Griftlands is a Roguelike Deckbuilder. It has an emphasis on story and contains three different characters, each with a unique story to play. The story is the same each time, but the outcomes are different.
Characters will like or hate you based on what you do during the game.
tl;dr
- Go around to different locations, talking to characters to learn about the world, shop for various items, and find quests
- Orange locations are limited time quests
- You can engage in battle or negotiation. They seem similar but with the themes changed.
- Battle is relatively straightforward. Play cards that do damage or add defense until the enemy’s health is low or empty.
- Negotiation is less straightforward. Each character has a “core argument” that represents their remaining “hit points” for the negotiation. You can play cards that add other arguments which swirl around you. These have various effects and must be argued to 0 in order to cancel the effect.
- At the end of a battle, the enemy will give up. You can accept their surrender or kill them. Killing them usually leaves one of their friends hating you.
- Characters who hate you may ambush you on your way to a location. They also contribute a bane which is a passive negative effect that is in effect all the time.
- Cards gain experience and can be upgraded with use
- You gain grafts which are like relics in many other roguelikes. They will apply to either battle or negotiation.