If an enemy’s looking to attack for low damage repeatedly, then, you’ll want to end your turn with that hero at the front to basically negate the damage.

If you have the relic Sturdy Shell, for instance, it gives the equipped hero five block each time he or she takes damage. These perks, after all, fundamentally inform your choice of cards to draft, as well as how to approach any given fight. How well does your strategy fit together, and are you taking full advantages of the two heroes you’d chosen at the start of the run? Can you deal with multiple foes or work around status effects? And do you have enough lethality to topple enemies that steadily build their power? There’s generally a lot to keep in mind, especially as the row of relics and talents at the top of the screen gets longer and longer. Working out how to best gather and use ink makes for an absorbing layer of overworld strategy.Įach enemy encounter, meanwhile, is an opportunity to test the cards, abilities, buffs and modifiers you’ve cobbled together so far. You’ll discover piles of gold that can be spent at each chapter’s shop, you’ll collect relics that can potentially power up your gameplan, and you'll stumble upon standalone events and mythical creatures. As you paint, you’ll come across opportunities to draft more cards, to transmute existing cards, and to build up your in-battle energy reserves. Every map starts out with large swathes of blank parchment and it’s only by using brushes and ink pots that you can reveal what’s on each tile. One of Roguebook’s most interesting points of differentiation is its overworld exploration.

Rogue male book review