Otherlands
Otherlands is a placement based, mobile-first, collectible card game - in development at Last Ditch Games.
Designed by Gavin Valentine
Artwork by Gavin Valentine
Design Walkthrough
Gameplay Preview
Design Goals
Target Audience
Ages 13+
Competitive
Players who enjoy Hearthstone, Magic: the Gathering, and Marvel Snap
Low randomness, fast paced, deeply strategic
Multiplayer (2, 3, 4+ players)
Short game time (10 min)
Customizable decks with clear player identity
Create deep strategy through heuristics and not memorization.
Challenges
Balance of Strategy and Variance
With 30 card decks the possibility space of unknown information is narrowed as the game progresses - while the simple resource system allows for turn by turn telegraphing of bits of information about your opponents next turn. This encourages players to develop deck specific heuristics and rewards deductive reasoning instead of memorization.
Deckbuilding
Decks are made up of 30 cards and 1 Scion. This allows for customization while keeping the barrier of purchase to entry low.
Resource System
Players receive 3 resources each turn and can hold up to 5 by default. Some unit and spell cards can increase the resources a player has on a given turn. This system removes the issue of not drawing enough resource cards from your deck to play the game, while not giving players consistent access to high cost cards.
Player Identity
Choice of a scion that leads your units into battle gives players a character insert similar to a commander in MTG. While visual customization allows players to express themselves through their choice of artwork.
Design Highlights
Strategic Placement
Units are played on a 5x5 grid starting with a neutral center tile. Units must be deployed adjacent to an already deployed card. This makes players think turns ahead about their play and builds the battle space without the need for a gameboard.
Units
Unit cards are the foundation of Otherlands gameplay. Each player has a unit deck of exactly 30 cards. There are three types, Attackers, Defenders, and Diplomats - each with their own power level. Using units in combination with strategic placement will pave the way to victory. As players deploy their units to the board the unknown information space shrinks so that you may make more informed decisions about what your opponent might have.
Scions
Scions are a single powerful unit card chosen by the player during deck construction. They each have an additional effect and are always available to be deployed.