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(1 edit)

Is the Heart suit omitted on purpose from the Royals setup described in paragraph two, page 4?

Also noted that the King and Queen of Hearts appear to be non-magical, while the Jack of Hearts is magical.

But here I come back four days later, after playing through the entire deck of cards. This is by far one of the best mapmaking games I have ever played! The prompts are engaging, the flavor text is colorful and inspiring, and the questions I'm left with after each prompt are thought-provoking and help drive the world's [hi]story along. I'd attach the image, but it's too large (hope this link works). I love how each suit seemed to follow a particular theme, but I almost wish it were more clearly spelled out.

I certainly have some feedback after playing, and I'll sum it up before I begin by saying that - ultimately - I'm left wanting just a little bit more!

Starting with Ace of Spades already drawn feels like I'm robbed of the experience of randomization and drawing. Why not begin the game with a single landmass, and use the Ace as a prompt to create another? Apart from this card and THE DIVIDE, there were scarce opportunities to create more landmasses, and in hindsight I wish I would have drawn my starting continent larger.

As for what I mean when I say more:

  • I would love a little more guidance for things. Maybe it is deliberate, but the entire Diamonds suit seems to just say "choose a settlement/culture" etc, whereas other, earlier suits say "select at random" most of the time. As for randomness, it can be unwieldy to achieve in the 'late stage' of a map; guidance here like "choose a warrior society" rather than "choose a random culture" where appropriate could be neat, but I suppose also determinative.
  • When creating new species or cultures, I found it helpful to create a small table of traits, values, etc. that I could choose from any time I was prompted to make something new. Including such an appendix would be a very beneficial, but not needed, tool.
  • I loved that each Royal card had two distinct, but related, prompts and I'm left wishing that every card followed this format. It would be especially beneficial with the Spades suit where several of those cards are shuffled back into the deck.
  • After being instructed to take action by a prompt, I felt most engaged by cards that then had me "Choose One" from a list of options. Would be amazing if every prompt was like this!
  • I was left wishing the remaining three suits could be shuffled into the deck a little more quickly. As it stands, only one card in each suit has this effect. I feel like 1 or 2 more max; maybe some cards would add only Evens/Odds, or some cards could remove the same instead! 
  • LOVED the tiered events for the FIRST PEOPLES and ICE AGE cards. I wish every suit had at least one tiered event!
  • I would love more "to-do" items. There were several prompts that told you to take note of something and then address it when circumstances change (cards shuffled into the deck, magic returning, etc.). I'd love to see more prompts do this. Maybe even as a "Suggested Follow Up" item. I found it to be engaging to be given future instructions, as it made the history feel more alive. Like certain species and cultures were actually progressing toward something.
  • More clarification: the text is really damn good, but could use a little tweaking and revision. In many places, the First Peoples are called out specifically by prompts, whereas "a species" or "a people" are called out by others. It seems like most cards call out First Peoples, and by following the prompt to the letter, I was seeing a lot more interaction and growth of the species that had been designated as "First Peoples" than with any other.

My single, solitary gripe: the Ten of Clubs doesn't ask any questions, and it gives you a to-do item that resolves immediately, which felt kind of pointless: "The next time cards are added to the deck these border settlements [that you create with this card] may join the nation if you wish." But then you are prompted by the end of the card to shuffle diamonds into the deck, and so the settlements you build might as well have been a part of the nation in the first place (if you choose).

All in all, a fantastic game. I've told all my friends and they want me to shut up about it. Can't wait to play again!

(+1)

Thanks so much for this wonderful feedback! I have made a note of all of it, and will address it when I sit down for an upcoming dev day in a couple weeks. I think there are still a few changes and tweaks to be made to make it perfect and so I’ll definitely consider what you’ve shared. 

Your map looks amazing too - thanks for sharing!!