OMG Eminence: Xander’s Tales is a MMORPG TCG

Many companies are trying to tap into the multiple platforms of trading card games (TCGs) and video games. Some are awesome while others are completely pants. London based development team Aeterna Studios are attempting to take the crossover a step further by adding massively multiplayer online role playing game (aka MMORPG) elements to the genre in the upcoming game Eminence: Xander’s Tales.

The main mechanic of the game is based around a 3 x 3 grid of cards and plays like a combination of Othello and Lords of War. You play your card on the grid and if the card’s score beat that of its neighbour, the enemy card is converted to your side. It’s a blissfully simple system that means you get the tactics of card placement and the strategy of deck building all balanced into a match that takes around a minute to play.

Of course it’s not an rpg without levelling up and collecting loot and in Eminence you gain cards for you deck by beating your opponents. In fact you don’t just get these as a reward but you actually steal them from the opposing player’s decks. This adds an interesting level of risk as playing your best cards may increase your chance of winning but if you do loose say goodbye to your favourite cards.

You will traverse the world of Eminence in a real time environment where you’ll happen upon other player’s in the world. There are also the hints of a story quest line where players are teaming up with the alchemist Xander to save the dying world of Artalys.

So far Eminence looks very promising. The fact that the game is based on strategy and not just random effects holds a lot of promise and it’s going to be interesting to see how the development progresses. Eminence: Xander’s Tales is coming to Kickstarter in August and if you want to keep up to date on the project then Aeterna Studio are promising weekly updates on their website as well as Facebook and twitter.