Marvel Champions Review - Gambit-Level Cardplay

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[alexhuddleston]

When we thought Matt couldn't top his worm appearances, he blesses us with a Bat-disruption.

[iamthetim]

The differences between the two games was actually a huge relief for me and mine. Marvel is for when we want to just have fun and throw down some cards, whereas Arkham is for when a group of us have a full Saturday open to sink our teeth deep into some soul-destroying, rich horror. Despite their similarities, we've found them very different thankfully.

[Trav]

I now want a tshirt that says "Sausage rolls are pretty eldritch."

[dreadknot]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but the whole "I can do 8 on my turn and you do 7 on your turn and he's dead" thing is usually followed by a "Thank God because we were JUST about to lose!" That's pretty exciting to me. I've never had a game that wasn't tense right up until that last turn. It just leaves me admiring the game design every time.

[Ogamer]

This review is woefully outdated at this point. There are scenarios you literally can’t even win with just dealing damage. And you can create amazing unique scenarios. Like what if? Rhino got the infinity gauntlet and joined forces with the Brotherhood of Mutants? This game is absolutely massive now. Should get an update review.

[TuberTugger]

Got some cool friends? Buy Arkham Horror


Got one okay friend and a few lonely nights? Buy Marvel Champions.


I'll be ordering my box of Marvel and tub of ice cream now.

[chadripp]

You're absolutely right: Arkham is phenomenal!
You know what's too heavy for a non-gamer wife, too gory for kids, and too long for the FLGS game night?... yeah also Arkham. :(
Know which game lets a 9yo web kick the bad guy while Ironman is pew pewing the minions around him - Champions, and that is why I jumped in. I know it's not the 3 course meal like Arkham, but its still hearty snack, and I get to share it with way more people.
I think they are both going to continue to be super successful.

[DrVagax]

If anyone is in doubt, give Arkham Horror a shot, the fact a card game can give so much tension and atmosphere is something you need to witness

[sirspate]

Alternate title: Two reviews and a boom.

[JentPlays]

As always, a very interesting and in-depth review. I will say that while I completely understand all the points made, I personally find that Marvel Champions gave me everything I wanted from Arkham Horror without all the bits I didn't want. Firstly, obviously the theme is going to be a major point of contention. I just generally find the Marvel theme to actually be very appealing compared to the dreary depressing nature of Lovecraftian works. I know some have issues with Marvel being everywhere right now, but for me it is refreshing to have such an iconic series stay consistent in quality and combine many genre's into an easily consumable form with well thought-out and iconic characters. With the Marvel theming, I find myself actually feeling more attached to the events than I do with investigators that I'm not incredibly familiar with.

Secondly, as was briefly mentioned in this review and I believe has been mentioned in past when they've talked about AHLCG - it's brutal. And to me, it's so brutal that I just feel down after playing it a lot. Sure, Marvel Champions is a bit of a number crunch and I will admit that I did occasionally find the end to be anti-climactic (possibly due to the lack of randomness that's present in AH's bag system), but I feel like MC makes us work for it, constantly managing things while chipping away, and it starts slow and hits that point similar to the second act of a movie, where you feel like maybe it's impossible to beat the villain. But then, your upgrades give you something you need, and that happens for the other players too, and suddenly you're doing more damage, and it feels like a scene from The Avengers where the camera is panning around the heroes as they clean up minion after minion and their plan falls together perfectly. Of course, some people may feel this in AH, and I did a few times as well, but more often than not, it was a constant beatdown with only glimmers of hope, and if we did win, it felt good, but the constant beating from the game had already drained me a lot.

From memory, I also feel like I was always able to do SOMETHING in Marvel, while in AH there were turns where I felt like I was useless, I didn't pick up the right cards or I got stuck with an encounter that really screwed over my next few turns so I can't help at all.

I DO wish that Marvel Champions offered that more Campaign approach, because that is absolutely a highlight of AH, but generally I find the gameplay more satisfying, still challenging but more like a fun Sudoku where you're constantly getting closer to a solution, rather than a 9x9 Rubik's Cube that constantly yells at you for making the wrong moves and every wrong move you make just gets you further from the solution.

Although re-reading that, it sounds like I dislike AH. Not true at all, it's still one of my top games I've ever played. But much like Quinn's can't see himself wanting to play Marvel Champions in favour of AH, I can't see myself wanting to go back to AH now.

HOWEVER, great review as always!

[NemesisEG]

MC for a quick lunchtime nibble; AH if you have the day off, a packet of Good Quality digestives, the tea brewing, and the pitter patter of rain against the window.

[JohnnyLeyenda]

As a serious LCG player who owns a lot of Arkham Horror and a lot of Netrunner too, I still find Champions delightful. I can actually get through a solo or two-handed game in an hour, and replayability is higher IMO. While not as complex or deep, and of course lacking any narrative (which I can totally see the potential for) it's good that's not a reskin of Arkham but watered down, and rather its own solid game.

[bigsucculenta]

When my wife (playing Captain Marvel) finished off Rhino after he had just killed me (Spiderman) I totally saw the cinematic moment in my head. Such a great game and incredible solo!

[narsil]

Good points, as a player of both I like that in Marvel I feel more powerful on my turn and also that it's quicker, I wasn't getting Arkham to the table as much (even playing solo) because it's so much set-up and maintenance. I'd think I want to play but then realize it'll take me half an hour to upgrade my deck, record that online, and then set up the new scenario. With Marvel i can set up and play in half an hour.

[BigJonGrady]

My wallet and I are so relieved when we get a mid-review turnaround from you guys and I don't have to immediately go order a new game.

[aronalber]

This review helped me understand why I love Arkham Horror LCG so much.

[onofreshoots]

Oh boy... I had a feeling this would happen.

Unfortunately, this review is very misleading imo. While Arkham and Marvel are cooperative LCGs, I believe they’re both entirely different. I absolutely adore AHLCG and it is hands down my favorite deckbuilding game, but Marvel is much easier to get to a table because of players’ familiarity to the characters. It’s also a faster game (AHLCG can take HOURS while I’ve had Marvel take about 60-75 minutes max), so players are more likely to choose that option. Plus, getting people to play a regular campaign can be difficult to schedule consistently; Marvel just requires the one session to beat the one bad guy. And the deckbuilding in Marvel is ridiculously simpler than AHLCG. With Arkham, every investigator has peculiar and particular deckbuilding rules, and with the going-on-fifth cycle, it can be a lot for new deckbuilders to grasp and make a competent deck. With Marvel, you pick a hero, pick an aspect, and basically go, with subtle tweaking here and there.

As far as team play goes in cooperative LCGs, it’s not as if you can’t discuss what you’re thinking and what your plans are for the turn, and in Marvel, you can even ask you teammate to trigger a card effect to help on your turn. I believe FFG’s cooperative LCGs like LotR, AH, and now Marvel are some of the best deckbuilding experiences out there, and Marvel is a great gateway to these other titles, even if the missions are one-and-done. Not every game needs to be a campaign to enjoy. This review greatly misses the mark, and I believe you’ve misled a lot of viewers from a very enjoyable game.

[claptrap]

Some of the strongest criticisms of the game are resolved when playing the game solo, which is significant.

[Merlandese]

The algebra angle at the end reminds me of the Sentinels of the Multiverse review

[ACGreviews]

Good review. I have to ask though did I miss you covering "asking for actions" thats a sort of key component to how we played and is actually a big coop part of the game. I probably missed it or something.