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Made in ca
Fresh-Faced New User




Canada

Faceless Publishing is happy to announce our first board game!

Champions of Akathena is a team-based arena combat game for 2-6 players, featuring 18 unique plastic miniatures and a unique card-based combat system that is easy to learn but difficult to master.



Champions of Akathena is a game of fast-paced fantasy combat for 2-6 players, and is suitable for all ages. Players choose from a roster of heroic Champions and their accompanying Reinforcements, then assemble into teams and battle to have the last Champion standing. Rather than using dice, Champions of Akathena uses a unique card-based combat system that rewards careful planning and resource management. Choose from a selection of powerful Advantage cards to customize your deck, but remember that your actions every turn are limited. Teamwork and careful positioning are essential to victory. Each game lasts for 20-60 minutes, depending on the number of players, and the range of unique Champions make every game a different experience. After Blood and Magic, further expansions will add more Champions and new ways to play.

The first core box, Blood and Magic, contains three Champions from the Kaladar Arena and the Lockfire Swamp, along with their reinforcements. If the Kickstarter reaches our principal stretch goal, we will be able to produce a second core box, Into the Wild. Each box is a game in its own right, and they are seamlessly cross-compatible with each other. If our initial launch is a success, future plans include expansions to add new Champions and Villains, who are powerful foes the Champions must work together to defeat. In the future, we also intend to expand the game into other genres, including science-fiction and the Wild West.

The miniatures for our game have been created by a pair of DakkaDakka regulars, PeculiarCompanions and DungeonWarden, and will be produced in board game plastic. The .STLs will also be available during the campaign and afterwards, if people want to purchase them on their own.

Spoiler:


Spoiler:


For more information, check out our website at www.ChampionsofAdventure.com. Anyone who signs up for our mailing list gets a shot at winning a free copy of our game!



This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2021/06/30 01:20:09


 
   
Made in gb
Bryan Ansell





Birmingham, UK

I wouldn't call them 'regulars'.

What makes the Champions system better than rolling dice?
Seems that you could do without the minis and stick with just a card game?
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut







 Mr. Burning wrote:
I wouldn't call them 'regulars'.

What makes the Champions system better than rolling dice?


Part of the answer is luck mitigation.

I found this preview version of the rules: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/299035/Champions-of-Akathena-Preview

Short version: There are different decks for each faction. There are "Attack" cards (has an attack value, and does some stuff), "Defense" cards (has a defense value, and does some stuff), and miscellaneous cards (don't have attack or defense values, just do stuff), and you don't flip cards randomly from the deck.

These are the two paragraphs for combat in the PDF:
When attacking, a player starts by stating which of his characters is attacking and declaring a target. The attacking player then places an attack card face down. The defending player must decide if they wish to defend against the attack or not. If they defend, they play their defence card face up and the attack card is then revealed. If the attack value is greater than the defence value, then the defending character takes the difference in damage. After taking damage, the defender also suffers any additional effects indicated on the card. You can only make an attack with a card that has an attack value on it and you may only defend against an attack with a card that has a defence value on it. If you do not defend against an attack (i.e., you cannot put down a defence card or choose not to play one), you are considered to have
a defence value of 0 and take the full damage of the attack. Once an attack is resolved, both players discard any cards they played. Note that you may only attack during your turn.
Besides listing their attack value, attack cards also list the attack’s range and what type of characters can use it.


So winning a combat is like winning a trick in a card game (and can lead to bluffing, and fishing for high cards), instead of a random roll off.

Edit: Game setup has the starting hand at 8 cards (hand size limit of 12), I think there are 28 cards in a deck, and you get four actions during a turn (can be done in any order, and can be repeated):
* Draw a card (either for yourself or an ally)
* Play a card
* Move yourself
* Move your reinforcements

Don't know how it works in practice (it seems like it'd depend a lot on the distribution and types of cards in each deck), but there's decent motivation for miniatures and cards.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/01/10 17:13:32


 
   
Made in gb
Bryan Ansell





Birmingham, UK

Thanks for digging that out. I am now mildly interested.

Ill keep an eye on the KS and see how it goes.
   
Made in ca
Fresh-Faced New User




Canada

 solkan wrote:


Short version: There are different decks for each faction. There are "Attack" cards (has an attack value, and does some stuff), "Defense" cards (has a defense value, and does some stuff), and miscellaneous cards (don't have attack or defense values, just do stuff), and you don't flip cards randomly from the deck.


Thanks for addressing the question so well, Solkan!

