The Last of Days!
about 1 year ago – Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 05:24:51 PM

Not like for humanity. I mean, I don’t know for sure, but now that the Dark Lord has committed to being part of this Kickstarter, it seems to reason that he will postpone the apocalypse until at least end of year, so you can get a few games in. Hey, we have that going for us! Unless the alien invasion happens first. It would be funny if the aliens invaded and Satan was like, “Oh shit, gotta move up the timeline,” and trigged the apocalypse. So God’s like, “Damn! Now we have to Rapture these bitches… I was just getting used to all these awful baby boomers being up here. Now I have to deal with millennials…” Then he makes a face so sad that the aliens feel bad and leave. Smash cut to God sinking a no-look skyhook basketball shot for 3 points, the screen explodes, and fade to black. Sorry, I was on drugs for a minute.

STRETCH GOALS!

Another amazing and fantastic stretch goal guest artist. This time, it’s JIMMY KNIVES! That’s a cool name. He probably drove a Camaro in high school and sold me the drug I took at the beginning of this Kickstarter update. We can check out his work on Instagram @jimmyknives I really love his super-unique style (probably the thing I value the most in an artist!). Jimmy has given us Glurp the Plagued and SOB… man, SO GREAT!!! And SOB has my favorite type of power: the ability to go get MORE Familiars. We have this in a few places, and I always chase that strategy if I can. You’ll notice it’s a rare example of NOT random Familiars… you can actually PICK who you want. FUN!

Next up: LOOK, KIDS! We got some foil cards. So I am being a bit more careful when we do foil cards, as people typically want them either ALL foil or NO foil… mixing sucks. I felt with this Demon deck, it’s a perfect place for foil as it lives as a single element that will not be added to (unlike Spellbooks or Familiars). And it will be very cool. I think the flames at the bottom of the cards are a perfect place to do a cool foil card treatment (and the art of course)

And it wouldn’t be a stretch goal update without some cool Familiars! This time, we have the Retro Familiar Hoodie the Rat (Familiar for Puke Thrash King) and the Wiz Surplus Store shopping destination for DA Commando!

Hoodie is super powerful, but with a pretty HUGE downside… getting passed around, hahaha (keeping it lowbrow as ever). But wait until you see Puke’s Spellbook. It’s one of the most oddly interesting, and makes for a nice combo with Hoodie. Then there’s the Wiz Surplus Store. Man, I LOVE this design. How fun is it grabbing other zero cost wands? Shit, if you have A1 or A2, you can grab them there… get some Nacho Chips going! And LOOK, one of our A2 legends has made the leap to Champion Wizard! We knew HE’D BE BACK… hahaha.

And I will be back shortly with more stretch goals, as you amazing people knock them out!

Love,

Cory

Update on Stretch Goals! Hail Satan!
about 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 08, 2023 at 11:56:06 AM

Hey, we unlocked more stretch goals. Great job, everyone!!!

SO let’s look at the next two stretch goals… it’s a set of Familiars and more Spellbooks!

First up is the Retro Familiar. Who do we have here? It’s The Secretly Initiated! This is the Familiar for EYE OF THE SECRET ORDER… why so secretive?!? What’s going on with this mysterious group of robed, eye-worshipping weirdos? We may never know, but what we DO know is this Familiar is fucking crazy. We NEVER put steal a card in texts boxes but here it is. Also take notice of his VP value… very interesting.

And who’s next… well, it’s Wenchy Wand Washer. Don’t worry: This card isn’t sexist. That’s actually a super voluptuous dude, and look at what a good job they are doing washing the wand of GROND!!! That dude is berserk AND has a huge wand! All the Champion Wizards for ESW 6 are over the top badass Wizards and Grond is no exception. What does Wenchy do? Well, you get a little bump on power with your wand AND if you’re defending, you actually get a wand back in your hand. Use the same wand twice? Shit, am I wet dreaming?

For the next stretch goal, we have two more Spellbooks! Let’s take a gander at the one for the EYE of the Secret Order. We were just talking about that bonkers Familiar… so what is the combo??? HOLY SHIT, that awesome: Put target player’s deck into their discard pile. So you know, you can’t GET ANY CARDS. hahahaha. Oh, and +1 Power (nothing to secretly sneeze at) OR maybe your good cards are in the discard pile… shuffle them back in! STRATEGY!

And finally, we have the Spellbook for Hoggs the House. If you remember, Hoggs has a little Wizard trapped in the top of a huge staff that casts all the spells for him… and acts as his Familiar (Tiny, the Pet Wizard). And now we see he also has a librarian trapped in his Spellbook! The evil brute has doubled down on forced labor. WOW, that Spellbook is great, especially with his Familiar that puts a spell from your discard pile on top of your deck (naturally)… COMBO! PLUS if you happen to get your massive body to full massive health, you can take a MASSIVE card from the line-up. Amazing!

