Welcome to Rookling Heroes. You may have seen my Kickstarter Preview on this a little while ago. Well I’m happy to say the Kickstarter is now live. Go check it out. Need more convincing? Ok, read this first.
Rookling Heroes is a card game. Not a trading card game, more like a self-contained game. Nich Angell (the creator) has dubbed it an expandable card game, and has plans to expand, but more on that later. You take part in a 3v3 battle between creatures called Rooklings. Yes, little castles, cute no? They are from the world of Colostle, which can be explored in a separate RPG of the same name. Your team battles it out against the other team by attacking and using the special abilities each Rookling has, until one side is forced to retreat.
Gameplay
To start a game you draft your Rooklings. That’s right, no bringing pre-built decks to the party, it’s much more straightforward. You put all the Rooklings out between you and take it in turns to pick one for your team. Once your team is assembled you each draw 4 energy cards from a shared deck, and away you go. From that point on you each take it in turns attacking and defending with your whole team. Beware when defending though, you only redraw your energy after attacking (except on the first turn), so you have to make the choice between taking damage and doing damage in return. Each Rookling can take 6 damage before it goes into Siege Mode. This sounds very impressive, and it is, the Rookling gets more powerful, but alas, it’s a last resort. If all your Rooklings are in Siege Mode you retreat and lose the game. It should also be noted that any damage put on a Rookling in Siege mode bounces onto neighbouring Rooklings, potentially resulting in a disastrous cascade.
Apart from your straightforward attacks, each Rookling has a special ability. These might be things like healing its neighbours or creating a tunnel to get around the enemies defences. Some of these abilities also can add Field Effect cards into the shared deck. These can be used the same as energy, but they usually have an additional effect on them. All the special abilities are useful and if you get the right combination are potentially game changing.
Tactical Depth
This is a game where its depth lies in its simplicity. I know that makes no sense. On the surface, it’s a straightforward 3v3 brawl between Rooklings. But that core gameplay loop forms a strong basis for tactical depth.
Right from the start you are making tactical decisions. While drafting Rooklings do you go for the Rooklings you really want for your team? Or deny the opponent that one which will pair well with the 2 others they’ve already picked. It’s a back and forth mind game which will only expand as more Rooklings become available.
One thing I didn’t mention above is that when you are attacking you can move your Rooklings around in your lineup as you like. This gives you the opportunity to potentially target a weak enemy, but beware, you have to stick with that layout when you are next defending, so are you sure your Rooklings can take the heat in return? Add to that the choices you are already having to make around what energy to use and save, and there is plenty to think about.
The Field Effects going into the shared energy deck is especially interesting. Some are positive, some are negative, and you know that going in. So do you take the risk? What if you draw the bad ones or your enemy draws the good ones? It’s a difficult decision, but you can also take into account things like the draw deck running low, making it more obvious who is going to pull what cards, or the fact that some abilities let you choose how many of a certain card you put in the deck.
If you put all these things together you have a game which starts off straightforward, with an easy learning curve, but after a few matches it blooms into a game of strategy and risk management.
Artwork and Vibe
You’ve seen the images, and I implore you to check out more on the Kickstarter page. Rookling Heroes is a vibrant, cute and very approachable looking game. The cards I received were a prototype and not printed in their final form, and even now they look great, so I can’t wait to see what they end up like.
For a game about battling, it has a very positive energy. I would expect no less from the creator of Colostle, which also has amazing artwork and honestly if you check it out will only make Rookling Heroes even better, being in the same world.
The future
Fear not, for there are already plans for more from the little Rooklings. On the Kickstarter Nich explains that the first expansion is already in early development, and future play modes could include solo modes and a co-op PvE mode, teaming up to take down bosses. Now THAT would be cool. I hope it’s a Rook, and to know what a full size Rook is like you’ll need to go take a look at Colostle. The use of a shared deck means that as well as expanding the game through Rooklings, it can also be expanded by shuffling Field Effects into the deck from the start, giving you the impression of playing in different environments.
Sneak Peak
Honestly this game is just wholesome fun with a super friendly and approachable theme, I for one can’t wait to play more of it. Now I can’t show you much, but if you check out the image above, you’ll spy some teasers of the other Rooklings that appear in the initial game. Happy battling!
