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SpellNews

Issue # 7
August 1997
Editors: Cesstris & Arevar
Reporter:  Wildwood72
Email: arevar@aol.com

This Issue:

*  Arevar's Ramblings
*  Cesstris Speaks
*  Wildwood Rants
*  Mystery Cards III
*  Word Search: Dragons (answers)
*  Wildwood's Deck
*  Feature Card

Arevar's Ramblings

        Before you read my ramblings for this month, you might want to take a look at Wildwood's Rants, because I'm going to touch base on some of what he talked about.
        The craze for CCGs does seem to be dying down. Used to be, practically every week there was a new ccg coming out of the woodwork, or a new expansion, or an ad for a new upcoming ccg.
        However, in the last few months to a year or so, it seems that Marvel's Apocalypse's words ring true: "Only the fittest may survive!"
        The first of the CCGs as we know them, Magic: The Gathering, is obviously one of the fittest. It began the whole CCG craze/industry/whatever the heck you want to call it. And it's still around, and from what I last saw of it, it was doing quite well even after nearly four years.
        Star Wars seems to be doing quite well, with several strong expansion sets under the belt, with more forthcoming, from what I hear. Now, I find it hard to believe that the makers of the Star Wars CCG would keep putting out expansions if the game wasn't making a lot/enough money to be worthwhile.
        Fleer/Skybox's Overpower series seems to be doing quite well, with two Marvel basic sets, and three/four Marvel expansions out, a DC basic set, and a DC expansion out. Again, if it wasn't doing well, why would more sets already be slated for later '97 releases for this series?
        Then, of course, we see Spellfire. From everything I've seen/heard, Spellfire is the SECOND CCG. Magic came first, then TSR hopped on the bandwagon with Spellfire. Now, take a look at spellfire. It has four editions of the basic set, plus ten expansion sets. Three more sets were scheduled for '97 release: Dungeons!, Fiends, and Incantations. Now, with TSR under WotC, they have far more power for advertizing, which would definitely make Spellfire into a more well-known game, like magic. WotC/TSR--wouldn't you rather have TWO top-selling/well-known games, rather than just ONE? Back Spellfire heavily for a year. Rather than full-page MTG ads, maybe do smaller mtg ads, and include spellfire on the page.
        I saw a commercial on Mtv for the Portal MTG set. Do a commercial for WoTC CCGs in general. MTG/Spellfire/Battletech/Netrunner, etc.
        With that kind of backing, many of the MTG players who shun "lesser" (non-makers of magic) games, if WotC shows that they support Spellfire, I, too, believe that many of these players will be more willing to at least give Spellfire a try.
        As for the delays in releases of TSR product--I do not pretend to understand how things are working, but from what I have seen/heard, the reason that not all of the '97 releases are being released this year is due to not wanting to "flood the market".
        I see a lot of validity in that. However, I also see that there are very few people who would buy one of every single release put out by TSR. I'm among those people. I will buy Spellfire, and I will buy some DragonLance related products. I am not going to buy Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, or Dark Sun products.
        Therefore, should my local shop suddenly have a lot of TSR products, I am not going to be attempting to buy a little bit of everything in this "flood". I'm going to stick to what I already know. However, if there would suddenly be a flood of the market like this, and I happen to see something that really catches my eye, I might consider buying it to see how it actually is.
        So, perhaps a "flood" could even do some good.
        And yet, from what I recall, many shops returned product, and that was part of why TSR was in the trouble financially that it was.
        So, I don't know exactly how valid my points are, and they are my personal opinions, etc. I likely have some error in my interpretation of certain things. This article is in no way a challenge to WotC/TSR authority, nor is it intended as second-guessing of said parties. I recognize that there are completely valid reasons, many of which are unknown to any outside the employ of the two companies as to why certain things are done the way they are.

Cesstris Speaks

        I really don't have much to say, that arevar hasn't already said. I'm upset about the UPS strike, but I understand it, from both sides, so we'll just have to wait it out and hope that Dungeons! comes to us soon. Don't lose your respect for Spellfire, and keep playing! See you next issue.

