Compile Review - The Best 2 Player Card Game You Can Buy
Transcript
Hello and welcome to Board Stupid. My name is Wayne and I'm Matt and this is our review of this little box that is Compile. Compile just might be our favorite two-player game. Favorite two player card game. Stay tuned and find out during the review. But uh but yeah, but um hit the subscribe button. uh you done it and then we can compile into the review because uh this little box has a lot to offer. It's real good. Let's go. Rolling dice and games. Click subscribe. It's a vibe we need to be for you and me. Here's what you should play and see.
Okay guys, uh little story. Yeah, story time. Probably if you watch the videos about Aircon link up in there. Uh basically what happened with this game, this has been on my buying list uh for a long time. As soon as I managed to get a copy of it arrived, I started playing playing playing. I sent Wayne a text and I was like, "Mate, I found the best two player game card game in a long, long time." And when was Impossible? No, I think you said like, "This is my new favorite two player. This is my new Okay, let's let's start strong. This is my new favorite two-player car game." I was like, "No way." Absolutely. No way. Then Wayne came around, we start playing and what he's done, he went home and order his copy as well.
because it's that good. But uh apart from that uh what is compile? It is a twoplayer only lane battling game uh utilizing similar mechanisms to air land and sea like that where you are fighting across three lanes trying to get the most power in each lane and the first person to dominate three lanes wins the game. Yes. So seems simple. Yeah, it sounds simple. So if you are uh familiar with Alandenc that is one of my favorite two-player games and this might have just taken it from uh from Alandenc uh you will fight um across three uh instead of like um battlefield uh you you're fighting along three uh protocols. Um the difference from a land instead that those are not shared. So you will not have air for both the um the players or land for both the player.
Uh each one will have its own one. And what you need to achieve is uh getting using the cards and playing the cards in each lane getting 10 points or more and more points than the than the opponent in that same line. And what you're going to do, you're going to take your cards and compile it. So you just flip it and then it's one out of the three points that you will need on the on to win the game. Absolutely. But there is a bunch of twists, a lot of stains in the tail to this particular story. So when you compile, Brilliant. However, what that does is it deletes every single card in that line. So, including your opponents. So, where they've been working really hard to try and put this stuff together and try and beat you, those cards all go in their discard pile, which is brutal.
Yes. So, yeah. And that is the next twist to the game. Okay. That is how you build your deck cuz in other games, you normally you play with your own deck. That is a predeterminated deck that both the players share and uh very easy like and and that's it. uh for this game instead uh each protocol will have a series of cards, six card per protocol and once at the start of the game each both players will draft their own protocols and uh what you're going to do is once you got your three protocols you going to take all the six cards for each one that protocol, shuffle them up and create your deck. That means basically infinite replayability cuz there are 12 protocols to choose from and every time you can draft them. So if you really like that protocol or the other protocol or you'll find out that those two protocols works go um well together. Well, maybe the opponents know the same and it's going to try to steal them from you. Let's dig into that because that is one of my favorite things about this game is the your deck creation. Your deck cuz it's a mini deck of 18 cards which is three protocols. The protocols, of which Matt says there are 12 of them, all do slightly different things, and that's really, really fun and really fascinating. Some of them might uh burn your opponent's cards more than other other protocols. Some might shift the protocols around. Some might make you play cards quicker. Some will do funky
stuff like flipping and moving cards around. Each protocol has a different focus. So there's a real fun element of the game is thinking about I want to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that and smash it together and see if it works. Yeah. And you can try to build your own meta kind of like like you know that uh okay I want to the cards that make me like speed up and play faster. At the same times I want to the one that let me draw more cards so I can be quicker and draw more cards. But at the same times I'm going to use the other deck that let me delete the other player cards. Um, so there are like literally like it's infinite possibility. It's not infinite but almost there's lot there's lots of fun in this park here. Um, and all of these mixed up with the cyber punk theme is it's simply love. I think it's simply the product is bang on the money. And we'll talk about that in a little bit. But just a little bit more on just some of the stuff that this game does which makes me just really pleased is each card is divided into three segments and you have in each segment a specific type of rule. The top segment of each card is an ongoing ability that while that card is there it will always happen. Yes. The middle segment is your immediate impact thing that will happen when you play that card once and that's it. Yes. Right. And then the bottom segment is like it will be ongoing while it's there, but it will eventually get covered up because you
play these cards like stacked on each other. So when you when you play a new card, you're going to place it in the same lane that you that you want to put it. Um and it's going to cover part of the um of the other card that is already there. Basically covering everything but the top row that is the one of the ongoing ongoing. Um however uh the middle section that is the eastent if we're talking like magic kind of like terminology um uh that one if I put a card on top of it but for whatever reason I manage to shift that card is covering the e as soon as the the card is uncovered the instant will happen again. So you can create chains and combos and super you can set traps for your opponents which I've done a few times which is great fun. You can cover instant effects knowing that your opponent will need to shift that covered card in order to change the lane or change try and swing the uh balance in their favor. But by doing so it will trigger an immediate effect and maybe an ongoing bottom passive effect. There's some amazing interactions in this game. It goes so deep. It's so so good. It goes so deep and for such a relatively small rule set, although we'll come to that later, uh it does a lot. It does a ton. It It does. And um I I I absolutely adore this game. So, uh a little bit more about the the protocols. So, uh when you can only
play, uh this the the type of cards for that specific protocol. Um, but then you got always the option to play the card upside down. That is basically a wall for everyone, but just give you two points on that lane. Very similar to a land and sea again. Uh, so you kind of like steal a little bit from here and there, but in a very very classy way. So it's not like u it's not stealing for stealing, it's stealing to making it better. Um, so this this is such amazing and again we had so much fun playing this game. Um, but saying that, should we go to who is this game for? Let's do it. Matt, who do you think this game is for? Um, for uh so if you are a a two-player card lover, so and I'm taking again I'm I'm repeating myself, but Aland, Land, and Se uh Rutlands, it's got some Rutlands elements to the games and how you do the lane battle and how each guard's got different powers. that is very rat lensy.
