I spoke with the creator of Soul-Gates! Here are his answers to my questions:
Q: Please describe your trading card game!
A: Soul-Gates is a strategic tactical card game played on a grid and features a unique way to play your cards. You embody one of the five Emperors and fight to see who will reign over the realm.
Q: What inspired you to create your own TCG?
A: I always loved playing card games and tabletop games as long as I can remember. However, as we often could not afford to buy them, I could only play these games at our local library or only watch other kids on the playground play and duel each other. The urge to share these games with my family lead to me making them myself at home with only scissors, pens and used papers. Through the years I made a lot of games that way and also started to create my own games and shared them with my little cousins and friends. Unfortunately that kind of stopped when I got busy with university and work. During Covid, when one was forced to stay at home, I discovered the whole HTCG community which inspired me again to pick up where my teenage self left of and I started creating Soul-Gates.
Q: What TCGs did you grow up playing as a kid?
A: My first cards I owned physically were Yu-Gi-Oh! cards which the other kids did not want and therefore gifted to me. A good friend one day gave me the Pokémon Theme Deck “Overgrowth” for my birthday. As we had no sleeves back in the day (or rather couldn’t afford them) and because I played a lot with them the condition of the cards are sadly terrible… Magic was only played by the older kids and they were too cool to ever let us play with them, so I never really got into it unfortunately. My first real tournament and game that I played on a more serious note (and got the rules right) was Yu-Gi-Oh!, but it was in my late-teens (around the Synchro Era) and until Master Rules 3 got announced.
Q: What sets Soul-Gates apart from other TCGs?
A: When I first started creating Soul-Gates I tried to integrate as many cool mechanics as possible, that I deeply enjoyed and optimized them to fit into the overall gameplay without it feeling too crowded. As I am also a big tabletop fan I tried to fuse the best aspects from boardgames to the standard TCG games and therefore decided to have it be played on a grid to also simulate a battlefield without it losing too much of its “TCG-identity”. (I however realized later on that grid-based card games are not that “unique” at all but are quite niche nonetheless). I spent a lot of time working on optimizing it and to also come up with the resource system. This leads to the Soul-Gates and World-Cycle system where you can channel Five Elements to different Elements depending on the current Cycle. It is inspired by The Five Elements and leads to interesting and unique game choices and gameplay which in my opinion sets Soul-Gates apart from other TCGs.
Q: How did you come up with the name Soul-Gates?
A: To be honest, I tried to come up with a catchy name and started out with the prototype name ChaosElementZ (Yes, with a Z at the end, standing for Zodiac). As I was going for a more mythical fantasy theme because of the inspiration I got from the Five Elements, I imagined the Elements that you started with to be Gates to the Soul of the Emperors (the Leader-Cards) and therefore later called them that way. I then later decided to name my game according to the most unique aspect of the game, which was the Soul-Gates. And to be me they sounded catchy enough J
Q: How long have you been working on the game?
A: I have been working on the game for over 3 years now. The first concept and gameplay of the first draft was however completely different than what I finally ended up with. It was a very enjoyable journey, where I learned a lot and am still learning from. And the journey is still long away from being over.
Q: What is the illustration/design process like?
A: Actually, there are several different design process I tackle. In the beginning I came up with the different identities of the five Elements based on game style and mechanics and try to match them to the Five Elements inspiration for the game. I took playstyles that I enjoyed myself playing and wanted to include in my game. After adjusting these game mechanics to my game and playtesting them I then try to come up with art concepts that matches it. With this done, I usually try to see what I can further do with the existing unique mechanics of my game. The art concepts often are either inspired by the game mechanic or inspired through the lore of the game. I have also very talented artist friends,who from time to time come up with very nice art concepts which I then take and try to turn into a card that matches the aesthetic.
Q: What are your future plans for Soul-Gates?
A: I have just finished the first Battle Box for the Elements Wood and Earth and am currently working on the other cards for the remaining Elements in order to hopefully finish the first set soon this year, as Soul-Gates is still a TCG after all and it need its Boosters (lol). There will be also Themed Decks for the other 3 Elements with Metal being the next Element. My goal that I am working towards to is to establish a solid player base that enjoys the game, where I can host tournaments and just have a good time with them.
Q: Will you be at any upcoming conventions?
A: There are unfortunately not a lot of conventions that allow you to showcase your game here in Germany, nonetheless I try to bring my game to any conventions I can attend. Hopefully one day I can also travel to the States and attend the many Card Game Conventions there with my game.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own TCG?
A: Be patient, creating a game can be a really long and frustrating process and in the beginning you will not get your game right. It also happens that the first few comments are more negative rather than positive, but do not let that drag you down, but rather filter out the constructive criticisms and use it to improve your game. At the end of the day however, as long as you thoroughly enjoy your game and the creation process, it will be worth it.
For more, follow @soulgatestcg on Instagram and check out
https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/soul-gates-tcg:-life-and-death-cycle-2-player-battle-set
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