decks)

One Winged Slayer

Backward compatible

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer