deck-building-game
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War of Omens CCG strives to cross Kickstarter finish line
War of Omens, a deck-building CCG by Fifth Column Games, is making an attempt to meet its Kickstarter funding goal by January 13th. The game is set in a dark fantasy world and has three factions to which you can pledge loyalty and undying devotion. The devs describe War of Omens a hybrid between deck-building games like Dominion and traditional collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering. Players will purchase cards during play that will then be shuffled into their inventory for future rotation. There are also resources to collect and use during the course of a match. Fifth Column is asking for $30,000 in funding to finish the title. As added incentive to donate, all those who chip in $10 or more will be given an early access beta key. You can get a look at how a battle works after the break. [Thanks to Mike for the tip!]
Cryptozoic announces World of Warcraft: Clash of Champions deckbuilding game
Cryptozoic, the creative minds behind the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, have just announced a brand new WoW project called World of Warcraft: Clash of Champions. This stand-alone deck building card game pits players against famous raid bosses from WoW's history such as Ragnaros, Onyxia, and the Lich King while playing as some of Azeroth's greatest heroes. Thrall, Jaina, Varian, Garrosh, Sylvanas, and Magni Bronzebeard are all available for players to choose. If you've never played a deck building card game, the general goal is to accumulate cards to build yourself a larger and more powerful deck of cards, allowing you more levels of control and strategy to defeat challenges that the game throws at you and to compete against your fellow players. You start off with a few cards and through various means purchase or earn cards to build your deck based on the decisions you make. Fans of the wonderful deck building game Dominion know the drill. Cryptozoic is adding a twist to the genre with the new ability for your hero to level up after a boss is defeated, granting new powers and abilities for your deck. One of the best parts about deck building games is how easy it is to incorporate expansion packs, new factions, and heroes. Clash of Champions looks promising enough to become its own universe, infinitely expandable for all different types of playstyles. World of Warcraft: Clash of Champions is coming in early 2012 and will retail for $44.99. Look for it soon.
Daily iPhone App: Ascension
I do enjoy Shadow Era, and Hothead's Kard Combat is excellent as well, but my new favorite deck-building card game on the App Store is Ascension, based on the real-life title by Gary Games. There's a lot of similarities to the great card game Dominion, in that you build a deck up as you play the game, rather than having to rely on a pre-built deck. As you add new summons to your deck and "slay" monsters, you earn honor from a limited pool, eventually trying to finish the game with more honor than your opponent. The game is well-balanced, and while strategy at the beginning of the game is pretty simple, it really ramps up as your deck is established, with different summons both affecting the cards you play and what kinds of powers you can earn as you go along. The cards are all hand-drawn, easy to read and look great. Once you figure out how to play (there's an extensive tutorial to teach you), games move along at a solid pace. It's an excellent card game, and quite original in terms of how it's balanced and how it plays. And of course Game Center integration and asychronous multiplayer add a few solid selling points as well. Ascension (subtitled Chronicle of the Godslayer) is available for US$4.99 as a universal app. If you are into these types of card games at all, definitely check it out.
