The competitive mode in Alynthia has just gotten a monumental improvement, but one that we can’t believe we didn’t think of before! During the latest PAX Unplugged we got some great feedback from playtesters (thank you!!), which we used to update competitive mode. The new competitive rounds are now the same as in cooperative, with one important difference. Instead of simultaneous turns, players will take turns taking two actions at a time. This simple change unlocks three amazing new features.
1. Minimizes Downtime
In the older version of the competitive mode, the delay between the end of your turn and the start of your next turn could drag, especially in a four-player game. Now it has the same engaging pace as cooperative mode, since players only take two actions at a time, there’s just enough time to plan your next turn before you’re up at bat again. Since the Spawn, Harvest, Resolve phases are simultaneous, each round is shorter. Playing Action Cards and activating Abilities are also not actions, so you often have things to do while other players are taking their turns, keeping you engaged throughout the entire game.
2. Creates Tension
The new two action per turn rule also had a profound change: you could now react to other players’ actions. If there is space where you want to build, your opponent can see you start to move in that direction. If a player attacks a building, the defending player has a chance to retaliate. Combined with the higher number of dragons that swarm each round, we found ourselves at the edge of our seats throughout the game, trying to outmaneuver each other.
Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels
3. Simplifies Rules
Since the round structure stays the same throughout every game mode, it’s now much easier to switch between rounds. This has also allowed us to simplify the rulebook, so learning Alynthia is easier, allowing you to get past the rulebook faster and start playing as soon as possible.
We are still working on playtesting and updating the rulebook, but if you’re interested in playing this new version of Alynthia’s competitive mode let us know! We’d be happy to explain in more detail how to play with these new rules and answer any questions you have. If you sign up for our email list, you’ll get access to a Tabletopia version of Alynthia that you can play for free right now!