Legend of Vyas: The Better Bowman is a two-player game, the first in a series of card games brought out by Vansh Games, based on the Mahabharata. It is essentially a card game with three distinct dice similar to the Chaturanga used in play between the Kauravas and Pandavas.
Varun Devanathan, co-founder and designer of the game, says that the game brings forth the ultimate rivalry in the Kurukshetra war to determine who the better warrior is. Legend of Vyas has conceptualised one of the most significant chapters in the epic in a new and innovative format that will surely strike a chord with the young and old alike.
Fully armed
In the Mahabharata, the battle between right and wrong is signified by two of the greatest warriors — Arjuna and Karna. If you know your mythology, you would know that one of the decisive blows to the Kauravas was the defeat of their heroic warrior, Karna. The purpose of the game is, of course, to kill your opponent and win. But here, you don’t need to go by the book… ahem — epic, and make sure that Arjuna defeats Karna. Personally, I prefer playing as Karna. I won my first and subsequent games (read two) with Karna. So, your hero’s fate depends on your luck and the cards you choose to play with.
Each player starts with a battle formation at hand, armed with their Hero card, six brown back cards and 30 black back cards (choose wisely and strategically). For every throw of the dice, you gain energy and use the value on your cards against your opponent. Each warrior placed according to the battle formation can attack during your turn. The Attack Damage (AD) you inflict on your opponent or his warriors reduces their Health Points (HP) and vice-versa. There are damage counters that help you keep track of the damage inflicted on your Hero and warriors.
Things to keep in mind involves what cards you choose, how you play them to your advantage against your opponent, draw up strategies and battle formations, and use spells and astras to inflict maximum blows to your opponent among other things. A minor miscalculation in your game plan could be detrimental to your hero.
People who are not familiar with the Mahabharata need not worry. The cards are self-explanatory. You might need to pore over the rulebook a few times before you fully understand how the game works. As you play on, it becomes easier to clear doubts like you clear your opponent’s HPs.
The main highlight of the game is definitely its unique concept. The artwork is highly impressive. The range of spells, special astras and other minor weapons used in the game is remarkable. One can use certain artefacts, armours, shields and warriors exclusively available to one’s hero. And here is a bonus — when you run out of cards, in the deck and in hand, your hero can attack with his bare hands! Perhaps your hero might not last long after that, but that is certainly a cool last-resort attack move.
Legend of Vyas is definitely a game for the mighty, brave, and valiant. You just need to play your cards right.
Legend of Vyas – The Better Bowman: Arjuna vs Karna is available online at www.legendofvyas.com and on stores soon.
Developer: Vansh Games
Price: USD 35
