Yeah, me too and I have probably every SW card ever made. However, why should I buy the second edition, which makes all my original cards obsolete and doesn't play much different? If I cannot get someone to play SW, how do I get them to play SW 2nd edition? Right now, all I have is the cards are regular sized, the dice are unique and the images are cartoony - that's not that compelling.
When it comes to The Tower, I'm more of a Zee guy than a Tom guy, but this kind of an eloquence and enthusiasm always filled my heart with joy. Great review, thanks! I might even get myself a copy of SW.
Tom, you and the rest of the Dice Tower encouraged me to take up tabletop gaming as a serious hobby. And my first major purchase alongside Ticket to Ride was 1st Ed. Summoner Wars. It was always my go to 1v1 game at home and I brought it whenever I could to my friends for 2v2 matches. My best memory is literally playing every faction over a weekend. I only just heard of this new 2nd Edition and I couldn't be any more excited! More importantly, I have you, Sam and Zee to thank for recommending this as a must buy! Thank you so much for the fun and memories!
I had the joy of playtesting this and (having playtested the original SW - SS) I can say that it is a considerably better game than the original; faster, cleaner, more balanced etc Oh, and balancing the Polar Dwarves was mega challenging - at one point they were dominating everything with swarms of structures that could move a whole enemy army and murder summoners with ease - mad stuff! Still my favourite faction with all their movement tricks.
Very Exciting. I pre-ordered 2nd Edition based on your rave review of the original, and I'm glad to hear it has been improved. Wow. I cannot wait to get this one home, and just as things are easing back open too.
Tom no longer has a personal collection. He has the Dice Tower Library that he brings to his conventions. If Tom wants to play a game he checks it out of his own library. And the DTL has games in it that Tom personally doesn't like but the people that come to the cons like. So "Into My Collection!" Is no longer a DT Judgement.
I understand people like the new art, I used to love this type of art too. But now it seems all big fantasy games use this type of art, "world of warcrafty" type cartoon. Feels like the NEW generic. Starting to miss old school fantasy.
I so glad this amazing game is getting coverage. Just a minor mistake: Sera can bring back units, but only 'citadel' units, so she cannot bring back champions.
Looks brilliant and love the fact it isn't a CCG so I can buy the core box and play it like a cooler, more thematic, chess game. I just REALLY wish that, especially given the events of the past year, it had a solo mode.
my problem with the initial release is that too often it felt like all that depth and variety was gated behind the $%^%ing dice. well, that and that my games would take forever because my usual opponent had terrible AP, but that's another story... Can't tell how the gameplay is yet obviously but man did they kill the art this time around, bravo PlaidHat.
Hey Tom (et al), quick question. I have Summoner Wars, enjoy it a lot, but don't really to play it much. Should I invest in the new one, or by Crystal Clans and keep my original version of SW?
Love the game, often play it with wife. Buy the game(I got evrything exept Jungle elves 1 and Felen empire 2nd). Preorder new edition. What they can do better? Plaid hat games have some nice ideas about card games. Love to see some of their older game ideas in their new game ie. -initiative idea from their Crystal clans(unit sumon and actions cost initiative) in Summoner Wars this can work great. -custom dices as mana for summoning, or power activation(like in Ashes Reborn)
I have been playing this new edition for a while, and I find that the Savannah Elves army is waaay better than the others. Not even close. Has anyone had the same experience?
Is this the only game Tom has ever rated a 10? How does this game stack up to the new (2024) Heroscape? I am thinking about getting into Heroscape but I refuse to get into games when you have to buy multiples of sets.
Would love to see a space theme on it too, but to tom's point, this is a tactical skirmish game that doesn't have miniatures and the artwork of the original game was pretty much butt ugly, yet it still managed to be one of my all time favorites. Goes to show just how great this game is.
Never played the original as I came into the hobby last year, was looking forward to pick this up but shipping to EU was 55 dollars, more expensive than the game! I'll wait till it comes here but looking forward to try it out.
There are probably shops in your region that will do the importing for you. Just look around and ask. Also, take a look into the BoardGameGeek board, maybe someone can help you out there.
