Keko Chronicles - Journal
Origins: Part Five
We are Go for Launch
So this is what a launch party is like. Bunch of family playing a nearly completed version of Keko Chronicles. It was a blast! First, a huge thank you to everyone who made it!
There is such joy in watching people enjoy something that you helped to create. It continues to amaze me as I observe people playing...as they discover card combinations or play a card at the perfect time. It’s cool watching people get excited about a game. This was the first time my kids got to observe other people playing. Watching them smile as they watched other people discover things about the game was awesome. Proud Dad moment.
The most eye opening moment of the day was when my 6 year old nephew (with some help from my 9 year old niece) beat me fair and square. 6 years old. And he was loving the game. Just like the adults. He totally was grasping the basic concepts of the game. He referenced the game play guide often, especially the card layout section. (Props to my son for coming up with the layout and props to my youngest brother for putting that guide together). He even used his own card Cha-Cha to hit me for 5 points of damage. (Be on the lookout for a Cha-Cha inspired card to possibly make its debut in a future Keko Chronicles Set). Highlight of the match was when my nephew looked across the table at me after looking at his Imprisoned Energy Draggyn. “Is there a way to get Creatures out of prison? Is there a card that does that?” he asked. I said “Yes. You better hope you draw that card.” And, sure enough, on his next turn, he did, with a big smile, and a fist pump, and an “Oh, yaaaaa!” I didn’t last long after that. That was really special.
But let’s talk about the Keko Chronicles World Championship: The first ever 6 person game of Keko Chronicles. Some of the younger family members even made trophies while us big kids played cards. We learned some things.
Most importantly, Keko Chronicles is absolutely playable with 6 people. We were uncertain if the game would hold up. It totally does.
We learned that the Totem cards have a much bigger impact on the game when there are more people playing. I was the early target out of the gate, but a first turn Action Totem kept me around a lot longer than I had any right to. I kept getting pinged for damage turn after turn, but was actually going up in life thanks to the Totem. Later in the game, my son’s Krystal Totem allowed him to stick around nearly to the end.
We learned that Maze of Torlyss (a relatively late edition to this first set of Keko Chronicles) is super fun and elicited huge, mixed reactions every time the turns switched directions. It led to discussions about cards that can allow you to reroll the dice. Don’t worry. These cards are being developed.
We learned that I’m not very good at the game I created as I was the first person eliminated from the table. My Dad compared it to Abner Doubleday going 0 for 5. That’s a baseball reference for anyone who is reading this that doesn’t know. My family does baseball references. FYI.
As the game progressed, it looked like it was going to be a showdown between my youngest daughter (who was asked more than once if she was the inspiration behind Samantha Keko) and my cousin. And it was a competition of dueling strategies.
My daughter had slowly, quietly, and methodically let the game play out before her, holding back most of her cards until what she felt was the appropriate time to start going on offense. She held in her hand a Catastrophic Draggyn, Whoopsi Daisy, and Quiggs’ Zapping Goggles. A potential 1 turn kill. She was just waiting for the right time to strike.
My cousin had been going for broke the entire game. Holding back is not what he does. He played the Mask of Unwanted Sorrows early in the game. Using Surprise to gain 10 life when the Mask ran out of counters. We were hoping his luck would not continue.
The deciding moment was when my daughter tried to put the Catastrophic Draggyn into play. My cousin played Rejection foiling her plan. The next round was the final blow, as he put a couple Krystals back into his hand using the Origins Krystal (designed specifically for those at the launch party), used Lord Quiggs’ Special Ability to get another Krystal, reloaded the Mask, threw down an Unsafe Zone and took out the final few players with a Shibber Queen and a Maze Thraxxis.
It was a worthy victory of the first ever Keko Chronicles World Championship.
And everyone at the table learned a valuable lesson for future games. Lord Quiggs and the Mask of Unwanted Sorrows. Stop that from happening at all costs.
Well, we have launched. The game is available. Time for a little promoting. Time for a bit of a breather. But we will be back soon to tell you of the history of the Mask of Unwanted Sorrows. Which is fitting since it was the deciding factor at the launch party. And after that...we shall see.