gwent addiction

Originally Posted by CelticFrost
I got in a fight with the barons men in the crossroads pub so I can't finish the quest of playing the innkeepers.

This is driving me nuts, I spent most of last nights game play just traveling around playing Qwent collecting rare cards for my decks. But I still can't finish this Playing Inn Keepers quest.

I remember being at the Inn, as this was very early in the game for me. I am not sure if I started the fight but I finished it. The Inn Keeper had told me I better go out the back door as there would be more of his men waiting for me.

So being the Witcher I walked out the front door and killed a bunch more of them. She got mad and told me never to come back and left.

I don't have a problem with this as these are my actions and wasn't there to play cards anyways. Most likely to buy food as it was so needed in the beginning of the game for me anyways.

The problem I have is put in my failed quest log then or let me finish this. Also if this is the case she better not have the last rare card I am looking for to move on in more bigger Qwent games.

EDITED NOTES: I might have a slight addiction to cards in real life so this game could be a problem for side tracking me. I started playing bridge at the cottage when I was young as it was the only way to stay up late with the adults. Also might like online poker a bit more than I should at times(low stakes) but have been known to play for 8-10 hours at a time.

Originally Posted by Roq
@joxer thanks for the info - I thought those SFIs were useless also redanian soldiers are just 1 with no bonuses.

I thought that you earned a card whenever you beat someone at Gwent in the game, but I just creamed the merchant in Blackbough and didn't appear to get his card (assuming that is how it works). At least I now know that the general populace don't have killer decks like the noble in vizima and also have a weaker AI - this guy played quite badly piling good cards on a lost round.

All opponents will give you a card for free once you beat them. If you beat them again, besides pocketchange you get some mats, but no more cards. The merchant you won probably already gave you a card but you forgot. Happened to me too.
Merchants AI is nonexisting. They have no strategy and are tossing cards randomly. Quest card holders do have AI, however once you construct a good deck, you'll have no problems.
I can post my current deck later when I get home. You'll see it's nothing special, yet I won all opponents so far easily with it.

Originally Posted by JDR13
I could almost swear the AI cheats sometimes. It seems like whenever I happen to have a particularly strong row, the opponent will always happen to have the counter card (i.e. fog, rain, etc.) to reduce that row.

AI doesn't cheat although some cards allow them to see some of your cards.
Inside my deck are two fogs, two rains and two freezes plus one clear weather. Usually among 10 drawn cards I have at least two of them at the beginning and am using them extensively - do I cheat?
TBH I've ditched the rain cards since my deck leader has a special ability to double the strength of the third row.

Monsters faction has special cards that summon all deck cards with the same name instantly on the field, without weather control you're pretty much screwed against them. So buy weather cards if you don't have them already, add them inside your deck till you gather all possible hero cards that are immune to weather effects.

Originally Posted by Thrasher
The first round is kind of silly. I always pass on it so I don't waste any cards.

Yea and then IIRC Nilfgaard leader automatically wins on draw.
So he kept all cards and still won.

Forget cardwasting, concentrate how to get more cards during the game! Make sure your deck has at least one training doll, as many as you can cards that once put on enemy's side grant you two more cards, as many cards with resurrection ability so once put on the table you get one more card. The best deck leader seems is the one that grants you ability to steal one card from opponent's deck and put it in yours but I still don't have enough faction cards for him.

AI doesn't cheat although some cards allow them to see some of your cards.
Inside my deck are two fogs, two rains and two freezes plus one clear weather. Usually among 10 drawn cards I have at least two of them at the beginning and am using them extensively - do I cheat?
TBH I've ditched the rain cards since my deck leader has a special ability to double the strength of the third row.

I don't think this is what he is saying, I think what he is saying and I could be wrong is the AI works in a way. Lets say your decks are close in how powerful they are. There seems to be a lot of games where if you have a crappy hand they do or if you have a strong hand they do as well.

It is rare that I have seen besides playing someone where my cards are way more powerful that you can over run someone or get your azz handed to you.

Originally Posted by CelticFrost
I don't have a problem with this as these are my actions and wasn't there to play cards anyways. Most likely to buy food as it was so needed in the beginning of the game for me anyways.

I agree that actions do have to have consequences, but it is a big pain for any CRPG player to be stuck with uncompletable quests. Maybe, the action you took should open a new path - such as, for instance that you need to bribe the inn keeper to get back in favour and that would make up for your former arrogance .

