ROBA: Radiant Offline Battle Arena - Competitive Card Game
Created by Heel Turn Games
A competitive shufflebuilding card game for two players, inspired by MOBAs and video games!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Post Campaign Wrap Up - Important Information Within
over 5 years ago
– Wed, Aug 29, 2018 at 12:50:25 PM
Back to Work!
The Kickstarter campaign is fading into our rearview but our work is just begginning. We are dedicated to bringing you a top quality product and nobody wants to get ROBA off our hard drives and into your hands more than we do. There's a lot to do in order to make that happen, and nothing to do except to get on with it, so we're wading in with both hands - full steam ahead!
We'd like to thank all of you who put your faith in us and joined us on this journey. Good things await!
What We're Up To
We're already hard at work preparing ROBA for manufacture. As you already know, the game is finished - all artwork is ready, the design and development process is 100% complete.
We received a lot of helpful feedback regarding our learn to play booklet during our period of open beta. We are now actioning that feedback, editing that document for improved clarity and flow (and nixing a few typos along the way). We are not changing the rules of the game in any way - just tidying up their presentation a little bit.
Similarly, we are going through all of the cards with a fine tooth comb, ensuring that there are no errors or typos. We will also be implementing gameplay changes to exactly three cards. These changes are minor balance tweaks that are already fully playtested, but which missed our internal deadline for inclusion in the Print-and-Play PDF.
As always, we are standing by to take your questions - message us via Kickstarter or email us at [email protected]
The Pledge Manager
We have already begun the work of building our pledge manager via Backerkit. You will receive an email when it is ready, which will be in late September. We will provide the precise date closer to the pledge manager opening so please watch for that carefully. You will need to use the pledge manager in order to secure your copy of the game.
The pledge manager will be open for 30 days. In this time you will be able to customize your pledge, selecting the exact add-ons you want to receive and providing us with important shipping information. Missed an add-on during the campaign? No problem! You'll be able to purchase any add-ons you want through the pledge manager.
We will also be taking pre-sales while the pledge manager is open, so if you have any friends who missed out on the campaign, this will be their chance to get in on the action!
After the 30 days have passed we will close the pledge manager and manufacturing will commence! You will not be charged for anything through the pledge manager until the game is printed, boxed and on the boat, at which point we will charge you for shipping. That gives your wallet plenty of time to recover after the campaign.
Errored Payments
It has been brought to our attention that certain US-based credit cards have blocked payment as the payment is being made to an Irish company. This issue is currently effecting less than 20 backers, but you may be one of them! In particular, it appears to be effecting backers whose credit card is issued by a credit union rather than a bank. If you have received an error message regarding your pledge (Kickstarter will have emailed you automatically), be sure to contact your credit card provider and approve the payment by 11AM EST tomorrow.
If you miss this deadline, you will also be able to repair your pledge later using the pledge manager, so don't be too anxious!
Future Updates
We will be slowing the pace of updates going forward. During the campaign we were banging the drum as loud as we could, and we thank you for banging it with us, but we know you don't want to be drowning in emails from us either. From now on we will be condensing multiple news items into a single weekly, or sometimes bi-monthly, digest. This should make it easier for you to keep up with what's happening with ROBA as all the information will be contained in one place, rather than scattered throughout a large volume of daily updates.
Poll Results
We have the results from the Alt Art Corvus poll. With a clear margin, capturing 49.5% of the vote, the winner is Balefire Corvus. The artwork has already been comissioned, so keep an eye out for news of Balefire Corvus in future updates!
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Hero Preview - Bran, Druid of the Thistle
Bran, Druid of the Thistle
Introduction
Bran is a support hero who offers consistent, proactive healing to your team. Bran's presence will greatly increase your team's survivability, but this Druid is no two dimensional healbot. Bran also brings a suite of powerful Talent abilities through his skill deck that are useful throughout the game.
Look for the bare necessities...
The Hero Card
Like all support class heroes in the Core set Bran is an Evoker, giving you access to a steady and reliable source of power as long as you can protect him. His stats are average for a hero of his class. His ability is deceptively powerful. Of note, while it is restricted to one-use-per-turn, it is not restricted to being used only on your turn. This means that you can squeeze extra healing out of him if you can figure out ways to recover your Heroes during your opponent's turn. Over the course of the game, Bran's healing, even if you don't level him up, can make a significant difference.
More than just a carebear.
The Skill Deck
Bran's Talent abilities offer a variety of high impact effects.
Entangling Thorns is a direct damage effect that also offers limited board control. Movement is in many ways the least directly powerful of the core actions, but a well timed root can punish an opponent's over-extension or cover your own risky attack from reprisal.
Invigorate enhances Bran's persistent healing with a high impact spot heal. Invigorate's bonus armor also allows aggressive plays, allowing your freshly healed hero to chase after high value targets immediately and safely.
Nature's Wrath is a potentially hugely powerful card, especially in the late game. Though it must be used with care due to its indiscriminate nature, it is one of the best cards in the ROBA core set when it comes time to expose the opponent's deity and it can also be used to punish clumping enemy Heroes in the early and mid-game phases.
