I recommend this if you want an action manhwa set in a god game with an OP and smart MC
WEBTOONPlot Summary
Yul Choi was taken along with his city to play in a board game.
Their city is a piece and a god/cosmic entity is their player.
To survive, they must complete missions or their piece will be destroyed.
In their first mission, Yul acquires an all-knowing book and uses it to complete the mission.
However, the book contains a drawback Yul wasn’t aware of which turns him into a villain in the eyes of the people.
But despite their hatred, Yul embraces his villainhood to ensure as many people survive as possible.
My Thoughts (Contains Minor Spoilers)
TL;DR Fun read overall though the pacing is rushed
Setting/Themes
God’s Gambit starts off similar to Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.
An entire city has been sent to another dimension to play in a game that they can’t refuse.
And while Yul didn’t know about the game beforehand, his book of knowledge puts him in a similar position to Dokja.
What sets him apart from Dokja though is the guilt he carries from accidentally killing people early on.
Guilt is a recurring theme as Yul cannot forget what he’s done but must also make difficult decisions later on.
The story also has themes of people coming together in a crisis and how we can adapt.
The adaptation part could be developed a little more in a certain area though.
It feels like the story mostly focuses on people who immediately adapt to the fact they’re in a death game and not much else.
While it’s great everyone is able to find ways to survive and sustain themselves relatively quickly, I think there’s value in seeing people struggle with change at first.
And this might be due to the relatively small episode count.
Not to dissuade you, but the manhwa looks like it’s heading towards a slightly rushed ending.
Could be because it’s not very popular on WEBTOON, which is a damn shame.
But I think it could still end on a good note and it would be better than forcing the story to drag on.
Game
The game mechanics are not entirely clear though we do get more information the further we get into the story.
This seems intentional so as to not give Yul’s plans away.
The city is a piece on a board game and is moved by a player when they roll a die on each turn.
The people inside can get stronger from the rewards they receive through completing missions.
This can be stats or equipment.
And those missions can vary, from defeating an enemy to treasure hunting.
Though they mostly require a team effort to complete.
And failure to complete any mission leads to everyone’s death.
As a result, there’s a lot more unity from the beginning.
The player can also aid the city by using cards similar to a deck-building game.
How they get those cards isn’t explicitly explained.
What we do know is they can directly affect a battle or how a piece does its turn.
The players themselves are never fully explained beyond being cosmic entities.
Protagonist
In addition to being OP, Yul is both an encyclopedia and tactician.
He’s an encyclopedia for obvious reasons, but how he uses it makes him stand out.
Yul uses the information to plan out fights for the lower-level citizens in a way they’ll benefit.
They get rewards so more people survive in the long term.
No one could’ve stopped him if he chose to hoard the rewards for himself but he chose not to.
Which speaks to his character.
Another aspect of his is he doesn’t let genre-typical problem characters continue to be problems.
I’ve noticed this happening more often in newer manhwa where the protagonist will remove troublemakers instead of letting them do as they please.
All of which to say, he’s a very good leader even if nearly everyone hates him.
Side Characters
The majority of the side characters are pretty fleshed out.
Though these are all characters who have quickly gotten used to the current situation.
We get brief glimpses into those struggling with their new reality but not much beyond that.
Two of the most notable side characters are Lieutenant Gwon and Hyeju.
They’re the only people who know Yul isn’t evil though they don’t fully understand his plans.
And I’m glad their relationship started out this way.
The author could’ve made them believe they were betrayed by Yul which would’ve made him truly isolated and the atmosphere of the story much heavier.
Another thing about these two is the fact they’re leaders of two factions.
Those two factions also frequently work together so there’s not much to mention besides the types of people in them.
Gwon’s faction is the military faction, made up of current and previously enlisted military personnel.
Hyeju’s faction is the idol/people’s faction.
While Hyeju isn’t actually an idol, her appearance and strength caused people to look towards her for leadership.
Another character of note is Krashina.
He first starts as an antagonist, forcing Yul to do his bidding until it’s no longer necessary.
His relationship with Yul then begins to change as the story veers into existential territory.
This was going well until the rushed ending.
While I feel like his character development took an interesting turn in later chapters, he should’ve had a personal arc before that.
If you’ve read this far, you should go ahead and give God’s Gambit a try!
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