Cloudspire Components Review and Impressions
We have been working our way through some games from Chip Theory Games, including The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era and 20 Strong! With the fulfillment of their latest Cloudspire Expansion crowd funding efforts, they have given us the opportunity to check out this fabulous, competitive tower-defense-esque experience! This is a Chip Theory Games production, so you know it’s going to be good! But how good is it? Let’s take a look!
Cards – there aren’t a ton of cards in Cloudspire but they have that typical plastic feel to them that makes this game water proof. Spill a drink on these cards? No worries, just wipe it off and it’s just as good as new! Obviously, sleeving these cards would be an epic waste of time, the quality is just so good here. There is one downside to these cards though – they are really slippery, and regardless of which Chip Theory Game I play, there is a 100% guarantee that I’m going to spill cards everywhere as they slip through my hands. Production quality – A+; my ability to actually hold these cards without dropping them everywhere? F.
There is plenty of Neoprene in the game; the faction mats are neoprene, as our the central mats you will use to create the board. I am a big fan of neoprene over regular boards, especially in games where you build out a map like Cloudspire. The downside to neoprene, which is not a problem of Chip Theory Games by the way, is that I find colours are often muted. It’s hard to find nice, vibrant neoprene mats. Thankfully, a dull colour pallet actually works in this games favour. The detail on the mats is phenomenal, giving it a nice table presence while also being very user friendly. Top marks here.
I love that Chip Theory Games thinks about storage for every single little component. Even the little pegs you use in this game, which are phenomenal by the way, have their own unique little container to hold them. This is great, and one reason I love big box games from Chip Theory. These trays extend to the dice and chips as well. The dice here are like any chip theory custom die. They are perfectly useable, and while I have concerns about the screen printing wearing down with plenty of use, I won’t be able to confirm that until I’ve played the game a lot more. Out of the box they look great, and since it’s a Chip Theory Games title, I assume they will hold up. Time will tell. They don’t feel like typical screen printed dice – like the images are imbedded under the surface – so I’m quite hopeful.
Chips! This wouldn’t be a Chip Theory Game without a bunch of chips, and there are plenty to play with in this game. All of the chips have that premium poker-chip feel except the health chips which are a thinner plastic. I’ve already put in an order to replace my health trips with premium chips, but I don’t think that is a necessary upgrade. The detail on the character chips are phenomenal, with great artwork for each. The chips are what make Chip Theory Games what they are, and while everyone seems to want miniatures and acrylic standees, chips are my preferred way to play for sure!
Cloudspire, like all Chip Theory Games, is a premium production experience, one that is as much fun to unbox and look at as it is to play. Hats off, once again, to the company with the best production in the business.
Article By Adam
