Change in Material Per Turn
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This chart is based on a single playout, and gives a feel for the change in material over the course of a game.
Shogi - CCG fusion
Complex. Check the rules on BGG.
General comments:
Play: Asymmetric,Combinatorial
Family: Chess
Mechanism(s): Race,Capture,Scoring,Variable Powers
Components: Board
| BGG Entry | Navia Dratp (Base Game) |
|---|---|
| BGG Rating | 7.17772 |
| #Voters | 556 |
| SD | 1.72055 |
| BGG Weight | 2.8929 |
| #Voters | 56 |
| Year | 2004 |
| User | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Jesters license | 9 | |
| Grod | 9 | A great chess variant that deserves more attention. |
| Geosphere | 8 | I've just started playing and expect the rating to go up. Wonderful and surprisingly short play time. |
| Riverape | 10 | |
| anubis9 | 8 | Wow! This is chess on crack. |
| mrraow | 10 | The special powers don't overpower the strategic nature of the base game; very good, and rather cheap too at the moment. Have all greys for trade, some crystal, some painted, Navias 03-06. Will trade 3 grey for 1 painted. wants/trades here: http://trade.mahasamatman.com/Navia/list_show.pl?user=taveners Note to self: there are three ways to win. I must not let my opponent line over while I am busy taking all of his pieces. I must not let my opponent Navia Dratp while I am busy taking all of his pieces. |
| Hollyhock | 9 | You have to try this! Throw in some special abilities and customizable armies into Shogi, and you get a result with so many combinations that you have to play intuitively, while making analytical tactical moves here and there. I love that for an abstract! The pokemon-esque look is a bit silly, but once deployed, the board is as beautiful and elegant as a deluxe chess board. I could get all Masetais from the first edition in eBay, but the two starters are also OK to play. Nowadays the game is out of print, so you'll only be able to get a bunch of pieces, and then build armies randomly or drafting. That way, "killer-combos" won't appear and gameplay will be balanced. So don't get afraid by the "collectible" tag. |
| nevinyrrals42 | 10 | Excellent game. |
| omnicollective | 10 | Pro: Simple, fun, interesting and refreshing chess/shogi variant. Excellent theme (summoning demons to do battle). Aesthetically pleasing. Con: Collectible - therefore hard to feel a sense of completeness when you know there are existing pieces that you don't have. |
| Game Investigations | N/A | plus Navia Dratp: Starter Set 2 |
| PapaBear73 | 10 | Pure awesomeness. This game is a pleasure to play and even just to look at. Too bad it died so early. Would've loved this as an LCG! Now I want to collect all the pieces. The more I play it the more I like it. I love playing it with the drafting rules. It remains my favorite game of all time. |
| dkuznick | 8 | Great chess/shogi-ish variant. You absolutely can get a ton of play out of just the starters. |
| candoo | 5 | Shogi-like game with individual moving abilities. I personally don't care for the anime theme and creatures. The upgraded abilities make the game a bit more interesting. The game will require a lot of exploration for it to get interesting. |
| S_t_e_f_a_n | 9 | |
| c_s_williams1978 | N/A | Edition: Demo Kit, English edition, 2004 Condition: This Navia Dratp copy is a Promotional Demo kit, which equals out to two complete starter kits. Come in a flimsy white plane box marked "Navia Drapt Demo Kit" from the factory. 2 figures come pre-painted. 2 additional fugures have been painted. |
| Alan Kwan | 10 | Years ago someone made a sarcastic comment on r.g.b., about a collectible version of chess. And this game has answered sarcasm with mastery and excellence. The collectible chess game with balanced, all-skill game play and ever more variety. |
| Davestar2 | 10 | it's a petty this game is not still alive !!! |
| Stephen Glenn | 10 | Hot damn, this is fine. Collectible chess. The best part is the money system, where you move pawns to earn Navia Bucks (Gyulla) then spend those bucks to up grade your characters. What a concept! If you like the idea of chess, but aren't willing to make a career out of it, this is the game for you. Update: As close to gaming perfection as I'm likely to see. Worthy of a 10. |
| MountainRoot | 9.4 | |
| Bwian | 8 | I demo this game for Bandai, which must say something about how much I like it. (Updated: well, I guess I demo it for myself now. But I'm still doing so, in 2009.) I could never get Chess, and got my head handed to me in my 3 games of Shogi, but between the multiple win conditions and money management I found this game to be much more to my liking. I could downgrade it for being collectible, but the sets are so small I hardly notice. |
| dead jawa | 9 | |
| HaydenMiles | 9 | |
| leyton | 9 | This gets better everytime I play - real depth, strategy and subtlety. Still can't win but I really don't mind losing when playing this game. Have I found my new drug.? It certainly gave me a high once I realised the clever game sytem beneath the corporate marketing and stunning manga pieces. My hands are getting a bit sweaty thinking about it ... if I was only good at chess / magic the gathering / shogi or had any common sense I might actually win a game then I would be addicted. |