        Anyway, I've been having a lot of random thoughts, brought on by a post Wytefang made in the AOL SF folder... About the absolute necessity of cards being playtested before they're being released, no more rush design jobs, etc....
        I think those are both great ideas, but I just wish I could go back and show TSR what has happened with this game when it was in development. If the rules that are currently in print were the rule of the day back then, I think more people would have "jumped on" the bandwagon.
        Note that this is not a slam against TSR... I just wish that they had been able to wait a little longer for development and playtesting before the 1st ed came out. IMO, the rush to get a CCG on the market
to cash in on the fad of the time took precidence over putting out the *absolute* best product they could.... Still, they did a damned good job.
        Just to restate what I'm rambling.... WoTSRC needs to playtest the cards more than they have in the past to assure that there are no "super cards" that require seperate rulings to control game damage (examples: Ancient Kal, Control Winds, Avaril, Bell of Might), and also that no unbeatable combos happen... this hasn't happened yet, but it could very easily (as I've shown on numerous occasions with my Throne of the Mountain King/Gatekeeper/Mad Sci Lab combos).
        1) Put one person in charge of SF full time (like Jim's trying to do) for rulings, card interactions, and making sure the game "don't get broke." There are too many designers and cards to have a complete fit, but this would help (assuming the person in charge has the power to change the wording of cards that could cause problems).
        2) Advertise Spellfire.. if it was pushed half as hard as M:tG (hell, I saw the TV ad for the 1st time today), we'd have a monster on our hands. This includes making the monthly (or so it seems) Dragon Dice
article in Dragon bi-monthly, alternating with Spellfire articles. I remember Dragon saying that SF was pulled from its pages due to lack of support by the readers.. are there so many more DD players that DD
is immune to this?
        This also means that WoTC supports SF for at least a year with new boosters to check the market after ads are increased.. WoTC has the King (sales wise) of CCGs.. if they showed support by putting an occasional article in their "house mag" and ask the other CCG mags to at least be neutral instead of looking down at SF, there would be more exposure... this can be a good thing! <g>
        And to be totaly fair, Spellfire had a full page ad opposite the table of contents in the Gen Con registration booklet, so there _is_ hope on that point.
        3) Do more promotions with SF.. print up Promos 4, 5, and 6 to be put as inserts into Dragon and CCG mags. Do another "SF giveaway" like was done with the no ed cards, send gaming stores Spellfire
posters, make sure that when they bring back Polyhedron that there is a notice that sanctioned SF tourneys give RPGA points...
        Hell, drop the "Novel Giveaway" that happens once a year at retail stores (remember those?), and give away SF boosters or starters (or at least give a choice between novels and SF). I'm sure that there are still 1st ed booster packs and RL boosters floating around the TSR warehouse because so many were printed... why not find a use for them?

(Wildwood's note: this post was made on August 3rd . . . here's my update to it . . .)

First the good:

        From everything I have heard (both public and private - unfortunately, I was unable to attend), the showing that Spellfire fans made at Gen Con was definately noticed! I've heard that in excess of 400 people played in the various tournaments and attended the seminar! With numbers like that, WoTC
*should* give SF another look! :-)
        Also, although several well-known SF players/collectors have dropped the game, there seems to be a trickle of "new blood" going through the 'net SF community... Maybe this is because TSR is now owned by WoTC, and Magic players decided that it's now "ok" to play Spellfire, maybe not. It could be that some of the online sellers dropping SF and selling for huge discounts got more people involved. I doubt it.
        What I think has happened is that the online SF community has pulled together like never before, and has gotten the message accross to the masses... Yes, SF was (almost, but not quite) a dog when it was released.
        But, over time, games (like people) change, whether for the better or the worse. For Spellfire, it is definately for the better! All of the people that once slammed SF for the weak cards and rules of the original release are now eating crow! All it takes is a little persistance, and a few playable decks, and (IMO) the people who were so sown on the 1st releases of SF can be persuaded that the game has changed for the better, and that TSR is no longer just trying to make a buck on the CCG craze (which, from
all I have heard, is winding down a little now).

Now for the bad...

        The delays for Dungeons! are getting too much to bear... between the "printer problems" (yeah, there were printer problems... you printed too much crap that didn't sell!), the WoTC/TSR buyout, and now the UPS strike, how many months has it been since the original ship date?
        All I can say is that according to TSRJim, the cards are either sitting, waiting to be shipped, or are in the process of printing now. In either case, we have to wait for either the UPS strike to end, or for the
printers/distributors/etc. to find a way to ship other than UPS. Easier said than done, I realize, but not impossible.... :-/
        Anyway, I'm not so much in a ranting mood as I was when I wrote the original article, so I apologize for those who got fired up during the first part and are now wondering what happened...

I'll just leave with one last parting shot....

        TSR! YOU NEED TO GET THE CARDS OUT NOW! PONY EXPRESS, BIKE MESSENGERS, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW! JUST DO IT! Too many people are sick and tired of waiting and are moving on to other things... none of us want that do we?

TSR, the ball's in your court now... don't fumble.

Bill (wildwood72@aol.com and wildwood72@pipeline.co

Word Search: Dragons (answers)
(from last issue)

M     C Y A N B L O O D B A N E D A R G E N T               M     Z L         E D O R M I R A     I   D R A C O L I C H     E     E     R   S     H T O G E R D   L   F L A S H B U R N     T     E C       E   A U R U M   S     S O   P     D   D         H S   C R   Y   S K I E O       T T X H P   R         O   W     A R L   S   I   T A M A R A N D E Y A   E L T R U T N O G A R D D C F L A M E       G R E Y H A W K

Wildwood's Underground Legion Deck

Realms (10):
AR 92 Ancient Kalidnay (at least I *think* this was underground in the original..)
TU 1 UnderAthas
TU 7 UnderToril
TU 8 UnderOerth
TU 9 UnderDread
TUc 7 The Dispossessed
RRc 22 The Crystal Cave
NS8 UndercCerilia
NSc 24 Den of Thieves
NSc 25 Mad Scientists's Laboratory

