Issue #11 - 24 hours left to Attain Mastery!
over 7 years ago – Wed, Oct 05, 2016 at 09:48:38 AM

You all are awesome!  We are so close to unlocking the Big Box Stretch goal...you can help us get there - and beyond - by Tweeting, Sharing, and calling your friends to tell them about the last 24 hours of the ORIGINZ campaign.   

• You can use this shortened link to spread the word on social media: bit.ly/originzgame

The positive encouragement and activity in the last few days has been overwhelming!  Just one of the highlights:

• One Board Family squeezed out a glowing review!  Check it out!

Now for more fun stuff - here's a double-feature spotlight on both of the Mastery sets!

ORIGIN SPOTLIGHT: OCEAN MASTERY

 As a master of the ocean, your draw your power its depths. To emulate the idea of 'depth', this Origin features a hefty amount of dynamic interaction with stockpile. For example, Deep Dive allows you to return an avoid an assault while draw cards from the bottom of your stockpile (which is more powerful than it may sound, because your deck is your life.) Carapace not only disarms an assault, it also puts the top card of your stockpile on top of your deck (fortifying you.) 

 

When you are battling out of your element, you'll need some help from your friends.  You can call upon the ocean's most powerful creatures, like Sea Monster, which not only hits hard, but also features another dominant mechanic in the set - shuffling.  Shuffling feels right in a set that is all about controlling the currents. Cards like King Crab really shine when you've used your power over water to make a player shuffle.

 

But don't worry, you don't just watch your minions fight, you actually ride them into battle - LIKE A BOSS - with cards like Tidal Wave and Mount Up! 

 

ORIGIN SPOTLIGHT: PLANT MASTERY  

You aren't just one with the forest, you can actually harness its life-giving properties. For this reason, Plant Mastery predominantly features healing via the restore mechanic (putting the top card of your stockpile on the bottom of your deck.) 

You'll obviously have access to a variety of tactics, like Symbiosis, which can be used to restore yourself (and in some cases members of your team!).  However, many of your offensive assaults and minions actually heal you while they are dealing damage, like Sap Strength.  

 

You become even harder to defeat when you combo your regenerative abilities with cards like Overgrowth, and awaken forest minions like the Guardian which actually punish the opponent for daring to harm you.  

Restore naturally manipulates the bottom of your deck by placing cards there. You can use your deep roots to take advantage of the bottom cards of your deck with tactics like Infuse Life or assaults like Stump Crush. 

 

By covering yourself in growing, living armor, you can regenerate faster than your enemy can defeat you, until it's finally time to stomp  them into the dirt! 

Like the 10 other Origin sets, Ocean Mastery and Plant Mastery can be played as stand-alone 22 card decks.  However, the ORIGINZ really shines when you start constructing or drafting custom decks.  Just imagine creating a custom "Swamp" (or "Seaweed") deck by mixing and matching your favorite Plant/Ocean Mastery cards! There are endless synergies and fun combos to take advantage of as you craft your own Hero or Villain!

 

Issue #10 - Powering Up for the final 48 hours!
over 7 years ago – Tue, Oct 04, 2016 at 05:22:23 PM

There's just 48 hours left in the campaign!  A few of the major highlights from the last few days include:  

• BoardGameHour reviewed ORIGINZ and gave it a 9/10! 
• Cardboard Stacker published his awesome video preview of ORIGINZ. 

We still hope to squeeze in a few more reviews before the end campaign. This overwhelmingly positive coverage - combined with your support getting the word out - can help unlock the next few stretch goals!

ORIGIN SPOTLIGHT: POWER ARMOR  

Your suit of power armor draws on a mini-nuclear power supply to provide limitless energy. It transforms you from a normal human into an untiring, unstoppable juggernaut.  

To emulate this, many Power Armor cards feature energy gain, allowing you to spend more than the standard 3 energy per turn. For example, Blast Off is a straight energy gain card, and a staple of the set. This card provides the maximum boost when you've taken some time to set it up correctly and ensured you've got 2-energy cost cards on the bottom of your deck. Flight Mode is another great tempo card that gains energy, counters an assault, and draws a card.

This extra energy can be funneled into a barrage of powerful assaults such as Gamma Ray or tactical healing powers like Auto Repair.

Not only that, your Power Armor is equipped with the most technologically advanced arsenal imaginable. You've got spy drones, missiles, and energy shields.  You've even been testing a prototype AI to fight at your side... 

ORIGINZ has a ton of content - allowing you to become any superpowered Hero or Villain you can envision.  This spotlight features only 6 of the 13 awesome and unique cards in Power Armor.  

We've only covered 5 of the 12 Origins that come in the box!  Which origin would you like to see spotlighted next?

Issue #9 - The Final Countdown...FLAME ON!
over 7 years ago – Mon, Oct 03, 2016 at 03:26:04 PM

 Congrats everyone!  We broke through $17,500 last night and unlocked Transmute, so here is a peak at the next 2 stretch goals, following the big box upgrade.  With your help, we can unlock them all!

$22,500 - Watchdog - Your 'best friend' has mysteriously gained temporal powers.  This loyal companion shifts time itself to protect you. 

$25,000 - Ascension - You've become something far greater than you were before. This god-like transformation strikes awe into the hearts of your enemies, stunning them. 

• Stun is a new keyword that flips an enemy card face-down until the end phase of its owner's next turn, rendering it temporarily useless. Unlike Disarm, Counter, and Purge, stunned cards remain in combat and eventually can be activated again.  

