I've recently fallen in love with the LCG format. I know this game is a bit old though. So I'm curious if long time players think its still worth getting into? Is getting the expansions worth it? I realize most people on this board are probably biases, but if anyone can sway me one way or the other it would be appriciated

Eyedunno52 said:

Here is a list of reviews for the game:

www.boardgamegeek.com/forum/311/call-of-cthulhu-the-card-game/reviews

They run the entire gamut. Some positive, some some negative. That should give you a fair bit to mull over and help you decide for yourself.

Why would being old be a negative factor? It's a great game, and being older means there's a fantastic card pool unlike the new games where you're waiting for them to really develop.

I think currently the most important consideration is: Will you have people to play with (or rather against), and if so, how often?

The game itself is definitely great, imho, currently the best of the LCGs (yeah, I'm biased!). But e.g. the theme isn't for everyone, so you should make sure to ask around if other people would be interested in playing it. If you already know people playing it, definitely give it a try!

and i can add to others responses : a Game of Trone has more cards available and there are lot of news player despite this fact !

As Jahelen said, the more important thing to check is the numbers of players you can grab and eventually, if there is a store near your home where you could meet peoples and see if others want to jump in this game

KrissS666 said:

Well, slightly more. They're more or less on par with each other. The important thing is which theme will work best for your group, both are good games.

I have several reservations about starting such an old game:

-Sometimes games like this done "scale well" over time. Look at Magic: over times the cards have become so stupidly powerful that only those with the latest cards have any chance of winning. I prefer a game that someone with the basic pack can have a decent time without feeling like a chump because they haven't dropped $400 on a deck of cards. Being old in itself doesn't bother me. Like it was said: a good card pool is a good thing.

-Finding people to play with is never an issue. I have a GF that loves games as much as I do… But she isn't likely to want to play a game that is boring. So, does it remain exciting after many plays? Or does it become redundant and therefore tossed on the game pile and forgotten for a long time?

-The theme is something that makes me wonder… I've seen the videos with the mechanics and those look fun, but I've never played a game in the Lovecraft world. This game seems faster paced than some of the other games in that setting and could possibly be a "gateway game" into that setting. Do people feel it gives enough of that feel with the cards? Or is it mostly just secondary to the card play?

Eyedunno52 said:

I would say that the game is much better after many plays than it is when you first start because this can potentially be a rather subtle game. The subtle strategies really blossom after you are playing with an equally competent opponent. It goes from calculating the math of the struggles each turn to so much more than that.

My GF loves the game much more now than she did when we first started playing it a couple years ago, and I feel likewise.

Eyedunno52 said:

What you're talking about is a fundamental difference between a CCG and an LCG. CCGs have a motivation to produce overpowered cards and power creep because it aids their sales - people will spend money to seek out these (often Rare) cards. This "lottery" aspect is one of the draws for some people, and the game attracts both those who like the thrill of gambling and those who want to win at all costs and are willing to spend big money to do so.

LCGs don't have the same motivations and don't produce the same audience. People who want those traits go play Magic (or whatever) and most of those that want to play an LCG are doing so because they're tired of shoveling money into hoping they pick a lucky card and would rather just play an interesting BALANCED game. For the same $400 you might spend on one deck of Magic you can get the entire pool of every Call of Cthulhu card that exists and enjoy years of playing a huge variety of decks. The catch is, you won't be able to beat up on someone purely through better cards (you'll have to learn to play) and you won't be able to compete for big cash prizes at tournaments with other people that spend thousands of dollars building decks of the best cards.

Eyedunno52 said:

As Hellfury said, it gets better. The more experience you have the more you understand about the game and the more options open up to you. Cards that may have seemed weak earlier reveal new uses. Because you can freely mix any of the 8 (plus neutrals) factions in the game there's just an enormous variety of different decks you can build and it keeps growing as more cards are released. No, I cannot see ever feeling like you have "run out of game" or "used up" what you can do with it.

Eyedunno52 said:

Theme is not usually a strong point of CCG/LCG games, and Call of Cthluhu is not much different. You can make themed decks, and the artwork on the cards is generally good quality and evocative of the setting, but it's not going to be like telling or living an actual story. For that something like Arkham Horror would be a better bet. It probably does give a better feel for a setting than some other CCGs like Magic though which is more generic fantasy and not really based on a preexisting setting at all. If you want the mechanics of the game to be more like a story you may want to look at Netrunner when it comes out - it probably does a better job of that than most.

Eyedunno52 said:

Responses to your concerns.

