The newest of the cards to fill the open spaces, Broad Shield. It’s function is to help balance the game in terms of creating a defense against powerful equipped weapons, forcing the flow of battle to slow for fear of getting a hard to come by weapon destroyed. 
Month: March 2016
Climbing Back to the Top
Filling empty spaces does have a pleasant side. Crusaders was at one time missing cards types common to other trading card games. Cards that draw cards don’t always fit the mold of Crusaders’ flow of battle. A card that makes it easier to draw cards in a hard spot was a welcomed addition however. Extra Pocket has been a hit among play testers and stands to be a string step towards completing set one.
Space… Enemy or Friend?
Recent development work in Crusaders has yielded unexpected results. We had already discovered that imbalances had been built over time, but space is a new frontier of ironing out issues in the game.
At one time, it was expected that only 12 total openings were left for fine tuning but with certain cards being shifted out for future expansions, a total of 18 slots have been opened. This number reflects new additions added.
These spaces were once considered a tight and even constricting limitation but with so many slots open now, the space is almost too many to fill.
In the end, these spaces will go towards making the game better and this mild delay will only result in a more fun, stronger experience for players.
Back Filling
With the open spaces left from moving out cards that no longer match set 1, we have our first of the replacement cards. Ring of Corruption fills in the gap of not enough non “Skill cards” and gives villain characters the chance to carry a unique card capable of swinging the game in his or her’s favor as soon as its played. It slows down the opponent’s plan by increasing Magic Point costs, draining away Courage to stop the opponent’s from attacking at all. A likely include in almost all villain decks.
A Problem of Numbers
When this current rework of the game began, a count of card types and effects was completed and the numbers were not good. The game was badly skewed in the direction of a certain card type (cough, cough, Skills). With the remaining slots in this set and the newly opened ones that have been created due to removal for future sets, all new cards are focused on Armor, Accessory and Item cards.
Rethinking the Game
The reworking the Crusaders Card Game has undergone has meant quite a few changes. Recently, during development, two patterns emerged from the older cards that pointed the way towards how the game should be presented and what expansions ought to be composed of. This meant that certain cards were removed from the first set in anticipation of being part of future sets, leaving openings in the remaining cards. For the next several posts, we’ll be listing cards that were created both to fill those spots and balance the game for a strong initial release.
Outside of the Story
Since Crusaders has existed inside it’s creators mind for so long, it found it’s way into other projects beyond just the game. Ro’Arn even appeared in a college animation project in the 2000s. Click Here to see it
