4X in a 52 Card Deck
Number of Players
2
Recommended Ages
12+
Time to Play
45 Minutes
Mechanics Used
Resource Management, Combat, 4X, Civilization Building
Elevator Pitch
Designed to capture all the elements of a 4X game in a simple 52 card Deck.
Completion Status
Barely even tested. This was a rush job made for a contest presented by Dice Hate Me Games. I sure hope they like it.
Let The Grinding Begin
I will readily admit this game went from concept to execution in a very short amount of time and that is 100% due to the fact that I found out about Dice Hate Me Games game design contest on Dec 15th. I had a very short deadline to get something together so the wall basically got hit with everything but now, it's time to chill and hear that I didn't make finalist in the contest.
You too can play and help test the 4X in a Card Deck game, Utopian Grind. Hit the links to the left, give it a shot and let me know what you think.
History of Utopian Grind
This is attempting to be a 4X card game for 2 players found in a 52 card deck. For those wondering what 4X means, it's eXpand, eXplore, eXploit, and eXterminate. Typically these games are denoted by being in massive boxes, featuring a large number of hex tiles, and overly elaborate combat rules. If you've played Civ, you've played a 4X game.
So having said that, how can I fit all of that into 52 cards and I start with the concept of 3 card types and a Grinding system designed to show building queues, cost to create, and yes, even depleting resources. The Grind function either produces goods, or advances the building of cards. So think like in Magic, when you Tap a card, it will eventually refresh. That doesn't happen here. Instead, you tap it further, and further, until either the card is built or the resource is depleted. Battle works like a battle line sort of thing/design.
In general, the design is meant to force you to constantly explore and attack the different discard piles. The concept is solid, it just needs more testing/balancing.
