Gwent - Gaming With Elves, Nilfgaardians & Things

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Gwent - Gaming With Elves, Nilfgaardians & Things

  • Yes, I enjoy resting in a medieval setting, keep it authentic for Wiedźmin, knaves & fools, please.

    Votes: 138 82.1%
  • No, I want all the bells & whistles of a modern cardgame, Witcher: The Huntering, please.

    Votes: 20 11.9%
  • Don't Care, not in the books - won't be touching your damn cards anyway, boooos, hisssses.

    Votes: 10 6.0%

  • Total voters
    168
Gwent - Gaming With Elves, Nilfgaardians & Things

^See what I did there? ;)

This thread is for talking about the Gwent card game INGAME, please limit your comments to discussion about how we feel about it, how it might work, and not the controversy surrounding it, go here for the out_of_game issues.

About Gwent:
Gwent is a fast-paced card game that can be played within The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on every platform. Invented by dwarves and perfected over centuries of tavern table play, Gwent is a game of initial simplicity and ultimate depth, something beloved by both road-weary travelers during long nights around the campfire and elegant nobles looking to liven up dragging dinner parties. The game is about the clash of two armies locked in mortal struggle on a battlefield where the players are the leaders and the cards their forces. With four different factions offering unique combat styles and endless paths to victory, Gwent is every adventurer’s first choice when it comes to one-on-one card-based dueling. Take risks and think on your feet, strategize and deliver cunning combos, use potent magic and mighty hero cards and be the last one standing on the field of honor!


Key Features:
- Over 150 unique playing cards
- 4 distinct factions: the mighty and cunning Nilfgaardian Empire, the brave Northern Realms and their siege weapons, the agile and devious Scoia’tael, and the brutal monsters of No Man’s Land.
- Powerful spells allow players to control the weather and affect units on the battlefield.
- An array of combat styles caters to individual playstyles: close range with heavy knights, long range with skilled archers or artillery with powerful siege weapons.
- Powerful hero cards, unique to each faction.

Now I like card games, Magic: The Gathering being the prime example. I like the sound of the game, and I love the inclusion of minigames and such things are part of The Witcher tradition, but personally I can't help but wonder about its appropriateness within this game world. Here are the points that immediately came to my mind.

It seems like a very "modern" concept within the established bounds of the world, especially compared to what we've had previously. It will require 2 players and be played in the Inns, were each player presumably has all the cards and somehow picks one of the sides to represent. The cards would appear to be complex designs, as does the system itself. Four sides - who would have no respect for eachother, this is well established - including Hero cards which we must assume would be respectful of the factions (perhaps except Monsters). It is difficult for me to imagine Dwarfs for instance carrying or playing cards that presumably "honour" Nilfgaardians, similarly Scoia'tael & Northern Realms with the inherent racism & resentful histories. I just can't imagine Yarpen Zigrin cheering & being happy winning with the Nilfgaardian set. Such respect feels too tolerant for the attitudes we know abound in Witcherworld. Perhaps - just perhaps - the situations were we get to play would allow for appropriate allegiances, and only Geralt will carry all 4 factions, or will he be forced to always choose last?

Things we don't know: Will it be played for Orens? Will it be played for Cards? Will collecting be used as an incentive to explore? Collecting in FNV was fine but that game - and the dispersion of cards - was clearly appropriate for the world, would such be appropriate here? On this last issue my feeling again is: it wouldn't be.

What are your impressions of what we know so far?
 
I'm curious how we will earn the cards. I hope we won't be able to just buy a whole deck. I would prefer, if the cards would be drops from (human) enemies or rewards for sidequests, so we will have to collect them and with further progression in the game, our deck will get stronger. This would remind me of the Card Game in Final Fantasy VIII. It couldn't be simplier but i still enjoyed the collecting of new cards and if was a great time consumer and the more time I can spend in the Witcher 3 world the better.
 
I just hope that the card game feels right in the Wither Universe.
I would be a sad addition if it breaks immersion.
 
To be honest, I don't care about the card game at all. BUT having said that, just the existence of it and the ability to play - if I would want - is a testament to the dedication and commitment of CDPR to fill this world with life and entertainment while keeping it fitting to the universe (I hope)
 
I see what you mean OP. It does feel kind of modern, but then I like that the devs constantly try to fill their games with sidetracks(or in this case stacks) with fun. :lol: Will it fit in? Well dwarves invented it, and they invented dice poker as well, so why wouldn't it? ;)

Now, an old memory sprung to my mind, something I read a long long time ago. It was a mention of cards vs dice in Robert Jordan's Wheels of Time books. That card games were preferred by nobles, but soldiers played dice. My point?

Well of course, this is Sapkowski's world, so preference be as it may, but I hope Gwent hasn't become so popular with everyone in the Witcher world as to replace dice entirely.

As long as I can play both Gwent AND dice poker I'm good. I'm not asking too much am I? :rolleyes:
 
Yeh, Dice always did seem particularly appropriate for the setting, and I think - recalling previous threads on the subject - that we all want to see it return, though in a better form than we had for both prior games (less randomness is required was the general consensus, more like poker).

I've heard reference to Screwed, can anyone link to / quote / describe the game for us ?
 
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Firs thing that came to mind. I appreciate the effort and passion and that they want to prolong the game but this is not the way... Imagine if walk around an immersive medieval city and you see people playing with one of these social gaming 2013 modern looking things.
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I just hope it's some kind of online thing and not connected with the main game. You unlock the cards like achievements, and then you can play the game and build your deck online. That would be be better..
 

