In the few weeks since the Moonstone kickstarter began I've been digesting the rules and getting together the bits and pieces i need for a rough demo kit... D4's, gem stones for energy etc, unfortunately my printer died so my first games were with hand written Arcane and Melee decks haha, poor but serviceable!
A mate of mine stepped in and printed off a rulebook, stat cards and the decks to enable me to demo to the locals looking slightly more professional than i did.
Ive be been sticking to the forces as recommended by developer Tom, that is The Barony vs The Goblin City Troupes, and played with 5 stones over three turns rather than the standard 7 over four turns.
I scrounged around my various boxes of minis to find some suitable stand ins for five of the character from those sets as i already had Baron Von Fancyhat... 50 Internet pts for anyone that can name every model in the photos hehe.
Below are some pics of a game in progress, a good central drop off stones ensured a bloody battle:
Last one is staged though, i cant wait to play Moonstone with all the wonderful minis all painted up!
The demos have been quick, longest has taken 45mins at that was the first one as i needed more back n forth in the rulebook to begin with, this is promising for the full 6 a side game to take 1hr30/2hr which is what you want for an afternoon or evenings gaming session.
Everyone that has played it has really enjoyed it, the deep shenanigans and the tactical synergy between the various troupe members has a lot of promise for game longevity, and swapping out one model even for one in a similar roll will greatly effect how your troupe plays on the field.
The funky card mechanics bring a level of interaction between players not seen in most games, and even playing some of your oldest friends can show new levels of deviousness in their characters that they have kept well hidden.
The game i can compare Moonstone most too out there is Guildball... Multi-ball Guildball without the goals haha, and its quite telling that everyone I've demoed to is also a big Guildball player and took to it right away.
Moonstone shows great promise as a game system: it has great models to satisfy the painters, its straightforward to grasp and plays well in multiplayer so its a good system to teach the kids and it has that depth and synergy that experienced gamers look for in new systems so there is something here for everyone.
Here's to a long and successful venture by Goblin King Games!