A bit of a preamble. . .
Prior to the start of the shutdowns of 2020, the Rise of the Gods prototype had been making its rounds at local game stores and conventions. The plan was to piggyback off the advertising brought on by Emerald City Comic Con 2020 to spread awareness about a crowd-funding launch in June. Already that year, Rise of the Gods had been to OrcaCon and NerdFaire, and quotes from manufacturers, fulfillment agencies, and content creators were attained well in advance to ensure the smoothest production possible.
Well, we all know how the rest of that year went. Suffice to say, the game lapsed into a period of hibernation for a time, with the hopes that things would return to normal soon enough.
While “normal” still hasn’t returned, we’ve still come a long way. Thus, Rise of the Gods is being reborn. This new version comes with significant improvements over the last, enough so that it’s essentially getting a reboot. Here in this post we’ll re-introduce the game as a whole and talk about where we plan to take it into the future. Let’s go!
Re Introducing
Dragonwatt Games Presents
Venture into Palandor, a world where a pantheon of mighty gods once walked among humankind.
Currently, the gods have secluded themselves to their immortal plane, preferring to leave the fate of humanity within its own hands. But an ancient foe has been awakened, sowing chaos and destruction with every breath it takes. In this perilous time, the mortals of Palandor have little hope to survive . . . Unless they can convince the gods to intervene on their behalf and rise once again.
This is the Rise of the Gods!
A Twist on the Card Game Genre
In Rise of the Gods, two players take turns battling it out across the table, with 60-card decks full of unique strategies and slick combos all their own. Similar to other card games, the premise is simple: to reduce your opponent’s health down to zero. Only then can you earn your chosen god’s favor and usher in a new, glorious age in their name! However, there’s a lot more to it than just that.
The play field in Rise of the Gods is divided into distinct parts called realms. Each player controls their own Sanctuary, the realm where they summon their followers. Followers represent the people and creatures you can find around the world of Palandor, and they’re eager to prove their loyalty to the cause.
Between both players’ Sanctuaries is another realm, called the Outlands. This is where you send your followers into combat!
This separation between Sanctuary and the Outlands drives a lot of the game’s strategy, but not just because you have to time your combat carefully. Rather, the difference in realms can change the function of your cards altogether, best seen with the domain card type. Domains usually have effects that are realm-specific, making their placement on the field a tricky judgment call depending on the flow of each game.
An Innovative Resource System
Many titles attempt to “fix” the randomness of card games with dependable, risk-free resource management, such as automatically generating one resource per turn. But that’s a fine line to walk when trying to balance your game’s power level. Plus, a single, universal resource puts arbitrary restrictions on deckbuilding, making it so you can’t mix cards across factions to your taste.
Then there’s the traditional method that has you build your deck with the resources inside of it, requiring you to draw them. Yet, being resource-starved due to bad luck means sometimes you can’t even play the game!
So Rise of the Gods has merged the two systems into a new solution. It took the dependability of a steady income stream and combined it with the ability to build decks with no faction restrictions and created aether.
By itself, Aether is a colorless, factionless resource. But there is also a type of card called the Aether Sphere, which comes in every flavor of the game’s devotions.
At the start of your turn, you generate 1 free colorless aether in your fountain (resource pool). Then later on your turn, you may shape it into an aether sphere from your hand, thus coloring it. Now you can spend it to pay for cards with specific cost requirements.
But don’t worry! You won’t always be screwed if you’re short on spheres. That’s because many cards come with alternative costs that don’t require any specific type of aether, allowing you to still play them in a pinch for a slightly higher rate with any of the aether in your fountain — including the colorless stuff.
Ask the Gods for Help
Lastly, how could a game like this be complete without a cast of almighty gods? That’s right, in Rise of the Gods, you play alongside the titular deities, each with their own special powers that they can contribute to your adventure.
These powers are called Godsends. They’re essentially repeatable abilities you can activate once per turn, allowing you to weave your deck’s strategy around them as much or as little as you choose. And by placing Offering cards at the two shrines that are located on either side of the field, you can upgrade your godsend with even more effects!
Be the First to Get to Know the Game!
Rise of the Gods is still being developed, but you can play the prototype version on Steam® if you own a copy of Tabletop Simulator. Click here to visit www.RiseoftheGods.com/Play to learn more!
If you live in the Seattle area, you can also play the game live in person at these upcoming conventions:
- Dragonflight – Oct. 29-31
- Emerald City Comic Con – Dec. 2-5
While the game is in development, your feedback is wanted and may even help to improve it. And of course, your continued support will ensure the game becomes a success when its crowd-funding campaign eventually launches.
If you want to help, you can sign up to the Dragonwatt Games newsletter to receive notices about the game and local events, or follow us on Twitter. And of course, feel free to share with your friends!
Thanks for stopping by. We look forward to playing with you!
