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Darkwood Games - Elementile

Created by Darkwood Games

Darkwood Games presents Elementile Utilize the power of the elements to summon an army of units and cast spells! A new competitive card game featuring 582 cards.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Elementile Print and Play
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 24, 2022 at 05:27:45 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Jun 08, 2022 at 06:27:53 AM

Hello Elementalists!

It's time for our June Kickstarter update, and we have some exciting news to share! In addition to completing one of the most important aspects of pre-production, we will be sharing some highly anticipated dates for the Print and Play rewards, news from DreamHack Dallas 2022, and give a deep dive on the element of the month: Water! We want to take this moment to once again thank all of our incredible backers for making this project possible - we are so close to sending off final editions to the manufacturer for our demo copies, I can't wait to show off physical products to all of you!

Art and Design

We are so excited to let you all know that we met our goal of finishing all the card art by June!! This is a huge milestone for Elementile and puts us that much closer to getting the game into your hands! We are currently double- and triple-checking all the cards to make sure the formatting, placements, and spelling is all perfect before sending out the Print and Play and starting manufacturing.

Print and Play

The Print and Play rewards are coming on June 24th! The Print and Play will include the exact numbers of cards included in the physical game so that players can appropriately set up drafts and build decks by card rarity (i.e. there is only one of each hero card per game). Additionally, we will provide files for the game tokens and boards.

The Print and Play will be delivered via BackerKit. We will send out another update when the rewards are released. As a reminder, everyone who selected rewards for Print and Play, Elementile Base Game, Elementile Premium Game, and/or Retailer’s Pledges will be sent the Print and Play pdfs.

Next Steps

Once all of the cards are reviewed and finalized for the Print and Play, we will also be sending the files off to our manufacturer for our demo copies. We expect the demo copies should take between 3-6 weeks to get back to us. Once we’ve received these, we’ll perform a final spot check to make sure everything for the game is correct and initiate full-scale production. As always, we are keeping an eye on global supply chain logistics, but we are still very optimistic that we will be able to begin shipping and fulfillment this November.

DreamHack Dallas 2022

We had the opportunity to attend DreamHack Dallas this past weekend and show off the alpha copy of Elementile to a huge crowd of video and board game enthusiasts. We spoke with hundreds of people and were so grateful and humbled by all the kind comments and interest for our game. We will be attending more conventions in the future and will bring our demo copies so players can test out the game in person.

Element Spotlight – Water

Water derives its power from the subtlety that its fiery counterpart lacks. While its units do not tend to have standout stats, they have either a flexibility that makes them the perfect fit for a given situation, unique movement options seen nowhere else, or the ability to freeze enemies, a premiere control effect in Elementile. Wave Elemental is a perfect example of this flexibility.

Wave Elemental. Art by Vivian Hernandez.

If you need to hit something hard, Wave Elemental can provide, at the cost of being a little less healthy than typical for its cost. If instead you want something to stick on the board and hold space, you can choose to summon it with more health, but weaker attacks. While it can’t do both at once, the ability to have what you need when you need it in a single card makes it fit well into your game plan, regardless of what your opponent is throwing at you.

Curious Clone is another highly adaptive unit.

Curious Clone. Art by Vivian Hernandez.

It can be whatever you need, with a huge HP pool on top of that! You can double up on your biggest threat or even take your opponent’s. Once those abilities stop being useful, trade them out for something else on the board.

Flash Freeze. Art by Vivian Hernandez.

There are many water units and spells that are able to freeze opposing units. Frozen units cannot move, attack, and have no functioning abilities for a turn. This disabling effect can give you some breathing room as you set up answers to larger threats.  Flash Freeze is an example of a spell that can incapacitate a large number of units at once, whereas the trusty Snowman can tie down a unit indefinitely as long as it is able to maintain its attack.

Snowman. Art by Vivian Hernandez.

Once frozen, you can setup a lethal attack for the following turn, or continue to freeze the unit and buy more time. While your opponent can bring in more units to support their frozen friend, getting too close may be a mistake.

Shatter. Art by Vivian Hernandez.

When it comes to building decks with Water, it can combine very well with other elements that control the board. Darkness can provide an answer for highly armored units which resist your freezing effects, and Earth can help zone out sections of the board and plink away at frozen foes with ranged attacks.

If you like controlling the board through debilitating effects and coming up with clever uses for flexible cards then Water may be the element for you. Come make a splash on the field of Elementile!

Rainy Day. Art by Jesus Da Silva.

Elemental Neoprene Game Mat

Last, but certainly not least, is the Water elemental neoprene game mat by Alex Sorosy! Alex perfectly captured the eerily frigid and beautiful environment the Water creatures would thrive in.

Water Game Mat. Art by Alex Sorosy.

