I spoke with the creator of Dead World! Here are his answers to my questions:
Q: Please describe your trading card game!
A: Dead World is an indie TCG I am creating with the goal of being easy for new players to pick up as well as keeping experienced players entertained. I wanted a game that focuses more on fun gameplay over reading lots of text and chasing cards. It is based in a world I created originally as a short story that keeps expanding.
Q: What inspired you to create your own TCG?
A: I have been a fan of TCGs my whole life. I was a typical Pokémon kid obsessed with cards
and games. I remember being frustrated that most people only collected the cards and had no
idea how to play the game. As I got older, I ventured into Magic and stopped playing for a while due to the same frustrations. Like a lot of people, covid gave me more time to focus on my hobbies which include playing TCGs again and developing story ideas. Following MetaZoo early on during the Kickstarter phase really inspired me to combine my hobbies into a TCG of my own. I love playing indie TCGs but a lot of them seem to focus on how difficult they can be. I wanted to create a game with an easy learning curve and different layers of difficulty. It has
some of the basic mechanics of the popular TCGs but also introduces fun new ones.
Q: What sets Dead World apart from other TCGs?
A: Beauty in simplicity! Take away time reading and explaining cards and add more time
playing. As far as the gameplay is concerned, one big thing is the attacking mechanic. Most
attacks involve a die roll and speed mechanics that can be manipulated for a higher, or lower,
chance of a hit. Big tank like characters or zombies may be slower and have less of a chance for a successful attack. Faster characters may hit at a higher rate but usually do less damage.
Mounts, boosts, bleeding or even weapons can alter a base cards speed. This creates what I call “Hail Mary” type plays that are extremely fun when they hit and can change the momentum. Another unique mechanic in the game is building or repairing structures. You use material cards and “blueprints” to successfully build different things on the battlefield. There’s also a fun way to start the game that I’ve never seen, weather and location cards that can alter the battle among other things.
Q: How did you come up with the name Dead World?
A: Dead World originally comes from a short story I wrote and is the background for the
characters and lore of the game. A world just like ours but separated by an alternate timeline
where a rift in space has unleashed dark energy upon Earth. Strong leaders harness dark or light energy to wage war on each other. There are many background stories for the characters and lots of easter eggs to famous events, people or objects throughout history.
Q: How long have you been working on the game?
A: A lot of the ideas for Dead World have been in development for years but the creation of the TCG has been about a year.
Q: What is the illustration/design process like?
A: Fun but a lot of work. I found my artist on Reddit after looking at 100s of portfolios. Most of the images were sent to them as black and white drawings with a description of the characters. We would go back and forth on some illustrations but one thing I learned early was hire artist you trust and let them do their thing. No AI artwork here.
Q: What are your future plans for Dead World?
A: I am still early in my creation but hoping the message and characters resonate with people so I can build a following. I am spending a lot of time playtesting right now, finalizing the new layout and working on a few holographic prototypes. After that I plan on bringing in more play testers, releasing a tabletop mod and expanding the team. My goal is for a future campaign, hopefully around Halloween, to raise money to reinvest into the art, production and marketing of Dead World and its stories.
Q: Will you be at any upcoming conventions?
A: Being from Texas, I was at Dallas CC incognito! I hope to bring my cards to conventions in
2024 but have this pesky job thing slowing down my travels.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own TCG?
A: I’m learning as I go but I would say to follow other successful people, support other indie
TCGs and just do it! Most people don’t even try to do something they love.
For more, follow @deadworldtcg on Instagram and check out deadworldtcg.com
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