Across the Middle Seas pirate airships a-plenty roam the winds and waves in search of bounty. Close on their heels, the Hunter ships of the Pendragon's Empire seek to thwart them and end their days.
The two Factions must use their sailing, guns and boarding skills to best their foes. Who will survive? Who will be scuppered and marooned? Only you can say.
--Excerpt from the oddball Aeronauts rule book
What is oddball Aeronauts?
oddball Aeronauts transforms the childhood classic card game of War from a simple game of blind luck to a sophisticated and visually stunning light strategy card game. This two-player, self-contained, duel deck card game is currently in "beta", having gone through extensive development and refinement. The game's designer, Nigel Pyne, hopes to gain some final feedback from the larger public before gearing up to publish next year.
Objective
The objective is plain and simple: force your opponent to discard his entire deck.
Gameplay
Gameplay is pretty straightforward. Each round you look at the top three cards of your deck. (You may look at all of your cards, but only the top three can be used during a round.) You then select one of three skills (sailing, guns, or boarding) to use to try and best your opponent. The top card of your deck must be played, but you decide whether or not to use the second and/or third card in your deck to support it. Tally the value of your selected skill and compare that to your opponent's. The highest score wins the round and, depending on the skill selected, the winner is rewarded by being able to (in various forms) recover discarded cards and/or force his opponent to discard. Some cards also have a special power that may be applied during various steps of a round, such as a situational bonus to a skill or an extra reward for winning the round.
Final Thoughts
oddball Aeronauts is a fun and light game with a quick pace. Easily portable, it would make for a great road trip game. The artwork is phenomenal, and Nigel has created an interesting new world for his characters to explore (check out the official website for a field guide to the world of oddball Aeronauts). I highly recommend giving this game a try - if you do, I know that Nigel would certainly appreciate feedback, which you can provide through a form included in the download files .
Other Links
- oddball Aeronauts Game Files
- ZIP file includes printable cards, rules, and feedback form
- oddball Aeronauts BoardGameGeek Page
Thanks for the (p)review Derek.
ReplyDeleteThe art for the game is being done by my brother - Ash Pyne - who also created the 'oddball Realms' setting - I would love to take credit for this but not this time.
As Derek has mentioned, if you feel inclined to check out oddball Aeronauts we would love your feedback.
Nigel