I consider Carl Chudyk a minor diety in gaming. Of all his games, the one I have come to love the most is Innovation.
I had a rotten introduction to the game, a 2v2 team game where it just seemed utterly uncontrolled random and chaotic.
Which as any Chudyk enthusiast would recognize is pretty standard impression by the uninitiated.
The second time wasn’t much better, a 5 player game with one of the expansions. Even now I couldn’t recommend such an experience.
So I just ignored the game for a few years until I listened to an in-depth podcast extolling its virtues. I also had come to know too many respected gamers who spoke highly of the game. And by then, I had also finally come around to enjoying his other classic, Glory to Rome.
So I bought myself a copy and the third time was indeed the charm.
Chudyk excels at creating games with tight tactical play masked in a sea of seeming chaos. His games can require high skill to consistently play well, but the outrageousness of his card combos result the appearance of blind randomness.
There are a lot of moving part to keep track of. It is cards, but it isn’t random. Chudyk gives you a lot of levers to dance with the crazy. All this takes a moment to grok.
And when you do, it becomes beautiful.
Once you know the landscape, moments of brilliant tactical play reveal themselves. Surprise and delight await you around the corner.
Or sometimes you draw badly, and frustration gurgles in your chest as the draw hinder your progress.
But experienced Chudyk fans would note, somehow it is the n00bs who always end up in an extended run of useless cards.
There’s an awful lot of game here. You just need to learn to go with the flow. Of course, you will plan ahead. But the beauty of the game is found when you’re forced to change your plans. The fun starts when your well laid plan falls apart one turn later.
It is not easy to thrive in this chaos. But if you enjoy such a challenge, Innovation gives you both in spades.