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Untold is a CCG/RPG hybrid from sggc Wandering Men Studios, or, as they call it, a CBRPG: Card-Based Role Playing Game. They provide a growing cross-genre campaign setting called Splintered Serenity.
The site pretends that you don’t need a rulebook and all you need to play are the cards and a die, but I’m dozens of pages into the primer and still learning about the game.
As to the game itself, it’s an RPG, where your character is constrained by the range of cards to which you have access.
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Sounds pretty awesome…in theory.
Pretends? I think we do a pretty good job of explaining it actually. :) Feel free to pop into the forums and ask any question you’d like – we’d love to answer them!
Brannon “Ashy” Hollingsworth
Untold Co-creator
Wandering Men Studios
Ashy,
Did Japanese pen and paper RPGs influence this at all? They have been integrating cards in lieu of dice in some games for quite a while now. I don’t know if they went all-cards yet though.
Del Esau
Kinda a shame that I as an European am not able to order from their Store. I would LOVE to test this with my group!
I think that the “pretend” refers to the fact that befor using the cards you DO NEED to learn the rules of the game from the rulebook.
In this regard it’s really not much different from WH3 … as a player you NEVER need to browse the books for reference, because everything you need is in front of you in the form of cards.
@Del Esau – nope. :P
@Markus – we’re working on international orders right now – don’t lose heart and be sure and subscribe to our RSS feed (http://www.untoldthegame.com/rss.xml) and newsletter (http://www.untoldthegame.com/newsletter) for updates!
@Hasimir – actually, if you watch someone play, you really DON’T need the Primer at all; learning to play takes minutes and once you know how to play you can create characters in seconds – literally! Not sure what WH3 is, so… (shrugs)
All I can state is my personal experience. My husband wanted me to play the game, and I was hesitant at first, because I teach, and it was the end of the school year, and it would be something new to learn. However, I did try, as did my two boys. None of us (with the exception of my husband) even read the rulebook, yet all of us could play based on the cards and the explanation of the gentlemen running the game. I do not consider myself anything close to an expert, but I was able to put together a character deck, and play and have fun. If you are uncertain about the game, try it out somewhere and decide for yourself. I was pleasantly surprised.
I have played Untold at Imagicon and have a few things to add:
You do need the Primer to /learn/ the game, but not /play/ the game generally. So in that sense the claim is good.
Hasimir: in the sense you give, there *is* similarity with WH3 — but there is also a key difference or two:
1) The UP you create a character with are also your “hit points” — as you take damage, you get to choose which cards to take out of play. Character capability declines with damage.
2) Using the swap rules, cards can enter and leave play to reconfigure and adjust the character to the task at hand. Even during combat. Character ‘build’ is an ongoing process, not a one-time deal.
Markus: Create an account on the Untold website and direct-message Ashy; I think he would like to work with you to see if they can get them to you.
I’ve been following Untold for a year now. During Beta testing, I had an idea for a character and pitched to the creators. They found an artist who drew my character to MY specifications and now it is a card and a series of short stories on the website. If you have any doubts about this game, I strongly encourage you to play it once. I originally didn’t want to play it, but now its my only RPG and I played other popular RPG for years. Its easy to build a character (I can build a level 7-8 equivalent character in around 5 minutes, and upgrade a lot faster), its easy to learn, and easy to play.
You must never have played Untold. For someone who has never played Untold…and we are doing free demos all of the time…then the Primer is helpful. But as someone who has sat in on a demo, I never had to read the Primer. The Primer is not necessary. In fact, in ever box of cards sold, they include a two-sided sheet that sums up all of the rules in the Primer for you. Once you learn to play, you never need it or the Primer again. And for most people who attend a demo, they do not need the Primer. The game is so simple to understand that if you actually play it once, you do not actually have to read the Primer.
As to the card constraints…there are none. That’s the beauty of the game. They released a massive amount of cards to aid all of the characters and their various abilities in the beginning. But so as not to overwhelm everyone, they are gradually releasing more cards every couple of weeks or so. And, another beautiful aspect to this game is…NO BLIND PACKAGING!! If you are looking for a certain card, then you can peruse the website’s store (or the packages if you are able) and find out which deck has the card you are wanting. If you do not see the card you are wanting, or have a really cool idea for a card, post it on the forums. These guys actually listen to what the players want.
Overall, this game is awesome! If you have not actually played it, look up where they are doing Demos or Cons they are attending. Run through the game once, and most people are hooked. But at least play it before you bash it.
I think that the OP is being preemptively-dismissive of the game system. Having played it, *yes* you do need to know the rules… but the basic rules for play comprise one sheet of paper and your “character sheet” can fit on a business card. The “primer” both repeats what is on that sheet and covers a few fringe cases, hardly comprising the “dozens of pages” suggested.
As for the fact that “our character is constrained by the range of cards to which you have access,” I hardly see this as a problem. The cost to buy the central set of cards, which provides all the basic requirements for play with up to six separate players and a GM, is a very small sum of money compared to most RPG source material. If you want to expand from there, you can buy expansions at minuscule cost and only have to buy what you want for your character’s specific build. An expansion deck costs about $10 or less, compared to the $15+ for most systems’ additional materials, and unlike the filler crammed into those expansions to justify the cost what you get from Untold is the rules and a prompt to use them in making your own story from them and the core universe outline.
I honestly think that before you dismiss the game you should at least attempt playing it. From my experience I find that it is intuitive, easy to get into, and fun.
Stephen, please see our About page, under Breadth.
Yehuda
I played Untold at Mobicon more than any single game all weekend and had a huge blast. I bought some cards and went home to make my own personal character. The use of cards to depict a character seemed a little constricting to me, at least at first. After playing a game or two, I realized how customizable it ends up being. I wholeheartedly endorse this game and hope it gets bigger.
Just a quick note here for Markus specifically, and all generally. We now ship internationally, and first class to boot! Details here:
http://www.untoldthegame.com/forum/international-orders
The game is a quick game that comes across very well done and made for quick and easy setup to get people in the game quickly. I am very interested in the game and can’t wait to get some more demoing in.
Having seen the game grow from the pictureless paper up to its current beauty of artwork and creative content, I would say this game is stunning in its simplicity and audacious ingenuity.
I avidly enjoy storytelling and the mystique of intrigue and intricacy borne from the complex layering in RPGs–what all those rules and skills mechanics are meant to simulate and stimulate–but Untold easily outstrips them in burning the necessary devices down to a seemingly simple formula repesented by cards.
If you desire to feel the heat of battle, the rush of intrigue and fluid motion of altering your persona to reflect your experiences, collect a pack or two of the Wandering Men’s game. You won’t regret the Untold storytelling potential you will invoke over your gaming group, whether new or old.
Alpha Playtester for Untold