Print 'n' Play - Exploration

Playing Quick Joust by Joseph Propati

     This past weekend, I had the chance to gather with a couple friends and play a few Print-N-Play games: Quick Joust, a game that utilizes cards to simulate jousting, Coinage, a territorial game where you score points based on what kinds of coins you have on the board and where they are, and Allegiance, a game where you are to choose a side and play specific cards you are dealt to give one of two sides the most allegiance points after all dealing cards are used. All three of these games pit you up against one other person, with Allegiance being the only game capable of housing more than two players.

     Quick Joust is a nice mix of random chance and strategy. Random cards determine the players' initial movements and they can respond by playing other cards to veer them in the direction they wish to go. However, there are a finite amount of cards you get to choose from, increasing the risk of a given move. This makes the game quite exciting as another move can change the trajectory of a plan you had in place, making the game more difficult.

     Coin Age takes place on a card about the size of a playing card and each player gets a certain amount of each time of coin (penny, dime, nickel, quarter). These coins must be placed in areas on the card, but the enemy player has a chance of taking over that area by placing a smaller coin on top of the coin initially placed, which incorporates a good amount of strategy. The bigger the coin, the more points, but the easier your opponent can claim your area. High risk, high reward.

     Allegiance is a psychological journey. Each player mentally claims a side they wish to join: the Temple or the Thieves. 3 cards are dealt to each player and they must place 2 on either of the sides facedown to either increase or decrease the group's allegiance points. The players do not know how many of each card is placed in their respective groups, as this is revealed at the end of the game. In the meantime, players must use certain abilities labeled on the cards that remain in their hands in an attempt to increase their team's allegiance to a given group. Because a lot of these details are unknown from player to player, everyone must use their tools in an attempt to read their opponents to give them the win.