| magedelanuit | 10 | |
| Firnymph | 9 | |
| cylence | 7 | I admit I'm awful at this game, and only got into it due to it's commercial failure, but it's fun, and the non-painted sculpts are incredible. |
| ellyssian | 8 | Technically, we really only had a portion of play, as we had to call the first game early (but we knew we were short of time going into it). For simplicity, we used the two starter sets and just set everything down in numerical order. Much fun was had, although there is clearly a lot to learn. If you're not familiar with the moves of your pieces and your opponents, you're going to make some mistakes. Amazingly, I still won (gyullas wise) despite making what should have been a fatal one. |
| grandslam | 8 | I am so glad this game is dead. If it were alive, I would like it too much and pay retail, rather than dead CMG prices for its bits. I think it is wonderful as a game and both intelligent and different each time you play. I will never have all the fancy figs, and that is fine, as the rarer the figures are, the less they add to the game. For example, all Navia have the same actions, but each different unpainted figure adds new possibilities. |
| adreeve | N/A | Starter sets 1 & 2. |
| olso2635 | 10 | One of the greatest and most strategic games I own. Think of it as chess on steroids. There is strategy in choosing teams and in-game strategy. |
| Dante_Dark | N/A | Trade Notes: I have both base sets and a few boosters. I believe that I have lost a few of the crystals. Would like to trade the whole collection away. |
| Valenox | 9 | ???? ?????????! |
| Craig Viau | 9.5 | Got a chance to play this with my usual two player opponent. We both usually play multiplayer games but we also enjoy most of the two player games as well. I like being able to bring your team on as you like. Its somewhat similar to chess but with special moves thrown in. There is a collectable element to it which can be good or bad depending on your taste. This isn't at all necessary to enjoy the basic game. However even the basic game requires both starter sets. This cost me 70 dollars Canadian. The figures are quite large and very nice. Your Queen (King in Chess) comes painted the others aren't. Each peice also cames with a card to show its features and how it could be painted. Played this again at a convention and really had to increase my rating this game is so deep and fascinating. |
| Carja | 8 | I'm not good at this game, but I still love it. A great variation on chess. The pieces look really good. I disapprove of chase pieces in general and only allowing you to use multiples if you scored a chase was lame. They all should have been painted. |
| AnakinOU | 7 | Seems interesting enough...but some familiarity with the pieces would definitely make the gameplay more enjoyable. Own 2 complete sets of all "Masetai." |
| Clwe | 6 | Essentially a chess variant with ainme overtones, but a very playable one nonetheless. Worth checking out if you're a fan of abstracts, especially as it's dirt cheap now. |
| fps_bgg | N/A | In Starter Set 1 box |
| acdcatino | N/A | Excluded from List |
| Dingus | N/A | Finally got both starter sets so now we can try it |
| BengalBandit | 9 | Lots of replayability due to custom armies and different win conditions. Great abstract strategy game. Chess on steroids. |
| The Player of Games | 9 | Blue box. |
| dylansofia | N/A | 8/2 |
| thumper7458 | 9 | Love this gave takes 15 minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. evey game is different due to the numerous amount of different characters. I don't army build, I rather play with a blind draw |
| socnart | 9 | Curiosa mezcla de shogi con ajedrez, con miniaturas muy cuidadas, |
| Motorkopf | 9 | |
| massimo68 | 10 | |
| unic | 9 | Want the Darkness Unleashed figures I'm missing, and Resurgense Boosters / figures |
| anto | 8 | 2p |
| drunkenKOALA | N/A | interested |
| PrivateMeggido | 10 | The most awesome chess like type of game I own. Great combo of variable powers and resource management added on top of strategical/tactical board placement. |
| Lucien123 | 9 | |
| Akhana | 10 | Navia Dratp is one of the BEST abstract games ever made! |
| BanterBill | N/A | On sale with it's second expansion at Giant Tiger for $10 |
| caesarmom | 7.5 | Nifty little game; went slowly because we were both unfamiliar with the powers of our own guys, much less each other's guys. Definitely would like to become more familiar with it! |
| Foretfam | 8 | Very nice two player game. What's not to like? For sale. |
| DamonH | N/A | Red box and blue starter boxes |
| Gamethyme | 7 | I love this game. It's a shame about Bandai's support. |
| Oni no board | 9 | |
| davek | N/A | Starter Set 1 (Red) and Unleashed Darkness booster. |
| Boofus | 9 | |
| grasa_total | N/A | Got a duplicate starter because it's cheap. |
| aristid | 8.6 | after 1 play. beautiful. |
| BilboAtBagEnd | N/A | Tags: Abstract, SpecialPowers |
| spiff40k | 9 | |
| Dimmendarkgirl | N/A | Both Red and Blue starter sets |
| Cavern_11 | N/A | VENDU XX |
| TheCandyMan | 10 | |
