REVIEW OF Omniana
Imagination is one of the main reasons to play games. When I first got Omniana (Self-published, 2006 - Aaron Delamatre), I was anything but impressed. The box looked boring; the cards looked even more so - the "treasure" pieces were simply buttons. Boring, boring, boring. And then I read the rules and was a little more interested. As I started reading the cards, I saw that this game wasn't about the components or box, but rather about the imagination of players.
People who want to win a game at all costs won't like the free, open play of this game, which is more of an activity than a game. Omniana is tailor made for speech classes, youth groups, or folks who want to sit around and simply be creative. I wouldn't necessarily bring this out with a gaming group, although I could, as long as everyone was bright and inventive. A great deal of inspired output has been put into this game, and it really allows for bizarre and wondrous tales to be told.
Each player draws six Character cards to start the game. Character cards are a mix of all sorts of strange things. Examples include:The Headless Mimic: An android with no head that can mimic the abilities of any enemy it fights.
Hammer Animal: A crazy animal that tosses unlimited emerald hammers everywhere.
The Stunning Piper: Can stun things with his saxophone and hunts ghosts with a gnarly club with metal spikes.
The Lonestar Banshee: A cowgirl who uses throwing stars and a sonic scream.
Captain Starfish: An alien starfish that can shoot lasers with its legs and has a jet pack.
And one hundred fifty-five more…
Players also take a Situation Card and place it face up in front of themselves. These cards include: "You are at a family reunion picnic. You are siblings."
"You are on a rock island at the base of six monumental waterfalls."
"You are in a fancy 200-room, 7 story alien palace."
"You are locked in a haunted house. It is midnight"
"You are on an empty expanse of land. Earthquake!"
And seventy-five more…
Players take one of their characters that they think would do well in their situation and place it face down underneath the Situation card. A pile of treasure is placed in the middle of the table, as well as the rest of the Character and Situation cards, and a pile of forty Advantage cards. One player is chosen to go first.
On a player's turn, they choose one of their Character cards and attack one opponent of their choice. That person uses the character underneath the card and is considered the Defender. The defender chooses which of the other players not involved will be the judge (in a game with odd number of players - all other players are judges). The Situation cards are read aloud as well as the character cards, and then the attacker and defender debate over who would win, taking all printed material into account. They can argue for as long as the judges decide (the judges may also put other restrictions on the argument - declare it back-and-forth, etc.). The judge(s) may stop the debate at any time, declaring one player the winner - no ties! All cards involved are discarded, and both players draw a new Character card. The defender draws a new Situation card, placing another Character underneath it. If the attacker wins, they receive one treasure. If the defender wins, they receive an Advantage card. Advantage cards may be used in future battles (only when attacking), and include… Your opponent is drunk
You have a rabid wolf that is loyal only to you.
You are wearing hover boots.
Your opponent has one leg.
After everyone has had one chance to attack, the round ends. After a certain amount of rounds (determined by the players), the game ends, and the player with the most treasures is the winner! In case of ties, one final random situation is drawn, and both players are considered attackers.
Some comments on the game…
1.) Components: If you've read a few of my reviews, you know that I'm a big fan of colorful, wonderfully illustrated cards in games. Oddly enough, the very sparse graphics are exactly what I want in a game like this, because the players need to use their own imagination - rather than pictures. The cards are three different sizes, to help differentiate between the types, and all have easy to read fonts. All the cards fit in a cardboard box that is similar to the baseball card boxes I've used to store my collection. I think that perhaps something better than buttons could have been used for treasure, but it fits in the theme of imagination, I suppose. The components are certainly lackluster, but I don't really care.
2.) Rules: The five pages of rules are quite simple and allow players to easily pick up the game. A lot of rules arguments and discussions are voided simply by the fact that a judge reigns supreme during a debate. The game is easy to teach; people simply need to use their imagination.