Originally Posted by CelticFrost
EDITED NOTES: I might have a slight addiction to cards in real life so this game could be a problem for side tracking me. I started playing bridge at the cottage when I was young as it was the only way to stay up late with the adults. Also might like online poker a bit more than I should at times(low stakes) but have been known to play for 8-10 hours at a time.

very low stakes seems ok - for some people the thrill of gambling can take over and that can lead to serious misery and delusional behaviour, something I have unfortunately observed at close range.

I removed most of my weather cards from my deck, I find them basically useless. I keep the sunny day one in there as it does help but not that often now.

Spy cards, Cards that let you draw discarded cards(should be only used in second or third round), Decoy, Champion horn and a few others. Any card that gives you chance at getting more cards or taken his cards completely out of the round.

Originally Posted by Roq
very low stakes seems ok - for some people the thrill of gambling can take over and that can lead to serious misery and delusional behaviour, something I have unfortunately observed at close range.

I play in a league where the games are free to enter and you win small amounts of money. Also some free rolls where you can win tickets to bigger games. Trade the ticket in for tournament dollars then play in smaller games for with that.

Once every 3-6 months if that money has ran out that I have won for free I might put $25.00 in my account to play.

I just love playing and have way to much to lose to ever take it to seriously. Been playing this way for the last 7-8 years, it is just fun to enter a tourney for $1.00 and maybe win $40 to $50. and that keeps me going for another 3-6 months.

Is there another strategy for beating monster decks than praying you get good weather effects (like cold) and cards that are not affected by the effect on your side (like siege). I get destroyed basically everytime I play against a monster deck, he will summon his 5 ghouls, 3 crones and 4 arachas in with 3 cards every time .

Originally Posted by Luckra
Is there another strategy for beating monster decks than praying you get good weather effects (like cold) and cards that are not affected by the effect on your side (like siege). I get destroyed basically everytime I play against a monster deck, he will summon his 5 ghouls, 3 crones and 4 arachas in with 3 cards every time .

Yes - plan to throw one of the first two rounds, depending on where your enemy uses their muster strength - you need to draw that out. Don't take any weather cards, instead use decoys so that when you throw a round you can decoy your good cards back. With the Northen deck take the second leader to help clear any weather effects applied by the opponent. Warhorn is good as well, of course.

P.S. Spies and medics are a great help so that you can get card number advantage over your opponent.

P.P.S. I just got a scorch card - that's pretty handy as well, play out your lowest cards and if your opponent goes high, just scorch them off.

Where do you get the second leader cards?

I got a second Foltest from Elsa, and a third Foltest from the noble player in Vizima.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Where do you get the second leader cards?

Elsa has the second Foltest leader - which allows you to clear weather instantly. There's another one that you get from the Baron's Gwent quest, which is handy if your opponent doesn't use weather. I haven't found the fourth yet.

EDIT: Oh sorry Thrashers right the 3rd leader comes from the noble in Vizima - silly me.

Originally Posted by Roq
Yes - plan to throw one of the first two rounds, depending on where your enemy uses their muster strength - you need to draw that out. Don't take any weather cards, instead use decoys so that when you throw a round you can decoy your good cards back. With the Northen deck take the second leader to help clear any weather effects applied by the opponent. Warhorn is good as well, of course.

P.S. Spies and medics are a great help so that you can get card number advantage over your opponent.

P.P.S. I just got a scorch card - that's pretty handy as well, play out your lowest cards and if your opponent goes high, just scorch them off.

Yep. Basically, either throw the first round after they've burned their Vampires and similar (just keep up with them for a little while using low level cards or spy cards), or use the close combat weather effect in an attempt to win it. They'll generally wait with the Crone cards, so keep the Scorch card for that. It'll destroy the entire trio of Crones.

At any rate, Gwent is an interesting game until your deck becomes too good. I've completed every Gwent related event in Velen, Novigrad and Skellige, and the deck is unbeatable at the moment. Having 7-8 heroes per faction, two of which have a value of 15, is just too damn much, especially as the other cards are also in the 6-10 region, usually with some special effect. It's not uncommon for me to end a round at 100-140, sometimes even higher.

I enjoyed it for quite some time though, and it's fun to get the more powerful cards (especially Yennefer, Ciri and Geralt).