This game mat (and those for the other elements) are available as add-ons on BackerKit (https://elementile-ccg.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/408369).

Timeline

Thank you all for your continued support!

Our next update is scheduled for July 5, 2022.

See you on the Elemental Plane!

Best,

Amanda, Alex, Zach, and Ryan

Darkwood Games

What is Wind’s favor color? Blew!
almost 2 years ago – Wed, May 04, 2022 at 12:01:18 AM

Hello Elementalists!

It’s time to dive into another Elementile update! We’re on track to finalize all the game art by June, which means production will start soon. We’re so excited to reach this part of the process – it’s been a long time coming! Now let’s hasten into the rest of the update – the new art is sure to sweep you away!


Pledge Manager

Thank you everyone who has completed their pledge manager surveys thus far! We’ve had about 80% of backers submit their responses already. We do not have a closing date for the pledge manager yet, but please remember to complete your survey as quickly as possible so we know where to ship your rewards. A reminder will be sent out 2 weeks before the closing date. If you have any questions about your survey, BackerKit, or Elementile, please reach out to us at either https://elementile-ccg.backerkit.com/faq#contact-us or at [email protected].


Art and Design

We are in the final stretch of the Design phase! There are only 4 more cards we are waiting on the final art for, and then everything will be ready for final formatting and review. Within the next month, we expect to order game samples from our manufacturer and do a final spot check before initiating full-scale production. That said, we’re super excited to share some of the most recent art in the Element Spotlight for Wind below!


Element Spotlight – Wind

Wind units are fleet but frail, their claim to fame being the unique movement option of flying. Flying units can move diagonally in the field giving them many more options with their basic movement.

Griffin. Art by Mat Gimeno.

The griffin is a textbook example of a Wind unit. Not the strongest attacks and not the hardiest unit, but it has flying movement. Flying doubles a unit’s movement options and crucially grants two additional approaching options on the forward diagonals making the advances of a flying unit that much tougher to block. Additionally, increasing the movement speed of a flying unit yields exponential benefits as two diagonal moves can traverse nearly the entire field.

Hasten. Art by Mat Gimeno.

Hasten can be used to boost flying units up to that coveted 2 flying movement, giving them access to threaten essentially the entire board. The Avian Acrobat has that fleet movement speed all the time, and can even break up its movement before and after attacks. The ability to position units precisely where they’re needed helps Wind run circles around their foes and advance free of obstruction.

Avian Acrobat. Art by Mat Gimeno.

Though Wind does not have access to direct damage spells, they’re still not without the ability to remove obstacles.

Levitate. Art by Mat Gimeno.

Levitate can be used to reposition an ally or an enemy, and Sweep Away can be used to remove foes altogether. Both spells are crucial for maintaining control of the board and out positioning opponents, dealing with threats that are otherwise unreachable.

Sweep Away. Art by Mat Gimeno.

Wind is also able to manipulate the game beyond the board, sporting discard effects which deny resources from opponents and premonition effects which can help control cards drawn.

Cloud Scraper. Art by Dorian Blaze.

While the Cloud Scraper has all the typical Wind advantages of being incredibly maneuverable, as it tears into enemy units or the opponent it forces them to part with resources from their hand. Meanwhile Winds of Fortune can be used to restructure the deck ensuring draws are as useful as possible.

Winds of Fortune. Art by Mat Gimeno.

Wind pairs well with Fire and Earth when deck building, since their naturally healthy stat lines grant options with staying power after Wind units make their way to the opponent’s back line. It also does well with Darkness where recursive options can combine with discard effects to build up some nasty card advantage.

That’s going to do it for this Element Spotlight for Wind! If you enjoy careful positioning and outmaneuvering your opponents, then this element may be for you.


Elemental Neoprene Game Mat

Since the theme of this update is Wind, we’d also like to show off the new neoprene game mat art for the element here:

Wind Game Mat. Art by Alex Sorosy.

Dive from the floating rocks into battle! This game mat (and those for the other elements) are available as add-ons on BackerKit (https://elementile-ccg.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders/408365).


Print and Play

With the art almost complete for Elementile, we will be sending out the Print and Play rewards soon! This will let you take a closer look at the creatures, spells, and abilities of Elementile and play the game before the final physical copies are manufactured. Everyone who selected rewards for Print and Play, Elementile Base Game, Elementile Premium Game, and/or Retailer’s Pledges will be sent a Print and Play pdf via BackerKit. We don’t have a release date yet, but keep an eye on your email!


Timeline

Thank you all for your continued support!

Our next update is scheduled for June 7, 2022.


See you on the Elemental Plane!

Best,

Amanda, Zach, Alex, and Ryan

Darkwood Games

The Pledge Manager is Live!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Apr 08, 2022 at 09:35:16 AM

Hello Elementalists!

