Saturday, October 15, 2016

Out of the REALM of possibility!


One quirk of Spellfire: TAV is the variant's treatment of Realm (Conquest, 66/81). For some reason now lost to the mists of time, this sticker-set card has always been treated like Shaqat Beetles (4th edition, 234/500). That is to say, any number of Realms are allowed per deck, to the limit of 15 realms as indicated in both the standard rules and TAV rules.
Look at this annoying thing.
Because of this odd quirk, which may have been due to a misinterpretation of the Realm card text long ago, things like this have been legal in TAV for over 15 years:


"Cool, I win! Oh, wait..."
Another great reason to play TAV - you just can't do this sort of thing in standard Spellfire. :)

You can call it a house rule or an optional rule or whatever you like, but trust me: letting Realm be used this way adds to the fun of the game. Give it a try, and you may find that the only thing that beats winning a game of Spellfire by completing a formation of six realms is winning by completing a formation of six REALMS!

Next: The best cards in the Millennium sticker set.

10 comments:

  1. So you are back. Good to know. There are some nice promos you could use too. (some of that are shit) http://spellfirefrance.blogspot.com.br/search/label/S%C3%A9ries%20Br%C3%A9siliennes

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    1. Yes I am back, aiming for a post every few weeks. We will see, life is busy! Thanks for the link, will check it out.

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  2. Good to know you are still playing TAV. It´s the only way me and my friends play Spellfire now (original is boring).
    Anyway, we create a deckbuilder that you will problably enjoy , because you make a lot of tematic decks and there are filters to help: https://www.mol.net.br/spellfire

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    1. Thanks, our aim when creating TAV was to make the game more exciting. Thanks for the link, I will check it out.

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  3. I played a few games of Spellfire in the mid/late nineties. It seemed fun. I'll confess to not being a fan of fan projects that attempt to redesign legacy games. For instance, I would imagine part of the thematic appeal of laying realms is in identifying key locations from AD&D lore. Having a plain "Realm" card defeats the object of the game's design for me. I never had an opportunity to explore this game back in the day so willbe taking the opportunity to do so over the next year.

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    1. Cool, let me know what you think. Spellfire is still alive in 2016 - that's amazing when you think about it.

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    2. Will do. Retro gaming is a thing though right. I mean it is in terms of console gaming, some classic board games and Oldhammer which date back a decade prior to Spellfire. What I found surprising was the absence of later edition starter deck sets on the secondary market. Was very little Fourth Edition product printed compared to the First Edition?! Regards, Stu

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    3. Yes, there isn't much 4th edition around. I only have 2/3 of a full set myself. It wasn't low sales that did Spellfire in - 3rd and 4th flew off shelves. Rather it was Wizards of the Coast who acquired TSR and then proceeded to immediately kill off Spellfire to eliminate competition for Magic: The Gathering. This short-sighted move was (I think) a big mistake.

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    4. Been enjoying games very much so will be playing more. A friend played it at lunchtime with me and commented it was so much more fun than MTG and compared it to the card game "Epic" but with better organised combat system. I've purchased a set of 4th Edition from a guy who is letting cards go. Can't wait to build some decks and play.

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    5. Congratulations on getting a full 4th edition set! This is a dream of mine. Glad you are enjoying the game, I learned Spellfire and Magic: The Gathering the same day in 1994. I've always enjoyed both games, but I do like Spellfire a bit more.

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