Alea Iacta Est

Alea Iacta Est was a personal project I did during the my first year at the HKU. I wanted to create a card game that features tactical combat and classical RPG-elements, while remaining a simple and practical card game that you could take anywhere with you. Moreover I wanted the game to feel like it was set in a believable and consistent universe, immersing the player into the world and characters.  Alea Iacta Est is a turn-based combat game you play with 2-5 dice. There are multiple factions in the game, and each faction has its own 'army'. A player controls one such army.  In an army, there are three types of cards, L (Leader type), C (Captain type), and T (Troop type). All L and C cards are unique and represent an important character from the game's world, complete with a brief description of their backstory and heritage. The game is designed to be played in multiple ways, with the most important ones being Conquest (1-2 players), PvP (2 players) and Boss Battle (1-5 players). 

This project took about 2 months to complete, with the first month working on the gameplay mechanics and prototyping, and the second working on narrative and the production of the cards. There were about four versions of the game before I decided the final prototype was finished and I could send the cards to a printing company. During each design cycle I would extensively playtest with friends, family and peers and revise, scrap or add things both on the go and afterwards. Especially the improvising while testing proved to be an invaluable insight and skill that I am still using today.