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!

Compact Heroes

I want to take a moment to endorse a really cool endeavor.  Rob Waibel, a retired Army veteran and long-timed RPG designer, has created a card-based role-playing game specifically designed to be small and portable.  This is very handy for soldiers, who may want to play a good RPG but can't afford the weight and space of the plethora of books required for many RPGs.

Rob is using Kickstarter to fund the initial printing of the game, called Compact Heroes.  Not only is the game perfect for anyone that needs to be able to pack up their stuff and move easily (I'm looking at you, college students), but for every copy sold, Rob will donate $1 to a Veteran's Charity.

I encourage you to support Rob in his new game design.  It's fun, portable, and a unique take on role-playing games.  And it happens to support those who put their lives on the line to defend us and our country.

Compact Heroes

BattleCON!

Sounds like a good name for a game convention, right?  It's actually the title of an interesting fighting game that may or may not be coming out this year.  (I think it's short for Battle Connection.)

The game is based on good ol' 2D fighting games like Smash Bros. (which is technically 3D, but the mechanics of the game only utilize 2D space), Mortal Combat, Soul Caliber, etc.

Each player fights with a chosen character and that character's corresponding pre-constructed deck.  Attacks and defensive moves are made by creating "attack pairs."  Each character has his or her own unique style, which, combined with basic moves such as Strike or Drive, create a move.  Each character can combine at least three unique styles with the seven basic moves to create a wide variety of attacks and blocks.

(I was totally going to copy and paste a cool image from the BattleCON website, but it doesn't want to load.  Sigh.)

I'd go into more detail about the game, but an excellent write-up can already be found here.

What I really wanted to talk about was the fact that the game might NOT get published.  That would make me very sad.  The designer is producing the game himself, and has already calculated the cost required.  He has a print company lined up to produce the cards and such, he just needs to be able to pay them!  Here's where you can help.  KickStarter.com provides ordinary people like you and I the chance to pledge money to projects such as this.  Those who pledge thirty dollars or more will receive a copy of BattleCON, as well as one of three promotional characters who will not initially be available in stores.  Which basically means you're preordering the game.  Those who pledge forty dollars or more will receive BattleCON and all three promotional characters.  Which basically means you're preordering the deluxe edition of the game.  There are additional prizes for larger pledges.

You don't have to pay the money right away, and if the project does not reach its goal of $6000 by April 21, you don't have to pay anything at all.  If the project does reach the target amount, then your Amazon account will be charged and you will be sent prizes according to the amount you pledged. 

More information about BattleCON and its KickStarter project can be found here.

Help support the cause!  Let's make this cool fighting game a reality!