The Premise and Standings
Each week we’ll face off in a best of three series playing a different board game from our collection. The winner claims the moniker of C&C Clash Champ for the week. The loser has to live with the fact that they may never be a main event level talent. The lesser player also gets to choose the game for the next week.
We will maintain a record of wins and losses throughout the year to see who finishes 2022 as the ultimate board game champ in our household.
Our current C&C Champion is Confetti after winning last week’s Rival Restaurants Rumble.
Pre-Clash Current Standings:
- Weekly Winner: 4 Chaos – 5 Confetti
- Individual game wins: 13 Chaos – 13 Confetti
After losing last week, Chaos has chosen Book It!: The Wrestling Promoter Card Game (Amazon Affiliate Link).
The Game: Book It!: The Wrestling Promoter Card Game
Book It! The Wrestling Promoter Card Game adds an interesting twist to the wrestling-based game genre. Instead of lacing up their boots and hitting the squared circle themselves, players will take on the role of the person running the wrestling company, the promoter. The goal is to build the best wrestling promotion: greatest reputation, highest rated matches, and of course, most profitable.
This is a card-based strategy game that will have players carefully managing all the elements that go into putting on a great wrestling show. Wrestling talent has to be signed and paid. Matches and show cards need to be put together. Wrestlers’ skill levels and fighting styles can’t be ignored or your show may not live up to the hype. Even which cities shows are performed in can be important. Different towns have different tastes.
Each round is another show that needs to be put together. Players want to have the best wrestling company, not just one good show. The use of money and talent needs to be used wisely and at the appropriate times.
Players may also consider purchasing special event cards to help themselves or possibly dirt sheet cards to hurt their opponents. Careful though, underhanded tactics could backfire if fans start to see your company in the wrong light.
Every promotion has its own identity: strong style, lucha libre, sports entertainment, hardcore, or hybrid. This will impact how well shows are received in different towns, what kind of matches should be put on, and which types of talent would be most beneficial to sign.
Running a successful wrestling promotion is no small feat. Do you have what it takes?
Chaos’ Pre-Clash Thoughts:
Last week didn’t go my way, but I realized my mis-steak with choosing Rival Restaurants. Confetti has always been more comfortable following recipes than me. I basically gave her the advantage. This week, I take back the advantage with Book It!. Confetti appreciates wrestling, but she doesn’t know it like I do. I’ll do whatever it takes to score the pinfall and win this series. Confetti better prepare for the board game equivalent of moves off the top rope and chair shots to the head because I’m bringing my A-game this week!
Confettis’ Pre-Clash Thoughts:
I’ve only played Book It! a few times before, and that was closer to when we first bought it. I seem to recall my winning record not being the best. I’ll definitely have to work hard to get some wins, especially since Chaos has a stronger foundation in wrestling than I do. Let’s see if I can extend my winning streak!
Game 1 –
In the first game, Chaos couldn’t resist running a lucha libre promotion, making luchadors more expensive for other players. Confetti opted for strong style, which lowered the price of strong style wrestlers for her.
Throughout most of the game, both players stayed neck and neck. Chaos slowly built up his jobber class starting cards into journeymen to give them a bit more oomph. Confetti leaned on signing wrestlers from the marketplace.
The big game changer was Chaos being able to capitalize on his secret production card, putting on all intergender matches during one round, which allowed him to gain seven reputation points at the end of the game. Confetti also completed one production card, but it did not reward her as well. She had to play three dirt sheet cards, in order to earn twenty extra money. Two of the three backfired and cost her reputation. The third, however, did prevent Chaos from being able to put on a full five matches, costing him big in one round. Chaos’ woes and the extra money didn’t completely offset Confetti’s time and reputation spent getting them.
In the end, Chaos’ lucha libre promotion claimed superiority.
Final score: Chaos 23 – Confetti 12
Game 2 –
Game two saw Chaos running a sport entertainment promotion (like WWE), and Confetti went with a hardcore promotion (like ECW or GCW).
This round both players went hard on the secret production cards, hoping to rack up secret reputation points for the end game. Both promoters were able to achieve early goals with gendered shows, shows without local talent, showcasing enough wrestlers with high workrate, etc. Late game, Confetti switched up tactics, no longer feeling confident in her ability to achieve her latest production goal.
Chaos, on the other hand, stubbornly pursued his latest production card: have a show with six journeymen. Unintentionally, he decided to run his sports entertainment promotion just like the real WWE of late. To put that in context, instead of signing wrestlers from the marketplace (indies), he focused on building up and showcasing his own homegrown talent. This strategy was time consuming and costly, but just like Vince McMahon, Chaos decided he’d rather make a dime his way than a dollar anyone else’s. Chaos did eventually achieve his goal, but would it be enough to help him, or would his run as the best promoter come to an end?
Turns out, there was a tie with the final scores. Since Book It! explicitly has no tie-breaker and says players share a victory, that’s what we had to do. Chaos allowed Confetti’s rival promotion to be seen as an equal. Again, we unintentionally mirrored WWE allowing AEW to really explode onto the wrestling scene. Also, boo ties!
Final scores: Chaos 26 – Confetti 26
Game 3 –
The final game felt a little odd going in. If Chaos won, he would regain the C&C Championship that has eluded him for weeks. If Confetti won, both players would now tie in the best-of-three series. Would they be co-champs for a week? Since they were playing a wrestling themed game, should they go with traditional wrestling rules, “in the event of a tie, the champion retains their title?” Or maybe they should go with the more dramatic wrestling convention of “there must be a winner!,” with the bell ringing, and them having to go at it until there was one true, decisive winner.
Like professional wrestlers, they decided to just take it to the ring and get to fighting. Rules and legalese could be settled later. In a reversal of the first game, Chaos ran strong strong, while Confetti put her money on lucha libre.
Round one did not go Confetti’s way as Chaos somehow kept purchasing every card she wanted right before she could. Frustration set in, and she began playing a bit more recklessly. She made big purchases and gambled on special cards. Like wrestlers jumping from the top rope, Confetti chose the life of high-risk, high-reward. Sadly, like so many, she ended up crashing to the mat without hitting her target.
Chaos stuck to building solid matches, directed somewhat by his attempts to fulfill his production requirements. Like the seasoned veteran, his tactics weren’t flashy, but they were effective.
In the end, Chaos got the 1-2-3 and saved us from having to deal with a strange tie scenario. Hit his theme music and let him play to the crowd. We have an undisputed winner!
Final score: Chaos – 29, Confetti 16
Your winner and NEW C&C Clash Champion, Chaos!
Chaos’ Post-Clash Thoughts:
The curse is broken! I climbed the ladder back to the top and I grabbed the fabled brass ring! The air at the top of the mountain tastes sweet, and I have no plans on coming back down! I’m addicted to the high of victory! Confetti may get to name the stipulation for our next match (game), but it doesn’t matter. The reign of Chaos has been reignited, and this fire won’t be going out any time soon. The (metaphorical) gold belt around my waist feels right, which means I won’t be caught with my pants down again. The champ is here!
Confetti’s Post-Clash Thoughts:
I’m not super surprised I lost because wrestling has always been more of Chaos’ thing anyways. Book It! was still fun though, even if I let my emotions start to run high in the last game. It’s good to let Chaos feel like a winner sometimes, I guess. I’ll have to come up with a good game for next week.
Next Week: Confetti chooses Here to Slay, a competitive fantasy strategy card game. Prepare for adorable battle!
Chaos & Confetti 