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Many recent games have utilized the new “free to play” business model, in which the game itself is free but players are encouraged to make small purchases, known as “microtransactions”, while playing. Purchases can range from purely cosmetic items to convenience features (reduced waiting times, single-use boosts) to major upgrades that have big impacts on the game. Multiplayer games especially have had great success with this model; since the game is free there are always a lot of players to keep things interesting, and only a small percentage need to spend money for the game to be profitable. But many players (especially older players accustomed to purchasing games with a single transaction) decry the free to play model, citing constant pestering to make purchases and game designs that ignore artistry and vision in favor of squeezing money from players. This certainly can happen, but it’s a mistake to denounce all free to play games on the basis of a few bad ones. There are plenty of games for which the model works very well, garnering both critical praise and popular support. One such game is Card Hunter by Blue Manchu Games, and it’s the perfect game to convince older, curmudgeonly players that free to play isn’t so bad after all. Why? Because it’s an homage to a beloved, classic genre that’s older than even the earliest computer game: the tabletop role-playing game.