[ List Earliest Comments Only For Pages | Games | Rated Pages | Rated Games | Subjects of Discussion ]
Comments/Ratings for a Single Item
Navia Dratp. An upcoming commercial chess variant with collectible, tradable pieces. (7x7, Cells: 49) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]PL, I have joined your Yahoo group and uploaded my pictures in an album called Painted Maseitai - Navia Dratp.
Robert, Thanks for the pics. The paintjobs leave room for improvement, like the Navias, but they are certainly pretty good for (sort of) mass-produced minis. It will be interesting to see to what extent they can be improved upon by painting spares of the 'regular' version myself (and others who have announced interest in doing so) A folder for pictures of those has already been set up at the Yahoo group... As for easy to collect, at one per box (of 12), that would _still_ be a rather expensive endeavour :| , not counting the chances of getting a double in the minimum of 29 boxes required ;) I think I'll forget about getting a complete set of those... P. (I may post a summary of this discussion at the Yahoo group, since at least one new member has shown up asking about a figure list and such)
Jeremy, thanks for the offer! Since mine are due very soon, and I won't be able to do anything until then (turning in for the night), it may not be worth the time and trouble to e-mail back and forth. Should there be another delay though (over the weekend grrrr) I'll certainly take you up on your offer. I'm looking forward to playing myself, due to the absence of any local gamers (at the only local gamestore they still think ND is something new shown for the first time at the GenCon...)
Anonymous wrote on Sat, Aug 21, 2004 12:35 PM UTC:Mid august has come and gone and still there's hardly any info on this game available. The official website is still 'coming soon'. I'm disappointed. I was really looking forward to it though ..... I doubt the game will be available any time soon in Belgium.
Reminder: there is now a Yahoo group to discuss this game, and much more: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/navia_dratp_enthusiasts/
For those outside of the U.S. and still trying to acquire Navia Dratp feel free to drop me an e-mail. I know of a seller that ships internationally and may very well be able to help you out as long as supplies of the game last here. They charge very near actual shipping costs from the U.S. to most international destinations. I've heard this game has become quite the hot product following the Gen Con Indy convention this past weekend. Tek34@comcast.net
alain wrote on Thu, Aug 26, 2004 11:11 AM UTC:Good ★★★★on 20040826 it is now uncomplete. I am searching for the movements of the other pieces
Anyone even go to vassal? I've gone on and there are rarely people on, and I'm rather disappointed because I want to play some Navia. Matt Arnold, your name is always up on shogi, are you really on all the time? If anyone is into playing Navia on the vassal engine, let me know when you are ususally on. Otherwise I'm even willing to play over an IM using chess notation or something.
I usually leave my login going in the Tori Shogi room on the Vassalengine server, but sometimes I forget to turn it off when I sleep or leave home. Sorry for any confusion that might have caused. Let's face it, we are never going to find each other by accident. We need to either schedule a time or exchange instant message handles. My handle on all the main IM services is nemorathwald. Feel free to message me to set up a game!
The Navia Dratp website is now live... each piece is listed with a background and remarks if needed for gameplay: http://www.naviadratp.com
Firefly wrote on Mon, Sep 6, 2004 04:03 PM UTC:I just found out about this game yesterday, and looked at the main website. It has everything you'd need to play, including the abilities of every piece, except that it doesn't mention which pieces are Navia Guards. I found another site that lists all the pieces in the starters, so I know that Troll (M-001) and Olip (M-008) are Guards, but are any of M-015 through M-029 also Guards?
<p>I don't have IM, but I'd love to play by email, or maybe on Vassal (I think I'd prefer email though). Contact me at fireflyz@mailcan.com if you're interested. I don't own any pieces yet, but I've already picked out a 'dream team' that I'd like to try.
The crystals are called gyullahs, and gold ones are worth 20, not 30. Also the pawns are called gulleds.
After I found this game last week, I can't stop playing it. However, there are a problem happening when I play with my friends. It's a moving (compass) problem. Like Hansa, no 023 (http://www.naviadratp.com/char/m_hansa.html), before Dratp can he 'Jump' over one piece (either mine or oppenent's) and land on the second space? Also Troll , No-001 , we also have an argument after she dratps. Can anyone please help this kind 'blocking problem'?
Anonymous wrote on Thu, Dec 2, 2004 09:23 PM UTC:This seem simular to Vantage Master.Consider the following: They both have absurd names. They both start with no pieces but the 'Kings' on the board and add more later. They both have special cells on which you get more energy to summon the aforementioned pieces. They both involve collecting.
I love the idea of a four hand Navia Dratp game. I hadn't put much thought into the idea, but had the seed planted soon after playing a few games. I think I'd design the board differently, but I like your idea of capturing three Navias and allowing the opponent whose Navia was captured to remain in play. Thanks for a fun website!
This game is absolutely, unbelievably incredible. A lot of the various chess variants seem too esoteric to pay much attention to, but Navia Dratp at least has a nationwide marketing push and relatively wide store availablity. With a little grassroots effort, you could pretty easily expect to be able to walk into a game store on a weekend and find a game. But here's the important part - the game is GOOD. The game is easy to learn but the strategy is intense and very deep. Unlike most collectible games, the luck factor only factors in when you purchase boosters; the gameplay itself is completely strategic. New players will find themselves at a significant disadvantage until they learn the mechanics and piece interaction. I don't particularly care for chess, but I am absolutely in love with Navia Dratp. Everyone here needs to go out and get it, no exceptions. Don't let this one slip by.
