Sometimes, a card holds valuable weapons, armor, or blessings that provide boosts in various ways. There are a huge variety of cards that come into play. The stories of each Encounter card are not altered to fit the context of the challenge at hand, which is a bit disorienting. One moment, a player may be exploring a flooded sewer, and the next, they find themselves rescuing a damsel in distress in the forest. The only significant issue with the way in which challenges tell their stories is the fact that the player’s Encounter cards are often incongruous with the events of the challenge itself. And these are meaty stories - successfully completing a single challenge should take experienced players anywhere between thirty minutes to an hour. The sheer variety of play styles among the challenges keeps the game fresh from beginning to end. Time advances at different rates depending upon the cards selected, so a loadout that helps reveal cards on the map is helpful. In another, players must find a hermit hidden in an enchanted forest before the evil Empire reaches him. When building a deck to conquer this challenge, cards that provide sustenance are vital. For example, in one challenge, players must seek four stolen relics across a huge playing field, where starvation is as much an enemy as roaming bands of thieves. Fame is gained in a variety of ways, often through success in combat or games of chance.Įach challenge tells its own unique story, usually with a particular gimmick that makes it unlike other challenges. New to the sequel is Fame, a stat which determines not only the ability to undertake certain Encounters, but also what equipment the player can use. Finding gold will allow purchase of food and equipment from traders, either at a campfire (readily available with the push of a button) or through an Encounter card, such as the General Store. Each step taken onto a new card consumes one unit of food - run out, and health begins to rapidly decline. Stat and health management is of utmost importance in the tabletop phase of the game. Experienced players will definitely want to forego the game’s help and build decks themselves. An auto-build option is available for newbies, but it’s far from optimal. The game provides clues about what to expect in a given challenge, and these hints are vital for building an effective deck. Therefore, building a strong deck becomes key to victory. While there are set encounters in each challenge, player cards have a significant role in the outcome. Each card contains an event, sometimes leading to a game of chance to determine what sorts of items (or damage) the player receives, sometimes sending the player into action-packed combat.Īn initial selection of challenges are available to tackle in any order, and further challenges are unlocked as previous challenges are completed. Players then move a token from card to card, flipping them over to reveal their contents. Players choose from their collection of cards, and play proceeds with the Dealer doling out a combination of the player’s cards and challenge-specific cards into a game map. There aren’t any enormous twists - evil guys are evil, good guys are good - but it’s entertaining enough. The plot follows the main character’s quest to discover the motives of a wicked emperor who, for some reason, wants them dead. Though that’s not to say the main story is uninteresting. Coming into this game with no knowledge of the previous won’t put players at a disadvantage, as the overall story is secondary to the plots of each of the game’s twenty-two challenges. Now, one hundred years later, he’s ready to take his vengeance. Hand of Fate 2 puts players once again in the company of the Dealer, who is stung by his loss in the previous game. The sense of accomplishment is real when it happens, but it’s impossible to ignore the feeling that victory wasn’t entirely due to gaming prowess. Hand of Fate 2 undermines that expectation, creating a game of skill and chance with soaring highs and crushing lows. However, most games set the expectation that a certain level of skill will allow a player to overcome any random elements and emerge victorious. Randomness has been a part of games from the very beginning.
Video games have long traded in similar thrills. When cash is on the line, and stakes are high, it’s enticing enough that some even become addicted. There’s a certain thrill to be had with a roll of the dice or a spin of the wheel.
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