Well, I’ve spent today at Game 09 in the middle of Manchester at the Palace Hotel. Nice enough venue, though a little thin on traders for my tastes. While the kids chose to play Magic or Warhammer 40k, I decided to do something a bit different, opting for Decipher’s Fight Klub.
Basically, take some movie heroes and villains then launch them into a pitched battle that stretches reality a bit. Imagine the Terminator fighting Hannibal Lector, for example. You might be able to explain the conflict as one of brute force against guile and intellect, but you don’t doubt in truth Arnie would reduce Hannibal to paste. You can fight with Tank Girl, Jigsaw, Ash and others, choose moves, advantages and gear from your hand, fuelled by limited energy tokens. There is undoubtedly more skill here in deck construction and play than most, but I had to borrow a deck lacking one of my own.
The problem with the game is that Fight Klub cards come in kilo packs… basically 120 cards, rules and energy counters. That will set you back $35 (inc. postage) and is the smallest retail set you can buy. No boosters here. So, playing is fine, but you need to commit to get your own play cards and will want some for an opponent. That’s an investment. Yes, you can get a reasonable play deck together for one sum, and that’s a good thing. Great decks don’t necessarily involve spending tons of cash on cards. However, the event I played in had 13 players and about half of those were existing players – and while I might be wrong, it was those who had played before (including one of the organisers) who won the prizes. I don’t think that’s an ideal way to recruit new players into a game with such a start-up hurdle.
I’m being critical here, because I think the game has potential; but learning and buying curves make it a tough sell and a tough recruitment prospect.
Update: I have taken the plunge and expect a couple of Kilo packs to the hit the doormat within a week or so. As I said, I see Fight Klub as having great potential and I want to prove it to myself and my friends. If I can make Fight Klub successful in my home, I can contribute toward the greater cause.
In addition, I have started a Fight Klub-specific blog on Tumblr called Don’t Talk. I fully intend to outline the trials and tribulations of my Fight Klub buying and playing experiences – so the public can get a sense of how it works. Decipher have taken a big risk here with a new model – and it needs a little confidence and a dose of patience to get involved.
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