J-AWE Dropping Design

Andreas Propst, famed designer of such indie board game hits as Elemental Clash, Space Clash, and Biomechanical Dino Battles, is at it again.

Andi has a strong track record of taking solid game ideas and evolving them into polished products that are easy to learn, but with plenty of depth and strategy, and most of all, fun.  Now he has launched a Kickstarter campaign for his latest creation:  AWE - Antediluvian Wars: Extermination!

Check out the Kickstarter campaign here!

AWWWWWWE YEEEEEAAAAAHH!!

AWE is exactly the kind of game I always wanted to design--an expandable, compact, two-player competitive card game in which each card can be used in multiple ways.  The versatility of the cards gives players a lot of interesting tactical decisions throughout the game.

As you can see in the example card below, each card can be used in three main ways.  Played right-side up, it is a creature that will stay on the board and fight for your cause until it is killed or you win the game.  Played upside-down, it is a one-shot event that will have an effect and then be discarded.  Played sideways, the card acts as a resource, allowing you to play more cards to bring your opponent to his or her knees.

And check out that stellar art!

There's even a handy diagram to explain the concept:

Simple mechanic, tons of depth.  Each card immediately presents the player with three different decisions, and the choice the player makes will lead to further decisions.  When do I attack?  What do I target?  How do I allocate my resources?

In AWE, each player takes on the role of a God of one of four unique factions:  Mu, Lemuria, Atlantis, and Hyperborea.  Each God has two unique abilities that will give players an edge throughout the game.  Each faction has a different flavor and unique emphases.

Will you play as the Lemurians, dark-skinned masters of long-lost technologies such as flying warships and Thunderrods?

Perhaps you are more drawn to Hyperboreans, stout northerners who ride woolly rhinos and mammoths into battle to destroy their enemies with gunpowder and steam-powered weaponry?

Maybe you feel a connection with the sea-faring Atlanteans and their well-organized and well-trained infantry and cavalry--not to mention their ability to summon mighty sea serpents to do battle alongside them.

Or do the shamanistic Muans appeal to you with their powerful and versatile magic and their deep connection with nature?

Whatever you choose, you won't be wrong!

Unless of course you choose the Atlanteans.  Those guys are chumps!

Want to make sure this is your kind of game?  You can read the full game rules here.

Still not convinced?  Check out Andi's latest blog post, detailing the history of the game's creation!

The Kickstarter has already broken $1100 and is on its way to making the game a reality.  If this game sounds AWEsome to you, please consider backing it!  I already have, and I'm excited to get the game into my hands and the hands of my friends and family.  

If you're strapped for funds, please feel free to help spread the word by sharing the project on Facebook, Twitter, or on your blog.

Thanks for reading!