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Gwent: The Witcher Card Game (2017)

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#gwent #gwentroguemage

Cd Projekt Red has put us on the nice list this year. Either that or they're still very sorry about the release of Cyberpunk. Either way, in an uncharacteristic move for this industry, they announced an expansion to their competitive card game Gwent, then released it the following day. So what is Gwent Rogue Mage

Other than a horrible title, I guess Gwent Paladin Warrior was too weak. It is a standalone PvE-focused expansion to CD Projekt Red's card game Gwent. In the announcement, game director Vladimir Tortsov said, "Rogue Mage came out of us noticing that years after The Wticher 3’s release, there are a significant number of players who want a more PvE experience from Gwent." They've accomplished that by combining roguelike, deckbuilding, and strategy within the Gwent framework. Think games like Slay the Spire, Monster Train, and Inscryption-ish. 
CD Projekt Red has done something similar in the past with Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, a top-down RPG with battles taking place on the Gwent field.. the Gwent Board… you play Gwent, you fight by playing Gwent. Rogue Mage is not this. Where Thronebreaker leaned more Witcher with a touch of Gwent Rogue mage is out and out Gwent.

This has some interesting implications. Most Gwent players are playing for the PvP aspect, as that has been the only real option. And Gwent, while smaller than other CCGs, is well regarded. One common praise is how balanced and consistent the game is compared to other CCGs. What I mean is that there is very little random nonsense that happens in a Gwent match. Usually, the better player wins, you can quickly tell what a deck's win condition is, and if that condition is being executed before your own and you don't start countering it early, you're going to lose. There isn't a lot of wiggle room. There normally isn't a card that, if you happen to draw, can save the match. 

As a fan of strategy games and a casual fan of CCGs, this consistency always appealed to me. It wasn't fun losing because your opponent drew the I-just-win-now-card or worst-case scenario because they've loaded their deck with more expansive cards. But it turns out this is a double-edged sword. 

I'm sorry to say that while tipping my toe into Gwent, I found myself getting bored. The aspect that I wanted from Gwent, that straightforward, chess-like gameplay, ended up being the reason I kept bouncing off—and returning to games that did the opposite. It turns out that while I didn't like dying in one turn, I liked killing in one turn. And having that "oh thank god" moment of drawing the one card that can save you was fun. It kept the games exciting, and it kept matches feeling varied.

So what does this have to do with Rogue Mage? Rogue Mage could provide an exciting play test on introducing a bit more chaos. It allows the developers to experiment by providing players stronger cards without breaking the competitive balance of their PvP. It can also show Gwent players what Gwent could be, testing what that reaction is. While I think Gwent players are pretty content with where the game is now. Rogue Mage can peer into what Gwent could be. And while I don't believe or want CD Projekt Red to abandon its loyal Gwent players, it would also be interesting to see what non-Gwent CCG players think of a more chaotic version, or at the very least fill that hole.

I say fill that hole because while Gwent is a competitive card game, it is a unique CCG. It doesn't follow many of the typical gameplay elements you'd expect from a modern online CCG. So it would be interesting to see what that unique frame looks like as a more varied and tumultuous version.

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