Crystal Collapse is a game designed to be played by 2 players competing to earn Quest points using a quest framework. Players earn Quest points by defeating their opponents heroes and by completing the quest conditions which vary from scenario to scenario.
Heroes and Hero Profiles
We start with a party of 4 heroes. Each hero has a suit designation that matches one of the 4 suits in a deck of cards – hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. You need 1 hero from each suit to form your party.
Each hero has a stat profile, one passive ability (that is always in play and can be enacted as long as the trigger conditions are met), and an active ability which requires you to spend resources in order to use it.
Resources and Resource Management
The resources are playing cards – each player needs a standard poker deck with 2 jokers. The Deck is split into 2 separate decks – the Skill deck which we use regularly throughout the game for functions such as combat and skill use; and the Fate deck which are used as modifiers when conditions require them. You have a hand of cards which you need to use tactially to both execute your own skills and attacks and defend against enemy attacks. If you run out of cards in your hand you can restock your hand but your opponent will gain a quest point and creep one step closer to victory! Don’t worry though, you can use a hero’s action to add a card to your hand if needed, but if you run out of cards in your skill deck, it’s game over!
Note: We have a lot of artowrk already, but once we’ve amassed enough art assets to fill a whole deck, we plan to release a custom card deck featuring all of our wonderful artwork so watch this space!
Tactical Hero Positioning
We use a square grid with multiple elevations to play on, which serves not only to enable ease of measurement, but also presents a tactcal element to the game. If you’ve ever played Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem, Tactics Ogre or a similar Tactical JRPG, you’ll be familiar with the concept. Essentially you move, face your target so you have line of sight to it and then act (for example attacking the target). If you attack from the front, your opponent gains a boost to their defense and so your chance to hit is lower. A side/flank attack has a higher chance of hitting, and a rear attack is quite frankly potentially devastating! Any character who has the high ground advantage also gains additional bonuses, so your position when attacking can make or break your chance of success! We call this Manoeuvre Effects.
You need to position your heroes to maximise their own actions whilst also protecting them as much as possible from your opponents. All the while you’ll need to be aware of each hero’s passive abilities so you can avoid any negative effects and reap the benefits of the positive ones!
Expanding Your Hero Collection
As we gradually release more hero packs and mercenaries (such as Mr Powder pictured below), you’ll have a wider variety of heroes to choose from with which to make up your party. You’ll be able to select the heroes that appeal most to you visually or the ones that best compliment other heroes to create your perfect in-game combos!
The rules are quite easy to learn and my 8 Year old son has done a fantastic job of getting his head around them, but the tactical and strategic potential means that mastering the game will take a lot more effort and understanding. Games are fast and fluid and you can easily get through a couple of games in an afternoon with ease.
Need something to get your teeth stuck into?
Whilst you wait for Crystal Collapse to hit the store, head over to our main Lion’s Tower webstore and have a look at our extensive collections there – we have something for everyone! Prices are great and the shipping is reasonably priced (and even free if you order over £75 worth of products!)
For example, check out the sorceress Alenor and her imp familiar Griblet! for just £3.80 in STL format, or £7.20 printed for you in high detail flexible resin perfect for tabletop gaming! We even supply MDF bases for you to get them on your table quickly!
Leave a Reply