| enderlen | 10 | Best with players drafting their maseitai from a common pool of (8x number of players) distinct maseitai. Very good 3 players and 4 players versions. |
| Dorque | 3 | I got to play this at GenCon 2003. Neat to see that it actually shipped. The game has all the annoyance of a collectible minis game while kicking chess in the nards by letting you bring your own guys. So it is either a weird fantasy minis game where half your guys are flat rocks, or it is playing chess with your little bringer and he brings 4 knights and two rooks. I'd much rather play Dreamblade; minis are cooler and it doesn't pretend to be chess. |
| erik2point0 | 8 | would be higher if it wasn't a collectable. the board quality is mediocre, but the game itself is wonderful. |
| alfredo lorente | 10 | Rather nice variant of Chess/Shogi doomed by some strange corporate decisions. [i]Location: Basement (FR)[/i] |
| dacool561 | N/A | Looking for a collection of that contains at least both starters |
| DaveKitcat | 8 | I really enjoyed this game on the first 2 outings - immediately accessible & so many interesting options and decisions. |
| lwheeler | 10 | Rating based mainly on the game. The figures are exquisitely sculpted and are true to the original art. Unfortunately, the factory painting doesn't do them justice. If you like mini-painting, do-it-yourself can be very rewarding. |
| manolovila | 9 | Excellent!!!!! I'm going to give a 10 when they make it in Spanish |
| franklincobb | 6 | Bought starter 2 and 4 boosters (Resurgence) on 03/29/06. Starter set 1 from Ebay on 06/09/06. 1 play--I loved it. It's like a Chess game without the static play and setup. Keeps it from getting rote or boring. Sadly, my brother HATES it. I should've checked first--he hates Chess too. The theme will make it a tough sell to just about anyone else...my game group will reject the anime theme, and anyone who likes Chess is going to distance themselves rapidly from the game with the little monsters and Naruto-looking gals. *sigh* This might end up trading away. I dig it, but it makes for lousy solitaire. EDIT: Did indeed trade away. Nice game, but a dust collector for me; if only I'd had someone to play it who enjoyed it. Just a bad mesh of mechanics, game type, and theme. |
| colekike | 7 | 2x2 starter + extra figures (some painted). |
| dogmatix | N/A | Looking specifically for #41 and #44 to complete my set of Greys |
| Talisinbear | 9 | |
| QnanG5284 | 10 | The best chess variant i've played in my life. It's worthy to give it a chance |
| rlddrummer | 9 | i love this game. its great fun the rating may go down over time but not by much.I have the following for trade: all unpainted m-015,m-016, m-017, m-019, m-024 x 2, m-025, m-026 x 2, m-o29i also have a navia chakrapicky n-005 that i may be willing to tradei'm looking form-008, 009, 010, 011, 012, 013,021and any pieces from the resurgence set (except m-039,m-040,m-043) |
| dudical | 10 | This game rocks! If you love chess and shogi and fantasy, then Navia Dratp is for you. Just get around the weird sounding names, and you will have a great time. |
| falconoidner | 9.5 | |
| stckcrsh | 9 | Tawney would love this |
| jttm | 9 | An excellent anime-themed chess game with great bits and changing pieces. Ignore what people say about the Japanese terminology being confusing. Its not. You just need to learn 4 or 5 new words. No different from caballeros or castillo, really. The unpainted pieces look fantastic. They are supposed to be summoned from stone anyway, but even in black shading, the detail is superb. I would say that they look better than the painted Navias. Finally, the game itself is excellent. A bit more serious thinking is required, so you'll need to be in the mood, but its a pretty satisfying game. |
| Deathmobile | 9.6 | |
| trixyloupwolf | 10 | |
| CatDonkey | 9 | Great game! Think Chess x Draughts (Checkers!) x Manga Monsters! Easy to learn, easy to play, hard to win. Would have been a 10 but for the LOUD board... |
| glanfam | N/A | packed in a big box, not the original packaging |
| BoB3K | 9 | This isn't really a chess variant, it's a Shogi variant. I like it. I like the CMG feel without all the rares and crap (I got almost two full sets of the first expansion with a $30 case of boosters, and a set of the second (and last) expansion with a $30 case of boosters.) Each character has a movement, a power-upped movement, and possibly a single special ability. You only have 7 major pieces, which is just enough to have fun creating different flavors of armies with the 44 available pieces. But there isn't the overwhelming feeling I often get with CCGs and CMGs of having too many choices and too many possible power combinations. Multiple winning conditions also give the game a more open feel than chess. There is a deduction is for the game's collectability. I think force customization works great here, but Blind Boosters are still the work of the devil. |
| BillSkulley | 7 | I'm not a huge fan of chess, although I appreciate the depth of the game. This game appears to have that same depth and has some neat twists to boot. |
| willdesigns | 10 | This game has the most spectacular miniatures in the market. The detail of the pieces is amazing and the quality material they are made with is awesome. Definitely a must have for any miniature Freak. |
