With the new expansion of Stak Bots due out in a few months, it seemed like a good time to revisit and old favourite.
Here is a new variation of the traditional game of Stak Bots from creator Tom Norfolk...
Traitors Variation Rules - Setup: 9 in each player's Stak, 3 in hand
- Draw 1 card at the start of each turn
- You CANNOT scrap/discard cards directly from your hand as an action
- You CANNOT play cards as an action onto your own Stak (however doing so as a result of an entry effect, eg. Callout Bot is allowed)
- You CAN (and must) play cards onto your opponents' Staks instead
- You CANNOT end your turn with more than 3 cards in hand.
- Attacking and scrapping from the top of your Stak is done as normal.
What does this create? A weird mode, where you are forced to play your hand onto your opponents' Staks during your turn. When you choose to do so and what you choose to get rid of is crucial and it gives a very different way of thinking to the game. It also completely changes the usual applications of some cards; for example turning up a Bountiful Bot on your Stak and drawing an extra card becomes a curse. You also have to predict more what other players are likely to do with entry effects you give them and play cards accordingly to force their hand... well, your hand. Wait... whose card was that?!
OK, so everyone out there should know that I really like the game ...
STAK BOTS, both the original card game and the expansion are just great fun to play. My children also love the Stak Bots Bloks game on the website. The only thing I have never really got into is the app, the reason is the thing I really love about STAK BOTS is the multi player game!
Well now that is all changing as Tom has started a new Kickstarter campaign...
It will be coming to Android, IOS and Facebook; and if he raises enough moeny also to PC/Mac and hopefully onto Steam. He is aiming to be able to release it as a free game, which will mean more players so less waiting time for online match-ups!
This can only happen if he gets enough backing, so please have a look at the kickstarter ...
After a busy weekend at Expo in Birmingham, I now have my stock of the Stak Bots Expansion which will be on sale from Tomorrow at KD Games Night!
The expansion costs £12, and makes a great addition to the first set or works just fine by itself! If you want both I also have stock of the original!
It was a busy weekend to Tom and the Dogeared Games team, launching new games to play on the website ...
aswell as running a tournament on the last day just before the event closed! I was fortunate enough to help out with this event and it was great seeing the variety of decks, player ages and experiences! For those that played thank you for making it so much fun and here are the final standings after 3 rounds and a top four playoff ...
8th Pablo Alvarez
7th Oscar Alvarez
6th Stuart McIntosh
5th Katie Grattidge
4th Caterine Ranaldi
3rd James Cruise
2nd Alan Banks
and the winner, and getting a unique champion bot card is ...
Due for release on 30th May 2014, to coincide with the official launch of the expansion at the UK Games Expo.
Featuring another 60 cards with 16 new Bots!
Mix them in one at a time with the original cards or play with them all at once on their own! Try the new 1 player game variation Solo Mode! You can even use one of the Point Building game variations to battle the expansion pack against the original!
Pre-order now and they will be ready for collection at next Tuesday's KD Games Night!
This weekend at Gambit Sunday we will be running a Stak Bots Tournament!
Starting at 11am this will be a free event to attend, but players will need there own deck!
Decks can be customised but must still contain 10 of each rank (1-6) and no more than 5 of any one particular card!
Each round will last a maximum of 30 minutes and each player will use there own draw deck! The game will be one on one matches using two staks each! We will be using reactive play (but only on your own staks) and each stak will be the usual 9 cards with a starting hand size of 3 cards!
Entry triggers will include the the first cards revealed on each stak with the player taking the first turn taking priority! (Player going first should be determined before cards are revealed). The player going first will not draw a card!
For this event we will be using a SWISS format so games that are unfinished in the time allowed will result in a draw as will any game where players simultaniously die! The time for the round will be displayed and when it runs out there will only be a chance to finish the current turn!
After a number of round which will depend on the number of players there will be a top 4 or top 2 play off, with the winner taking the prize of a full copy of the Stak Bots Expansion which is due for release this May!
So thanks to Tom at Stak Bots I have got hold of a copy of the new expansion! Due for release this May it adds 16 new bots to make the game even more enjoyable! Tonight at KD Games Night I plan to give it a proper test, so if anyone is up for a game please let me know on the events page!
Expansion Bots
Below are the 16 new expansion Bots. They are all ready to fight and die for you (apart from Greedy Bot; it just wants to eat all of your cards).
Shield Bot is a shield… bot. It can’t attack. Ever. Having a great defence is useless when you need to attack; be ready to throw down your shield!!
Re-entry Bot gains the entry effect of any other top card; sometimes this is great, sometimes very bad! The more Staks there are in play, the more versatile this Bot becomes. Conversely, one on one against an army of Clumsy Bots, this becomes the worst card in the game.
Spur Bot destroys the card underneath it when it enters. Darn those spikey boots! Choose carefully when to play this card!
Cannonball Bot scraps any other top card, but destroys itself in the process!Great for taking out strong Bots, but be wary of how many cards you have left once these start flying out of your Stak!
Tank Shot Bot deals damage to other cards from afar. It’s like a normal Shot Bot, but only slightly useless at defending.
Invisi Bot can’t be targeted by other entry effects while it is the top card. Tear through their defences and laugh as their entry effects are turned against them!
Greedy Bot eats all of your other face-up cards and its power becomes the total of their power! It has the potential to become the strongest card in the game, but if it has nothing to feed on it will instantly perish. It may also end up doing your opponent’s job for them.
