Necro Gaming...

Hm...that title is better than the first one I almost went with, but on second thought, not by much! What I meant by that is that it seems most of the trading card games I like playing, or have been recommended, seem to die.

With VS System in our area, the resurrection came through my refusal to let a good gaming group die. We still have weekly tournies with a decent turn out, prizes and good times for all. I hope this will continue for a good long time.

Call of Cthulhu died as a TCG and was brought back as a living card game by Fantasy Flight. I ran a weekly league for about six months, but attendance was a problem. I still love the game and we do get to play occassionally. Seems everyone I introduced the game to enjoyed it as well, and we'd all like to play it more often.

The GIJoe TCG, well, it just died, but I still bring it back to life a few times a year at home or the local game shop. Good mindless fun with beloved characters from the 80s.

Warhammer: Invasion, is still going strong but I haven't played much since the fourth pack came out for the initial expansion story. As much as I love the innovative design of this game, I just can't support it with good conscience anymore. The power curve was way too much, way too fast. It's a shame really because the artwork is absolutely gorgeous and I really think the game plays well.

All of this rambling brings me finally to Warlord: Saga of the Storm. This game was recommended to me late last year, at which point I had never heard of it. Apparently it started out in 2001 as a collectable game and ran until mid 2008. After that it too was resurrected in a sort of living card game format.

I've yet to play a game with the cards currently being produced (as 4th Edition, or 4e), but I certainly intend to! After purchasing a set of Epic Edition starters and finally getting to play some games with those, I have to say I'm hooked. The game play is very fast, has good depth and variety between factions, and the element of luck to it in the d20 rolls keeps things really interesting.

As of September 2010 there will be a total of 21 Adventure Path decks (55 cards) available for Warlord 4e. I'm hoping to order some up in the next month or two and try to haul some friends into the mix. If I'm not able to, I'll still have some new card artwork to enjoy.