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Granted, it's only about $15 USD all told. But for someone who rarely buys games, that's a notable amount for me, even though I have the funds for it. I also picked up two free ones which piqued my interest. My Steam name is "TheRedArmy", and I have a picture of this guy as my avatar.

Tokaido is a board game about a pilgrimage the Japanese used to take between Kyoto (the former capital) and Edo (now Tokyo). This is a game about the journey, and not the destination - along the way you will meet interesting people, stop at shrines to pray, buy souvenirs, enjoy a hot spring or two, paint gorgeous vistas, and eat the local cuisine. Although competitive, there are no direct actions to take against the other players, making it a very zen-like game that's still extremely cutthroat. The art and style looked gorgeous to me when I first saw it, and when I saw it for cheap at a Books-a-Million recently when I was out with my wife, I decided to pick it up. I also got the Steam version ($10 USD) which keeps a similar style and beauty in its art and music. I played a quick tutorial game and it functions the same as the board game.

Talisman is a board game I've seen a bit of and played a kind of half-set of, since my friend had the game but was undoubtedly missing a few things. This is currently 50% off in the store, so I got it for $4 USD. I only vaguely recall the objective - get to the middle so you can get a Helmet of Command or something to mind-control the other players and win - but I remember there's a good mix of luck and strategy involved, along with tons of fantasy elements and neat features that looked very fun. Looking forward to plaything this one, as I didn't get to it last night.

Card Hunter is a mix of classic D&D characters, archetypes, and adventures and a card game. Equipment loadouts give you "cards" that you draw from a deck, and each card is an action you can take during battles. Different items will give you different things - a priest might have healing spells from an accessory, or buffing spells instead. It plays on the tropes of both the genre and those who play D&D in general, and knows not to take itself too seriously. It's free to play, although investing money no doubt helps speeds things along. Fortunately, it looks like quests and adventures refresh daily for full XP, and there seems to be a lot of different adventures available, so I think it'll hold up OK.

Faeria looks very much like a mix between Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering, with creatures looking and operating much like the former and different land types and cards corresponding to the lands reminding me of the latter. But the land creation mechanic - where there's lots of (generally) un-crossable water in front of you and you have to take time to build actual lands to get across the map - is quite interesting, and I can imagine a few different strategies can be good in balancing that. If you have any experience with these kinds of card games at all, you'll quickly grasp the mechanics of the cards, and the land tile mechanics will be what either makes it or breaks it for you. It's also free to play.

Just thought I'd drop a line to everyone and see what you all think. Even if you can't play any of these with me, feel free to add me on Steam if you like.

Granted, it's only about $15 USD all told. But for someone who rarely buys games, that's a notable amount for me, even though I have the funds for it. I also picked up two free ones which piqued my interest. My Steam name is "TheRedArmy", and I have a picture of [this guy](https://digitalpopcorn.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/red-cliff.jpeg) as my avatar. [Tokaido](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61iB%2B2hNxnL._SL1200_.jpg) is a board game about a pilgrimage the Japanese used to take between Kyoto (the former capital) and Edo (now Tokyo). This is a game about the journey, and not the destination - along the way you will meet interesting people, stop at shrines to pray, buy souvenirs, enjoy a hot spring or two, paint gorgeous vistas, and eat the local cuisine. Although competitive, there are no direct actions to take against the other players, making it a very zen-like game that's still extremely cutthroat. The art and style looked gorgeous to me when I first saw it, and when I saw it for cheap at a _Books-a-Million_ recently when I was out with my wife, I decided to pick it up. I also got the Steam version ($10 USD) which keeps a similar style and beauty in its art and music. I played a quick tutorial game and it functions the same as the board game. [Talisman](https://cf.geekdo-images.com/qUMzoSJxSMQgHWm8g2eY6Ic_A6g=/fit-in/1200x630/pic332870.jpg) is a board game I've seen a bit of and played a kind of half-set of, since my friend had the game but was undoubtedly missing a few things. This is currently 50% off in the store, so I got it for $4 USD. I only vaguely recall the objective - get to the middle so you can get a _Helmet of Command_ or something to mind-control the other players and win - but I remember there's a good mix of luck and strategy involved, along with tons of fantasy elements and neat features that looked very fun. Looking forward to plaything this one, as I didn't get to it last night. [Card Hunter](http://d2t0lbtko8zaws.cloudfront.net/wp-content/gallery/test/cave-in.jpg) is a mix of classic D&D characters, archetypes, and adventures and a card game. Equipment loadouts give you "cards" that you draw from a deck, and each card is an action you can take during battles. Different items will give you different things - a priest might have healing spells from an accessory, or buffing spells instead. It plays on the tropes of both the genre and those who play D&D in general, and knows not to take itself too seriously. It's free to play, although investing money no doubt helps speeds things along. Fortunately, it looks like quests and adventures refresh daily for full XP, and there seems to be a lot of different adventures available, so I think it'll hold up OK. [Faeria](https://cdn.mmos.com/wp-content/gallery/faeria/faeria-gameplay-ccg.jpg) looks very much like a mix between *Hearthstone* and _Magic: The Gathering_, with creatures looking and operating much like the former and different land types and cards corresponding to the lands reminding me of the latter. But the land creation mechanic - where there's lots of (generally) un-crossable water in front of you and you have to take time to build actual lands to get across the map - is quite interesting, and I can imagine a few different strategies can be good in balancing that. If you have any experience with these kinds of card games at all, you'll quickly grasp the mechanics of the cards, and the land tile mechanics will be what either makes it or breaks it for you. It's also free to play. Just thought I'd drop a line to everyone and see what you all think. Even if you can't play any of these with me, feel free to add me on Steam if you like.

3 comments

[–] Phukin_Alduin 1 points (+1|-0)

Been a while since I've played Card Hunter, but I'd definitely be up for it.

[–] TheRedArmy [OP] 1 points (+1|-0)

Co-op in basically anything is a good time. My hours are wonky, but hit me up on Steam and you can at least see when I'm on.