It’s been an exciting month for Elementile! We’re ready to launch the pledge manager and pre-order store, the art is now over 90% complete, and we’re ahead of schedule to start manufacturing. With that said, let’s dive right into the update!


Pledge Manager

We sent out the pledge manager randomly to 5% of backers on March 24th. Thank you to everyone who has completed their surveys! There have been no issues with BackerKit thus far, so we feel ready to send the pledge manager surveys to the rest of our backers today!

As a reminder, the pledge manager is where you will enter your shipping address, confirm your pledge selections, and purchase any additional items. If you over-pledged during the initial Kickstarter campaign, that money will roll-over to the pledge manager and can be applied additional games, items, or shipping. For those of you that messaged us wanting to purchase more than one copy of Elementile, now is your chance! Just be sure to add those additional copies to your pledge when you check-out.

While we do not have closing date for the pledge manager, it is important to respond to your survey as quickly as possible so we have all the information we need to fulfill your rewards. If you do not complete the survey, we will not know where to ship your items and will consider your pledge a gift. Don’t fret through – we will send out a 2-week warning when we do have a scheduled closing date.

Some tips and notes about BackerKit:

You do not need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the email with the survey, click the survey link to respond. After you respond to your survey, you can go back later and change your responses at any time before we close the surveys and get our final counts. If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://elementile-ccg.backerkit.com. Your BackerKit survey is sent to whichever email address you used to log in to your Kickstarter account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact us at https://elementile-ccg.backerkit.com/faq#contact-us.

If you have any questions at all about BackerKit, fulfillment, or Elementile, please reach out to us either at https://elementile-ccg.backerkit.com/faq#contact-us or at [email protected]!


Pre-Order Store

In addition to the pledge manager, we are also opening the Elementile pre-order store on BackerKit! Anyone that missing backing Elementile during our Kickstarter campaign can now pre-order Elementile here: https://elementile-ccg.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders.


New Elemental Boards

As we mentioned during our last few updates, we’ve been working on some new neoprene mats for each of the six elements! The art portion of this update will focus on the Earth element, so we want to show off the Earth elemental mat! This is currently available on the pledge manager and pre-order store.

Earth neoprene game mat. Art by Alex Sorosy.

Element Spotlight – Earth

Sturdy and stable, earth units tend to either sport high armor values making them tough to remove or ranged attacks which allow them to threaten foes at a distance. When combined with a proper formation, these qualities make for a potent combination.

Units like the Rooted Sentinel truly embody the hardy and stable earthen characteristics.

Rooted Sentinel. Art by Dorian Blaze.

This unit is incredibly tough to destroy, especially for its cost, and it can’t even be moved by enemy effects. That being said, in exchange being an immovable object it takes extra time to set up a counter-offensive. Unlike most other units, the rooted sentinel can’t attack after being summoned or after moving, making it more inclined to hold its ground and let the fight come to it.

These stable and sturdy units can be used to give you a lasting presence on the board, which secures more summoning space, and forces advancing opponents into narrow chokes.

Bramble Wall. Art by Sugarnutsco.

Units like the Bramble Wall pose no offensive capability on their own, but can help section off portions of the board, limiting your opponent’s approach options.

While heavily armored units can cut off approach options, the use of ranged attacks can further dissuade the opponent’s use of key columns.

Siege Ballista. Art by Sugarnutsco.

Both the Siege Ballista and Sniper have the ability to attack the opposite side of the board, adding a cost to anything looking to take up space in their column. Both of these units perform even better when standing behind a tough ally who can cover up their weaknesses, or increase their capabilities.

Sniper. Art by Brett Harwood.

Lastly, to the end of setting up these strong formations, there are spells and units which secure forward summoning space.

Scout. Art by Mat Gimeno.

This accelerated summoning space helps secure a strong front line early on, providing space for ranged support behind it.

As for deck building, Earth pairs well with the protective element of Light, as it can make already tough units nigh unstoppable. It also pairs well with Water and Wind, which can make up for the element’s limited mobility.

That’s going to wrap up this Element Spotlight for Earth! Those with a tactical mind who enjoy setting up unbreakable formations may feel at home piloting this element. If that sounds like you, give the earth element a shot on the Elemental Plane!


Timeline

The art for Elemental is almost completely finished! There are just 12 more pieces we need final art for, and then we’ll be ready to order the final samples from our manufacturer. We are on track to hit our goal of ordering samples this June with final manufacturing and fulfillment this November.


Thank you!

Our next update is scheduled for May 3, 2022.

See you on the Elemental Plane!

Best,

Amanda, Alex, Zach, and Ryan

Darkwood Games

BackerKit surveys are coming!
about 2 years ago – Wed, Mar 23, 2022 at 06:08:02 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.