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OT Fantasy Draft
Designer: Lance Hill
Players: 1-5
Playing time: ok. 30 min.
Age: 10+
Year of first release: 2022
Publisher: Funhill Games
Ranking BGG: 7.73/10 (71 ratings)
Read this in Polish
Set Collection straight from Fantasy Realms
The goal is to collect 8 cards that will score points for us – just like in Fantasy Realms. So we have starting points (those in the top left corner of the card, which are just there) and rules that add or subtract points depending on what is in our collection. These rules can also destroy some cards, silence them (a silenced card retains its starting points but loses its effect – unlike a destroyed one, which is simply removed), they can also protect other cards or provide a completely unique effect like Ruth, which can once per game take a card from the discard pile, or like Boaz, who supports Ruth (if you have Boaz, your Ruth can take two cards).
Boaz supports Ruth, and each of them gives points for grain. On the other hand, it’s really nice to have a lot of people when you have grain :
Open Draft
However, the acquisition of cards looks quite different. In Fantasy Realms, players were dealt 7 cards and then exchanged them (drawing either from the discard pile or the deck) – and the game ended when the tenth discarded card appeared on the table. In OT Fantasy Draft, at the beginning, each player chooses a secret card for themselves (and this will be known only to them), and then 7 rounds are played, during which we select and add one card from the Draft Line to our team (our table). The Draft Line is immediately replenished to 5 cards. Unless it is the end of the round – then the remaining cards are discarded (this is where Rut can choose one card from the discarded cards in any round of the game), and 5 new cards appear on the table.
Is this open draft more satisfying than the mechanism of Fantasy Realms? Yes and no. It’s simpler – every time I just have to choose one card out of five. I don’t consider whether something might be left for the next round. The number of rounds is also predetermined. Some will be saddened by this, others will be pleased. I praise this mechanic because I get to know my team gradually, which is not so bad. On the other hand – having all 7 cards at the beginning (as in Fantasy Realms) might make it easier to plan the collection than playing „blind” under one character chosen at the beginning.
In Fantasy Draft, the card selection process goes smoothly. Once chosen, cards usually stay with you (unless someone acquires a couple of Sea&Boat cards, which allow card exchange). The Draft Line has only 5 cards. Your team grows gradually. All of this means there are fewer variables to consider, and it only bogs down occasionally, and only from time to time. But I was tempted to try playing according to the rules of Fantasy Realms. We just had to modify the rules of a few cards a little. We agreed that wherever there were references to the Draft Line or Leftover cards, we would refer to the area of discarded cards. It worked. And it worked quite well. However, the pauses – as I expected – were much longer and more frequent. Because in this Fantasy Realms mechanic, at the beginning, we have to get to know all 7 cards and the relationships between them. Each round, we consider not only the card that has come, but above all the card we have to discard. At the beginning, there are few cards in the discarded card area, but it quickly fills up, and by the end of the game, when we have our own 7 cards, and there are almost 10 on the discard pile, it’s indeed easy to fall into analysis paralysis…
A pretty decent duo. Having the sea and the boat allows you to exchange a card each round. And if you happen to have Noah as well, then all people and animals will be protected from destruction.
Paragraph for Fantasy Realms enthusiasts.
I will briefly try to compare the cards of both games – it’s probably the best way to introduce OT Fantasy Draft to those who know Fantasy Realms. I’ll remind you that in the latter, the cards are divided into 10 sets of 5 cards each. The effects on the cards can interact with both sets (e.g., Wand gives +25 points with any Wizard) and with specific cards (e.g., Lightning gives +30 points if you also have Storm) – where Wand, Lightning, and Storm are specific cards, while Wizard is a set, just like Weapon (to which Wand belongs) and Flame (to which Lightning belongs) or Weather (to which Storm belongs). A characteristic feature of the effects is a clear division into bonuses and penalties – although this does not mean that a card cannot have both.
In OT Fantasy Draft, there are roughly the same number of cards (55 vs. 53), but they are organized completely differently. There are:
- 13 locations – without further division,
- 14 things – among them, we find 5x Animals and 5x Food, although some cards like fish are both animals and food, and some are neither.
- The remaining 28 cards are people* divided into three categories (Leader, Prophet, and Regular), with each of them being either a woman (only 5) or a man (23).
5 kolorów/kategorii. Pierwsze trzy to ludzie (każda karta jest albo Man, albo Wooman), Lokacje nie mają słów kluczowych, a rzeczy mogą być – ale nie muszą – Animal i/lub Food.