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Interpreting what has been said before would indicate its not online, but Its a decent suggestion, as is a related one that it could be accessed through the main menu like TW2 Arena, if the cards have the appearance of what we have seen. I'm remembering an unusual unanimity on these forums when we discussed the authenticity of The Witchers Inns, it would be a shame to lose that, no matter the fun of the inserted game itself. Though for now I'm going to assume those images are placeholders.

Are there printing presses in Witcherworld? There are books in the world of course but historically these were hand copied for millennia before mechanised printing was invented. The wanted posters throughout the game evoked Woodcut techniques, and such was also the original method for playing cards in Europe, such would be suitable, perhaps this is what they are thinking.

Would that make it more / less acceptable to people ? Is keeping the authenticity of the Inns important to everyone ?

And to pre-empt others from mentioning it I will, Woodcut ingame does not necessarily mean Woodcut outside too.
 
Those news certainly brought me back to those times when I was playing Doom Trooper and Kult with friends. So nostalgia definitely makes me anxious to play Gwent in TW3!
 
I agree, if this is the design for the in-game cards as well, then it will feel tacked-on and somewhat immersion breaking to me. I hope they're trying to design them in an authentic and credible way.

I also really hope dice poker is still in, preferably with better physics. Strangely enough, they nailed the physics in TW1 (but there you couldn't manually throw), but in TW2 the dice are bouncing in a slightly awkward fashion.
 
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Would that make it more / less acceptable to people ? Is keeping the authenticity of the Inns important to everyone ?

By the E3 interviews it was very important to the lead developer. He talked a lot about creating an authentic believable world, and looks like they spent a LOT of effort making it that way. I was happy because I thought this guy understands and plays games.

I have no idea what is with this modern card game, was it tacked on by marketing people?
 
I've heard reference to Screwed, can anyone link to / quote / describe the game for us ?

Can't find anything online, but here's what I've got from my copy of Baptism of Fire... I'm assuming this is what they're talking about:

"The dwarves took their rest seriously. Figgis Merluzzo and Munro Bruys went off hunting mushrooms. Zoltan, Yazon Varda, Caleb Stratton and Percival Schuttenbach sat down near the wagon and without taking a breather played Barrel, their favorite card game, which they devoted every spare minute to, including the previous wet evenings.

The Witcher occasionally sad down to join them and watch them play, as he did during this break. He was still unable to understand the complicated rules of this typical dwarven game, but was fascinated by the amazing, intricate workmanship of the cards and the drawings of the figures. Compared to the cards humans played with, the dwarves' cards were genuine works of art. Geralt was once again convinced that the advanced technology of the bearded folk was not limited to the fields of mining and metallurgy. The fact that in this specific, card-playing field the dwarves' talents hadn't helped them to monopolise the market was because cards were still less popular among humans than dice, and human gamblers attached little importance to aesthetics. Human card players, whom the Witcher had had several opportunities to observe, always played with greasy cards, so dirty that before cards were placed on the table they had to be laboriously peeled away form the fingers. The court cards were painted so carelessly that distinguishing the lady from the knave was only possible because the knave was mounted on a horse. Which actually looked more like a crippled weasel.

Mistakes of that kind were impossible with the dwarves' cards. The crowned king was really regal, the lady comely and curvaceous, the halberd-wielding knave jauntily mustachioed. The colour cards were called, in Dwarven Speech, the hraval, vaina, and ballet, but Zoltan and company used the Common Speech and human names when they played.

The sun shone warmly, the forest steamed, and Geralt watched.

The fundamental prinicple of dwarven Barrel was something resembling an auction at a horse fair, both in its intensity and the volume of the bidders' voices. The pair declaring the highest 'price' would endeavour to win as many tricks as possible, which the rival pair had to impede at all costs. The game was played noisily and heatedly and a sturdy staff lay beside each player. These staffs were seldom used to beat an opponent, but were often brandished."

" 'Look what you've done! You plonker! You bonehead! Why did you open with the spades instead of hearts? Think I was leading hearts just for the fun of it? Why, I ought to take my staff and knock some sense into you!'

'I had four spades up to the knave, so I was planning to make a good contract!'

'Four spades, 'course you did! Including your own member, which you counted when you looked down at your cards. Use your loaf, Stratton, we're not at university! We're playing cards here! And remember that when the fool has cards and doesn't blunder, he'll even beat the sage, by thunder. Deal, Varda.'

'Contract in diamonds.'

'A small slam in diamonds!'

'The king led diamonds, but lost his crown, fled the kingdom with his trousers down. A double in spakes!'

'Barrel!'

'Wake up, Caleb. That was a double with a Barrel! What are you bidding?'

'A big slam in diamonds!'

'No bid. Aaagh! What now? No one's Barrelling? Chickend out, laddies? You're leading, Varda. Percival, if you wink at him again, I'll whack you so hard in the kisser your eyes'll be screwed up til next winter.'

'Knave.'

'Lady!'

'And the king on the lady! The lady's shafted! I'll take her and, ha, ha, I've got another heart, kept for a rainy day! Knave, a ten and another-'

'And a trump! If you can't play a trump, you'd better take a dump. And diamonds! Zoltan? Grabbed you were it hurts!'

'Do you see them, f@#king gnome. Pshaw, I'm gonna take my staff to him...' "

"[Geralt] had finally fathomed the arcana of Barrel and even played a hand with the dwarves. He lost."

I'm going to apologize now if I've made any errors in typing that up.

Anyway, I'm pretty interested to see how this Gwent game turns out. I enjoyed the fights and dice games, so I'm sure this is something I could get into.
 
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I was going to ask, is Gwent the same card game as "Barrel" in the official translation for Baptism of Fire?
 
It was the card game the dwarves played in Baptism of fire (unofficial translation). I'm guessing Barrel's the official name of it.
 
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