Q: Please describe your trading card game!
A: To me, Black Saber is more than just a card game, it's an amalgamation of pure passion. The game is my a way of telling a story that has been developing for more than a decade. I tried to take story telling and strategic gameplay and mash them together to create a unique experience. Black Saber is set in a fantasy world dominated by evil organizations, heroic rebels and fearless warriors. Everywhere you go, there is more lore to be discovered.
Q: What inspired you to create your own TCG?
A: It was a combination of things. I started my TCG creators journey a couple of months into the Covid pandemic, I wanted to learn and experience new things but was limited because of it. Then came around Inktober, a challenge where artists hone their skills by creating art every single day in the month of October.
I decided to try it out as well but with a personal theme, I wanted to create artwork based on a story I started writing as a kid. And to add onto that challenge, I figured it would be a great idea to take this and turn it into a project I could turn into school credit. Since I still needed credit for an interdisciplinary project, I decided to try and learn the basics of game design by creating a card game with my artwork. And from there it was just trial and error, learning by doing and refining what I learned.
Q: What TCGs did you grow up playing as a kid?
A: Oh for sure, I have always been a big fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! I've collected cards ever since I can remember. I tried the Pokémon card game as well, and while I did like the anime, I never did get the hang of it.
Q: What sets Black Saber apart from other TCGs?
A: In the duration that I’ve been a card game creator, I’ve realized that the main thing that sets most card games apart is not their mechanical gameplay, it’s their personality. I’ve seen games from amazing people who put a lot of themselves into their work, the way they draw, the way they write, all of it adds up. I like to think that Black Saber has that as well, the game holds pieces of things I grew up with and enjoyed, storywise, characters wise and mechanically.
To be more specific, each character/ combat card has a place in the story and has lore to back it up. I don’t just think of a name and face and call it a day. I write backgrounds for all my characters, despite most of them not needing any of it. Likewise, I treat the game as if it were an RPG cards have classes, alignments, and allies can encourage each other by boosting their stats. All these things make the game feel like it’s unique in its own way.
Q: How did you come up with the name Black Saber?
A: Well it's a long story, but in short, the story that I originally wrote was called Sabertooth since it was about a boy called Saber with a tooth neckless. That name never really sat right with me, so eventually I decided to give Saber the surname Black. You might have already guessed it, but that's how I got the name Black Saber, both as the title for my story and the name of the game.
Q: How long have you been working on the game?
A: I think I'm one of the newer faces within this community, at least, that's how it feels like. I started this adventure just now on October 1st 2020. The lore behind the game however has been in the works ever since around 2008 I believe.
Q: What is the illustration/design process like?
A: The illustration process is both my most and least favorite part. I absolutely love drawing things for my game, every time I try to challenge myself to do something new, or use a technique I'm not familiar with. It's amazing. But it's also a nightmare when I stare at the list of cards that need art and I have absolutely no idea where to even start or how they would look like. I often find myself looking at things I see outside on my way to work, or browsing random images on Google to find some inspiration.
Q: What are your future plans for Black Saber?
A: Of course, my dream would be to create a game that people love to play on a daily basis. It’s something I’m slowly working towards, but finding a healthy balance between work, game development and life is harder than I had imagined. So for now, I’ll keep on doing what I can, when I can and in the future, who knows you might just see Black Saber appear in your local card shops.
Q: Will you be at any upcoming conventions?
A: I'd absolutely love to go one day, however, I don't think my game has matured enough just yet for something as grand as a convention.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own TCG?
A: Grab a pen and some paper, this part is really important, so listen closely. Use the pen and draw your first trading card. Congratulations, you’re one step closer to making your first ever TCG. No, but in all seriousness, look up your favorite card games and try to dissect how they really work, down to their core. Understanding how a TCG works in its most basic state will help you reverse engineer the process.
My mistake was only using the knowledge I had at the time to lay my foundation, which was the cause for a lot of reworks. Which brings me to my next piece of advice, don’t be afraid to fail and start over. Failing is just a cheat code to learning, as long as you fail forward. Meaning, you’re able to learn from your mistakes. Good luck to all future creators, can’t wait to meet you all one day.
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