One more thing - remember that when your opponent has passed you can still play as many cards as you like, before passing yourself. If you are throwing the hand, because all your opponents strength is on the table, then that is a very good time to play your spies, since you get two extra cards with no penalty… and your opponent can't use a decoy card to get your spy/s into their own hand.

Originally Posted by Maylander
I enjoyed it for quite some time though, and it's fun to get the more powerful cards (especially Yennefer, Ciri and Geralt).

I agree, it really fits in with a CRPG too, finding good new cards is every bit as satisfying as finding some new stuff for combat. I don't know how good Gwent would be as a game between two people with maxed out decks though, when you lose the new shinies factor.

Originally Posted by Roq
One more thing - remember that when your opponent has passed you can still play as many cards as you like, before passing yourself. If you are throwing the hand, because all your opponents strength is on the table, then that is a very good time to play your spies, since you get two extra cards with no penalty… and your opponent can't use a decoy card to get your spy/s into their own hand.

Yep, it's also worth keeping in mind that this works both ways: The AI will often regain their best cards using decoys etc if you pass.

Lol, this reminds me of Arcomage in MM7. I often played more Arcomage than the game itself

I might buy the witcher 3 just for this game

Originally Posted by Roq
I don't know how good Gwent would be as a game between two people with maxed out decks though, when you lose the new shinies factor.

Dunno what will happen with maxed decks, but I had a hard time winning nilf quartermaster in their base at SE edge of the map. That guy has a few hero cards and great AI and when you win him, the reward is some crap card.

I don't have Ciri or Geralt but I did get Jenn somewhere and that card is totally OP. Probably the best card in my current deck.

Originally Posted by Pladio
Lol, this reminds me of Arcomage in MM7. I often played more Arcomage than the game itself

I might buy the witcher 3 just for this game

You don't have to believe me, but I'm actually walking all over the map to explore new settlements just to to win yet another gwent player and get a new card from him (or buy more of them from traders).
Sure, loot and sidecontent are also important, but somehow I don't feel like I'll be sorry if I don't finish a sidequest. If I don't beat all possible gwent players in the game, I will be furious!

Buy the game. Now.
If your rig meets min requirements ofc. No use to buy the game if you're still on 8800 GT.

Originally Posted by joxer
Dunno what will happen with maxed decks, but I had a hard time winning nilf quartermaster in their base at SE edge of the map. That guy has a few hero cards and great AI and when you win him, the reward is some crap card.

I don't have Ciri or Geralt but I did get Jenn somewhere and that card is totally OP. Probably the best card in my current deck.

You don't have to believe me, but I'm actually walking all over the map to explore new settlements just to to win yet another gwent player and get a new card from him (or buy more of them from traders).
Sure, loot and sidecontent are also important, but somehow I don't feel like I'll be sorry if I don't finish a sidequest. If I don't beat all possible gwent players in the game, I will be furious!

Buy the game. Now.
If your rig meets min requirements ofc. No use to buy the game if you're still on 8800 GT.

My issue is time. I can't play a 100-hour game anymore…

Short games of 20 hours is fine, but after that ….

What 100-hour games are you talking about?
Just give TW3 a shot. It's completely different from every other 100-hour game you've seen. And according to devs, it's possible to finish it in about 25 hours by sticking only with the main story as if the game was linear no-sidecontent thing.

Originally Posted by Pladio
My issue is time. I can't play a 100-hour game anymore…

Short games of 20 hours is fine, but after that ….

Even the most dedicated amongst us don't do the full 100 hours in one sitting!? Seriously though you need to play Witcher 3, it is just too good to miss - and it is the kind of game you can easily put down and pick up again when you want. And, of course, Gwent is a terrific icing on the cake.

Whilst you probably could rush through the story quests and complete the game in a few sessions, as Joxer says, that would be really missing out on the best thing this game has to offer, which is for me exploring a very atmospheric open world that paints a convincing, but harsh picture of a dystopic world, not so dissimilar to medieval Europe. And you really don't want to rush this.

If you ever played Microprose's excellent Darklands somewhere back in the 80s/90s the premise is strikingly similar - it is a world where the fears and fantasies of mystical beliefs are actualised. And CDPR largely carry the whole thing off with aplomb, without too many concessions (although there are some) to the great unwashed mass market.

It really *is* a 100-hour game though, and I don't say that often. Easily the most content since Skyrim.