The Inside Scoop on Gaming

[Editor's note: Mark works for the company that produces this game, and though he states he was a playtester, did not clearly state that he was also recently hired by them. A newcomer to RPGnet, he has since remedied this in email and apologized for any confusion this may have caused. He'll also be having the company ship some review copies so some wholly independent reviews can appear. We will keep this review in our archive because his comments as a playtester are useful information, and as readers (you) are now aware of his possible bias, you can make up your minds accordingly. Enjoy!] I played this game reluctantly, as I do not watch the t.v. show, nor do I have any affinity for "reality shows". However, after 2-3 rounds of this great game, I was hooked! One of the best features prior to gameplay was the fact that the starter deck is a two-person starter and the cards are set up in a way that doesn't require too much effort to get the game going, from a setup view.
The game, so I was told, plays just like the t.v. show. You create a tribe by picking Castaways, then you strengthen them with Food and by creating Alliances. Then the Immunity Challenge is turned over and you and your opponent try to screw each other over during the Fortune phase. Then comes your last ditch effort to save your Castaways with the Item phase. Whoever wins the Immunity Challenge gets to vote one of their opponents Castaways off the island.
The cards that you use are very cool, with a sense of humor and true screw-you potential. If your opponent has strengthened his Castaway with food, you can lay down the Dysentery card and he loses(yuck!) his food! There are many ways to screw people over in this game, but when you create your own deck and invite more people into the game, the game gets better!
Unlike most CCG's, this game was built with 3 or more players in mind. Form Alliances with the people you're playing with, then pull the rug out from under them as you vote them off! Easy to learn, remarkably unbroken, very strategy based, this makes a great party game.

Survivor CCG
Survivor CCG Playtest Review by Mark Irwin on 23/04/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!) Great gameplay, very well designed, and not necessarily only for those people who watched the show. Made for people who like great games Product: Survivor CCG Author: Ted Adams Category: Card Game Company/Publisher: Upper Deck Entertainment Line: n/a Cost: 9.99, 2.99$ Page count: Year published: 2001 ISBN: SKU: 5333407021 Comp copy?: no Playtest Review by Mark Irwin on 23/04/01 Genre tags: Modern day	[Editor's note: Mark works for the company that produces this game, and though he states he was a playtester, did not clearly state that he was also recently hired by them. A newcomer to RPGnet, he has since remedied this in email and apologized for any confusion this may have caused. He'll also be having the company ship some review copies so some wholly independent reviews can appear. We will keep this review in our archive because his comments as a playtester are useful information, and as readers (you) are now aware of his possible bias, you can make up your minds accordingly. Enjoy!] I played this game reluctantly, as I do not watch the t.v. show, nor do I have any affinity for "reality shows". However, after 2-3 rounds of this great game, I was hooked! One of the best features prior to gameplay was the fact that the starter deck is a two-person starter and the cards are set up in a way that doesn't require too much effort to get the game going, from a setup view. The game, so I was told, plays just like the t.v. show. You create a tribe by picking Castaways, then you strengthen them with Food and by creating Alliances. Then the Immunity Challenge is turned over and you and your opponent try to screw each other over during the Fortune phase. Then comes your last ditch effort to save your Castaways with the Item phase. Whoever wins the Immunity Challenge gets to vote one of their opponents Castaways off the island. The cards that you use are very cool, with a sense of humor and true screw-you potential. If your opponent has strengthened his Castaway with food, you can lay down the Dysentery card and he loses(yuck!) his food! There are many ways to screw people over in this game, but when you create your own deck and invite more people into the game, the game gets better! Unlike most CCG's, this game was built with 3 or more players in mind. Form Alliances with the people you're playing with, then pull the rug out from under them as you vote them off! Easy to learn, remarkably unbroken, very strategy based, this makes a great party game.

Survivor CCG