Compile: Main 1

• Designer: Michael Yang
• Publisher: Greater Than Games
• Players: 2
• Age: 14+
• Time: 20-30 mins
• Played with review copy provided by Flat River Games

In the card game Compile, you are competing Artificial Intelligences trying to understand the world around you. Two players select three Protocols each to test. Concepts ranging from Darkness to Water are pitted against each other to reach ultimate understanding. Play cards into your Protocols’ command lines to breach the threshold and defeat your opponent to Compile. First to Compile all three Protocols grasps those concepts to win the game.

Control your opponent’s Protocols with card actions, Compile your own as fast as possible, and Compile your reality.

Set up the 12 protocol decks (each 6 cards).  Place the protocol cards on the table and the two players (A and B) have a draft.  A starts by taking 1 protocol card. Then B chooses 2, A chooses 2, and B takes 1.  Each player should now have 3 protocols in front of them – they take the matching decks, and those are shuffled together and they will have an 18 card deck. Players draw a hand of 5 cards from their deck. The Protocol cards are laid out in a line on the table with the “Loading” side up – with a player’s card bumping up against a card from his opponent – forming a 3×2 grid in the center of the play area.  

On a turn, the active player goes through a set of steps

• Start – perform any Start effects on your cards
• Check Control – If you have a higher value on at least 2 of the 3 lines, take the Control marker
• Check Compile – If you meet the conditions for Compiling, you must compile and your turn ends. If one of your lines has 10 or more value AND more than your opponent, you must compile. Both players delete (place in the trash) all of their cards and then you flip your Protocol card to the Compiled side. If you have the Control marker, you may rearrange one of your opponent’s Protocols before compiling (exchange columns), but then the Control marker becomes neutral and is returned to the table

• Action – Play one card or refresh your hand. You can play a card face up or face down. If it is face up, it goes into the line matching its protocol. Resolve the effects written on the card.  If it is played face down, it can do in any line and always has a value of 2.  When you play a card, place it on top of the previous top card so that you only see the top box.  If you refresh your hand, draw until you have 5 cards.  If you have the Control marker, you may rearrange one of your opponent’s Protocols before refreshing (exchange columns), but then the Control marker becomes neutral and is returned to the table
• Check Cache – Discard down to 5 cards in your hand
• End – Perform any End effects on your cards

The next player then goes. A player wins as soon as one player has all three of their Protocol cards flipped to the Compiled side.

My thoughts on the game

This is a quick little two player back and forth game. The game starts with the draft.  Trying to get three Protocols that work well together is key in this game.  Sure, when you’re starting out you may not know enough to make a meaningful decision, but after a few plays, you should be familiar enough with them to know what works well together.  This might also help you choose decks that will either work against your opponent or take decks that he wants himself.   

The downside for me was that there was no way to preload myself with the information about what particular protocols would do.  I was hoping for a little addendum in the rules or maybe a player aid with a short one-liner about the theme of the decks – but welp, you’re left on your own to figure it out other than a few words on the bottom of the deck cover cards.  I guess that you could just rifle through all the cards and figure it out yourself, but neither myself nor my two opponents ever wanted to do that. 

In the end, I think that almost all the decks have something in them that allow them to work together with any other deck – and the fun here is the discovery of how the protocols work together as they come out in your hand.  It is really rewarding to figure out a nice combo and then pull it off.  

There is a lot of interplay between the cards, and some of the passive (always uncovered) actions on cards can be super strong – once you figure out how to use them. Some cards are stronger when uncovered due to their actions at the bottom of the card; but then if you never cover them, you’ll never advance your value of the line that card is in…

As the game is played, the tug-of-war aspect is compelling. You’re fighting for control of the three different lines, and you know that when someone makes it to 10, all the cards on both sides are deleted – so you would really prefer to not lose too much work if you’re not going to win the column.  Later, you might specifically fight for a column to prevent your opponent from winning.

There is also an interesting hand management aspect as you have to spend an entire turn to refresh your hand.  Do it too soon and you lose momentum.  Do it too late and you might not have enough choice to make a good play when your turn comes around… Lots of interesting decisions in the 15-20 minute time frame.

The art theme and style is very futuristic with dark colors and metallic finishes to everything. The cards are super nice with great art, and they are made out of very thick card stock.  They are amongst the sturdiest cards I’ve come across this year. 

The game should be variable each time as you only use 6 of the 12 Protocols each game – but I suppose there is nothing stopping you from drawing the same decks each time either.  Based on the subtitle (Main 1), I am expecting expansions will come down the road with different protocols.

  In any event, there has been more than enough variety here thus far, and I’m looking forward to exploring this more this fall.  The version that I have comes in a small deckbox which makes it eminently portable as well!

Until your next appointment,

The Gaming Doctor