So there you have it: the next two stretch goals. Clearly, we are in the middle-campaign slump but hopefully it picks up at the end so I can give you all the other super cool stuff we have made! If you get a chance to drop a link for the KS, it would be great… maybe scrawled on a bathroom wall at a dive bar or carved into the flesh of your latest victim (for our serial killer fans). Also I wanted to apologize for the confusing nature of all the add-ons and who goes where and what goes with what… I know it’s a bit much, and I recommend just buying everything to be safe. And you KNOW, it’s better to be safe than SORRY.

Until…I don’t know, maybe tomorrow?

Love,

Cory

What’s Been Happenin’ with the Fan-Fuckingtastic Friends!?!
about 1 year ago – Fri, Feb 03, 2023 at 09:30:03 AM

https://on.soundcloud.com/1yeM6

Designer Diary: Ben Stoll
about 1 year ago – Thu, Feb 02, 2023 at 11:23:11 AM

When Cory Jones asked me if I wanted to write an article explaining the design theory behind ANNIHILAGEDDON 3, I knew that I had to say yes. Quite handily, it is the most “artful” published game I’ve ever lead design on, which, between various tabletop games and trading card games, is upwards of about 15 products.

“‘Artful?’ What the fuck does that mean?? Is that some sort of liberal egocentric bullshit or does it actually mean something?”

Yes and yes! For me, the “art” is the created experience that takes place between the creators and the audience. It’s not the game itself, but your playing of the game—both parties are necessary for there to be this art. In this way, you are just as much a part of ANNIHILAGEDDON3 as we are (not to mention the fact that we couldn’t bring this to life without your Kickstarter contribution!). The more that this actual experience is able to match the original intended experience, the more “artful” that the art is.

But in all product development or even non-commercialized art creation, there are always other things that fight the “art” for the sake of having a greater share of the “product.” Money, those stupid things called laws, some snaky suit’s arbitrary opinion, and of course, the simple desire to reach a wider audience are all popular culprits.

For example, let’s say that your vision for your game involves unique art for each card, but because you’re short on funds, you have to make each card have the same piece of art. Because the vision for what the player was intended to experience has had to make a compromise, I see that as the “art” suffering.

I was once in a meeting with the other department heads for a big expensive video game we were making with Cory (acting as CCO), and our finance guy explained to Cory, “But if we do it that way you can see that axiomatically we won’t make as much money.”

Cory’s response: “I don’t care.”

Maybe I’d be better off working for a big behemoth like Gizzard, or Has-Been owned Lizards of the Toast, but would art?  As we see giant, corporatizing acquisitions of game studios, grotesque cash grabs, new executives eager not for long-term artfulness but only for imminent quarterly bonuses, greed-driven changes to open licensing platforms for popular roleplaying systems, and the A.I. takeover of creative positions dawning, we might ask ourselves—is art dying?

Well, not if me, Satan, and Cory Jones have anything to say about it!

This game pulls no punches. Cory has provided an unlimited componentry and art budget (you’ll notice the game has a borderline stupid amount of cards in it), but more importantly, the game is exactly what *IT* wants to be. I think, even, that it has somehow surpassed what Cory wanted it to be, what I wanted it to be, what you wanted it to be, and Cory has made it possible for me to turn it into what *IT* wants to be. Ya know, what God and Satan and the Flying Spaghetti Monster (but not Sam Harris or Joel Osteen) wanted it to be.  What is that exactly???

I love deckbuilders—I’ve devoured countless games of Dominion, Ascension, Star Realms, Eternal—all of which I love to pieces.  And of course, as co-creator of the Cerberus Engine, which kicked off with original DC Deck-Building Game, the genre is dear to me as not just a player but a creator as well. At face value, this is already the most unique deck-building experience I’ve ever encountered. One player takes on the role of the nearly all-powerful Satan, and the other players have only precarious alliances and the possibility of a positive outcome from the onslaught of “Prisoner’s Dilemmas” that Satan will throw at them to stand a chance against Him. Like ANNIHILAGEDDON 1 and 2, there will be a main deck full of crazy and synergistic abilities, Attacks, and Defenses—with the ultimate goal of gaining expensive Legend cards for the strongest VP score at the end of the game. However, Satan is on an entirely other vector—instead of gaining points primarily through acquiring more and more expensive cards, he gains points sheerly through tormenting and defeating the other players, building his deck from an entirely unique and exclusive pool of his own cards as the game progresses. But beneath the surface of this tried-and-true deck-building engine with a unique asymmetrical twist, you’ll also find a test of your manners, pain tolerance, and even your soul that will send the most cool-headed gamer to the very depths of rage and hopelessness. But is this game—literally Satanic in every sense of the word—simply an exercise in sadomasochism, or is something more implied there? The name Lucifer means “bringer of light.” Perhaps only by having 666 beers and smoking a joint while playing a card game with darkness itself can we ultimately come to find the light within ourselves and within tabletop gaming…

This is a game about Satan, and what happens when he plays with humans. The idea “against” Satan is that the core tenant of Satanism being “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law” sort of leads to a morally corrupt wasteland (been alive much?) in which people are pitted against each other according to the sadistic whimsy of a more powerful agent.

