Had an amazing interview that I had with the creator of Discovery CCG. This game really fascinates me personally on the usage of the Quest mechanic, and how it function for multiple purposes.
Describe your game -
Discovery the Expandable Card Game puts players at the heart of a conflict, as they fight for their chosen Guild, exploring and conquering a mysterious island that’s risen from the sea. At its core, Discovery has a light storytelling element in Quests, which folds in resource management, resource generation and a game-changing reward that offers clear win-conditions for every deck from deck construction onwards. You play as a Hero, commanding a deck of trusted ally Minions and powerful Spells, with the primary goal of bringing your opponent’s health to 0, but how you achieve that is up to you. Damage is dealt directly to your opponent, and players typically can’t act during their opponent’s turn. This means you can plan out your strategies and spend your resources exactly as you choose, with little interference from your opponent. This is just one way that the game is built to be balanced, fair and easy to pick up, offering a high strategic ceiling from how cards interact, rather than from the rules themselves.
What inspired you to create your own game?
As a previously competitive TCG player, I have always had the itch for deck construction – piecing together unusual combinations of cards that nobody else has thought to use. This creativity eventually blossomed into theory-crafting new cards or systems for the games I already played, culminating in my attempt to create a 1v1 gamemode for Boss Monster. After some ideas were thrown around, I shifted my focus away from altering someone else’s creation, and began to design my own.
How did you come up with the game’s name?
A lot of names were thrown around, but once I’d settled on our Quest mechanic as a core concept (albeit under a different name), I began to hone in on the final names for a lot of different elements of the game. Quests are integral to Discovery’s identity, tying in so many systems to create something elegant, dramatic and skill-expressive. You are on a journey, a quest of your own, and you are Discovering the new world before you. I wanted to emphasise this concept as much as possible, and Discovery turned from a mechanic, into a phase of play, into the entire identity of the project – so the name was a natural fit.
How long have you been working on your game?
Design officially started in 2017, but concepts were cut and changed a lot at that time. When 2020 hit and I was furloughed from work, I channelled as much of my time and energy into making cards and writing rules as I could, and we haven’t slowed down since.
What makes your game different from other TCGs?
The release model is more accessible, when compared to both trading card and expandable card games. Each pack gives you a cheap entry point, with complete playsets of cards from a single faction. The rules are easy to learn, with people picking it up in as little as five minutes, crushing one of our expert playtesters in the process! The art has a graphic novel style, with striking line work and unique characters. We have the ability to expand not only what cards are available, but also how you use the cards you already own – we’re already developing new gamemodes for odd-numbers of players to enjoy the game together, rather than just the basic duelling ruleset. But our key difference is that everything has been designed to fair, well-paced, and encourage tactical decision making, even before either player has taken a turn! The player going first chooses one card from their deck to include in their opening hand, and the player going second chooses two cards. This means that you’re already engaging with your strategy, or directly trying to thwart your opponent, before either of you have played a card. Every turn from there on out will reward how you manage your resources, what cards you play, and offer deep skill expression to be able to bring home the win.
What is one of the biggest challenges you had in creating this game?
Initially, it wasn’t easy finding interested parties to test the game with at all, but it was even harder to find people who would tell me that I was making a mistake. Our most valuable feedback was our most negative, and while it’s hard to hear at the time, learning from that experience made Discovery an even better product. Pacing was an outlier, especially as I was often being too soft on remote playtesters, hoping that they would find game-winning combos (with cards they’d never seen) to heighten their experience with Discovery. Needless to say, that was a big mistake. Someone always has to win, which means someone always has to lose. Reflection is often more valuable than the gameplay itself, which is why building the right network is key in game development.
Do you have a favorite card in the game?
My favorite card is Omen of Luck. On the surface, the card seems a little too good – it can be played for free, and feeds off itself to create significant hand advantage, but the key to keeping the card in check is that your opponent gets to choose if it resolves or not. It (and Omen of Sorrow) single-handedly create difficult decisions for your opponent, which ties directly into the game plan of their dedicated archetype, the Dreadcatchers. It feels unique, amazing to play, and its art is really fantastic.
What are your future plans for your game?
As we speak, we are broadening our playtests by adding more cards (and game modes) to our Tabletop Simulator mod, and working on bringing an early version of the game to other online playtesting platforms. We recently had our first convention at UK Games Expo, and the feedback we received was amazing – it’s really bolstered our resolve to continue working on the project, and encouraged us to attend more conventions in the future! In the next few months, we’ll be adding in all of the Shaman archetype, finishing off the art and updating the effects as it gets tested. Then we’re looking at adding the rest of the Superabyssals, before bringing in even more cards for our other Guilds too! We’re also fast-tracking our PvE gamemode ahead of our next convention, so new players can experience the game in a more relaxed environment, working with us rather than against us.
As a creator, what advice would you give you to others who are trying to pursue their dreams?
I’ll offer advice I wish I had listened to when I started: be patient, talk about your ideas early, test often, and be prepared to fail – but always fail forward. Small failures add together to create big successes, so always take feedback – especially bad feedback – on board. Prototypes don’t have to be expensive, and art doesn’t make your game any more enjoyable. Cheaper is better when you’re starting out, and you can always deliver a thematic experience without artwork! Get the project where it needs to be, then worry about the aesthetics.
You can find more information on Discovery CCG in our indie game archives.
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