Despite the claims that Battleforge is part RTS and part Trading Card Game (TCG), the game is very distintly an RTS. For those who are familiar with trading card games, the use of cards is more a hook to pull in more potential players, rather than a true use of the genre.
That aside, as an RTS the game is engaging, fast paced and the ability to customise the look and feel of your games through the use of ‘card decks’ makes for a game where very few multiplayer games will feel the same. The graphics are fairly crisp and appealing and the bredth of strategic choice can be daunting for a new comer.
The PvP aspect is very high paced and as one would expect, very cut throat. Anyone can give PvP a shot without too much issue, but those who have a strong background in micromanagement will excell.
Battleforge is another in the long list of games that are or have gone with the microtransactional model. There are no subscriptions to pay, but you spend your hard earned money purchasing Battleforge Points, which can be used to purchase ‘booster packs’ of 8 fairly random cards. Price wise you can purchase from the BF store 1,000 points for $25 NZ at this stage and have the choice of the classic edition (200 cards) or the newly released renegate edition (120 cards in total).
The boxed set will set you up with around 64 cards from the classic edition in addition to giving you 3,000 BFp's, meaning for those interested in getting in with a solid base it is by far the way to go. There is also the ability to Play 4 Free with the download of the client, although it is a harder path due to starting with 32 very common cards and no BFp, but ideal to get a feel for the addictive nature of the game.
Well worth a try if your an avid RTS player.