3.) Stories: Omniana is not about a game, but about being creative in their stories. I mean, who would you bet on when a Samurai Ghost Legs (lost his legs, has had them replaced with the ghosts of two slugs and has five boomerang blades) against The Palace Cowboy (a person who grew up in a palace and has jewel encrusted guns that shoot silver bullets and a lasso spun from gold) in combat on a giant's luxurious waterbed? The very premise of this is stupid, but it's a spark that can light a fertile imagination. You would be surprised at how much players get invested into their character. Really, why would I care about a drowned scarecrow with detachable robotic arms? Well, if you have a stupid wizard who idolizes Sherlock Holmes, then I'm ready to take you on. Honestly, I'm very impressed with the character cards; they are fabulously unique, and it's a wild imagination that came up with most of them.
4.) Judging: The problem a game like this will run into is if players treat it strictly as a game, then there can possibly be problems with the judging. Sure, a judge should pick the better argument, but that might be hard to do when the more convincing player is already leading in the game. In a game that's simply played for fun, this will work fine - players are playing for the stories and ingenuity rather than victory. An extremely competitive player will dislike this and find reason to fault the judge(s) for their opinions. However, game balance works out, because a good defending player will gain the advantage cards; and while the rules say they don't guarantee a victory, they sure do help!
5.) Uses: This game will appeal to teachers, as they can use it in the classroom to teach speech, debate, or creativity. Students won't be opposed to it, because the characters and situations are remarkably fascinating. It can lean towards "gore" with all the weapons and horrific creatures enclosed, so I might keep it with teenagers or higher. Outside the classroom, it's a fun activity/game that I wouldn't mind bringing to parties, just to liven up the atmosphere.
6.) Similar Games: Omniana reminds me strongly of Debate This, although I think the judging is better here, and the arguments are on more of a fantasy level, while Debate This deals with real life issues. Omniana is also close to Stupiduel, a game that really seems to have the same premise. While I enjoy Stupiduel, again I have to give Omniana the edge because it rises above the mundane, building upon the creator's enthralling (or crazed) inspirations.
7.) Fun Factor: The fun is in the stories. Do you have friends with active imaginations - be they fascinating or strange? Then this will be a nice idea to bring out, allowing folks to tell tall tales of strange combat. Some might find the game dark because of the theme, and indeed some of the characters are on the dreadful side. However, the stories often border on the hilarious, with laughter erupting from those playing and/or watching.
Don't get Omniana for it's components - they look lifeless. Don't get it for your competitive game group. Rather, procure it if you are looking for something that will kick start imaginations and leave you with a game that will stick in your memory for a long time. The yarns that come from this game are silly, and arguments will break out as to whether the guy with four invisible legs can easily drop kick the man who can blow strong winds from his left hand. I know which one I'd put my money on - so I guess it's time to play this game again, so that I have some more funny stories to remember.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.thedicetower.com
People who want to win a game at all costs won't like the free, open play of this game, which is more of an activity than a game. Omniana is tailor made for speech classes, youth groups, or folks who want to sit around and simply be creative. I wouldn't necessarily bring this out with a gaming group, although I could, as long as everyone was bright and inventive. A great deal of inspired output has been put into this game, and it really allows for bizarre and wondrous tales to be told.
Each player draws six Character cards to start the game. Character cards are a mix of all sorts of strange things. Examples include:
Players also take a Situation Card and place it face up in front of themselves. These cards include:
Players take one of their characters that they think would do well in their situation and place it face down underneath the Situation card. A pile of treasure is placed in the middle of the table, as well as the rest of the Character and Situation cards, and a pile of forty Advantage cards. One player is chosen to go first.
On a player's turn, they choose one of their Character cards and attack one opponent of their choice. That person uses the character underneath the card and is considered the Defender. The defender chooses which of the other players not involved will be the judge (in a game with odd number of players - all other players are judges). The Situation cards are read aloud as well as the character cards, and then the attacker and defender debate over who would win, taking all printed material into account. They can argue for as long as the judges decide (the judges may also put other restrictions on the argument - declare it back-and-forth, etc.). The judge(s) may stop the debate at any time, declaring one player the winner - no ties! All cards involved are discarded, and both players draw a new Character card. The defender draws a new Situation card, placing another Character underneath it. If the attacker wins, they receive one treasure. If the defender wins, they receive an Advantage card. Advantage cards may be used in future battles (only when attacking), and include…
After everyone has had one chance to attack, the round ends. After a certain amount of rounds (determined by the players), the game ends, and the player with the most treasures is the winner! In case of ties, one final random situation is drawn, and both players are considered attackers.
