I snuck out in a previous Tumblr that we were developing a card game for the brilliant Valiant Universe comics. Now that everything but the final rules have approved by Valiant (and those rules likely heading to them this week), gonna start rolling out details on that game across the next few months; it’ll be releasing next summer.

Here’s the quick description:



You command an organization—the Harbinger Foundation, the Renegades,

Project Rising Spirit, and more—attempting to seize a secret Alcatraz base known as the Facility. Purchase cards to craft a unique deck, and battle your way through the ever-changing Facility grid that moves during play to gain access to a card or damage another player. Maneuver your superhero miniatures to battle it out with other superheroes for ultimate control!

First, for those paying attention, yes, that does sound surprisingly like the next RPG book, Transcendent’s Edge, which will release in the Spring. That’s because it is set in that same, secret Facility!

Second…”Not another deck building game?!”I know, I know, there’s a lot of ‘em out there. Then again, I really don’t think the field has been plumbed by any stretch. I still see the potential for great, new twists that take that core of the deck building and move it in new directions (as we did with Shadowrun: Crossfire).

Several years ago we attended a Gen Con “speed dating” event where game developers are given a chance to spend five minutes pitching their game to publishers. In a given two hour block we’re talking 20 to 30 game designs.



Our just published Wrath of Dragons came out of just such a design speed dating, and this game does as well, though it’s a little more circuitous route than Wrath.

This game was called Installation 42 and was designed by Team Weasel (great group of designers). On that site you can even download the rules, or get a full print & play of that game made and shipped. It’s a fun, great take on deck building that features a mobile game board of cards as its distinctive feature.

However, we worked heavily with them and while the main core of that game still survives, it’s been thoroughly worked over to be have what we hope is smoother game play that really provides a wonderful Valiant experience along the way of just a fun evening of gaming. And not only does it still retain that unique mobile board element, but as I roll out more of these behind-the-scenes work on this game I’ll reveal the other unique element in this game as well.

Enjoy!

Randall