[GOSU] Because you need to be addicted to another card game

ChaosRed

GOSU (Goblin Supremacy)

This is a thread about the card game called Goblin Supremacy (GOSU).



In a fantasy world dominated by goblins, when the bloodmoon rises in the sky, a new war begins, and new warlords raise their armies.

BASIC INFO ON THE GAME

GOSU is a hybrid of Race for the Galaxy and Magic: The Gathering. Each player raises an army of goblins made up of soldiers, heroes, magicians, and other classes.

Each turn, a player can play a new goblin, activate a goblin, draw cards or pass. When all players have passed, the player with the most powerful army wins the battle. The first player to win 3 battles wins the game.

Contents:

100 Goblin cards
8 Activation tokens
9 Victory point tokens
1 Advantage Token
1 Rulebook

2 to 4 players.

Playing time: 30 to 45 min.

LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION

ONLINE VERSION OF THE GAME (Free) http://en.boardgamearena.com/?s=839320/#!gamepanel?game=gosu

OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.moonstergames.com/gosu/
(Note the above link is bilingual in french and english)

BoardGeek: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/66587/gosu

FAQ: (Although this is primarily used for rule clarification) http://www.moonstergames.com/gosu-faq-us/

Asmodee http://us.asmodee.com/ressources/recherche/?text=gosu&cache=YYGqq3r8BBP99Hxxe4S41310588676&type=articles
(This links to some more reviews, tournament rules and the like, some useful reviews there that give you an idea of the game itself)

ChaosRed

I am unsure if others out there are playing it yet, (or even know about the game), but I am thrilled with my recent purchase and thought I'd create a thread for the game. This is a standalone game that you can buy for about 20 bucks. It requires no secondary purchase. You use a communal deck during play.

I can answer questions for those curious about it. I'd love to debate tactics if you've already played and would love to see feedback on the game's overall strengths and weaknesses.

I picked this up on Saturday at Card Kingdom and my wife and I have played it every night since. It's a big hit at Card Kingdom, who are dabbling with the idea of tournaments for the game. It's a clever game, often forcing you to think two or three moves ahead. It's not a genius game, but it can stay at the beer-and-pretzel level, but still provide you with some tactics, as well as the ability to come from behind and win.

It's not without flaws, but I thought maybe other players out there might enjoy a thread on the subject.

xiears

Looks interesting, will have to give it a try. I like any game that feels like a CCG without have to shell out the cash for a CCG.

Really liking the art style as well.

ChaosRed

xiears wrote:

Really liking the art style as well.

Yes, good point, the art is a part of the reason it is fun. And its Gobbos, we all love Goblins, especially Goblins with assault rifles!

It is, for the most part, a "meat and potato" card game. All the standard tricks are there, filtering, card advantage, card denial, graveyard casting and of course, overall hand management. But it's cheap (20 bucks), it has great art and it can produce some very chaotic games. It has a come back mechanic too, meaning sometimes it is better to hold back, let your opponent win the first round and then come back with a vengeance.

Indeed, deciding in the first few turns how aggressive to be is a really critical component of the game.

I'd say anyone looking for a fresh card game would find their 20 bucks well-spent. It isn't the Mona Lisa or anything, but for a beer-and-pretzel game with friends, I am really enjoying it.

The game is up on gameboardarena, for those who are familiar with the rules and want to try it out on their computers:

http://en.boardgamearena.com/?s=839320/#!gamepanel?game=gosu

I played one game and lost (I blew my last move at a critical juncture, thinking I could mutate Kameo, but I was one card short). Still it plays fairly well in the link above, but like it lacks the social aspect, the swilling beer with your buddy component, that this game is really designed for.

Matev

Hrm, interesting, I'd want to try it before throwing down the money to buy it for myself.

ChaosRed

If you are lucky enough to live near the Seattle area, you can visit the Card Kingdom. They have the game behind the counter, you can request it and play it in their cafe. You could probably even convince someone on staff to teach it to you. They happily demo the game there, as it is a store favorite.

If you don't live in the Seattle area, familiarize yourself with the basic rules and then try the boardgamearena link posted above, to try the game online, for free.

I want to stress, that this game isn't rigidly complex. It also has a luck element, to be sure. But for that it is, which is a casual game, that makes you think, that costs just 20 bucks, it works beautifully.