Um, but at the same time, if if you like me are someone that love like TGC for example, like like Magic or those kind of card games, but you are either scared to get down that that lane or you're recovering or you're just recovering like me from not wanting to do that. Um, I found this game gave me the feelings of of those kind of games that I loved that I do not want to touch for a a number of reasons. Um, so all the goods without the bad. It just is a it's magical. Yeah, I think that's fantastic. Do you know what? I fully agree with you. If you like those kinds of games, if you're into like your TCGs, but maybe you're a recovering TCG, they're like mad. uh this might be a really amazing option for you because you have that variety in how you build your little mini deck that gives you that sort of construction feeling right where I'm constructing my thing and then I'm going to see how it works against you. Uh and I think that is super awesome. And on top of that as well, if you if you love stuff like um Netrunner that is out of print or you can play with the with the new version and everything, but um Netrunner is quite scary to learn is there is a lot of that this game with all the cyber punk um theme and the the production is absolutely fantastic. Each card is designed like insanely good.
Everything is spoiled so it's super good. Um, yeah, that is another option. You got another option that is not that heavy. It's £18 and this cube and this cool looking off you go, which is cool as hell. Yeah. I mean, if you like the cyberpunk theme, for sure pick this up. If you're a fan of uh just as Matt say, you like card games uh and you want something that you could basically take with you and play on the train and have like a really good time like or but you could cuz this game is done in half an hour or even less than that. Yeah. It can go it can go long experience play. Yeah. But that is the good things as well cuz it's so deep. You can go crazy with thinking about it. Exactly. You really can because each card is unique and has uh interesting effects and interactions with how they work in other cards. And that's not even to mention once you like say for example you've got this plague card here. If this ends up somewhere in the water card that might do some crazy interaction that you did not expect. Uh which is fantastic. Uh on top of that, you've got uh I suppose an advanced mode where you're playing with this control element which you should just basically play with straight away. Uh cuz that does things like shift these around. on you for this whole bigger game on top of the just the card play. It's fantastic. Um I will say it's it's probably not for the beginner game. No, it's not it's not beginner because um the rules and the rules interactions are quite um let's talk
about that. Not not extremely complex but uh read the rules very well and yes um go on the internet and check the FAQ. Uh I don't think the designer thought that the this would have gone boom. Yeah. Uh but the rules the rules are pretty well written. Um but there is so many interaction between cards that the FAQ actually clears out everything. Everything. It does a really good job with that. It's uh check the FAQ as well on the on the internet. Would recommend there is it's the official FAQ as well. So probably an intermediate game. Yes, it is an intermediate game. Deep in the middle of it. Yeah. But again, uh if you are an expert card gamer, gamer, you'll love it. You got to have so much. I think you'll love it. Yeah. I think it's got the legs to go that far. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely love it. Love it so much. Final thoughts, Matt. Yes. Let's go. Okay, Wayne. So, uh I think it's pretty clear that we really love this game. We really do. Um, we well I we both both the the expansion as well that just adds another three protocols. Uh, I already pre-order the second edition that is coming out, the sequel that's coming out in a few Yeah, in a few months. Uh, I got this fantastic mat as well that beautiful. Look at it. Love it. Love to play that. It's super nice. So So yeah, easy. Um, but you say it compile gets the board stupid seal of excellence. Absolutely easy, easy decision, Matt. I love this game. I love everything about it. I love the art. I love the theme. I love the card play. I love the tension. I love the fact that it always goes to the wire. I love the fact that you can shuffle up and go again with a completely different game in 10 minutes and that's it. And you you can have a great time. Um, it's a fabulous product in this box at that price. It's an easy recommend. It is.
Yeah, absolutely. We can't we can't not recommend and tell you like, go for it. Go for it. It's like it's the smallest investment for the biggest fun you have. It's £18. You could resell it. I'll buy another copy of it. Uh, no. For me is um this is now legitim uh on my top game ever. dropped into the top 40. See that? It's definitely It's definitely my top 40. It's definitely in my top 20. Um, it probably takes the place of London Sea. Uh, so for me now is um probably Ratland's um Amikoji and Compile. Well, there we are. He entered the the the upper echelons. Yes, absolutely echelons. And look how cool it is. Rightly so. I am fully on board.
So that was our review of Compile a uh digital competing AI cyber punk card game part Excellence. Uh we both obviously absolutely love this game, but I'd like to know what you think. This is way more widely available now. So yeah, thank God. Yeah. Thank God is uh is now Europe, UK. Um cuz I think as Modi has got the right for the publishing and yeah it's a good deal for them because it's this is absolutely fantastic. So go buy a copy. Let us know in the comments what you think or if you're going to resell it or whatever. But I think you'll really like it. Why would you do that? So stick us in the comments what you think of this game. We'd really like to know. Uh, and if you've made it this far, um, well, check the Patreon and we can organize a game cuz I I'll I'll play you. I'll play you.
I'll Matt needs to win one after the BT. Oh, yes. Last night. Yeah, it was very close. One, it But yeah, no, absolutely. Check the patron with all the exclusive stuff. Yeah, why not? Let we we could arrange. We could literally arrange it. If you're at UK Game Expo, let us know. Patrons, let us know. Uh otherwise just click the sub subscribe button and uh no AI needed. Yeah. Uh just click now. Yeah, do that and then go and buy the game. Go buy the game. Check out the rest of our videos and we'll see you in the next one. Ciao. Play and see.