Well, yes. That’s rather the problem. Their implementation at present makes them practically meaningless, and by extension the same applies to wins in general.
Prior to this season the only thing that mattered at all was winning one run to a season and that was basically it. Now it’s completing the distinction challenges. Once you do all those it’s back to it not mattering at all whether you win or lose. The incentive and reward structure is, I feel… disappointing in this regard. I would like to be properly motivated to win.
Heart’s Game is much more annoying that Winking Island. I have SMEN 74, Butcher’s Tool and Ichorous Alarm, I know what I am saying.
And it was before the counterplay.
I agree.
I only played the first season and will now probably force myself to play it for the unique rewards again, but I will say that I hate it with all of my heart (pun intended).
It combines in my opinion some of the worst aspects: relative high complexity (choosing the right accomplices and how to play your actions), being at the mercy of RNG and high action investment.
It is doable, no question, but if bad luck means or a misclick on your outfit before a round can mean that you easily loose 70+ actions of investment (worth 2-3 days of playing for me sometimes), it is extremely punishing for little t no merit. (EPA is meaningless for someone like me who has the expensive Items they need.)
I would have more fun acquiring a second Folded Knock (if I could) than gaining a single distinction in Heart’s Game.
I can see that some people clearly enjoy it, but I do hope, FBG never adds another unique reward to this.
I wish they would instead provide other ways to get these items. Even if it were at 3 times the expected action cost, I would still prefer that.
That’s a fair complaint. For my part, I play Hearts’ Game more for racking up enough Exploits to get valuable items to sell for money (like Starstone Demarks) and for the occasional oddity you can earn if you win the right distinctions (such as the Nod of Mr. Hearts).
I really wish they had an option to back out on a team that you know won’t work. I get that this would reduce some of the RNG, but it’s very frustrating that you can give up rounds, or leave midway through making a team but that won’t let you start again. I’m fairly okay with losing rounds, but trapping myself with a team that doesn’t fit the requirements I’m going for and having to wait two hours for another go (How are Pages so slow) is torture.
Also, does anyone have any advice on page composition? I found Knights and Kings pretty easy to get through (seriously, Knight of Skin has carried me so hard), but Pages seem to combine being slow and not particularly effective and their priest doesn’t do anything to mitigate either of these problems.
I personally did it entirely with the Page of Gambits & dumb luck.
… for Priests, in my opinion the Priest of Smiths is easier even though they give no bonuses to Pages, because they generate Preparations and make small progress. maybe combine them with Queen of Cod for a smaller deck or Fool of Audacities for medium progress?
Yeah, as generally agreed above, gambits is by far the simplest and easiest way to do it. Roots can also carry your team through the endgame well enough.
I used Roots as leading character and Cod as main prep generator. Teeth was the filler. Strategy: push to prep 3 and start rooting. Main thing is to avoid no prep moves to not generate counters. Ace of Cod provides +1 KT so you could afford one more item for your filler buddy or Cod.
Less dicey than Gambits.
I currently have a Knight of Skin, Page of Roots, and King of Tallow that is working quite well. If I can stick to just choosing storylets that give progress OR that give Poisonous Preparations and nothing more, I don’t even get Counterplay storylets.
The idea that counterplays suddenly exist after multiple seasons of them pointedly not existing because Mr. Hearts has started dosing the players with his patented Empyrean Redolence to make them more “enthusiastic” in the heat of combat is horrifying.
Alternatively, he’s done so since the beginning and the enhancements are only just now beginning to show. It would explain why some of the game’s banter comes across as…oddly sensual.
Is buying Ivory Organza in bulk and then waiting for the appropriate rat market season the most efficient way to cash out exploits?
(I know it’s gotta be a dead heat between that and a ridiculous amount of brass rings & contraptions to print newspapers, but I openly refuse to do the math myself while there are living people who actually enjoy doing so available.)
You’re addressing someone so committed to roleplaying villains that he bought Heroes of Horror, The Libris Mortis, The Elder Evils, and the Book of Vile Deeds in his DnD days.
Not only did I make a point of becoming a Lich or a Vampire as a player character every chance I got (which I judiciously and obstinately forced), I also once made a Necrocarnate.
Even most DnD nerds have no idea what that is, but it’s what happens when you take being an Edgelord to it’s logical conclusion.
Being a necromancer has naught to do with being the lovechild of a fusty antiquarian and an investment banker.
Yes, I’m afraid the art of necromancy sadly never attracted me. Nekomancy, on the other hand, is quite a passion for me, and one I am most adapt at! I am also proficient in rant-o’mancy and am currently practicing modern golem crafting, known to the common person as “IT”.
)
