Doomtown: Reloaded

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MythicalMino
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Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by MythicalMino »

I got a little bit into this "LCGC type game by AEG last year. I really liked the theme, and even though the gameplay (at first) was awkward, I saw the goodness under the surface. I had almost all of the expansions up to that point in time (due to a big trade and purchasing the rest)....but then AEG announced they were ending the game, and then I wasn't able to get the last 5 expansions (3 saddlebags & 2 pineboxes). Soon after those were released, they were sold out. I figured I would not be able to find them again, at least not at an affordable price.

But then Pinnacle Entertainment (and Pinebox Entertainment) announced that they now have the rights to the game. And...not only would they be releasing new material for the game (Raising it from the grave!), they would rerelease everything AEG released before! So, I jumped on the deal, bought the expansions I was missing, and my boys and I have been playing Doomtown Reloaded.

We have started building our own decks using cards up through the first Pinebox expansion. And all I have to say is....we are loving the game! We have gotten past the obtuse awkwardness of the gameplay, and are just enjoying the theme, the town-building, and the poker hand shootouts.

Anyone else play this?
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Blackhawk
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Blackhawk »

I've got the base game, but I haven't had the chance to play it yet. I picked it up on clearance right after they announced it being cancelled. I'm glad Pinnacle got it (although it makes sense, given that it was based on their IP that they've been developing for 20+ years.)
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hepcat
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by hepcat »

Wow, I did not know it was revived. :shock:

I have a bunch of stuff for it, but it's a tough game to bring to the table .
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Harkonis
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Harkonis »

I love this game and have a ton for it when it was brought back. My problem is that it's got a tough learning curve so it's hard for me to get others to play. On top of that it has a 'build your own deck' that is a lot like how Magic feels and even when I get people up to speed on how to play, we basically all end up playing with my decks because nobody has the desire to make their own.

Ideally I'd find people to play with that have their own cards and make their own decks. Gameplay is pretty good imo.

I played a ton back in the 90's when it was a tcg, super excited it came back then sad to see it go again.
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Chaosraven
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Chaosraven »

Still have the tcg version in storage.
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Smoove_B »

I am confused. The game is out of print...but now being supported again and the prices for the sets and expansions are discount-level cheap? Why doesn't this add-up?
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Blackhawk
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Blackhawk »

1. Deadlands existed, ca mid 90s.
2. A CCG based on Deadlands, called Doomtown, happened.
3. #2 went out of print.
4. Years go by.
5. Doomtown: Reloaded, a new game, comes out, a reboot of #2 without the 'collectible' nonsense.
6. Eventually #5 is announced as being discontinued.
7. Retailers start dumping Doomtown cheap. Rarer products (expansions) get the scalper treatment.
8. The company responsible for #1 takes over the reigns, GOTO 5.
9. Someone on OO makes a thread.
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Smoove_B
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Smoove_B »

I guess I thought Reloaded was DOA for a while and was surprised to see that Amazon is filled with really cheap copies of the game and expansions. I guess maybe word of being revived hasn't fully spread yet?
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Blackhawk
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Blackhawk »

I dunno. I see all of the listings on Amazon are still under AEG. Maybe they're just trying to burn through their stock.

/edit - which would make sense, as if Pinnacle releases an updated game (even if it is just errata stuff), theirs will become worthless.
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Smoove_B
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Smoove_B »

No, they said they're 100% supporting the AEG stuff and not going to have people re-purchase anything. They're updating the rules but everything is supposed to be backwards compatible with anything that is newly released by Pinnacle. I guess I was just surprised to see stuff so cheap, but I guess it was likely over-saturated and not selling. But I mean...$19 for a core box set is pretty ridiculous :ninja: .
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Blackhawk
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Blackhawk »

I didn't mean making it incompatible, just that any reprints might be a 'revised' version with errors fixed and so forth. Still compatible, but more desirable (look at the early version of the Pathfinder card game.)
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Smoove_B
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Smoove_B »

Got it. Still, seems pretty damn cheap, particularly for the core set.
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Blackhawk
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Blackhawk »

Yeah, I think that's about what I paid at Barnes & Noble last year.
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hepcat
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by hepcat »

If they can make movement in the game more intuitive with a rule change, I'll stick with my copy.
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MythicalMino
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by MythicalMino »

We are still playing this like crazy. Jacob (my 13 year old) is wanting to take it to the gaming store to try and get others interested in it.

We have been playing 3 player games (my two sons and I). Only using cards up through the first Pinebox expexpansion (Faith and Fear) at the moment. I figured I would add the expansion cards over time so we would not get bombarded with all the cards all at once.

I think the setting os attractive for my boys, along with how the town is "built" over the course of the game, giving it a "boardgame feel". And, both boys are noticing things they can do with thier decks they are using to (maybe) make them play better. That really helps with the replayability, as they can play theor deck a couple times or so, then change some cards out, redesigning it, and play a new deck.

I know that deckbuilding is a common mechanic and has been around for a long time....but the deckbuilding, along with the theme and board-building has them both hooked.
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Turtle
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Turtle »

I still have my stuff, and played the original. But unfortunately, multiple things just didn't line up for this game.