| kzman13 | 9 | Excellent |
| Jowjow | 9 | I never thought I'd see the day where all the bits of a collectible game could be had for under $100, but this is such a game. I now own every figure released with the game (not including specials like painted and other versions) and invested around $80 to get them all. Having played Magic in the past, this was a breath of fresh air. The game itself is, too. I really enjoy the game's balance, in that the pieces self-balance based on their dratp cost, so there are theoretically no limits when building a team. If you want to build a team out of the most expensive and/or powerful figures in the game go ahead! (You'll probably lose, though) |
| bucklen_uk | 9 | Like this one a lot - a nice mix of strategy and tactics during the game, along with army construction at the start too. Shame few others seem to want to play. Multiple routes to vistory are good too - do you collect power, eliminate your opponents bits or play for board position (or probably a bit of all 3) and how do you select your pieces to do that. Only downside is not all the pieces seem balanced, some are definitely weaker than others - and some are just so good you really can't not use them in an army. ** Update, dropped to a 9, just isn't getting played :( |
| brianeikunst | 5 | Probably a fun game for those that like chess... I don't. The quality of cardboard used for the box is poor (very thin and easily "smooshed" if you aren't gentle with it). The cards are thin, and the game boards don't lay flat. |
| Taktak | 10 | |
| Arra001 | 9.5 | |
| GeoMan | 7.8 | Very good Shogi variant with no luck. Easy to collect. |
| snakespittle | 9 | |
| Bakelite | N/A | Have both starter sets, up for trade. Pieces and boards in great condition, only one box, which is a little beaten up. |
| DigitalDragon88 | 9 | |
| adam.skinner | 9.5 | I grew up playing Chess. I like the tactical and strategic aspects of Chess. I don't like the sporty known openings and responses, and the general "known" nature of the game. At the higher levels it seems that the game is scripted until a certain point, simply because both you and your opponent know the "best way to respond" to a scenario that has been played out thousands of times before. Navia Dratp is like Chess, but better in almost every way. The teams are asymmetrical. There are two different types of pawns. Your main pieces are each unique, and drawn from a pool of 44 possible pieces. Your main pieces are also very high quality sculpted, thematic miniatures, each possessing the ability to invoke a special power, add a unique rule, or change it's movement to a superior state. With 3 distinct ways to win the game (including the "king capture" we all know from Chess), there's more flexibility near the end-game. Because you have to spend a turn to summon in each main battle piece (none of them start on the board), and each piece gives your opponent a distinct and tangible advantage when it's captured, oftentimes only 4 of your 7 main battle pieces will come into play in any given game. Imagine how Chess would change if you had 2 more knights instead of bishops - this kind of variability is inherent in Navia Dratp. Even with just the 14 pieces in the starter sets, each game is unique. Navia Dratp is more than just "Chess with special powers" - it's a best of breed game. |
| latindog | 10 | Although I have come to this game after it had ceased production of any new units, I have quickly become a huge fan. The theme is not a selling point for me but I really enjoy the game play. I am an avid (although not particularly good) chess player and this game scratches that itch very nicely. While it lacks the austere beauty of chess, the special powers of the pieces and the multiple routes to victory go a long way towards making up for some of that loss. Being able to play this on Vassal as well as face to face means that I should be able to enjoy this one quite a bit. |
| labrat145 | 10 | Good GOD, why didn't this game come out sooner? |
| JohnMcKendrick | 9 | |
| jeffk | 10 | After several more plays, upped my rating yet again to a 10. I just can't find a flaw with this game. It's fun, engaging and completely different every time. It's not even hard to get all the pieces, despite it's status as a collectable game. What's not to like? |
| legalbetter | 9 | |
| th3ory310 | 9 | I really liked this chess/shogi variant. Much more interesting than chess. I'm considering getting it for myself. Slowly becoming one of my favorite games. |
| derrickec | N/A | Starter Set 1 and Starter Set 2. |
| Darkmot | 2 | The figures and artwork and components are gorgeous. FFG or other AT publishers should follow these examples, not just continue making unproportional miniatures shape. Unfortunately, it's a chess variant, which I hate. |
| supergibo | 10 | |
| GoldSirius | 9 | |
| oheuns | 9 | |
| fortinm | 3 | Feels too much like chess, which I don't like. Played once. |
| FakeDutch | N/A | Got in a Math trade couple of years ago. Never played it |
| SHADUS TAIN | 9.5 | Great game, but the lack of proper marketing which lead to a lack of players is why I gave it a 9.5 |