Summing up, we have 8 key words used in effects (4 categories**: Location, Thing, Leader, Prophet, and Man, Woman, Animal, and Food) vs. 10 colors/categories in Fantasy Realms. And although initially it may seem chaotic due to the mixing of categories (Location, Thing, Leader, Prophet) with keywords from the content (Man, Woman, Animal, Food), practice has shown that it is much simpler to remember and use. It’s just intuitive. Additionally, placing the keyword at the beginning of the description is very readable, and the lack of division into penalties and rewards, contrary to appearances, is easier. Because the card is either completely silenced*** or not. I definitely appreciate OT Fantasy Draft more in this regard.
*) Notice how well it is embedded in the Bible atmosphere. There was no attempt to balance the number of men and women forcibly. Here, the mechanics serve a subordinate role to the story/atmosphere, not the other way around. These five women are Ruth (Regular), Eve (Regular), Jezebel (Leader), Esther (Leader), and Deborah (Leader Prophet).
**) One of the categories – red Regular cards – is not used as a keyword. The effects concern only blue Prophets, purple Leaders, green Things, and brown Locations.
***) And another difference in favor of OT Fantasy Draft – naming. Silent & destroy appeals to me much more than clears & blanks.
OT Atmosphere – Lots of Dependencies
Impressive. Absolutely impressed with the thematic alignment to the rules and effects of the cards. The mechanics themselves somewhat necessitate considering the atmosphere, but it can be done better or worse. OT Fantasy Draft does it in a truly fantastic way. Each effect has its biblical justification. No one needs an explanation as to why Adam likes Eve and why there’s a -10 points penalty for each if you have the fruit. It probably won’t come as a surprise either that the Ark of the Covenant gives points for Aaron, Moses, and the Angel. But why does Jezebel destroy prophets (1 Kings 18:4) and steal the Garden (1 Kings 21:4-16)? David doubling Music (1 Samuel 16:16-23; 2 Samuel 1:17-18; Psalms) and destroying Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1-58) might not be surprising to many, but why does he also destroy a Lion? (1 Samuel 17:34-37). That Elisha supports Elijah is nothing strange (1 Kings 19:16), but why does Elijah give points for Birds (1 Kings 17:1-7), Fire (1 Kings 18:20-40), and Mountain (1 Kings 19:1-14)?
Adam and Eve promote pairs (i.e., cards with the same base point value). However, neither of them feels comfortable in the presence of fruit.
Saul saw David as a rival and sought his life. However, David played and sang beautifully, which soothed Saul’s nerves.
I don’t like games where each card is different. Reading and trying to remember what goes with what and what makes a combo is the perfect recipe for downtime. And yet in OT Fantasy Draft, it doesn’t bother me at all. Here, of course, during the first games, you can expect some minor pauses, but if biblical themes are not unfamiliar to you, you will quickly understand which cards are worth pairing with others. You will do it quickly and intuitively.
And if you’re not theology experts, each card can be a starting point to learn about the history of this or that prophet or to better understand some fragment of the Old Testament history
Elisha supports Elijah. Elisha resurrected the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:8-37), while Elijah was fed by ravens, fire from heaven struck his offering to the Lord, and the Lord spoke to him on the mountain of God, Horeb. But it can also be said: „Then Elijah arose, a prophet like fire, and his word burned like a torch” (Sirach 48:1). Moreover, the cards can be interpreted in many different ways, and each interpretation adds something to the story.
Egypt, Pharaoh, Joseph, and Famine – it’s hard to deny the cause-and-effect relationship (Genesis 41:1-57).
Babylon destroys the temple and wall, and Persia destroys Babylon. History cannot be cheated ;) And as you probably already noticed, the cards that combine do not create closed sets as the above images might suggest. When you delve into all these cards, you’ll find that they form long lines, branch out, and intersect with each other. Collecting them in sets is great fun.
Summary
OT Fantasy Draft is based on the Fantasy Realms mechanism. Different rules for card drafting make this game less intense and emotional, but on the other hand make it easier to manage the cards and begin playing right away. It is brilliantly embedded in biblical themes, and the card rules are very straightforward (easier to grasp than Fantasy Realms). It’s a simple, family game, that however requires careful planning and thinking ahead. It is mainly aimed at people that hold the Old Testament theme close to the heart, or at least are familiar with it. Otherwise the game without its theme will be significantly less enjoyable. To me personally, I can proudly say that I’m very happy to have found this gem of a game.
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