In other news, its getting HOT in here - less than 72 hours to the end of the campaign!  So, in keeping with that theme...  

ORIGIN SPOTLIGHT: FIRE CONTROL  

As I'm sure you suspected, Fire Control is a "Burn" deck in every sense of the word. But we didn't want Fire Control to just be about tossing fireballs around (although there is plenty of that.) Your mastery over the element also allows you to do many things, from conjuring flame elementals to molding molten weapons.  

Mechanically, many cards require you to damage yourself to fuel the fire - speeding up the battle. A staple of the set is Firestorm, which deals a whopping 3 damage for only 1 energy cost, but requires you to also deal 1 damage to yourself. Conflagrate is an even stronger version of this type of assault.

A different example of powerful cards that come at the cost of your own life is Combust, a v tactic which allows you to purge any card.  Although damaging yourself is dangerous, it allows for explosive card synergies when done correctly. For example, cards like Eruption become far more powerful when activated in combination with cards which dealt damage to you.  

The brightest flame burns quickest! This thematic mechanic persists throughout the set - meaning that if you are haphazard with your powers, your likely to burn yourself out before you can defeat the enemy.

There are plenty of cards which also let you use your dwindling life total to your advantage, like your Phoenix minion.  It really shines when your deck is running very low on cards (and you are on the verge of defeat.)  Even with cards like Phoenix, you can't damage yourself all the time.  Hydra is just one example of many Fire Control cards that are good in their own right - it uses both its heads to take on an enemy player and enemy minion! 

Like the element itself, Fire Control is dangerous and volatile - too hot to handle for some...the perfect form of aggression for others!  

We've only spotlighted 4 of the 12 Origins - which would you like to see next? 

Issue #8 - 72 hours left...Grab your Grapple Gun!
over 7 years ago – Sun, Oct 02, 2016 at 04:13:25 PM

The kickstarter only has around 72 hours left, and we need your help!

The more successful the campaign, the better the rewards for all backers!  Here are just some ways to help spread the word:

•  Like & Share on Facebook OriginzTheGame
•  Follow, Heart & Retweet on Twitter @flavorfaction
•  Follow & Heart on Instagram  originz_the_game
•  Rate, Comment & more on Board Game Geek

ORIGIN SPOTLIGHT:  VIGILANTE JUSTICE

No comic book universe is complete without a vigilante - that guy or gal that doesn't have any real superpower...just the right mix of training, willpower and intellect to get the job done.   

To emulate this style, Vigilante Justice is a tactic-heavy set that has a diverse mix of mechanics. You have an arsenal of gadgets, guns and explosives at your disposal. 

The Vigilante deck tries to stay one step ahead of the enemy, so many of its powers involve Purging cards (removing them from the game). 

For example, X-Ray allows you to look at a player's hand and purge a card from it. Sniper Shot allows you to look through a player's deck and purge 2 cards that you just don't want to deal with later!   

Purging is especially powerful in Originz, because cards that are purged can't be restored back into an enemy deck.

Patrol is a unique card that takes advantage of the number of tactics in your deck and punishes the enemy for not playing enough of his or her own.  Stealth also is particularly effective against enemies that try to come at you with brute force (assaults & minions.)

When the going gets rough, you can usually find a way out with cards like your Sidekick or your Utility Belt, which help you to find the right tactic for the situation! And just when all hope seems lost, you've got your Great Escape or Booby Trap ability to turn things around.  

Because of the emphasis on tactics, purging, and surprise, Vigilante Justice has a unique play-style that really shines in the hands of a cunning player.  Keep your wits about you, and you'll triumph over sorcerers, mutants and robots alike.

Remember, these spotlights feature just a few of the 156 unique cards (and illustrations) in the game. Which Origin would you like spotlighted next?

 

Issue #7: Pumping it up with Super Strength!
over 7 years ago – Sun, Oct 02, 2016 at 05:18:17 AM

We got lots of positive feedback from the Origin Spotlight on Dragon Mutation, so we're going to keep them coming!  Next up - a staple of the superpower genre - Super Strength! 

When you play with Super Strength, you have a wide array of assaults and tactics.  The assaults, like Haymaker, are heavy hitters that make up for your lack of minions.  These couple well with your tactics that offer removal capability, like Squeeze.

However, you aren't just strong, you get stronger as you battle! (...as you get angrier)

Most Super Strength cards feature mechanics that support a 'build up' of one sort another.  In other words, Super Strength isn't just about dealing damage, it's about building dynamic momentum. 

 Your assaults can be empowered with tactics which buff the damage of your other cards, like Enrage. Although Super Strength cards are very powerful, they often feature an investment that is above and beyond the energy cost of the card. For example, cards like Throw a Car and Shrug Off require you to disarm (destroy) your own card when you activate them (so you don't put them back on the bottom of your deck at the end of your turn.) 

 Once you've built up your stockpile (either by taking damage or disarming your own cards), you can purge (remove from the game) those cards with Bound to gain a large amount of energy to pull off some devastating combos. Then you can even use Break Free to put one of your cards that was previously purged back into combat. 

 And even if your opponent manages to keep up, your equipped with other plenty of  other tactics or abilities to stop them in their tracks. 

 So there you have it. With the right brains behind the rage and the brawn, you can clobber, leap and smash your way to victory!

 Look for a flurry of reviews and updates in this last week, including a spotlight by request on Vigilante Justice!  What else would you like to see?