So what is your guys opinion on Pathfinder Adventure Card game? I like co-op game and it seems like LOTR LCG but without all the pain of building decks.
Is it worth investing the time and money? We sort of gave up on LOTR, it's just too complicate for the casual players.
I have bought all 5 expansion adventure packs so far, and played through with my two friends in 3-player mode.
My likes:
The game feels pretty accessible for a dice-rolling RPG, and the ability to improve and customize your character over time is very nice.
Solo is also pretty possible as a single hero, or to multi hand and control 2 or 4 heroes at one go.
It is very replayable and you can try new classes / party composition.
There are some interesting mechanics on classes, locations and sometimes even bosses. All this makes a varied experience each time you play.
My dislikes:
The later expansion decks are a bit fuzzy in terms of polish and design.There is a number of card errata to keep track of and rules that need clarification by going into Paizo forums or FAQ.
Balance seems a bit off in this current deck at times, with most characters just maxing out their core stat. Some mobs/locations at the later scenarios go crazy on wisdom and constitution checks, which made my two friends pretty frustrated.
Admin work. Every time you start a new session, there is quite a lot of decks to shuffle and then to allocate X amount to each location. I would say setup is not as crazy as Mage Knight, but it does get tedious after a while.
Some print production issues that are later fixed by going to a US-manufacturer with strong QC. (But man, some of my cards' backs are of different color, this irks me very much)
My final thoughts:
1) I know my dislikes are much lengthier than my dislikes, but I still love the game. I love the mechanics, the interaction between classes, and the varied locations and bosses that give a new experience every time.
2) The designer and his team has been very active on the Paizo forums, listening to feedback and implementing changes. I would say deck 5 and deck 6 shows that they have been looking into the players concerns.
3) They are going to "reboot" and rebalance the entire game in the new adventure Skull and Shackles. They are making the stat-checks more varied and distributed. (Suddenly the barbarian might want some dex too), and of course raising the difficulty slightly.
4) My two friends definitely prefer this over LOTR, but my confidence is pretty shaken and I am not too sure whether to go head in into the new Skull and Shackles adventure myself. But, if you finally decide to do it, I would suggest you start from the new adventure.
You would not miss out anything, because the characters don't carry over and everyone is recommended to start a new one.
Links to watch/view before you decide:
Mike Selinker's blog on the new adventure
Interview With Mike Selinker Concerning Skull and Shackles
Skull and shackles preview
