"In the future, cybernetically enhanced HyperShock Troopers are the heroes of the Colony,
the underground city where Earth's few remaining humans survive. Join the HyperShocks
as they battle to reclaim Earth's surface from the monstrous humanoid insects, the
Angelans - or take up the fight of the Angelans, who valiantly struggle to protect
their own way of life. Warring for control of the planet, you command both heroic
and villainous characters and use amazing actions to outwit your opponent!"
And so begins our adventure through the multi-faceted world of C*23. C*23 was
simultaneously launched as a comic book and a collectible card game, the first
time this has been done. It also introduces us to Wizard of the Coasts new ARC
System of gaming.
The ARC System is a rehashed version of the Magic gaming system. It allows for
quicker, simpler play. With a lot less complicated system of gaming than
Magic: The Gathering, it's a nice way to introduce comic readers into the world
of card gaming. The basic concept is a lot like Portal , but renames card types.
Land become Resources, Sorceries are Actions, Creatures equal Characters, and
Instants become Combat cards. The system also uses your deck as a life counter,
i.e.; if/when you take damage, you lose cards from the top of your deck. Being
a long time Magic aficionado, I look back and think about how many arguments
would have been prevented by this simple, but robust system.
Soon the ARC System will also include the licensed games Xena and Hercules.
These, being popular TV shows that have brought about lots of various successful
spin-offs will, in my opinion, make the ARC System a success. The ARC System
games are all interchangeable, and from what I've seen so far, seem an
interesting mix. Imagine Xena fighting against an armored cyborg foe such
as Hemlocke from C*23, or Gabrielle teaming up with the beautiful Nemesis
to take down Hercules.
After playing the card game, with demo cards so graciously donated by Wizards
of the Coast, and reading the comic, some interesting plot twists become
evident. Characters believed to be good in the series will later be revealed
to be villains. The "evil" Angelans are also revealed to be good. The fact
that some plot twists in the comic are revealed in the card game actually made
me more interested in reading a second issue of the comic. Even if you don't
want to read the comic, the beautiful Travis Charest covers are just to die for.
In closing, I would just like to say if you are a comic reader looking for
an introduction into the card gaming world, C*23 is a great start. If you
are a comic reader looking for a sci-fi fix with some intrigue, try C*23.
Finally, if you are a Magic player looking for a nice release from the rules
complicated standard, or maybe someone looking for what Magic could have been,
pick up one of the 6 decks which retail for a measly $6.00.