M.Indie by Joseph Lieberman

M.Indie Has a Case of the Pox (September 20, 2006)

Who cares what developers think, right? What do they matter when it comes to a game? Do you really want to read their canned responses? Well, I had a better idea for today's multiplayer game, Pox Nora. I decided to interview three random, high ranked, players and get THEIR opinion of this brand new combination strategy/collectable card game (Multiplayer, of course). So real quick, my opinion:

The pro of this game is it is a great strategy game with some really unique elements

The con is CCGs are typically expensive and prone to balance issues. Let's see what the players think.

[JoeL] So first, how long have you been playing?

[Makimo] Since Mid-July. I joined the game a couple of weeks before the Beta closed
[Miko]: I joined in early July, back when Open Beta started
[Shazara]: Probably a few weeks (Mid-early Aug) now, I found the game from the Penny Arcade link.

[JoeL] How much have you spent on getting runes?

[Makimo] $35 including the $10 credit I got for Beta testing
[Miko]: about a hundred bucks
[Shazara]: About $80, I have I think 300.

[JoeL] Do you feel that is enough to compete against everyone?
[Makimo] Not at a competitive level, but likely if I purchased another $25 100 rune pack I could. I think that 2 100 packs would do well competitively
[Miko]: yeah, probably more than enough. A couple 100 packs and a couple 30 packs are plenty
[Shazara]: I got top 5 with 100, and rank 2 with 200, so yeah. I only just got another 100 yesterday. It somewhat depends on what you get, though, there are a lot of important commons and uncommons that you'd really want in most builds. Rares and exotics are much less important, on the bright side.

[JoeL] Speaking of online games in general: What is it you like most about them?
[Makimo] Generally the idea that I can match wits against other people from all over the world
[Miko]: Community, I like socializing with other people. I don't get to do enough of it offline, so online helps keep my fix
[Shazara]: Competing against other players, probably, and having people to talk strategy and such with. Makes it more interesting.

[JoeL] Speaking specifically of Pox Nora: What is it that drew you to spend money on this game rather than some other.
[Makimo] I like the Turn Based Strategy aspect. I would rather take my time than be rushed in "live" second to second play
[Miko] The fact that it is a really good strategy game is what got me to spend money. I'm big into strategy, online, local net play, RTS, turn based, hell, even board games
[Shazara]: I just like the genre, I guess. I tried the premade decks and it seemed fun.

[JoeL] Do you play any other turn based online strategy games?
[Makimo] No, but I do play old school net games like Master of Orion 2.
[Miko]: I play Warcraft and Starcraft online, but not as much anymore since WoW
[Shazara]: No, I usually play RTS and MMORPGs, typically. WoW, GuildWars, and Warcaft III

[JoeL] Is there anything about Pox Nora you would change, should you be given the option?
[Makimo] Well, given that the game is so new I feel bad about commenting on the Rune Selection. That is the one area that I think is really lacking in the game. They need more runes.
[Miko]: Rune Count, bottom line there are not enough runes available yet,,, granted the game is still in it's infancy, but I really think they should have released with at least 50% more runes. The expansion is out soon though, so that will make up for it. Because there are so few runes, you end up seeing the same decks pretty much at a competitive level
[Shazara]: Well, like any game of this sort, there are a lot of underpowered/overpowered runes, and I think they should be less hesitant about applying changes. Guild Wars (which is reasonably comparable) changes a lot of things at once, but just avoids doing it during a ladder season and such, so there's some stability until a tournament is over. There are a lot of little balance changes I'd love to make.

[JoeL] Wouldn't that make it cost more, as well?
[Makimo] Sure, but the game has issues with there being a few runes which are practically required for competitive play in my opinion, which is never fun.
[Miko]: Sure, but it's worth it. The cost would really be negligible, since you get random runes. I got tons of dupes in the runes I bought. More selection would mean less dupes and more useful runes

[JoeL]Anything to add?
[Makimo]: Nope!
[Miko]: Just that the game is really worth trying. It combines a lot of good elements of collectible games
[Shazara]: It's a great game and fans of TBS games should try it.

So there you have it. You get an idea that these people like the game, wish it were more balanced and/or had more potential strategies, have an idea of what it costs to be competitive. If you think multiplayer strategy games are fun I suggest trying it for free at www.poxnora.com

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By: Joseph Lieberman
Posted: Tuesday September 19, 2006