I’ve never seen more resentment, frustration, or despair at a gaming table—and I’ve played Diplomacy! We created the “don’t be a whiny bitch” contract for the brutality that was ANNIHILAGEDDON 2, but let me tell you that this game needs it so much more! The Damned Wizard Tokens (much worse than their Dead brethren), new and improved “Burning” Limp Wands, the cumulative Soul Scars which PERMANENTLY reduce your max HP across all of your lives, utterly brutal Satan attacks and Hunger Games-esque trials and deals he uses to pit the players against each other make it a true test of will to keep it together and hope for the lucky moment when you can get back in the running after being chewed up and spit out.

Every design decision made was in order to make the game more Satanic. Every flavor of Satanic torment and temptation is present, whether you’re outbidding your rivals to make a deal for a free card (in exchange for Satan summoning some Demons, a brand new deliciously evil card type!) or throwing shade on someone when Satan demands the players choose a sacrifice or ALL die, you will maniacally laugh, cry, and die repeatedly (and maybe but not necessarily also go to hell).

I don’t want to give off the impression that everything you know and love about deckbuilders and the ANNIHILAGEDDON series isn’t still here—you’ll still be drawing and destroying cards, making epic Attacks and Defenses, and crafting compelling combos and synergies of all flavors—whether you pursue the powerfully scaling “ONGOING” theme, maximize wacky wand Attacks and cards that enhance them, embrace suicide and powerful Dead Wizard Token synergies, or sell your human friends on joining you in the communal Creature strategy, there are tons of fun effects and combos to discover and hone while you try to survive the strife of Satan. The starting Wizard abilities are powerful, distortive, and a healthy mix of open-ended vs. pursuing a specific strategy. The Legends in this game are worth buku VP and pack powerful effects, and also bring back deadly “First Appearance Attacks” from the original ANNIHILAGEDDON.

This deckbuilder is not for the faint of heart. Like the other ANNIHILAGEDDON games, it’s on the longer side for a deckbuilder, and the experience of watching to see if your friends will cast a vote for your damnation or let it slide in favor of healing a few hit points is not always easy. But if you can nut up and battle through it, you’ll find a very engaging, strategic, politically dynamic deck-building experience the likes of which you’ve never seen before. I sincerely hope you’ll join me in experiencing this beautiful freak of nature that Cory has envisioned and that I’ve helped bring to life—it won’t make us a ton of money and your softer friends won’t like it—but it’s truly a gaming experience like no other.

—Ben Stoll

And Now for a “Very Special” Stretch Goal…
about 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 01, 2023 at 02:45:54 PM

The first stop on our STRETCH GOAL journey is a bit of a throwback. That’s right, people: We are returning to the heady days of ESW A2, when the nacho cheese flowed and your balls were getting rocked NON-STOP! FUCK YOU! Hahaha, man, I loved the video for the campaign! Actually, this Friday’s update is about the Fan-Fuckingtastic-Friends club and the stuff we have been sending out, including the ESW music CD, and ON that CD is a song made for that Kickstarter video! Check it out:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/4ovo2i5433xpo1n/4_Sunday_Sunday_Sunday.mp3/file

And while you’re rocking out, CHECK OUT these two NEW Legendary cards for ESW A2!

It’s the Legendary Spell, Beelzabuzzing! Look at that devilish shit! The lord of poo (and Beelze-Buttholes) is going to throw some major chaos into the Xtreme Nacho Arena… and this is only the second time EVER that “gain an additional turn” has appeared on a card!

THEN, we have the big man himself making a little cameo over in the other game... it’s SATAN. Always looking to make a deal (something you’re going to have a TON of fun with when you get to play him in ESW A3). I can’t tell: Is that wizard in pain or enjoying it in the art for this card?

Now for the “Very Special” part of the “VERY SPECIAL” stretch goals…

We have as a guest artist someone I have been trying to work with for the last 5 years or so. It never seemed to work out in terms of timing, so I just booked it WAY in advance knowing this Kickstarter was coming (or hell, we could have used it NEXT time). SO, who is it? When I was a kid, Dungeons & Dragons was a HUGE part of my life. I ran campaigns for my friends. Heck, I was severely dyslexic and learning to read was REALLY difficult and one of the things that MADE me stick with it was wanting to read D&D books so bad. Well, the cover artist for one of my favorites of those books (Deities and Demigods) and many more was Erol Otus. And THAT is who we have doing the art for Tzar Spelzic Roll. Clearly, I am MASSIVELY thrilled to have Erol do a Champion Wizard for Epic Spell Wars… total bucket list item. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Also… that might the most rage inducing Familiar ability of all time. Hahaha.

As I mentioned, you may remember Erol from this:

And here is his Champion Wizard and Familiar:

Tomorrow we will have an update written by Ben Stoll, our lead designer on the game! So that’s fun…

Until then… love,

Cory