| starterdog37 | 9 | |
| cadavaca | 3 | Too overwrought for an abstract strategy game. Collecting money to promote pieces seems an unnecessary step. I'd rather play with a point cap per side and have all pieces promote in the same way. I'll stick with Shogi. |
| axeme | N/A | Out of production. |
| Bare2theBone | N/A | both sets plus i got a couple of extra minis from boosters included |
| christophyr | N/A | Blue & Red sets, some boosters |
| ecobot3001 | 7 | January 2007 |
| Azias | 10 | Amazing rendition of the Japanese game Shogi. I wish this game took off here in the states, it is a really fantastic strategy game with a twist. ****Looking to buy a Persephone N-007***** contact me |
| EvanMinn | 7 | [COLOR=#FF0000][b]2 player only[/b][/COLOR] [COLOR=#66CC00][b]Links:[/b][/COLOR] [url=http://www.boardgamegeek.com/file/download/26950/NaviaDratp-PlayerAid-StarterSets%20-%20%20Maseitai.pdf]My Base Set Player Aid[/url] |
| gabriel37 | 10 | |
| Derbin | 10 | Monstrous Abstract that has it all! Like shogi, yet you can with three different ways. Flex you economic might to upgrade/use-powers of pieces, or even blast your rival off the board. I like this game better than Chess, Shogi and Go. |
| soiledshortz | 10 | |
| GaryP | 7 | I don't know if I will teach the kids chess. I think we are going to skip straight to Navia Dratp! Such a neat game! |
| FunkyFlyChicken | N/A | Glow In The Dark Demo Kit |
| crackedlcd81 | 3 | Interesting concept, marred chiefly by Pokemon-itis- i.e. silly, nonsensical terms, an emphasis on getting the powerup to win the game, and a modified cockfighting theme. As stated, it's a shogi/chess hybrid with semi-collectible pieces (great sculpts) that feature different movement abilities. Can get interesting late in the game, but early game has a limited decision tree. Moving "Gulleds" (pawns) to generate resources is a killer idea. |
| engelstein | 8 | Navia Dratp is just plain fun. The game plays quickly -- showing the way the piece moves on the piece itself is very smart and makes it very accessible. We had a party recently and group of six 9-11 year olds pulled it out, learned it, and had a big round robin, and all enjoyed it. Two big knocks on this game though, that you need to consider: 1) They stupidly did not put enough components in the 'starter' set to play the game -- you actually need to buy two sets, which gives you two boards, rules, etc. I do not understand this decision, and it makes the cost to get into it much higher than it should be. 2. It's a collectible miniatures game, which I usually find annoying. However there are very few 'extra' pieces in the boosters -- the starter kits give you over 50% of the figs that are out there, so you can have a good game out of the box (or out of the two boxes). Plus the boosters do not duplicate any figs that in the base sets, so you can safely buy one or two without worrying about dupes. I've decided to rate the game an '8' based on the game itself -- rather than the value or the packaging. But you need to take that into account before buying. |
| winterkumo | 10 | |
| A Strange Aeon | N/A | Both starter sets and three Darkness Unleashed boosters. Haven't gotten a chance to play it yet. |
| Donald | 10 | |
| CrusaderX | 8 | AMAZING... IF you can run across it! |
| Godeke | 8.5 | We have played a few times without expansions and found it to be quite a nice game. Now we have a few boosters to draft from... |
| CDRodeffer | 6 | A collectible Shogi that's just oozing with style. Unfortunately, two starter sets are required to play. Fortunately, another person in my gaming group is a fanatic and wants to collect everything Navia Dratp, and will also let others play, so I don't need to own it myself! He also has put together an interesting (if somewhat longish) four-player variant. |
| ghostfist | 9 | This has become the favorite game of all my gaming group. The minis are fantastic! The game looks really cool once everything is in place. I'm not the biggest fan of collectable games, but this is worth the investment. The gameplay is very smooth and really easy to teach new players. I've played around 20 games so far, win or lose, it was a blast. |
| AngusBull | 7.25 | Own Blue/Red Starters and a few boosters worth of pieces. |
| black white | 9.5 | |
| jteslow | 9 | |
| Deebs | 10 | The theme and gameplay are total mismatches and the names are a disaster to pronounce. Add that to the fact that it is collectible makes this game a complete mess. However, the game died early and now you can easily get hold of all pieces without going bankrupt. And if you just get over the tongue twisting names and the theme you will find an absolutely amazing game! I kid you not, this is the best game I've ever played! |
| fnord23 | N/A | have both starters, all booster figs, demo kit, vinyl playmat. short 2 Navia, some painted figures, and some promo figures |
| RedMonkeyBoy | 10 | Excellent chess variant. Sadly discontinued. A review can be found on my blog at [url=http://alwaysboardneverboring.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/navia-dratp.html]AlwaysBoardNeverBoring[/url] |