To provide some more detail, each of the Champions and their associated Reinforcements has an associated deck of cards, which are used to make attacks, defend against enemies, and use special abilities. These decks are unique to each Champion, so each one provides a very different play experience from the others. Card management, bluffing, and attempting to discern your opponents' strategy are all key aspects of the game. Besides the cards, tactical position on the board is also important, as careful movement can block opponents in, or force them to spend valuable actions moving to reach you. Each turn, each player has a pool of four actions they can spend to play cards, move their Champion and Reinforcements, or allow themselves and their allies to draw cards, so managing your actions carefully is key to victory.
   
Made in ca
Fresh-Faced New User




Canada

We've updated our website and the initial post based on everyone's suggestions.

As we slowly move closer to the Kickstarter, I thought I would share some more of the miniatures in our first box, Blood and Magic.






Automatically Appended Next Post:
We've updated our website and the initial post based on everyone's suggestions.

As we slowly move closer to the Kickstarter, I thought I would share some more of the miniatures in our first box, Blood and Magic.

Spoiler:


Spoiler:

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/01/14 04:44:21


 
   
Made in ca
Fresh-Faced New User




Canada

Hello everyone,

After a number of delays, Champions of Akathena is coming to Kickstarter! The campaign launches on June 29th, and you can find the pre-launch page here. You can visit our official website to sign up for our email list. When the campaign launches, we will be drawing the name of one lucky email list member to receive a free copy of the game, so enter before it's too late.

If you're interested in learning more about the game, read on:

Champions of Akathena: Blood and Magic is a fast-paced fantasy combat board game for two, four, or six players age 10 and up. Players take the role of Champions, skillful warriors and powerful spellcasters, each accompanied by trusted Reinforcements. Every character is represented by a detailed plastic miniature, and each Champion has a unique character sheet and deck of action cards to represent their special skills and abilities. Once Champions are selected, players form teams and battle to have the last Champions standing. As soon as all the Champions on one team are defeated, the battle is over and the surviving Champions claim victory.

Spoiler:


Champions of Akathena is powered by the Champions Combat SystemTM, a card-based combat resolution system that removes the randomness of dice. Instead, players will use strategic thinking and resource management to defeat their opponents. Being able to bluff the other team is also a valuable skill. Teams alternate taking turns, keeping play moving and allowing players to react quickly to their enemy’s actions. Each turn, each player has four actions they can use to move their characters, draw cards for themselves and their allies, or play cards to make attacks or perform special actions.

Spoiler:


The first Champions of Akathena box, Blood and Magic, contains six Champions from two different homelands. The Dashing Swordsman, Marshal, and Dual Wielder hail from the land of Kaladar, and are experts at fighting in its famed arena. The Dryad Witch, Lizard Queen, and Elementalist are natives of the Lockfire Swamp, and are skilled at using its difficult terrain to their advantage. Blood and Magic contains two game board to represent the different homelands, with separate terrain tokens to allow for custom map layouts. 18 unique plastic miniatures are also included to represent the game’s characters.

Spoiler:


Besides Blood and Magic, there is more planned for Champions of Akathena. If the Kickstarter campaign meets its main stretch goal, it will unlock a second box; Into the Wild. Into the Wild is contains six new Champions hailing from the Greywolf Forest and Heartland Mountains homelands, and can be played on its own or used to expand Blood and Magic. If the Kickstarter succeeds, future plans include new Champions and Villain expansions, where one player controls a powerful villain against a team of up to six Champions. Plans also include expanding the Champions Combat SystemTM into other genres, such as science-fiction and the wild west.
   
Made in pl
Horrific Hive Tyrant





That swordsman's face on the render reminds me about Data from TNG
   
Made in ca
Fresh-Faced New User




Canada

 Shadow Walker wrote:
That swordsman's face on the render reminds me about Data from TNG


That certainly wasn't our intention, but we'll hope you think it's a good thing.

We're only one week away from Kickstarter launch, and will be including a preview of some of the rewards and stretch goals in tomorrow's newsletter, so sign up at www.ChampionsofAdventure.com today if you want a sneak peek. Sign up before June 29th to be entered for a chance to win a free box.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/06/22 23:21:22


 
   
Made in ca
Fresh-Faced New User




Canada

Our Kickstarter launches tomorrow, June 29th. That means today is the last day to enter our draw for a free copy of the game, and $100 to spend at a local gaming store of your choice. Find out more by visiting the official Champions of Akathena website.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/06/28 04:53:08


 
   
Made in ca
Fresh-Faced New User




Canada

The campaign for Champions of Akathena is now live on Kickstarter, and has already reached 25% of its funding goal. The campaign can be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/facelesspublishing/champions-of-akathena

DakkaDakka members might be interested to know that one of the available add-ons are printable .STLs of the miniatures included in the game.
   
 
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