As above, movement was just overly complex. It had those rules for a reason, but it was a lot to take in. Then actions, adjacency. the western themed rules writing all compiled into seeing the game die again.

The biggest problem I think was the victory objectives. You had very fluid levels of control and influence going everywhere all the time

In Netrunner, you hit a server until you found the agendas. In Legend of the Five Rings you won by honor or destroyed all 4 provinces.

In Doomtown, you move guys around until you had more influence or control, or was it more control than influence over more locations that all have variable levels of control, or was that influence? Or and more of those can come out over the course of the game, and taking them at one point doesn't mean you get them for the rest of the game. Wait, wasn't this a card game about the Old West and desperadoes having gunfights? It ended up being far too much front loaded into the system for the theme to handle?
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by hepcat »

Unfortunately, I share many of the concerns with the gameplay as you. But since I'm a nut for the genres of horror and westerns, I still tried to ram it down friend's throats.

It did not go well. :cry:
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Smoove_B »

Maybe I need to experience everything in motion, but from what I've read (the instructions) I'm not completely lost. It makes more sense to me than Mistfall. :D
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by hepcat »

Play it. That's all I can say in defense of my post.

I want to love it. I really do. But for a game that's supposed to be a head to head card duel, it's a little too fiddly and unintuitive than I'd like. Mistfall on the other hand is supposed to have a steeper learning curve. So I can certainly understand someone finding it harder to learn than Doomtown Reloaded.
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MythicalMino
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by MythicalMino »

All I can really say in answer is both my boys, ages 13 & 15 love it. The movement isn't bad after a couple of games. We are really enjoying it.

And as of right now, it isn't dead. AEG dropped it, but there is still life in the game. In fact, they just released a couple spoilers for 2 new cards.
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hepcat
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by hepcat »

MythicalMino wrote:The movement isn't bad after a couple of games.
Sadly, it only took one game to leave a bad impression with most of the people I tried to get interested in it. :cry:
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Harkonis
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Harkonis »

you and your lot are fickle and quick to judge crowd :ninja:
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hepcat
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by hepcat »

I liked it. I just understand the complaints.
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Zarathud »

Yes, but I've never played. ;)
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Smoove_B
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Smoove_B »

I haven't played yet, but I've read through everything a few times and watched a Youtube video. Maybe because I'm still in the training wheels portion, but the movement doesn't confuse me. Instead, it's the idea that cards from my deck can be taken over by another player that's scrambling my brain. There's a lot of layers to this game.
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Smoove_B »

Finally managed to play through the tutorial last night, and then finish the game with the training wheels off. I really enjoyed the hell out of it - oozes with theme. Surprisingly, I didn't really have too much of a problem following everything, even the movements. I know we were playing it very cautiously and it was slow, but I can see where it'll eventually speed up once all the steps are down. When I first heard about this game years ago I almost purchased it, but I think it would have ended badly as there is indeed a lot going on and the mechanics aren't intuitive. But honestly after figuring out games like Mage Knight or Robinson Crusoe, I didn't have any problems following along with this.

That being said, I can see where it might get out of control once you start custom building decks, but I don't have an interest in that. I'd much rather just get lists of pre-constructed decks and play with various themes or tactics.

What I think is my favorite part of this game is how quickly you cycle cards. With other LCG I've played, there have been times when I've never even made it through the initial draw deck. So you're playing an entire game and never seeing some of your important cards at all. With the poker element in this game, the card churn is rather high and I think that makes it less likely that any specific deck layout has too much power - because you're just as likely to be burning through those draw hands. I'm sure that drives some players nuts as they've meticulously crafted a deck with exactly the right number of cards and know when and where those cards are because they're card-counting as the game unfolds.

Anyway, definitely a keeper and I'm glad everything on Amazon was on deep discount. :D
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Isgrimnur »

CSI has one Doomtown Reloaded: Premium Edition for $100.00
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Buatha »

So, is the Premium box fairly "complete"? I'm trying to keep from buying the whole "need to buy 3 expansions before it shines" type of game if it doesn't get played very often.
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Buatha
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Buatha »

Well, I found this deal on Ebay ( I paid a little less than shown here ) and it seemed a decent deal. I will probably experience buyer remorse, but I feel I could probably sell it back without too much loss...especially if packs disappear and I don't open them all immediately.

From what I read before I pulled the trigger (you see what I did there), was that the game takes more than a few games to click and most people will be turned off due to the steep learning curve. Ideally, you would be taught by someone familiar with the nuances...I guess I will be on YouTube hoping for the best.

I hope I have better luck with this card game since Call of Cthulhu was too niche for my kids/friends and NetRunner was too technical a concept for my non-IT friends. Let's hope that the western/poker mode works for them.
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Re: Doomtown: Reloaded

Post by Smoove_B »

I really liked the theme and mechanics, but (to me) it was a lifestyle game - one that you needed to play frequently to really enjoy and stay current on the rules. The tutorial they provide is really good and I would think anyone familiar with deck building would pick it up really quick. The addition of a temporal element (playing cards at specific locations) and the poker/bluffing mechanics really work well. I wish keeping it made sense for me, but sadly it did not. Hopefully you do better.
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