Some comments on the game…
1.) Components: If you've read a few of my reviews, you know that I'm a big fan of colorful, wonderfully illustrated cards in games. Oddly enough, the very sparse graphics are exactly what I want in a game like this, because the players need to use their own imagination - rather than pictures. The cards are three different sizes, to help differentiate between the types, and all have easy to read fonts. All the cards fit in a cardboard box that is similar to the baseball card boxes I've used to store my collection. I think that perhaps something better than buttons could have been used for treasure, but it fits in the theme of imagination, I suppose. The components are certainly lackluster, but I don't really care.
2.) Rules: The five pages of rules are quite simple and allow players to easily pick up the game. A lot of rules arguments and discussions are voided simply by the fact that a judge reigns supreme during a debate. The game is easy to teach; people simply need to use their imagination.
3.) Stories: Omniana is not about a game, but about being creative in their stories. I mean, who would you bet on when a Samurai Ghost Legs (lost his legs, has had them replaced with the ghosts of two slugs and has five boomerang blades) against The Palace Cowboy (a person who grew up in a palace and has jewel encrusted guns that shoot silver bullets and a lasso spun from gold) in combat on a giant's luxurious waterbed? The very premise of this is stupid, but it's a spark that can light a fertile imagination. You would be surprised at how much players get invested into their character. Really, why would I care about a drowned scarecrow with detachable robotic arms? Well, if you have a stupid wizard who idolizes Sherlock Holmes, then I'm ready to take you on. Honestly, I'm very impressed with the character cards; they are fabulously unique, and it's a wild imagination that came up with most of them.
4.) Judging: The problem a game like this will run into is if players treat it strictly as a game, then there can possibly be problems with the judging. Sure, a judge should pick the better argument, but that might be hard to do when the more convincing player is already leading in the game. In a game that's simply played for fun, this will work fine - players are playing for the stories and ingenuity rather than victory. An extremely competitive player will dislike this and find reason to fault the judge(s) for their opinions. However, game balance works out, because a good defending player will gain the advantage cards; and while the rules say they don't guarantee a victory, they sure do help!
5.) Uses: This game will appeal to teachers, as they can use it in the classroom to teach speech, debate, or creativity. Students won't be opposed to it, because the characters and situations are remarkably fascinating. It can lean towards "gore" with all the weapons and horrific creatures enclosed, so I might keep it with teenagers or higher. Outside the classroom, it's a fun activity/game that I wouldn't mind bringing to parties, just to liven up the atmosphere.
6.) Similar Games: Omniana reminds me strongly of Debate This, although I think the judging is better here, and the arguments are on more of a fantasy level, while Debate This deals with real life issues. Omniana is also close to Stupiduel, a game that really seems to have the same premise. While I enjoy Stupiduel, again I have to give Omniana the edge because it rises above the mundane, building upon the creator's enthralling (or crazed) inspirations.
7.) Fun Factor: The fun is in the stories. Do you have friends with active imaginations - be they fascinating or strange? Then this will be a nice idea to bring out, allowing folks to tell tall tales of strange combat. Some might find the game dark because of the theme, and indeed some of the characters are on the dreadful side. However, the stories often border on the hilarious, with laughter erupting from those playing and/or watching.
Don't get Omniana for it's components - they look lifeless. Don't get it for your competitive game group. Rather, procure it if you are looking for something that will kick start imaginations and leave you with a game that will stick in your memory for a long time. The yarns that come from this game are silly, and arguments will break out as to whether the guy with four invisible legs can easily drop kick the man who can blow strong winds from his left hand. I know which one I'd put my money on - so I guess it's time to play this game again, so that I have some more funny stories to remember.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.thedicetower.com
