I spoke with the creator of Nightmares- here are his answers to my questions:
Q: Please describe your trading card game!
A: Nightmares is a dark fantasy/horror themed digital collectible card game. It takes place in a reality similar to our own where you and your opponent are both people who have a tendency to meddle with darker things. You’ve managed to open rifts into other realities, called Realms. You can cast spells and curses using the magic that exists in the realm, and call forth the nightmarish creatures that live in the realm to attack your opponent. The more you channel from the realm however the closer you move towards the brink of insanity. The game is a race to kill your opponent before the realm takes your sanity completely.
Q: What inspired you to create your own TCG?
A: I’ve played TCGs all throughout my life, they’ve always been my game of choice. Growing up I always wanted to create my own. I’m a software engineer in my day job, and with the advent of games like Hearthstone and Legends of Runeterra the idea of creating a Digital TCG was something that while very difficult, seemed achievable to me so I started on this journey and never looked back.
Q: What TCGs did you grow up playing as a kid?
A: I grew up playing Magic and YuGiOh mostly. The themes and artwork from some of the darker themed Magic sets always spoke to me, it’s a big part of what drove the aesthetic I’ve created with Nightmares. In more recent years I’ve been heavily invested in Hearthstone and Legends of Runeterra on the digital side and Flesh and Blood in the paper world.
Q: What sets Nightmares apart from other TCGs?
A: The big differentiator in Nightmares is its risk reward feed. It’s driven by a sanity system, both players start the game with 12 sanity. Each round your sanity lowers and you gain additional resources to play your cards with. When sanity hits zero the game is over, even if neither player has been defeated and the player with the most remaining life wins. It adds a sense of pressure/dread to the game, and gives the player constant motivation to drive the game forward. It also makes some card game staples, like ramp, very interesting. You ramp by intentionally lowering your sanity to get additional resources, with the understanding that if your sanity hits zero first you lose.
Q: How did you come up with the name Nightmares?
A: I wish I had a better story but when I was coming up with the premise of the game the name just kind of came to me. It just seemed to instantly fit the theme/feel I was going for with the game.
Q: How long have you been working on the game?
A: I’ve been working on Nightmares for about 5 years now. I made the decision early on not to use an engine, like unity, but rather to code everything by hand. It’s been challenging, but very rewarding to be able to control every aspect of the games design at such a low level.
Q: What is the illustration/design process like?
A: I have an artist that I’ve worked with pretty much since the beginning. He shares my vision for the game and is responsible for the vast majority of the artwork in the game. I’ve also come across several artists in our community whose work really speaks to me, so I’ve commissioned the artwork for several cards from a small subset of other artists. I like the additional flavor adding in different artists occasionally brings to the game.
Q: What are your future plans for Nightmares?
A: We’re a little over a month out from the initial launch of Nightmares on iOS (I’ll be posting all about the launch and the launch tournament I’m going to run shortly after launch in the very near future). Once the game is out I intend to add new cards to the core set every few weeks until we hit a critical mass, and then start developing expansions. Nightmares is a true passion project for me and I intend to continue supporting, expanding and improving it for years to come.
Q: Will you be at any upcoming conventions?
A: I don’t have any convention plans at the moment, but I plan to look for ways to be more and more involved in the community as the pressure of getting to initial launch subsides.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own TCG?
A: The best advice I can give is to create what you love regardless of how it may or may not be received and to enjoy the process. If your focus is purely on the possibility of success or the end state this probably isn’t for you. It’s a long and involved journey to get from inception to release, but if you’re truly passionate about what you’re creating you’ll love every second of it.
For more, follow @nightmaresccg on Instagram and check out https://linktr.ee/nightmaresccg?fbclid=IwAR2WGDZv5dUWug5mWfg8iDWiQi_XBmk1UIxOe8LRL_FUblfaWIfeaQOYMlI
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