It's one of those games that you don't even realize all the tactical possibilities until you've played a few games. It's also one of those games where after you lose, you often realize there were better moves to make. Of course, there's games you lose just because your draws sucked, but most of the time, the ability to win is right there in your hands, you just have to figure the path to victory.

Matev

I do in fact live in Seattle. I dropped by Card Kingdom yesterday. Didn't get to borrow the game as my not quite as quick to try new things friends would have been hard to convince. Instead, based on the staff's glowing reviews, I purchased a copy for myself.

ChaosRed

Very cool. Not just because you bought the game, but because you helped sustain Card Kingdom with your purchase. That gaming store is freakin' awesome. The more we support it, the longer it can survive. I love that store, we're really lucky to have it here in Seattle.

GoodOmens

I just played 3 games of this as BGA, won 1 and was totally owned the other two. Interesting game, and I can see it growing on me.

GoodOmens

After playing a few more rounds of this, I can say with some certainty that holybejezus do I suck. But I'm slowly learning.

On BoardGameArena, I'm known as Interrobang, if you happen to be around.

GoodOmens

Sooooooo good.

ChaosRed

I intend to play some games online later in the week, I'll be sure to look for you. I am ChaosRed on BGA as well.

GoodOmens

By then I expect my record will be something like 3-178.

ChaosRed

Hehehe, there's some good players on there to be sure. I am not very good myself, but I think one piece of advice I can offer you is, spend the first round collecting cards that complement one another and don't worry so much about getting them on the board right away. Draw 3 cards early in the first round with your tokens, as those 3 cards can really help you determine which factions to play.

It doesn't hurt that much to lose the first round, in fact, if you have a lot of cards that let you draw or destroy extra if you are losing in victory points, then sometimes intentionally losing the first round is a very good thing. But don't deploy that tactic too recklessly, getting too far behind in the game can make it very difficult to catch up.

It's too bad the site doesn't let opponents agree to play open hand. Helping one another out for a few games by seeing each other's hands is a great way to swap strategies and learn from one another.

ChaosRed

I am getting better at this game.

I played one online on Friday evening, a LOOOOOOOOONG game that saw the discard pile reshuffled back in and then nearly reshuffled again. I got several filtering/draw combos going and milled until I had a solid full 15. First online win for me.

Then today, I played my wife at Card Kingdom. Won the first one, using the comeback mechanic and the "win 2 victory points if you have none" overall effect to make it 2-2. Then took the 3rd game by locking her out of cards after she had spent her tokens. Second game I lost, I tried the comeback again, but didn't get set up well enough to bounce back. Third game I won, when I successfully played the "8 cards in a faction" overall effect. That was a great game, I was playing for it early and finally had the cards in my hand to pull it off and drove it home.

So, I am getting a little better at this game. Card Kingdom is having a tournament on this game soon. I am not sure if I'll enter, but I'll definitely attend to see other good players in action.

Matev

Ah? When is that supposed to be?

ChaosRed

I don't know. But, I'll find out the date of the tournament and post it here.

Gaebril

Just tried the game this weekend. It's pretty fun. It's not really so similar to Magic or Race for the Galaxy, it has no interlocking economic system, no direct combat system. It does its own thing and that's good. I will say that it's a lot harder to evaluate card effects than it would seem at first glance.

ChaosRed

I promised an update, here it is. CK is still toying with the idea of a tournament, but there's no official confirmation or date.

There is a new expansion for the game coming. It is a release of 100 new cards and 5 new factions. The expansion can be played independently or become integrated with the base set. Here are some details:

http://www.gamesalute.com/?p=13402

And here is some of the new card art, which looks really damn cool:

http://boardgamegeek.com/images/boardgameexpansion/85037/gosu-kamakor

Card Kingdom will have the new expansion on sale in late August.

ChaosRed

Just want to bump the thread and provide a minor update:

The new GOSU expansion's release in the US is delayed. We're probably not going to see it until October.

The BoardGameArena play is picking up. GOSU is now regularly the most sought after game to play on that site, even more popular (at times) than Dominion. Of course, real die hard Dominion players go to isotrope, so that explains some of it. Still the popularity of the game continues to rise...

http://en.boardgamearena.com/?s=839320/#!gamepanel?game=gosu