| Albireo | 9 | A superb and grossly underated game similar to chess, but MORE similar to Japanese chess - Shogi. But with the added aspects of promotion of pieces, a large number of different force cominations for each game, and several ways to win. This is really one of the best games ever, marred in my opinion by the anime theme which makes it a little harder for Westerners to accept. If this had a Lord of the Rings theme it would sell lke hot cakes. BUY IT. It`s brilliant anyway. |
| aerolb | 10 | |
| Ordasmania | 9 | |
| D Beau | 9 | This is a brilliant game, but it's so niche I almost never get to play. And chess having such a massive spectrum of skill, even if I did find an enthusiastic opponent, our skill levels would need to have some overlap for us both to enjoy quality games. I hold on to a copy just in case human cloning really takes off in the next few years. |
| harry cherry 1972 | 10 | great chess variant |
| demiankatz | N/A | Starter Sets 1 & 2 |
| naturestee | 9 | Wonderful game for those who love chess but nead a little variety. strategy is greatly increased with pieces that have varied movement, pieces start off the board and move onto it, money is spent to increase a pieces capabilities, and three different ways of winning. If you love strategy, then this is a must for you. Can easily be played without a need for large amounts of collecting. (2 starter sets is good enough to get good playing in) |
| DLongo | 8 | I really like this game. The flexibility with the many characters (even just the ones in the 2 base sets) is very cool. I have a complete set of all of the figures (two of each figure from the original and two expansions) so there is a lot of variety. |
| unklefrank | 10 | |
| Ottia | 10 | Here's an absolutely terrific blend of strategy and fantasy: in what seems like a reduced Shogi setup, an array of "Gulled stones" protect the Navia (the player's main piece), who can in her turn invoke new special pieces (Maseitai) to be placed on the board. By moving the Gulled stones and eliminating pieces of the opponent, crystals are gathered, which can be used to enhance the abilities of a Maseitai or "upgrade" the Navia. A win is achieved either by this upgrade, by the rival Navia being taken or surrendered, or by the Navia reaching the opponent's back line if no Maseitai are remaining. The game itself is easy to grasp and very smooth, but at the same time difficult to master. The possibility of customising the player's own roster of Maseitai means even more replayability (these are/were collectable... why figures came hidden in the expansion boxes seems more like a trick to get easy money to me, actually... maybe the game would have settled better if players hadn't had to buy lots of boxes to get all the collection, especially considering that both starter sets already give a hell of a play). And last but not least the production values are extraordinary, with miniatures and board as detailed and user-friendly as possible. |
| charles666 | 3 | I love collectible figure games! I love Bandai games! But i really hate this game.. |
| Checkallday | 7 | The idea of a fantasy-themed Shogi variant sounded really good in theory. In practice, maybe not so much. |
| awakeneddragon | 7 | Thanks to pmboos and alfredhw for some of these. Would like to have more figs. |
| mikeef | 9 | |
| Igarka | 9 | |
| arnest_r | N/A | a version of chess you can´t study ??? |
| hughthehand | 10 | I love chess. Not that great at it though, I'm about 1400 level. This game though rocks all forms of but. I hate that its collectible...but, buying both starters gets you more than half the pieces and after only a few boosters, I am only short 3. I will never have to buy any boosters again, and this game will always be good. All stradegy...and no luck! |
| casualgamertoo | 9 | Excellent, non-random gameplay, easy collectability, for gameplay purposes that is (thankfully you don't really get any major bonus from the rares, unlike other collectable games) Very nice-looking pieces. |
| chuckimus | 8.5 | Yikes! Support is being dropped by Bandai? Hopefully someone else picks up this great game and takes it to the next level. |
| Gil Martin | N/A | 1.09 |
| Arzach | 10 | |
| maelic001 | 9 | |
| Daarck | 7 | Shogi with Minis. Not a bad game. It's a brain burner. I don't always bring it out because I'd rather play Dreamblade. Still, I think if I was to buy more minis in order to make up a customized "Warband", it might get more interesting. |
| colmise | 9 | Various individual Unleashed Darkness Maseitai available |
| cornjob | 6 | I have both starter sets and almost all of the first expansion. I'd like to collect one of each type of figure, since its such a limited number and the cost is not too high. The game itself is deceptively heavy. It looks like a cartoony anime-themed game with little gemstones and lots of concocted jargon...but once you get the basic rules down you realize there is some tricky decision-making. Its really a heavy assymetric customizable 2-player abstract. I played a lot of chess growing up, and I appreciate the need to analyze and develop position like chess. The multiple paths to victory creates a flexibility of strategy that keeps the game fresh. I haven't been able to investigate building a customized side yet, but hope to soon. |
