A Deckbuilding Look at DC Comics

DC: Super Power CardThe newest deckbuilders increasingly mix deckbuilding with other game mechanics to create more complex designs, so it was interesting to finally get to play Cryptozoic’s DC Comics, recently expanded by Heroes Unite (2014), which is a very classic deckbuilding design.

The Game

The DC Comics Deck-Building Game (2012) is a pure deckbuilding game that’s the most similar in feel to Ascension (2010) with a twist of Thunderstone (2009). As in Ascension there are a huge number of varied cards in the game, with just a few random cards available for purchase each round. As in Thunderstone, that’s supplemented by a monster (super villain) that you can kill (jail) if you a lot of money (power) to spend — and those monster/super-villains also act as the timer for the game.

Beyond that, DC Comics is a very standard deck builder. You start with the same starting hand as everyone else. You have one currency (power), and you use it to buy cards every turn, while simultaneously playing other cards for their abilities. If you don’t use cards, they’re discarded. At the end of the game you count up the victory points on your cards, and hope you won.

However, that’s not to say there aren’t at least a few minor twists …

The Good

DC: Hero CardGreat Theming. So how does a game that’s so standard still manage to catch people’s attention? Great theming. There are not only fun superheroes and super villains, but other cards represent equipment, super powers, and locations. It’s a pretty good representation of the major tropes of comic books, and when you get to play Teleportation or visit Oa, it’s very evocative.

Simple Play. Beyond that, DC Comics has simple play that’s easy and intuitive. This is harder to manage in a game design than you’d think; deckbuilders in particular often went the too-complex route from Day Two. So, simplicity really is a virtue.

Special Powers. Deckbuilding games tend to go one of two directions with their card abilities. Some deckbuilding games just have a couple of special attributes (draw cards, gain currency, gain combat advantage, etc.) which are used in numerous variations, while others have unique powers on lots of different cards. DC Comics picks the latter methodology. Though this can make the game drag a bit as it goes on (and you collect more specially powered cards), it’s also fun, and it contributes to the great theming of the game (mostly; I wasn’t always sure why a special power went with a card’s theme).

Nice Setup. Each player starts the game with their own special character cards that’s laid in front of them. This is more now a somewhat staid mechanic that was also used by Penny Arcade (2011) and 3012 (2012), but it’s still a nice one. At its best, it directs a player’s play, and that’s the case here.

Another interesting aspect of DC Comics’ setup is that a player’s initial hand includes “Vulnerability” cards which do … nothing. For years, deckbuilding games have included less useful cards in their starting decks, but having entirely useless cards is kind of nice because it cuts out the middle man: there’s no way to consider these cards in the least bit helpful, so you feel that much better when you dilute them or get rid of them.

DC: Equipment CardGreat Suits. Several deckbuilder games have used suits in a variety of ways, including Arctic Scavengers (2009, 2013), Ascension (2010), 3012 (2012), and Asgard’s Chosen (2013). DC Comics does so as well with its hero, villain, super power, equipment, and location cards. Each type of card has a unique feel to it, but more importantly the cards of a suit often work together well. There are cards that give you bonuses based on the number of super powers in your discard pile or victory points based on how many villains you have in your deck. This encourages you to build your deck in certain ways and (once more) tends to work well with the game’s theming.

Nice Interaction. Many of the villains have “attacks”, which allows for some rather aggressive interaction in the game though it can be “defended” against. This sort of offensive player interaction was a pretty new trend in deckbuilding when DC Comics latched onto it — though it could also be seen in Penny Arcade (2011) and  3012 (2012).

DC Comics’ use of offensive interaction may actually be better than many of the others because it actually rewards players for playing their defensive cards — letting them replace cards and even draw additional cards in most instances, rather than having their hand whittled down by the use of defenses. However it has problems too, as we’ll return to.

Nothing Special. Overall, DC Comics may work well as a deckbuilder because there’s nothing special here. Its mechanics are all well-tested, and so there’s nothing to trip up either the design or the players.

The Bad

DC: Villain CardNothing Special. On the downside, there’s really nothing special in DC Comics — nothing that advances the state of deckbuilding design. The vulnerability cards and the strong use of suits come the closest, but they’re ultimately minor revisions to the art of deckbuilding as it currently exists. So, if you’ve played a deckbuilder before, and particularly if you’ve played Ascension and Thunderstone, you’ve already seen what’s in this game.

Balance Issues. I’ve also seen DC Comics get more wildly out-of-whack than most deckbuilders. Though almost all deckbuilders suffers from rich-gets-richer syndrome because improving your deck helps you to improve your deck, I rarely see the disparity of victory points that can occur in DC Comics.

I think this is largely the result of the offensive interaction system that I otherwise lauded. Its downside is that it can literally leave a player without cards at the start of his turn! Deckbuilders should really consider whether that’s a good idea, as it can be pretty devastating for player.

Conclusion

DC Comics may be the deckbuilder game that offers the least interesting fodder for discussion. It’s a third-generation deckbuilder that adapts the mechanics of games other than Dominion (2008). However, it didn’t do much to expand or innovate on those mechanics, and so there wasn’t a lot to talk about.

With that said, DC Comics is also a fine example of why a game doesn’t always need to innovative. Based on its strong theming and its unique and distinct powers, it’s a lot of fun to play, and that’s the ultimate measure of success in a game!

Liked it? Take a second to support Shannon Appelcline on Patreon!

1 thought on “A Deckbuilding Look at DC Comics

  1. Pingback: Today in Board Games Issue #160 - Among the Stars, Call for Conventions - Today in Board Games

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.