AT PAX Prime I was admiring the Penny Arcade merch when I noticed some people playing a card game next to the booth. I saw an empty table so me and my girlfriend have a seat. Next thing we know, BAM! We are hurled onto the top of a launching space shuttle with nothing but ping pong paddles and an array of fancy serves between us. At that moment I knew, this was not a game…. this was WAR!
Fans of the Penny Arcade web comics are familiar with Paint The Line, an epic cold war ping pong battle saga. Well the newest installment of the series is in the form of a card game. A fantastic one at that.
For those of you familiar with Magic or WOWTCG this game should be fairly simple to pick up. Each of you have a deck and a hero or player. It uses the standard format of laying down currency to pay the cost to use attacks/monsters or in this games case, stamina to make shots. The game offers some new unique game mechanics such as only one person serves per turn, which can change the course of the game quickly. It also features an escalation index that makes each consecutive shot more and more difficult to successfully use.
The game plays at about the same pace as your standard magic card game, runs about 30 – 45 mins. And features some really great Penny Arcade esque art on each card. For the tabletop lover looking for something a little different yet familiar I highly recommend this game. With hopes of future expansions, 2 decks for this game will run you $30 plus shipping and tax at the Penny Arcade Store via this link. I highly recommend it!