| isamaru | 9 | |
| b5mith | 6 | The more I play the more I like it. Still playing with the starter kits and enjoying the challenge. Fixes all the things with chess that make it suck; The fixed starting position which means experts have analysed openings to death. The analysis paralysis of having every piece on the board at once with 50 move lookahead. The boring static movement of pieces. The singular victory %u201Ccheckmate%u201D condition (Navia Dratp has three). The corny anime theme can be forgiven seeing as it's a Japanese derivative... that aside, I cannot find fault in the mechanics, it's fantastic. Update: Haven't touched it. |
| fatso | 6 | Only a couple plays, great figures. Need to play more but I like the pace of the game and the end conditions (being able to save 60 points to win instead of spending the points to spawn characters). |
| fightcitymayor | 7.5 | Very fun chess-type game with minis whose move ability upgrades throughout the game. Too bad it's out-of-print. |
| garygarison | 8 | Ridiculously testosteronal in appearance, outstanding in gameplay. Excellent Shogi-derived abstract strategy game with a money management system and a pure economic victory condition. Normally, I would never come near such a shameful box of little boy toys. But in this case, the play is so fine that I can begrudgingly overlook the presentation. |
| AI | Strong Wins | Draws | Strong Losses | #Games | Strong Win% | p1 Win% | Game Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Random | |||||||
| R?? + ocBK (t=v0.01s) | 36 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 100.00 | 61.11 | 31.64 |
| R?? + ocBK (t=v0.07s) | 36 | 0 | 14 | 50 | 72.00 | 28.00 | 68.18 |
| R?? + ocBK (t=v0.55s) | 36 | 0 | 13 | 49 | 73.47 | 34.69 | 81.80 |
Level of Play: Strong beats Weak 60% of the time (lower bound with 90% confidence).
Draw%, p1 win% and game length may give some indication of trends as AI strength increases; but be aware that the AI can introduce bias due to horizon effects, poor heuristics, etc.
| Size (bytes) | 90205 |
|---|---|
| Reference Size | 10577 |
| Ratio | 8.53 |
Ai Ai calculates the size of the implementation, and compares it to the Ai Ai implementation of the simplest possible game (which just fills the board). Note that this estimate may include some graphics and heuristics code as well as the game logic. See the wikipedia entry for more details.
| Playouts per second | 5300.82 (188.65µs/playout) |
|---|---|
| Reference Size | 488400.49 (2.05µs/playout) |
| Ratio (low is good) | 92.14 |
Tavener complexity: the heat generated by playing every possible instance of a game with a perfectly efficient programme. Since this is not possible to calculate, Ai Ai calculates the number of random playouts per second and compares it to the fastest non-trivial Ai Ai game (Connect 4). This ratio gives a practical indication of how complex the game is. Combine this with the computational state space, and you can get an idea of how strong the default (MCTS-based) AI will be.
| 1: Estelle win % | 43.91±0.55 | Includes draws = 50% |
|---|---|---|
| 2: Debora win % | 56.09±0.55 | Includes draws = 50% |
| Draw % | 5.63 | Percentage of games where all players draw. |
| Decisive % | 94.37 | Percentage of games with a single winner. |
| Samples | 31374 | Quantity of logged games played |
Note: that win/loss statistics may vary depending on thinking time (horizon effect, etc.), bad heuristics, bugs, and other factors, so should be taken with a pinch of salt. (Given perfect play, any game of pure skill will always end in the same result.)
Note: Ai Ai differentiates between states where all players draw or win or lose; this is mostly to support cooperative games.
Rotation (Half turn) lost each game as expected.
Reflection (X axis) lost each game as expected.
Reflection (Y axis) lost each game as expected.
Copy last move lost each game as expected.
Mirroring strategies attempt to copy the previous move. On first move, they will attempt to play in the centre. If neither of these are possible, they will pick a random move. Each entry represents a different form of copying; direct copy, reflection in either the X or Y axis, half-turn rotation.
| Game length | 75.80 | |
|---|---|---|
| Branching factor | 36.00 | |
| Complexity | 10^109.41 | Based on game length and branching factor |
| Computational Complexity | 10^7.28 | Saturation reached - accuracy very high. |
| Samples | 31374 | Quantity of logged games played |
| Distinct actions | 101478 | Number of distinct moves (e.g. "e4") regardless of position in game tree |
|---|---|---|
| Killer moves | 1302 | A 'killer' move is selected by the AI more than 50% of the time Too many killers to list. |
| Good moves | 14701 | A good move is selected by the AI more than the average |
| Bad moves | 86777 | A bad move is selected by the AI less than the average |
| Terrible moves | 82121 | A terrible move is never selected by the AI Too many terrible moves to list. |
| Samples | 31374 | Quantity of logged games played |
This chart is based on a single playout, and gives a feel for the change in material over the course of a game.
