Aha! I'm back! And what do I find when I return from my travels to Hospital-land?
A whole new world
with a great new game…Deckswabber! Will it replace Cheat as my favourite game?
Nah. No way. However, it is a strangely compelling and addictive game. It's
also a LOT more complex than it looks! So, I'm dividing this guide up into several
sections; one for the first round, one for all the other rounds, one for things
that are true no matter what, and a word on Treasure and Dubloons. So, as they
say….ON with the show!
The First Round
The first round is definitely the easiest. The bad guys are not very aggressive
and they don't move very fast. However, the time limit you have to get a "10"
time bonus is less, and the treasure payoffs are usually mediocre. Keep the
following things in mind as you play Round One of Deckswabber:
1) You will find Pirate Myncis and Cannons as your only enemies.
2) The treasure payoffs range from 5 to 75.
3) You will see a box with squares on the sides. This will make a predefined
number of columns of squares go back to their original brown.
4) The squares stay yellow NO MATTER how many times you hop on them.
The OTHER Rounds
Right, now things get tricky. In the 2nd round, you still only have to change
the squares from brown to yellow. The thing is, if you hop on them again, they
turn back to brown. Arrgh! The 5 levels are the same as in the first Round.
In the 3rd and 4th levels, you need to change the squares from brown to yellow
to red. Now, in Round 3 you start off on what was Level 2 in the previous rounds,
and get a new, even harder, Level 5 at the end. This is also where you are likely
to start seeing the Pirate Techo. Now, NOTHING will kill you faster (except
the Ghost Pirate) than a Pirate Techo. They don't do any more damage than the
other baddies, but they are FAR more aggressive. They'll chase after you, and
they're fast.
The only real differences I was able to discern between Rounds 3 and 4 is that
the squares change from red back to brown in Round 4 instead of back to yellow
as in round 3. Also, as always, the enemies get more and more aggressive, and
the payoffs get higher. If you get lucky, you might even find a Golden Chest,
which holds 100 "treasure points", worth 5 points at the end of the round.
I confess, I've never hit Round 5. The Pirate Techos always get me. Stupid
Pirate Techos. However, I can presume that this is where the Ghost Pirate makes
his appearance. Run, if you see him. RUN LIKE HECK. The Ghost Pirate can kill
your Blumaroo instantly. I'm not sure what kind of treasure payoffs are in Level
5, but if in Level 4 the Golden Chest shows up, there must be something good
in there. (: Anyway, keep these things in mind as you play the more advanced
levels of Deckswabber:
1) The squares do NOT stay yellow.
2) The Pirate Techos come to town.
3) The treasure payoffs increase.
4) The time that you can get the 10 time bonus in increases each Round.
5) The GHOST PIRATE shows up sometime!
Things That Stay True
Despite the apparent complexity of Deckswabber, there are some things that always
stay true. For your reading ease, I'm putting them in a handy list, as follows:
1) Play with the sound on. It helps you get a rhythm and move faster.
2) You cannot hop till your Blumaroo's little tail is back on the ground.
3) You cannot begin a hop at the same time as a pirate Mynci or Techo.
4) Move in patterns. That way you lessen your chances of having to backtrack.
5) Avoid your enemies if you can, but sometimes you just have to go through.
6) MOVE FAST. The faster you can complete a level, the less time the bad guys
have to come and get you.
7) The little flag is a HEALTH RESTORER. That is not the Ghost Pirate! Go after
that flag; it will restore your health back to 10!
8) Straight lines are generally faster to move in than squares or other patterns.
9) If you DO have to backtrack, there's a handy two-step you can do. Hop on
a square in front of the one you changed back to brown or yellow, then hop back
onto the square you changed. In Round 4 this becomes a 4-step, but oh well.
Repeat as needed.
Treasure and the Elusive Dubloon
One of the members of my guild once said "WHEN am I gonna get a Dubloon? I've
been playing and playing that stupid game!" I once wondered the same thing.
But it's simple. You just have to get over 300 points on Deckswabber, and a
One-Dubloon coin is yours. I am sure you can get higher "Dubloonage"
sometimes, I am just not sure how yet. Well, somebody's gotta know…and I'm sure
they'll Neomail me within a few days. Heehee.
Also, on the question of Treasure: What is it and what does it mean for me?
Treasure is the little coins and chests (not the square boxes with designs on
the sides) that hop around the Deck sometimes. The coins range in value from
5 to 20, and the chests range from 50 to 100, as far as I have seen. Maybe in
Level 5 they're higher. Stupid Pirate Techos. Anyway. The question also arises;
to Chase, or Not to Chase. Here are my rules for whether or not to Chase a coin
or treasure chest.
1) Chase if you're on the first level. Getting a 10 time bonus is tough anyway;
may as well get a few extra points while you're out there.
2) Chase on the other levels if it's not in an area you've turned your goal
color already.
3) Always chase a Golden Chest, unless there's a Pirate Techo or Ghost Pirate
in the way!
4) Don't chase if you are under your time limit for 10 points. It's just not
worth it, unless that's a Golden chest ye be after, Matey!
5) Besides treasure, you should also chase Health Bonuses and those darned little
boxes that change squares.
a)
Health Bonuses you should chase if you're low on health. Always!
b)
ALWAYS chase those boxes unless you're close to your last square and think you
can make it before the box explodes!
So there you have it; my personal tips for playing Deckswabber!
If you have played Deckswabber before and have gotten frustrated at the lack
of Dubloons, I hope this gives you the tips you need to go in there and win
big! If you've never played Deckswabber…why the heck not? It's free! Get out
there and kick some pirate Techo booty for me! | 