After a year or more of obscurity, Navia Dratp is starting to finally take off. The new 'Resurgence' set was released in fall, 2005, bringing the total number of figures to 50. The new figures are not only totally playable, but have made the metagame extremely challenging as well. There is now a piece which can drain your opponent's gyullas, and also a 'super-queen' that can move and jump in any direction (although it is expensive to bring out). There's no doubt that ND's popularity was adversely affected by the miniatures game glut of the past 4 years. Many gamers had looked at the game before and decided that it was 'one game too many to spend my money on'. But where other games continue to expand beyond their enthusiasts' ability to keep up with the ever-growing number of figures, ND remains a small, balanced, and well-thought-out game. Our local game store has begun running weekend tournaments, and the number of participants has been growing steadily each week. If you haven't tried playing yet, there has never been a better time to start.
It's too expensive for me too -- although my brother and I would love to get into it. I guess we'll have to wait for a video game release. ;)
What Tim says is true. Since the time that I wrote the article for this web page, Navia Dratp continues to be one of my favorite board games ever, which I play all the time. The Resurgence expansion really rounded out what it needed. I had no problem getting all the pieces by buying them ala carte from internet sellers, so I didn't waste money waiting for the luck of the draw to give me everything from booster packs. It's true that it's pricy, but I happen to like the miniatures as pieces of art. I recommend that you try the virtual online Navia Dratp which is available on the mailing list.
I was introduced to Navia Dratp recently by Chess Master John Vehre, who speaks highly of the game. I have since played over one of Mr. Vehre's tournament ND games 3 times and a few games of others. These games convinced me that Navia Dratp is a great game. I also see each piece as a small work of art. As for the cost... I was able to order the two starters from a gaming company for $14.98 each (that is not close to the $60 mentioned in another comment, though I did see them listed at that high price elsewhere). Unlike most strategy games, this one allows for an astronomical number of opening scenarios. To play a game well one must consider piece play and economics (of a crystal wealth factor which changes with moves, captures, and promotions (Dratps). My sets (and a few individual pieces I ordered separately) are scheduled to arrive tomorrow and I look very much forward to them. My Shogi opponent at work and I will be giving Navia Dratp some serious game play.
Once you have the 2 Navia Dratp starters (that you can acquire for about $30 ($14.98 per individual set)from a few on-line game stores) you can play Navia Dratp over-the-board. At the beginning of a game you and your opponent can take turns drawing pieces from the lot... or, you can pick your starting army at random. This should take care of the 'power paranoia' aspect of the game. There is no need to buy expansion pieces, none at all. The extra pieces just allow for more variety in strategy and tactics. They also allow for someone to collect figures and possibly paint them (as a hobby, if one desires). As for the artistic aspect, 'Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.' In regard to being able to play over games, I drew a 7x7 board in MS paint. Then I drew the movement patterns (available at www.naviadratp.com under 'piece list). I then cut and relocated the MS Paint pieces. This was how I played over the Chess Master's game 3 times. But you could also put the movement disks on checkers (having a Dratp and non-Dratp side) and use a real board. In regard to the Navi Dratp naming convention, yes, they are a bit strange in some cases, sounding like ancient Japanese Warriors or ancient mythical creatures, but as in the one Wings song, 'What's wrong with that, I'd like to know.'
> ...and play the many excellent and free chess variants found on these pages, many of which are better games than Navia anyway. I find it sad that you claim to know how good of a game a game is when you haven't yet tried it.
I just wanted to verify that it was not me who made the comment Michael Howe ojected to. In fact, at first I thought the comment was criticising me for not actually having played the game (only having looked at the ND games of others). Anyway, the UPS delivered it a few hours ago and I was impressed with the size and detail of the pieces. Even the wife was impressed... and she's not a gamer. My 15 year-old son challenged me to a game while I was setting up the board and, though I tried to win, I lost due to that economic crystal factor (my Masters Degree In Business Administration and my paper on Gaming Theory failed to help me). Now, understand that my son has never come close to beating me at chess and I give him 1-Rook-odds and there is a $10 reward for when he does win. But, with Navia Drapt I had no handicap for him and no reward (good thing) because I saw his eyes light up and he became full of excitement as he saw the winning plan. This does not proove it is a good game. However, it does proove to my son and me, that it is a fun game and that one can not win by chess-like strategy alone. And I assure you, he did win by a solid game plan, not luck. I look forward to the next game...
>It's not completely reliable, of course, and I didn't say that ND is a poor game... You did, in fact, say that ND was a poor game with your rating of 'Poor'. It is one thing to rate a page poor when one has not played the game described within if the instructions are unclear. But that is not true in this case. I do not claim that ND is a perfect game. But neither is any other chess variant here, and thus if rating games in relation to other games here seems illogical. I am sorry if this comment or the previous one seemed hostile. But I cannot help the fact that I am not a member.
As far as the aesthetics of the game are concerned, I'm completely with Michael Howe. The forms of the pieces are repulsive, the bizarre names for everything (including the game itself) pointlessly ugly. But I've played at least half a dozen games, and the game itself is very good. I can hardly wait for the copyright to run out, so I can create an isomorphic game with sensible, euphonic names and pleasant-looking pieces. WHY does anyone create ugliness when beauty is within easy reach? I suppose I could make my own version even now, but they deserve to make money on their invention from people like me as long as they're trying to, so eventually I'll probably buy their equipment. But not without gnashing my teeth.
25 comments displayed
Permalink to the exact comments currently displayed.