Armada, a new card game on Kickstarter from indie developer Abbott Games, combines gorgeous, original art from contributors around the globe with innovative game mechanics.
Set against a backdrop of space opera tropes filtered through the lens of real physics, the game follows the conflict of corporations over control of reserves of Osmium. With ships unable to exceed 50% light speed and communications unable to exceed 100% light speed, fleets dispatched centuries prior to combat receive orders from commanders that are likely long dead.
Crews are ejected from cryogenic suspension directly into the heat of combat. The only day in a century for which they are awake may also see their ship destroyed.
Battle will be joined. Ships will be destroyed. Men may die. When the cryopod opens only one thing is certain: only one armada can survive.
Every aspect of the game was designed from the ground up.
The major game mechanic innovation is the concept of multiple-deck deckbuilding. Each player controls an armada of ships. Each ship has its own crew that gives it a special ability. Each ship also has its own deck of systems cards from which it draw weapons, hardware, and software into its own hand.
This opens up a world of strategically important decisions above and beyond those available in a single deck game. From selecting the ships that form the armada and the systems that compose each ship’s deck to target priority during play, multiple decks add depth of strategy without adding undue complexity.
The Kickstarter launched on 4/24/14. It raised 60% of its $5000 goal in the first weekend alone. With only 20 days to go, this project appears poised to go the distance. Stretch goals, which were added to the campaign today, offer to increase the scope of the project, providing players with a greater variety of ships, crew, and systems from which to make their perfect armada.