I'm confused. Are these brand new factions? I don't remember the Polar Dwarves, but I think I remember the Cave Goblins. I also see there are 2 new decks being released soon and one is the Cloaks. They aren't new are they? I also see that the Skyspear Avians are coming out and I don't recall them. Are they releasing brand new factions with old factions? Kind of confusing.
Everything is brand new, including the rules. Some of the factions are very similar in playstyle and unit names, but yes there is a mix of familiar characters and styles, along with brand new mechanics and armies being released. Everything feels fresh though if you played 1st edition.
Yeah, unless tom mentioned it, I would not give the art any notice. It's pretty generic digital cartoon art with exagurated porportions-that's definitely never been my style, but I understand the universal appeal for a game like this. The graphic design is quite good both on the cards and on the player sides offering a crisp style that's both uniquely styled while still being easy to navigate. Top notch offering for the unique crop for the creature cards' art. It has its own style that doesn't overwhelm the purpose it serves. In terms of the backround art of the board-I think that's a perfectly fine neutral design that fades into the background of the highly saturated colors of the cards. Gameplay wise I'm a fan of the changes while still keeping it simple.
For anyone interested, you can attack your own units but you won't get the mana, also if you fail to attack a enemy unit in ur turn your summoner takes a hit
Happy I can finally jump in on this without having to go back and track down all the previous expansions. I also like the art much better than the previous edition. Glad to see this reprinted for a whole new generation of gamers!
Everyone is excited for this and hey, to each his own. I’ll stick with my complete 1st edition. I’m not a fan of the new art and considering I’d have to pay $29.95 for two factions 4 times a year, easy pass. I thought I overspent on getting everything for the 1st edition but if you want anything near the number of factions from the original in this new edition, I may have gotten a deal!!
@@turtlevader Inferior? Cartoony cards and a game that basically plays the exact same. Listen to Tom's final thoughts and point out one thing that is new - nothing. This game wasn't super popular before so pissing off their base with a second edition that makes all their original cards irrelevant does not seem like a smart thing to do. Contrast that with Ashes Reborn where you kept your investment.
@@michaelritter1722 pissing off their base? If you have and love SW1, go play it - no one is forcing you to buy anything. SW1 was out of print for quite some time now (and I imagine it got "exhausted", as many card games with multiple factions often do), so doing a new version was a good move. Or do you think you can play Pokemon CCG with the cards from 5 or 10 years back? At home, sure you do. The same with SW1.
Not sure a few little tweaks will make it a more superior game. I was just stating that in order to get the vast amount of content equal to first edition will cost some serious $$$.
@@gottimighty I think you mean a few MAJOR tweaks. This game plays quite differently, but still has that Summoner Wars feel. Oh and their base is primarily thrilled about this new edition.
The art is too cartoony to me compared to the original so I think the artwork went down. Also, if you listen to your final thoughts, it sounds just like you are describing the original, which I know you loved. The card size, dice and deckbuilding are incompatible with the original, but why should someone with the original buy the second edition? I still haven't heard a compelling reason, sorry.
Hello, do we know if there will be a reprint of the first edition? Unfortunately I'm not in the US and the game has been very poorly distributed. So some boosters are missing...
1st edition was one of my favorite games back in the day. Although I don't really play games of this style anymore, I'm tempted to get it for Nostalgia lol. I think the art is a downgrade, everything else seems nice though.
The art in the first edition was easily the worst part of the game. So glad they upgraded the art to this style. The added gameplay improvements are just a bonus. I went ahead and locked in my pre order and subscription on their website.
@@McBehrer Yes, I am the only person who has a strong distaste for dice. You are correct. Nevermind I have plenty of games that fill the 1vs1 void without needing dice.
@@justinrrizzo I didn't say you were the only person who doesn't like dice. I said that disliking the entire game, just because the attacks use dice, is dumb
I never played it, but read good reviews and i think im gonna try 1st version. Maybe 2nd one is better balance-wise, but this art is awful. Looks like generic cartoon for kids.
