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From Box Back
You arrive, a stranger in a strange land. Confused, disoriented, you make your way through the twisted, surreal world in search of your partner, Max. All you carry with you is the knowledge you've grown to accept as the truth. But you're about to discover that what the truth is depends on what world you're in. And in this world, things don't necessarily work the way they're supposed to. In this world, the characters don't exactly do what you might expect them to. In this world, the laws of physics have somehow become contorted, what is up and what is down is merely a matter of opinion. Here, after every perplexing puzzle you solve, another lurks around the corner. And as you unravel each elusive mystery, an even bigger one begins to unfold. The question is, will you put together all the pieces of the puzzle and make the right choice when the time comes.
- Depth from map-building and spell play
- Balance of luck and tactics
- Accessible length: ninety minutes for 2-4 players
- Simple battle mechanic with emphasis on map strategy
- Prototype copy; artwork and components may change
- Some components/art may be finalised as stretch goals
- ruling a realm by controlling towns through tile placement
- the dark magical prison realm of obsidian
- combat and conquest driven by map expansion and spell play
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- battle_resolution — Battles occur when a player shares a tile with an enemy or stands adjacent to one; the battle mechanic is quick and dice-driven.
- control_winner_condition — Whoever controls the most towns wins; ties are resolved by continuing until broken.
- map_expansion — As towns are added, the map expands with more towns or traps influencing strategy.
- meeple_placement — A new meeple is placed at home; players may gain another meeple at towns, and groups may move together.
- portals — Magic portals allow rapid transit across the map.
- spell_play — Each faction has a deck of 20 unique spells; players draw five each turn and can use spells as actions or interruptions.
- tile_laying — On each turn a player adds a new tile to the map.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- obsidian is about to be launched on Kickstarter
- the depth of strategy in this game comes from spell play
- battles are resolved across the map wherever a player shares a tile with an enemy or stands adjacent to one the battle mechanic is quick simple and dice driven
- each faction has a deck of 20 unique spells
- hand of five each turn