One of the Gencon hot games to actually make it to the Tabletop Gaming Live event was Keyforge.
Luckily for the number of visitors at the show FFG/Asmodee got the number of demo games about right.
I got to play 2 games one on the Saturday against a stranger, and one on the Sunday against Diego.
For me it was certainly a tale of 2 experiences.
On the Saturday I found the game a frustrating experience. I really didn’t grok what the deck was trying to do, and so was playing less than optimally with that deck.
Although in the game I lost 3-0, I was ready to claim my first key (way too late) when my opponent claimed their third and final key, which I was powerless to stop.
The game against Diego I clicked with the deck and got what it was trying to do. And was able to take the win after Diego taking an early lead.
It felt odd that I could have creatures out and not do anything with them if my opponent had no creatures out. Well unless there was an ability or reap action on the card I could use.
The games went on longer than expected. I thought they would be like a 20 minute game, but I pretty sure both games were in the 40 minute plus bracket. I’m not sure this can be entirely explained away with us learning as we played.
I think having played the game your experience will vary depending on the deck you have, and how quickly you get what the deck is trying to do. Multiple plays are definitely required with a deck. But at what point do you declare that a deck is just not fun for you?
It was nice to play. A tad over hyped I think. I can see myself grabbing a deck. I just don’t see it now as being a MtG killer, or serious competition for my playing time. I think this will join the rank of fringe card games in the lcg/ccg arena. There will be some that play it, may be a thriving London scene for a while, but like Destiny, Ashes, Dicemasters and others, it will burn brightly for a brief period, then die out nearly as quickly as it appeared. Leaving behind these small hardcore players that swear blind the game isn’t dead, it’s resting (the dead parrot sketch was written for Ashes fans).