Levi Bot lets you raise any card in the game to the top of its Stak. Choose carefully! Face-down cards are fair game as well.
Spash Bot will spike a card when it damages, unless the card it would spike is face-down, in which case it will bash the Stak instead. Manoeuvre their cards until it will do what you want it to!
Twice Bot deals its damage twice! Great for taking out powerful cards, but not so great at defence.
Cloudy Bot isn’t affected by green star special damage abilities, like bash spike or fatal. It takes the damage, but ignores their effects. Why, you ask? Because it’s a cloud. That’s why.
Stomp Leader Bot is a strange combination of stomp and leader. Go on a tiny stomp rampage or stock up cards to create an unstoppable tyrant!
Portal Bot takes any top card and puts it back on top of the supply pile. Steal your opponent’s cards to draw on your turn, or make them waste a turn drawing a useless card. Plan ahead and control the game.
Callout Bot makes a player play a card from their hand. Draw out cards to setup spike attacks, or leave your opponent with no defending options in reactive play. You can even make yourself play a card if you’re in a tight spot.
Anchor Bot falls straight to the bottom of its Stak when it appears! Useless? Mostly. Especially in reactive play. However they’re occasionally great for feeding Greedy Bots, absorbing bashes, or for when your Stak is running out.
Nano Bot destroys cards with 5 power or more, as soon as it battles them and before any damage is dealt! A tiny little bot with the capacity to change a game; look for the panic in your opponent’s eyes when they’ve just laid an amazing defence and your Nano Bot comes out!
As we are planning a few Stak Bot Events in the coming weeks, I thought it might be worth posting about reactive play, as some of you will be unfamiliar with it!
Reactive play is ... "When you are attacked you may protect yourself by playing a card onto the defending Stak before the attack takes effect. If you do, the attack is cancelled. The attacker can choose a different attacking card if they haven’t already completed an attack. Entry effects trigger as normal."
If you prefer a practical explanation then why not have a look at this video...
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Reactive play really changes the game and certainly adds to the enjoyment. If you have not tried it then why not give it a go!
A big thankyou to everyone that played in Tuesday night's Stak Bots tournament! I thought it was a very enjoyable format and hope that everyone will be keen to do another one in the very near future!
The results for the night were ...
There are a couple of things that need to be worked out ready for the event which I hope to run at the next Gambit Club day which is the last Sunday in March.
The first one of which is get some counters to mark that a stak is firstly attacking and then that it has completed its attacks as it can get a little confusing. It would also be useful if players used dice to represent damaged taken especially in combat stages that involve complex 'stak' interactions!
The second problem is of course the tied games, one solution if a reduced stak rematch (maybe 4 cards) another is to change the format to 'swiss'. I would really like some feedback on this from everyone that played!
In addition after speaking to Tom Norfolk the games designer there are a couple of changes that I think will make things more enjoyable and competitive which are...
Players will start with a hand size of 3 cards not 2!
The player who goes first does not draw a card in the draw step!
The introduction of reactive play
Players will play with there own decks!
and finally the ability for players to customise there decks if they wish, Contruction rules would be that the deck must contain 60 cards, 10 of each 'rank' (which is the number at the bottom of the card on the left hand side) and that you are not allowed more that 5 of any particular card! (So that would be upto 5 power 7 stomp bots!)
We have a new gamie in stock from a little company in Chichester which is ...
Fun, quick and sneakily strategic! The next batch of Bots is ready for the production line! Get the expansion and the original game!
Stak Bots is a fun, deceptively simple and sneakily strategic battling card game suitable for all ages.
It can be a quick and casual filler game, or it can take up your evening with repeated battles and customisation.
You can read the instructions here, or there's a 'how to play' video at the bottom of the page.
Each turn you try to do as much damage to your opponents as possible, then leave yourself in a good defensive position for when they retaliate.
About the game:
Every Bot is unique - Some are destructive, some manipulate the other cards. Some are just plain quirky. They all affect the game differently.
It is novel - The game is played vertically; where cards are in the Stak are as important aswhat the cards are.
You get full control - A fully open turn structure lets you combine and repeat actions as much as you are able to on your go.
You are always involved - Your revealed cards can trigger decisions and you can play from hand to defend yourself, even when it's not your turn.
It is quick to learn - But it takes a while to master how the Bots interact and the shifts in power that they create between players.
It grows with you - As you get more competent you can add more Staks, more rules and more Bots. Play how you want.
There is a lot to discover - After playing thousands of games, I am still encountering new situations, combinations and tactics.
Great multi-player game dynamics - Plead rationally with your attackers, victimise players, bear grudges and expose others' weaknesses.
You can read in more detail about the features of the game on the front page of the Stak Bots website.
Number of players:1+ players or teams. Play solo, free for all or in teams.
Recommended age: On the box it says 11+, but we've taught kids as young as 5! The younger ones don't necessarily understand the strategies, but they love destroying each other's Bots! There is no upper age limit.
Time to play:5mins - 20mins per game. Once you are familiar with the game it plays very fast. The more players and Staks there are the slower it will be as the decisions get trickier!
In the Box:
Everything you need to play, for up to 5 players! 60 x Bot cards featuring the 16 Bots shown above. Full instructions (including game variations, glossary, guide to each Bot)
A couple of players already have copies and will be hoping to play a few games this coming Tuesday. I also have a few copies to sell at the great price of £9.99
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