Every tabletop gamer has had a dalliance with a trading card game or two. Since Magic: The Gathering arrived 31 years ago, dozens of companies have tried to duplicate its success. It’s easy to see why; Magic generates over a billion dollars in annual revenue for Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro.
While I never fell hard for Magic, plenty of my friends did and there are some long card boxes in my closet detailing the games I did get into. (I’ll always love you Illuminati: New World Order and 7th Sea) Resisting this temptation is not always easy. When Equinox offered a chance to check out Altered at Gen Con, I was intrigued by it enough to check it out.
Altered was developed by eveloped by Régis Bonnessée, the visionary behind tabletop successes like Dixit, Mysterium, and Dice Forge. It was part of a massive Kickstarter earlier this year and is now hitting shops around the world. I recieved two starters, a dozen booster packs and two packs of sleeves from Asmodee for this review.
What Is Altered Trading Card Game?
Altered is a game set in the far future of Earth. A magical storm called the Confluence swpet over the planet and brought imaginary things into the real world. Humanity mostly hid from the storm but now there are factions that are looking to discover what this strange new world looks like.
Unlike many other trading card games, Altered puts themes of exploration front and center. The game is a race between players to see who can reunite their central characters, called a Hero and a Companion, first. The decks represent the colorful people and unusual locations found along the way.
How To Play Altered Trading Card Game
Players choose a starter deck representing one of six factions. The factions help determine playstyle as well as the types of characters that can help in your quest. Dragons, robots, mythological creatures and even historical figures like Amelia Earhart can all be part of a deck.
Players set up a board in between their card area called the Tumult. They place a token representing their Hero on one end of the Tumult and their Companion on the other. Whichever player reunites their Hero and Companion in the middle of the Tumult first wins.
The Hero and the Companion each have an expedition they are leading. Players play cards as part of the expedition to contribute to the strength of the expedition. Each player takes a turn playing one card and once both players have passed, the expeditions totals are compared against each other to see who, if anyone advanced toward the center.
The digital side of things focuses on card collecting and organized play. Players scan QR cards to upload their cards to an account which keeps track of what they have. They can also use “foiler” cards from booster packs to upgrade their favorites with different art and small gameplay changes.
This is also where Altered shows the most ambition. Players will be able to trade cards with the app, print new versions of cards (including foils) and use their collections on Board Game Arena. Rather than building a separate digital version or wait for fans to build online resources, Equinox wants to have them up and running out of the gate.
Altered Trading Card Game Impressions
I enjoyed the games of Altered I played for this article. The game is easy to grasp but shows more complexity the more I play it. I still haven’t settled on a faction yet, though the thought of playing a deck full of Ordis Bureaucrats amuses me even if I can’t figure out how to win with it.
It’s almost like playing two games at once because you have to keep an eye on progress for both your Hero and Companion. Each expedition is important to move forward but sometimes devoting just enough effort to making sure nobody moves can be important. Games are also pretty short allowing for 2 or 3 in the space one match of a similar game might take place.
The cards are also well done with interesting characters and concepts. The usability design is also full of great little details, like visual ratings of traits and color changes to highlight difference between rarities. I also enjoyed the foiler concept because it gives the player a chance to choose their favorite cards to get an upgrade instead of hoping for a good pull or a willing trader.
Right now, there’s a bold mix of fictional characters and legendary figures as the main characters. I can see the company signing up diferent licensees to do character appearances in the game like Secret Lair or Fortnite seasons. It’s fun when Baga Yaga and Loki face off but I think the game will really take off if fans of franchises can bring their favorite characters to play.
Because this game is a race, there isn’t a lot of interaction between decks at this time. Most of that comes through spell cards that affect your opponents deck by slowing it down rather than eliminating cards. Players who like to play decks that shut down their opponent rather than build up their own strategy might want to wait a while to see if expansions add more back and forth to the game.
The digital side of things are still a work in process. There were some expected glitches and headaches during launch weekend, but some aspects of the digital side are still not completely functional. I hope these issues get fixed soon because this review feels a little unfinished until I can do all the things the creators have promised.
Altered is available through online retailers and at Friendly Local Gaming Stores.
