CastlesTCG starter decks now available!
With the arrival of the prototypes I have checked and corrected any issues/errors with the prototypes and have begun getting ready for launch. This picture includes all the cards for both decks as well as the rulebook.
Castles is a trading card game I am developing. Currently their are 20 cards planned for release in the first set which will be sold as two separate starter decks. An expansion with both a new starter deck and a booster box will follow.
Each set will have cards based on one or more of the works I have have written, such as my short stories and books. There will be four rarities: common, uncommon, rare and unique. Cards will be purchasable in packs, boxes and starter decks.
As of writing Castles is undergoing art production. Currently Castle rule-set is in Alpha 2.4.
Initial designing and testing has been completed.
The card template has been finished along with most of the card art. After commissioning the last of the card art, card backs and icons I will move on to the next phase.
Because of budgetary constraints, many of the cards intended for production had to be cut for the initial release. Once the final line-up of cards is finished I have the starter decks playtested for balance.
At this point I will order copies of the cards from gamecrafters to check the print and card quality. I don't expect any difficulties, but it is always better to check.
With everything in order it will be time to release the first two starter decks: Northern Frost and Divine Sacrifice.
Post Release there is another starter deck planned called Imperial Alliance. Then the cards from all three starters and the remaining cut cards will be added to the Dark Winter Booster set to be released at some point in the future.
Castles still has a lot to do before getting into print.
The play-testing is pretty much done. I'll play games when able in case there is something I missed in the balancing, but the core mechanics are fun and easy to learn.
The primary goal now is being designing the cards. I've budgeted money to have
a couple cards completed every month. As we get closer to the Dark God's release I may increase the monthly design budget.
For production I will likely use game crafters. I ordered a few indie tcgs off the site and found that the quality was good, plus they now do foil cards. It also means I don't have to handle the production of the cards myself making this more sustainable long term. Obviously I will have to order test batches to verify the quality of the designs and cards, but I am optimistic I can make something good.