Played our 3rd game of Ark Nova, this time it took us "only" 3.5h with 2 players, omg.
Got difficult winning condition cards and starting hand. After the first 2 games had been pretty clear in terms of what to do, I struggled to find my way here. Lost with -7 to 26 or so.
Not sure if I would want to buy it (had it rented from the library), seems too luck based in terms of cards.
Sorry to hear that this is your experience with Ark Nova. I think its very little luck based but strategy heavy and finding ways to get through a lot of cards to find what you need can be crucial. I personally think its the best two player game out there
I also have to correct myself, I meant to say I do not think its too much luck-based. Sure, sometimes everything can go wrong but usually there are many avenues to claw your way back in. I even had games were everything aligned, I got all the cards I needed and could aim to get the max conservation points on the green cards, in the end I lost because I did not have enough power-5 actions to play it all. So important lessons were learned :)
This is a common complaint from most new players. It can be tough to work out the right synergies with the cards you’re dealt but it can be done. I’ve got almost 50 games in now and I can always find something to do with the cards I get. And don’t sleep on upgrading your action cards that let you play from the reputation row. Those are game changers.