TCG Interview #64: Arcanite

 I spoke with the creator of Arcanite! Here are his answers to my questions:

Q: Please describe your trading card game!

A: Arcanite invites you to an immersive journey into a world of magic and mystery. As a powerful mage, you'll harness the energy of "Arcanites", magical crystals embodied as playing cards, to cast spells, wield legendary artifacts and summon creatures in exhilarating duels. 

Arcanite has life decking, but with a twist: suspended cards can be used for late game comebacks. Thanks to its dynamic resource management and unique void mechanics no two games feel the same.

Q: What inspired you to create your own TCG?

A: I have a big love for TCG's and it’s very nostalgic to me. For me it is all about the customization. It's fascinating how a deck of cards can reflect a person. So gameplay first, collectability second. With Arcanite I want to revive the nostalgic feelings I had and I want to cheer the fun of the genre to other people.

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

A: I was very passionate about Yu-Gi-Oh! when I was a kid, it inspired me a lot. I lost interest for a while, because I preferred the old school game and the modern game is so different now. I also collected Pokémon, but I did not know how to play back then, which is why I stayed with Yu-Gi-Oh and the Gameboy games helped a lot to learn how to play.

Q: What sets Arcanite apart from other TCGs?

A: One factor is its Resource System. I spent a lot of time on the project just to find the balance of something unique but also familiar and by being also new player friendly. You always have to think twice if you want to save a card in your hand and to play it later or to use it now as a resource, this  also helps for its replay value. As you always draw until you have five cards in your hand, it is fast paced and more about what synergies do you have in hand, instead of searching and draw the cards you need from the deck.
Different from other Card games which have life decking, Arcanite has a separated discard pile, the “Void” where cards go when you take damage, while you still have the traditional graveyard as well. The Void gets stronger in the end game when you have a lot of cards in it and adds an element of mystery and surprise to the game. You can explore different strategies, such as drawing cards from the Void, use them as resources, or unleash powerful abilities.
One more thing that I want is that its world and story can be reflected in gameplay. I try to be very immersive and I hope I can give the player the feeling of being somewhat like a real mage, if they prepare their resources and cast spells.

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

A: The name is literally a pun of the word "Arcane" and the suffixe "-ite", which is common for crystals and stones. It randomly came to my mind and it has grown on me since then.

Q: How long have you been working on the game?
A: I came up with the idea of Arcanite in 2020, but I was only focusing on making a small game back then, where I mixed Poker and Tile Matching mechanics to cast spells.
After some playtests with friends it turned out to be super fun. This was when I decided to add more and more TCG Elements and to rework the resource system. So, the real work on the project we know today as Arcanite started in early 2021. 

Q: What is the illustration/design process like?

A: All the art for Arcanite has been done by one Artist, Christina. We share the whole project. I design the card idea, such as effects and stats, after that we chat and think about its place in the world and lore. Next, she came up with the first concepts, we make some changes and then she makes something incredible out of it 
We changed the process a lot, at some point we started with making 3D Models first, to have multiple poses, but it turned out to be more time consuming than helpful.

Q: When will the game officially be released?

A: We are planning to go live with a Kickstarter Campaign until the end of this year and to ship next year. I would not call it an official release however, it’s more a Prototype / Beta.
Currently we are going away from the idea of a big release with Decks, Boosters, Sleeves, Playmats, etc. and to go for a prototype product instead. The reason is to reduce some risks, as this is my first Kickstarter and we are only two people working on it. It would be a win-win, people can already get their hands on the game and give feedback, while we can carefully go through the production cycle for a smaller scope, aim for the quality we want and maybe even get some money back for all the development costs we have already invested over the time. Then we focus on releasing the official Release and its first Booster set.

Q: What are your future plans for Arcanite?

A: There are many different plans to build upon the base game. We already have ideas for the next 5 sets and I personally want to have a co-op game mode, maybe something that plays like a dungeon crawler or even a Tabletop RPG, just with some deck of cards, replaying story events from the sets.
Other than that, there is also the first ever community playtest coming up and to be honest I'm a bit nervous about that 
However, Kickstarter is the biggest upcoming goal for now. It's very exciting and I'm looking forward to it, but there is still a lot to do and it feels overwhelming sometimes. Depending on how it turns out, we can estimate further and it might be necessary to grow and get some more people working on it.

Q: Will you be at any upcoming conventions?

A: I haven't thought about it actually. We were at the "Essen Spiel" last year. I would love to go there again with my own little booth, but Kickstarter and the actual development has all the focus this year.

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

A: Tough question... There is so much I have learned over the last years. I personally was surprised how many small and big TCG projects are currently produced and coming out. I would say that you should know that the competition is big. It really helps if you have a unique twist or idea that makes your game stand out. Also, know WHY you are doing it. Is it only a hobby and you want to share it with friends and family or do you want to be professional about it. I always underestimated the scope, especially by doing it on the site. It started as a passion project, but at some point, it changed and I am now taking the opportunity to follow my dream of publishing my own game. But it’s a lot, I basically do not spend enough time on the actual design process anymore, because marketing, community building and legal stuff is consuming so much time and effort, which is also something I had to learn first and I still feel like I'm just now understanding the basics of marketing. 

For more, follow @arcaniteccg on Instagram and check out tobiasrichter.net