by william4192
Check out my other reviews:http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/145695/the-purge-revie...
Conclusion:
This game lives and dies on the DC license. Without the license, this game would not sell or possibly even be released. It is not that it is a horrible game, but it just doesn't do anything different than games already released (like this review).
If this game can make it into Target/Walmart this could sell a lot of games and introduce non-gamers to good games. A game like Dominion cannot do this because the theme won't draw non-gamers in like this theme will and these non-gamers won't impulse buy Dominion.
This game is a bland deck builder that is very simple to learn and play. There is a lot of talk about how you don't play a coherent super hero, you rather share attributes of different heroes, but im not sure how it would work otherwise. The battles with villains are just buying the villain and adding him to your deck. Sigh.
Component:
You get a deck of a cards and some over sized cards. Yep, that's it. The cards are of good stock and have a lot of different artwork (unlike Marvel Legendary). The box is set up to be organize well, but it doesn't leave a lot of room to grow/expand. Overall, the components are good and the artwork is great.
Rule Book:
The rule book is fantastic! So many deck building rule books assume you have played deck builders before. Although I have, I don't like that. This book explains the game very well. The only thing really missing is a list of all cards included in the game.
The book is clear and uses a lot of examples. The rule book also includes some variants that are fun also.
Flow of the Game:
You start the game out with 1 character that you are (with super power). You get 10 cards. There is a main deck and 5 cards are laid out from that deck (of which you can buy).
You draw 5 cards from your deck (of 10) and you add up your power (listed on you cards) and you can either fight the super villains or buy cards from the 5 cards laid out from the main deck.
After you spend your power, your cards go in your discard pile and you draw 5 more (then you go around the table until it is your turn again).
Rinse and repeat. Once all the super villains are defeated, the game ends. You add up VP on your cards and highest number wins.
Should I buy this game?:
No. It doesn't really add anything new to the genre. Unless you are a super fan of DC comics or have never played a deck builder, you should avoid this game. This is a great first deck builder with a really fun theme. If you have played more "advanced" deck builders, this will seem overly simple.
You might want to wait and see where the expansions go with the game.
I'll likely purge, but for now I'm going to hold on to it.