#271: Beast and Worn Out Genres and Mechanisms
Hey now Cabalists and welcome to episode 271 of the secret cabal gaming podcast! Today the gang starts off by talking about some game days they've recently attended and a bunch of the games they've been playing including Marrakesh, Long Shot The Dice Game, Joan of Arc, Theurgy, Ferret Out, Score Cards and a feature review of Beast. Then after Tony T gives you the best official tabletop gaming news that you can find on the internet, the Founders talk about some genres and mechanisms that just might have worn out their welcome.
Timecodes
Beast Review 00:55:12
News with Tony T 01:29:13
Worn Out Genres and Mechanisms 02:33:03
Opening Banter and Reviews
Feature Review: Beast
Welcome to the Northern Expanse, a place where nature is still unexplored, mystical and dangerous. When the humans first arrived, they thought they found an unspoiled paradise, filled with bountiful forests, lakes swimming with fish and cold freshwater flowing from the mountains. But as their settlements expanded and the surrounding forests grew thinner, nature itself pushed back. Great creatures known as Beasts emerged, and with their fangs, claws and mystical powers, they proved an incredible threat to the humans. In order to protect the settlements, humans enlisted specialized hunters, tasked with tracking and killing the Beasts before too many of their kin perish. The Beast uses a deck of direction cards to move over forests, swamps and caverns, using guile and deceit to hide its track from the hunters. However, whenever a hunter moves over a location where the Beast has previously been, a trail appears. Only when a hunter searches a location or the Beast itself attacks an unsuspecting target is the Beast's actual position revealed. More so, each hunter has but one chance of searching each round, making it a tense and difficult decision. Hunters seldom have full information whether the trail they’re pursuing contains the Beast’s actual location, or if the trail has already gone cold. Each action you perform in this game is done by playing a card from your hand (up to a maximum of two cards per turn). This means that if a player wants to search, attack or move, they need to have a card in their hand that lets them do that. Before each round, both hunters and Beast participate in a draft for the most important cards. All action cards can be used by both Beast and hunters alike. In order to win this game, you either need to cooperate every step of the way if you play as a hunter, or skillfully outmaneuver your opponents if you play as Beast. On their own, hunters are never stronger than the Beast. Only when hunters communicate, strategize and combine their actions can they bring down the Beast before it’s too late.
Designed by Aron Midhall, Elon Midhall, and Assar Pettersson
Published by Studio Midhall
Gaming News by Tony T
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