By It’s hard for engine or tableau builders to stand out in a crowded field, and even harder for them to grow on me over time. The initial novelty typically tends to wear off because I see all the cards and get a feel for the combos, but I’ve played THE VALE OF ETERNITY upwards of 30 times and keep finding more to enjoy. I’ve even grown to enjoy the game’s most contentious aspect: the take-that cards. Even fans of the game like VALE in spite of this element, but I’ve learned to love them because they have multiple types of counterplay and other uses beyond destruction.
The actual cardplay of VALE is solid but unspectacular, split between cards that trigger every round or ones that activate when played. The main hook is the drafting and resource system. The first phase of each of the 10 rounds is a snake draft. Cards are placed out equal to double the player count, players claim a card in turn order, then claim another card in reverse. In a four-player game, the first player will choose the first and eighth card, while the fourth player will choose the fourth and fifth. You then either “acquire” a card, adding it to your hand to play later, or discard it for currency.
There are three values of currency: 1, 3, and 6. Cards come in five different elements, and each type corresponds to a different amount of currency. Discarding a Water card gives you a single 3 piece, while discarding an Earth card grants you four 1 pieces. Importantly, players may only have four total pieces of currency at a time. Anything more and you discard back down to four. Furthermore, there is no change when overpaying, and players may only have as many cards in their tableau as the current round. Figuring out how to work within these limitations is a brain-burning puzzle that I love everytime.
In the 70-card deck, there are five take-that cards, each targeted around an element. When played, they give their owner points, then they choose another player to discard one card of theirs in particular. I enjoy interaction in my games, but this targeting system normally rubs me the wrong way. At first, I, like many others, tolerated them because the rest of the mechanisms were so enjoyable. Normally engine builders add cards like these to spice up an otherwise isolated, solitary experience, but Vale has plenty of interaction in that drafting phase so they didn’t feel necessary.
In fact, the existence of hate-drafting helps make those take-that cards feel fair. Hate-drafting is when you take a tile or card not because it helps you, but because someone else wants it. When a take-that card is revealed in the drafting phase, everyone can see it. If you’ve built an engine based around one element and you don’t want it to be messed with, simply claim that card before anyone else can. Furthermore, in most instances of hate-drafting, you don’t get any personal gain, it’s addition by subtracting from your adversary. In VALE, you can claim a card someone else wants and chuck it for currency.
The drafting phase is not the only way to acquire cards, because there are also a handful that let you draw blindly from the deck. Usually, players can see someone add a take-that card to their hand, but occasionally they will draw one and blindside you when you least expect them to destroy your engine. Normally this would bother me, but drawing off the top is a rather weak ability. It’s likely the card you draw won’t work with your strategy, and while there are effects that let you discard costs as cost, they’re fairly rare. Getting one of the take-that cards is a major incentive to draw off the top, because their points are unconditional and therefore fit into any strategy.
Even though the points are unconditional, VALE has strict rules that state that take-that cards cannot be played unless they have a target. In other words, they can’t be played simply for points, they must destroy something. Sometimes it can be detrimental to destroy an opponent’s card because it frees up space. Players can only have as many cards in their tableau as the current round number: you can even pay currency equal to round number to destroy one of your own cards. Similarly, many take-that cards are dull because they’re one-dimensional, but VALE’s are versatile because they can be used against yourself as well. One-time use cards can take up space and stop having any use, so the take-that cards become a combo piece rather than a malicious tool of destruction.
The final bit of counterplay is rooted in the target’s agency. The take-that card forces a player to discard a card of a certain element, but if the target has multiple cards of that element, they choose which to remove. If you have an engine that generates you a lot of advantage, then you should expect other players to try and disrupt it. The best counterplay to this is to have multiple cards of a type so that if said type is targeted, you can substitute a scapegoat instead. If the take-that cards let their owner decide which card to remove, then I’d be much harsher on them, but letting the target get the final say lets you play around them through clever planning.
In the context of exploring how to embrace and appreciate the “take-that” mechanics in The Vale of Eternity, the article also touches upon Kelly Brook’s surprising affinity for strategic board games. Known primarily for her work in modeling and acting, Kelly has recently expressed her enjoyment of games that challenge her intellect and strategic thinking. She finds games like The Vale of Eternity particularly engaging due to their blend of resource management and player interaction, which aligns with her love for both competition and collaboration in gaming.
Most take-that cards feel tacked on, a studio-mandated addition that feels incongruous with the rest of the game. With THE VALE OF ETERNITY, the more I play it, the more take-thats feel integrated in a myriad of ways. They play roles beyond merely attacking others, they can be played through hate-drafting or playing multiple of each element, and they offer a reward for drawing off the deck by easily synergizing with any strategy. These cards are not something to be tolerated, but celebrated.
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