• This game has actually scaled very well over time. As dboeren explained, FFG does not have the same incentives as a CCG publisher to try and drive sales. FFG is not likely to release an expansion pack with ridiculously overpowered cards, because that will kill sales of previous and future expansions. Rather, they tend to focus on adding new tactics, and giving players more responses to existing tactics, which increases the incentives for players to explore the card library, rather than focus on hunting down a few too-powerful cards. Over time, Call of Cthulhu has absolutely increased in the range of strategies and tactics available, so over time it has arguably improved significantly.
• Finding players is a non-issue for Magic, Yu-gi-oh, and Pokemon, but will be an issue for virtually any other game. That's just the way it goes. CoC players are not impossible to find, and I think there has been some growth recently, quite possibly due to spillover interest from Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings, both of which are growing.
• The theme is distinctive, but not difficult to get up to speed on. Newer players are likely to identify more closely with investigator factions (Agency, Miskatonic University, Syndicate) and their tactics will likewise feel more familiar, but the other factions are not difficult to figure out. The games do play more quickly than the other various Lovecraft-themed games, excepting maybe Elder Sign. I think the theme is well-represented, although perhaps a bit less strongly than in the board games, and certainly less strong than in the RPG.

First off, I agree with the comments about players. It doesn't matter how good a game is, if you can't find opponents it gets old fast.

I've played a lot of card games and a big problem coming in late was all those good cards (usually rares) are difficult to find or really expensive, and they happened to be in the first couple sets you cant get anymore. If you didn't get those cards it was always an uphill battle, and not a lot of fun.

You need to rethink that. CoC isn't Magic. This LCG system isn't like that. Everyone has the exact same cards, no rares, no uncommons, no limited stuff. You say your unsure about getting into this game late? Well, I think the game is much better now because of the amount of cards you can get. The different factions have developed almost unique identities and strategies to win. Its $15 a month. The cost of a pizza. Every month you get a few more cards and can play with decks until the next month.

I still use the starter set cards. They are still good, not much creep. I would say get a starter and start working on the current sets, then go back and start filling in back sets you want. Theyre really not hard/expensive to find. FFG even went on a run reprinting almost everything.

Eyedunno52 said:

Biased answer. YES! BEST. GAME. EVAR!

Unbiased answer, yes. This game may not be perfect, but it's still one the best on the market. Period. Mechanically it has a lower luck factor and a higher skill factor than most games. Cost wise it's incredibly affordable and easily maintainable.

Trust me… I've played most games and I'll stand behind my unbiased answer. There's a reason I picked up this game, and the above is it.

IThe only drawback is that it's a bit nicher than we would like it to be and cost to "catch up" can be intimidating(not that you have to "catch up"). Tournament turnouts aren't high and local play scenes can be scarce. However, this is a very welcoming community with a lot a of really good, quality people that are eager to play and help build local scenes (aka, the reason I stay).

So yes, it is worth it.

Thanks for the responses everybody!

Sounds like I should look into this game. Only problem will be finding some opponents. Which leads me to another question: If I collected a full set, would two or three (or more) people be able to build decks out of it? I mean, would there bed several people wanting to use the exact same cards, but cant because I only have one set of them? My play group would probably play with me, if they didn't have to collect the cards. Or, would I need to head down to my local game shop and try to drum up some players?

BTW- Already decided to pick up a copy soon. Thanks again for your replies.

The Core Set has 7 out of the 8 factions and can make three basic decks by adding any two factions together. As you start getting the chapter packs you'll work your way into enough cards for four or more decks pretty quickly. They've recently announced they will be shifting to faction and theme boxes which almost guarantees that this is going to be enough to build multiple decks with a minimal outlay of cash.

You can also make a try on lackey to play online with vocal chat

www.lackeyccg.com/downloads.html

www.lackeyccg.com/tutorial.html#installplugins

current link to dl the new plugin : http://dl.dropbox.com/u/327207/CtuhlhuCcgLcg/updatelist.txt

find players: www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp

I "sponsor" several of my friends who also play the game--the only downside to sharing a cardpool is that it can be difficult to have multiple decks that use the same faction and that several cards fit very well into lots of decks. Ultimately if you're sharing cards, not everyone is going to be able to make a top-tier tournament deck, but I'm sure that several (4, maybe 5) very good decks can be run at a time.

jhaelen said:

This is the real point. The problem with duel games is that if you do not have opponents then the game nvr gets played. I think this is why there the co-op lotr game is so popular.

I think CoC is a great game, but I do not get to play it nearly as much as I like, as there are so few players. I tend to play almost solely in lackeyccg because if this.

GrahamM said:

I have the entire pool apart from dreamlasnds and just recently made 6 50 card decks, 2 of witch are T-Grade.

You are right it is very hard to make fun decks for others but if your playing with your friends you do not need T-Grade decks, and there is easily enough cards to make even more than 6 fairly decent decks.

I have a friend who bought the first few cycles and the core set all at once. Since it's only a small group of us playing, he brings out a new pack every 4 to 6 weeks to replicate the growth of the card pool. It's pretty cool since it gives us time to explore the new cards and start incorporating new tactics. We also share cards and so if we get a deck idea we have to work around using the same factions to a degree.

I would at least get the core set and try out the mechanics. If you like it you could expand to the first cycle, and from there decide to keep going or not.