Charge (WIP)

Context

As part of my studies at Gamagora, one of the Game Design courses asked us to create a board game prototype. Having already worked on a Trading Card Game (TCG) concept, I pitched the idea to my teammates, who each contributed with their own ideas to help develop the project into its final form.

How to play ?

Charge! allows two players to face off in a card duel. It is based on the game of War one of the most accessible card game , but also adds a strategic dimension found in TCGs like Yu-Gi-Oh!

Each player can play their cards in attack mode (vertically) or defense mode (horizontally) and add a more strategic layer with bonus, penalty and terrain cards. Just like in War, the card with the highest value wins, most of the time...

Components

The game includes two similar decks of 20 cards, as well as tokens to improve readability. The artworks are designed to be scalable and adaptable to any existing franchise.

Role

As the person behind the idea of this project, I contributed the core concept of the TCG, blending War mechanics with Yu-Gi-Oh!, and then actively participated in refining the gameplay by adapting the rules based on playtest feedback to make the experience as enjoyable and accessible as possible.

From board game to video game

Noticing the potential of our game and wanting to gain more experience with Unity, I decided to adapt our board game into a video game.

At this point, the prototype is fully playable. While it lacks a few mechanics compared to the original game, the core mechanics are in place, and others have been added to align with the game’s original vision.

The differences from the board game

Compared to the board game, a monetary aspect has been added, allowing players to purchase new cards using in-game currency.

Cards now have a rarity level, and certain rooms are only accessible if player has at least one card of a certain rarity in his deck. A betting mechanic has also been added. At the start of the game, each player bets one of their cards as a prize to be won in the event of victory.

A card-lending mechanic is also included in case a player doesn’t have enough cards or money.

Players have a collection they can expand, which also allows them to change the contents of their deck between games.

All these additions bring a deck-building aspect that we would have liked to see in the board game, while introducing new mechanics.

What else ?

Eventually, I’d like to implement multiplayer functionality to enhance the social aspect of the game, which is so important to me. I’d also like to add the ability to trade cards and buy or sell individual cards, whether with the computer through the in-game store or with other players.

This would take the form of a marketplace where players can trade or sell their cards for in-game currency or other cards. Battles against real players are also a possibility.

In short

Both versions of the game can coexist, with the board game version serving as an accessible gateway to a video game featuring more complex mechanics and fully realizing the project’s potential by incorporating genuine deck-building and TCG mechanics.