_trajectory.png)
This chart shows the best move value with respect to the active player; the orange line represents the value of doing nothing (null move).
The lead changed on 3% of the game turns. Ai Ai found 1 critical turn (turns with only one good option).
Overall, this playout was 100.00% hot.
_temperature_ranges.png)
This chart shows the relative temperature of all moves each turn. Colour range: black (worst), red, orange(even), yellow, white(best).
.png)
Table: branching factor per turn.
_owner_counts.png)
This chart is based on a single playout, and gives a feel for the types of moves available over the course of a game.
Red: removal, Black: move, Blue: Add, Grey: pass, Purple: swap sides, Brown: other.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | 1260 | 35805 | 1013922 | 24838546 |
Note: most games do not take board rotation and reflection into consideration.
Multi-part turns could be treated as the same or different depth depending on the implementation.
Counts to depth N include all moves reachable at lower depths.
Inaccuracies may also exist due to hash collisions, but Ai Ai uses 64-bit hashes so these will be a very small fraction of a percentage point.
No solutions found to depth 5.
| Moves | Animation |
|---|---|
| BG@c3-c4,Summon Nebguard to g8,RG@d2-c3,Summon GyullasTurtle to e8,RG@c3-d4,M11@g8-e6,Summon Gundrill to e2,BG@d7-d6,RG@d4-e5,M11@e6-f5 | _ani_0.gif) |
| BG@c3-c4,Summon Nebguard to g8,RG@d2-c3,Summon GyullasTurtle to e8,RG@c3-d4,M11@g8-e6,Summon Gundrill to e2,BG@f7-f6,RG@d4-e5,M11@e6-f5 | _ani_1.gif) |
| BG@c3-c4,Summon GyullasTurtle to e8,RG@d2-c3,Summon Nebguard to g8,RG@c3-d4,M11@g8-e6,Summon Gundrill to e2,BG@d7-d6,RG@d4-e5,M11@e6-f5 | _ani_2.gif) |
| BG@c3-c4,Summon GyullasTurtle to e8,RG@d2-c3,Summon Nebguard to g8,RG@c3-d4,M11@g8-e6,Summon Gundrill to e2,BG@f7-f6,RG@d4-e5,M11@e6-f5 | _ani_3.gif) |
| BG@d3-d4,Summon GyullasTurtle to g8,RG@d2-d3,Summon Nebguard to e8,RG@d3-c4,M11@e8-g6,RG@c4-c5,BG@h7-h6,BG@h3-h4,RG@h8-h7 | _ani_4.gif) |
| BG@e3-e4,Summon Nebguard to e8,RG@d2-e3,Summon GyullasTurtle to g8,BG@g3-g4,M11@e8-g6,RG@h2-g3,BG@e7-e6,Summon Gundrill to h2,RG@d8-e7 | _ani_5.gif) |
| BG@e3-e4,Summon GyullasTurtle to e8,RG@d2-e3,Summon Nebguard to g8,RG@e3-f4,BG@i7-i6,RG@f4-f5,RG@h8-i7,BG@c3-c4,RG@i7-h6 | _ani_6.gif) |
| BG@e3-e4,Summon GyullasTurtle to e8,RG@d2-e3,Summon Nebguard to g8,BG@g3-g4,M11@g8-e6,RG@h2-g3,BG@g7-g6,Summon Gundrill to h2,RG@h8-g7 | _ani_7.gif) |
| BG@e3-e4,Summon GyullasTurtle to e8,BG@g3-g4,Summon Nebguard to g8,RG@d2-e3,M11@g8-e6,RG@h2-g3,BG@g7-g6,Summon Gundrill to h2,RG@h8-g7 | _ani_8.gif) |
| BG@e3-e4,Summon GyullasTurtle to e8,BG@g3-g4,Summon Nebguard to g8,RG@h2-g3,M11@g8-e6,RG@d2-e3,BG@g7-g6,Summon Gundrill to h2,RG@h8-g7 | _ani_9.gif) |
| BG@e3-e4,Summon GyullasTurtle to g8,RG@d2-e3,Summon Nebguard to e8,BG@g3-g4,M11@e8-g6,RG@h2-g3,BG@e7-e6,Summon Gundrill to h2,RG@d8-e7 | _ani_10.gif) |
| BG@e3-e4,Summon GyullasTurtle to g8,BG@g3-g4,Summon Nebguard to e8,RG@d2-e3,M11@e8-g6,RG@h2-g3,BG@e7-e6,Summon Gundrill to h2,RG@d8-e7 | _ani_11.gif) |