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Star Chamber's Indie PC CCG Goodness Probed

Posted by simoniker on from the addictable-and-collectivized dept.

Thanks to Ferrago for their in-depth review of PC online collectible card game Star Chamber, praising the relatively unknown indie title as "an invigorating little game", and suggesting: "It's been a long time since this jaded gamer was so captivated by a game." The same site has an interview with the creators from Nayantara Studios, in which they discuss the genesis of the game (from "a love of well-balanced, simple-yet-complex boardgames and adding a CCG element to be able to produce a high-quality 'CCG meets computer boardgame'"), and the future of indie gaming ("I do think that with the big publishers and teams focused on producing massive uber-budget games and MMORPGs, and especially with the consoles starting to dwarf PC sales, I think there is a significant window for the smaller, independent studios to take back some of the PC market.")

9 of 15 comments (clear)

  1. Tried it.. by CashCarSTAR · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Didn't like it.

    Couldn't really say why. I felt as though the cards were too..vanilla, if that makes any sense. Nothing that really shifted the game outside of the strategic roots. Nothing that shook and rechanged the balance of the game. And once you had an advantage, it was hard to come back.

    Just my opinion however.

    1. Re:Tried it.. by Txiasaeia · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Couldn't disagree more, but I HATE the concept of having to buy cards in order to play. If it were a standalone game with built-in cards (a la MTG comp games, or yu-gi-oh for consoles) and cost $30-40, AND had a decent single player component, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. MUCH freaking better than MOO3.

      --
      Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
    2. Re:Tried it.. by dswensen · · Score: 2, Informative

      AFAIK, you can play the "simple" game with a small deck of common cards for no money... just to get a feel for it, or play a simple game. Sure, it's a bit stripped down, but no cost involved.

      A starter pack is like $15, roughly equivalent to what something like Bejeweled would cost. And buying a ton of cards doesn't really net you much (I know, I blew a wad on this game when I first started playing, and it hasn't given me a commanding edge by any means).

    3. Re:Tried it.. by Txiasaeia · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I guess I just don't like online games. What am I paying for? The pleasure of gaming against another human? I can do that already with MTG or yu-gi-oh, and at no additional cost.

      When I play comp games I want to play against a kickass AI - my schedule is crazy and sometimes I only have 5, 10 minutes to play before I'm out and about again. I suspect that a lot of people are like me too.

      --
      Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
  2. Re:2 things by Cosmik · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Awww, heck. HTML would be useful. Here you go:

    "I do think that with the big publishers and teams focused on producing massive uber-budget games and MMORPGs, and especially with the consoles starting to dwarf PC sales, I think there is a significant window for the smaller, independent studios to take back some of the PC market."

    2 things:

    1) Big publishers are defined as having big money, and therefore, naturally, they are going to make "uber-budget" games. Big publishers aren't interested in small budget - that's how indie came to exist. It's nothing new. You can't take back something that you are.

    2) If PC sales are being dwarfed then that means relatively, less PC games are being sold. That means with a smaller window, the big budget games will have more shelf space, media coverage, more exposure. That means a smaller window for indie games. How they intend to take back some of the PC market from big-budgets in a smaller environment baffles me.

  3. Re:2 things by gabec · · Score: 2, Insightful
    1) Big publishers are defined as having big money, and therefore, naturally, they are going to make "uber-budget" games. Big publishers aren't interested in small budget - that's how indie came to exist. It's nothing new. You can't take back something that you are.

    Since we're being anal here, they said take back a hold on the PC gaming market, not take back small budget game creation.

    2) If PC sales are being dwarfed then that means relatively, less PC games are being sold. That means with a smaller window, the big budget games will have more shelf space, media coverage, more exposure.

    Right. Bigger shelf space ... in console gaming, where big budget game companies are focusing, as they said. Sure, those Big Money gaming companies that stay in the PC market will pay for and get more shelf space, but with less market for PC games the theory is that many Big Money companies will move out of the PC arena alltogether and thus leave only the Indie titles (or more accurately leave them a larger piece of the *smaller* pie).

    As to whether that'll happen that way only time will tell, of course.

  4. It's only ok by Apreche · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I played it when Tycho mentioned it. It was ok, but like most CCGs he who spends the most money and has the best cards wins. Skill in playing the game is not a major factor in winning. Luck and money are the primary determiners. It's pretty neat because it plays like a simplified Master of Orion. But its really just another CCG in disguise. They didn't fool me after I played it 3 or 4 times.

    --
    The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
  5. One of the best online games out there... by Xemu22 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This game is *definitely* worth a look. The synergy between the boardgame and card mechanics is some of the best pure gameplay I've ever seen.

    This positive Gamespot review:

    http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/starchamber/ index.html

    ... is pretty accurate, IMO. Given that it's a small download, with a lot of free content, what have you got to lose? I became totally hooked on the game when I first played it.

    --
    -- Rob "Xemu" Fermier
  6. Disclaimer: I'm a player of the game by InfinityWpi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I've got a soft spot for online CCGs (Chron X, Sanctum, With Authority, etc), and Starchamber ranks up there as one of the best three I've seen. If there had been a game this good to slap the Star Trek license onto, maybe (that trek CCG) would've survived a bit longer. The game's a little simplistic right now, but most CCGs start that way when they only have one expansion... let's face it, Magic used to be just 'who gets the Shivan Dragon out first: The CCG'. There's a good, solid base there to build on, and I'm hoping this game stays around for a while.