ECG Interview #1: Discovery

 I spoke with the creator of Discovery- here are his answers to my questions:

Q: Please describe your card game!

A: Discovery the Expandable Card Game is a 1v1 fantasy dueling card game with some really unique twists to make it feel distinct. For example, our resource system is tied directly into deckbuilding, and exists independently of your deck, with a smaller cap on how much Energy players have each turn, while also building toward an additional, powerful effect when you've reached the maximum limit. The artwork to accompany this system is also amazing, featuring a single monument, scene or vista that's revealed turn by turn, completing the image when your Energy cap has been reached.

Q: What inspired you to create a card game?

A: I'm an avid player of tabletop roleplaying games, and designing encounters or puzzles for my players has always interested me. When I played other card games competitively, I loved theorising about potential rule changes, game modes or cards that could come out, and I started to make my own from there. I quickly realised that these thought experiments scratched that same creative itch as designing for TTRPGs, and I decided to commit to a project that eventually evolved into Discovery!

Q: What card games did you grow up playing as a kid?

A: Yu-Gi-Oh was my only experience with card games in my youth. I ran a lunchtime club to play it when I was around 10, and eventually played at lunch breaks in high school too! It wasn't until I got a little older that I turned to playing competitively, but the experience is like no other!

Q: What sets Discovery apart from other games?

A: We wanted to create a game that is as customizable as it is deep, so we made a number of changes to how you build a deck, and how you start the game. One of the simplest and most effective changes is that players start with some cards in their hand before the game even begins! The first turn player chooses one card from their deck to include in their opening hand, and the second turn player chooses two cards. The way our playtesters have interacted with this system has been amazing! Where some people start with an opening play, others commit to the long game, guaranteeing they have a key combo piece from the start. This is just one thing that separates Discovery from the rest, and it gets even more unique from there!

Q: How long have you been working on the game?

A: Six years, on and off. There's been a lot of changes to the game in that time, so I couldn't have spent any less time on it.

Q: How did you come up with the name Discovery?

A: Discovery really came about because of a mechanic in the game that needed a name, and the fact that I was looking for a word that could be turned into an ambigram for our logo. A few words were thrown around, and when I clocked that Discovery had an odd number of letters, I was sold from there - everything began to slot into place!

Q: What is the illustration/design process for the game?

A: Despite the fact that we've been sharing our designs first, our art always follows our mechanics. First, I'd brainstorm concepts before running them past the team and iterating on the best ones, and only then think of what weird and wonderful creatures could represent those effects. Then it's just a matter of approaching a talented artist who's interested in the pitch, and working alongside them to create something both parties are proud of! This philosophy has created some really amazing designs, such as Pseudonymph - a shapeshifting fey creature that copies the names and appearances of whomever they choose, and the Maple Dreadcatcher - a twisted dream catcher that's been brought to life by the very nightmares it once stopped, now appearing time and time again as a haunting marionette.

Q: When will the game officially be released?

A: The official release is likely to be some time in 2024, but that all depends on how our Kickstarter goes this June! 

Q: What are your future plans for the game?

A: As an expandable card game, the plan is to add even more sets of content for the foreseeable future. We have lots of ideas on the back burner for more game modes, archetypes and mechanics, but the dream is to tie card releases in with real-world lore from in-person events, weaving a story from the situations that our players created. No matter what, we're excited to see what can become of our little project.

Q: Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own card game?

A: Take your time, talk with others about your ideas, and playtest as early and as often as you can. Find someone who will tell you when your idea sucks, and learn from your mistakes - this is a process, just try and enjoy it!

For more, follow discoveryecg on Instagram and their Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/echovalegames/discovery-the-expandable-card-game