Holding (1):
NS 18 Cavern of Ancient Knowledge

Champs (11 - 59 levels)
63 Karlott the Shaman (3rd ed)
266 Azhul the Hasty (3rd ed)
422 Gatekeeper
FR 82 Stone Giant
FR 93 Dragonbait
RRc 16 Gib Kcir
255 Helm (4th)
508 Ethereal Champion (4th)
DR 32 Flashburn
DR 16 Glimmer the Brass Dragon
NSc 19 Gib Hcivonad

Allies (14):
252 Assassins
439 The Starving Artist
RL 79 Loup-Garou
DL 45 Brine Dragon
TUc 23 Drow Assassin
RR 83 The Rahasia
RRc 1 The Dream Team
230 Athasian Sloth (4th)
246 The Deaded Ghost (4th)
512 Barbaric Allies (4th)
DR 81 Undead Dragonrider
DR 84 Firedrake
DRc 13 Chimera
NS 81 Ancient Dracolich

Unarmed Combat Card (1):
RR 92 Haymaker

Cleric Spell (1):
FRc 1 Thrice Hearty Cup of Balder the Red

Magic Items(3):
206 Kevin's Blade of Doom (3rd)
FRc 18 The Bell of Might
ARc 20 Dragon Font

Artifacts (3):
461 Nature's Throne
510 Throne of the Mountain God
520 The Winner's Cape

Rule (1):
NS 74 A Sure Thing

Events (10):
99 Cataclysm!
100 Good Fortune
319 The Caravan
399 Ancient Curse
DLc 8 Crossed Blades (or FRc12 The Apple of His Eye)
FRc 2 Cold Cup of Calamity
AR 54 Deflection
BRc 20 Blood Challenge!
BRc 23 The Fates
NSc 6 Dark Dreams

I call this deck my Underground Legion deck, for reasons that will become apparent when you've looked at the cards (many champs and allies, and possibility of allies becoming champs). All realms are underground (either by their title, picture, or the history of the AD&D location that inspired the card).

As you can tell, this is a total attack deck, almost completely offensive in nature. There are quite a few tricks in it, but I won't type those . . . figure them out yourself or find them out when I play you online <evil grin>.

It has definite limits on it, but I've only lost 1 one-on-one game with it, and only one multi-player game with it, so it can't be all that bad. <g>

Feature Card: The Celestial Emperor

The Celestial Emperor	Level 23	Cleric
Avatar; dragon. Discard 15+ levels of dragons to bring the Emperor into play. Immune to offensive spells and the special powers of champions and allies. When this player's dragons attack, the Emperor chooses which of the opponent's champions will defend. Limit one avatar per pool.

        The Celestial Emperor is definitely a very powerful card in Spellfire. For one thing, look at its level: twenty three. Currently, that is the single highest base level of ANY other champion in the game. Even another avatar would be unable to take this champion out unless it had at least one attachment, or used a spell, etc.
        The fact that you must discard 15+ levels of dragons can be lessened when you look at the levels of most dragons. With most dragons being of fairly high level, in most cases you will be discarding only two dragons. And with events such as Coming of the Phoenix and Dragon's Graveyard, it is fairly easy to retrieve the dragons you discard. This price also can seem much smaller when you look at the fact that the Emperor gives all of your dragons the power to choose their foe out of the champions in the opponent's pool. If I recall correctly, TSRJIM ruled previously that this power means that the opponent can only defend then with a champion from his pool. Aside from your opponent having Cyric or the Ethreal Champion in her/his pool, you won't have to be surprised, and you can better plan your attacks.
        The emperor being immune to offensive spells makes him an excellent champion, because you will not have to worry about many of the pesky spells, amongst which are Fear, and Otto's Irresistable Dance. However, this makes the Emperor a prime target for Wish, which will remove him from play regardless of his immunity.
        The immunity to the special powers of both champions and allies makes the Celestial Emperor even more powerful. You don't have to worry about him dying at the hands of Assassins, nor being blown up by Draconians, etc.
        And with all of the champion powers out there to halve the base level of an opponent, or reduce it to 1, etc, the Emperor need not bow before these champions who seek to steal his lands.
        These are all things for simply having the Emperor in your pool. When you begin to attach magical items, etc, to him, you see that even a god-entity can become more powerful.
        Give him a Necklace. He can cast Wizard spells in addition to the inherrent ability to cast Cleric spells. Several of the Underdark Cleric spells become quite useful when cast by the Emperor, as they need to be cast by a champion of 13+, of which the Emperor is already 10 levels above.
        Give the emperor a Net of Entrapment. Boom. Now, not only is he immune to allies' powers, but the opposing champion cannot even play allies for the level bonus.
        Attaching the Winner's Cape to the Emperor just might be enough to make all the veins in your opponent's face stand out. Now, you have a level 33 champion that's immune to all offensive spells INCLUDING Wish, immune to the special powers of champions and allies, and is not affected by harful events. In addition, he grants to the other dragons in his pool the ability to choose their opponents, and conveys the immunity to offensive spells/wish while they wait in owner's pool.
        So, overall, the Celestial Emperor is not a champion you would want to overlook next time you try building a deck in which you have two or more dragons. Heck, I've built several different Dragon Decks for the main purpose of getting the most out of this champion.