Begin Again
Serenity is a slow, ponderous card with game changing effects. Though it costs your entire turn to use, it offers a variety of powerful benefits. Recovering all of your Heroes means that if you plan its use perfectly, Serenity will cost you no tempo at all in spite of its hefty action point cost. The true power of the card lies in its ability to refill your hand - potentially drawing you a full hand of seven cards, and easily drawing as many as five. Bran's skill deck offers no card draw outside of this ultimate, so it can be dangerous to rely on Serenity as your sole card drawing effect.
Thank You!
over 5 years ago
– Thu, Aug 23, 2018 at 03:05:03 PM
Viggo Approves!
Now the real work begins!
30 Days, 610 Backers, €24,371. The ROBA Kickstarter campaign is in the books, and we couldn't be more grateful. To all our backers, supporters and friends - THANK YOU!
The next step is for us to get the game in your hands, which we are going to start working on first thing Monday morning.
So this is the end - but it's also just the beginning. You'll be hearing from us again soon with a full wrap-up update that will be delivered next week. That will contain important information so keep an eye out for it.
See you in the Arena!
- The ROBA Team
The Final Stretch Goal
over 5 years ago
– Thu, Aug 23, 2018 at 04:38:53 AM
THUN-THUN
An Eye to the Future
Now that ROBA is fully funded, and the first expansion has been unlocked, it's time to look at what comes next. We've spoken at length about our plans for the game - how we want to support it going forward and all the great content that we've got planned.
Our final stretch goal is not traditional. It doesn't impact this product at all. If we reach €26,000, which is 200% of our initial funding goal, we will be guaranteed to cover all the art costs of our next product from the proceeds of this Kickstarter. That will allow us to launch into the pre-production of that product right away, and help us keep a steady stream of new ROBA content coming your way in the future.
Don't forget your Add-ons!
Want to help us reach that goal? We now have two great add-ons available! Just this morning we unlocked the most important: our first expansion, which can be added to your pledge for just €12 (or €40 for a set of four, for Playgroup Hero backers).
€12 for one / €40 for four!
We also have playmats! We are currently offering three different designs featuring the Heroes Eleanor, Bran, and Iskandar. Each playmat also features a meter that can be used to keep track of your Power resource throughout the game. One playmat can be acquired for €17. All three can be purchased for a discounted price of €45. You will be contacted before fulfillment to confirm which design or designs you wish to receive.
The playmats are 24" x 14" and are manufactured by Ultra PRO.
€17 for one / €45 for three!
You can purchase any add-ons you want simply by clicking the "Manage My Pledge" button and increasing your pledge by the appropriate amount. We'll take care of the rest!
See you in the Arena!
Just six hours left - Last chance for add-ons!
over 5 years ago
– Thu, Aug 23, 2018 at 01:43:54 AM
We're almost there!
The ROBA campaign is almost over - and we can't wait to take a nap. A long nap. Just six hours remain before the campaign is in the books - that means you've got six whole hours to invest in some of our awesome add-ons!
Expansion Pack #1
€12 for one / €40 for four!
Featuring three awesome new heroes, our first expansion pack will deepen your roster and enhance your drafting experience.
It costs just €12 to add this product on to your pledge, or backers at the Playgroup Hero tier can avail of a discount and purchase four copies for €40.
Playmats
€17 for one / €45 for three!
Featuring the Heroes Eleanor, Bran and Iskandar our playmats are 24" x 14" and manufactured by Ultra PRO.
Playmats can be purchased for €17 each or all three together for the discounted price of €45.
How to manage your add-ons
In order to include any add-ons in your pledge, simply use the "Manage My Pledge" button at the top of the ROBA Kickstarter page to increase your pledge by the appropriate amount depending on which add-ons you want. Then, once the campaign is over, you will be able to select your add-ons in our post-campaign pledge manager. Simple!
What about after the campaign?
That's a good question, I'm glad you asked!
Backers will be able to add any add-ons they want at a later date through our pledge manager, so if you're a little short on cash right now, don't worry! You'll have plenty of time to pick up your add-ons later.
Livestream Countdown
Don't forget, we'll be hosting a live stream to countdown the end of the campaign. This goes live an hour before the campaign's conclusion at 15:00 Irish Time / 10:00 EST. This event is taking place on Facebook Live via the ROBA Facebook Page. We hope to see you there!
Expansion Stretch Goal Unlocked - ACT NOW TO SECURE YOUR COPY!
over 5 years ago
– Wed, Aug 22, 2018 at 01:56:45 PM
€20,000 Stretch Goal - Expansion Pack 1
We made it! Our first expansion is now fully funded and is available to be added on to any existing pledge!
The expansion contains three brand new Heroes, along with their skill decks and a set of drafting cards.
The expansion can be added on to an existing pledge for just €12, or for backers at the Playgroup Hero tier, a set of four can be added on for the discounted price of €40.
These three heroes greatly expand the depth of the draft format, and open up exciting new deckbuilding possibilities! If you want to know more about the Heroes and their decks, you can see a preview of the entire contents of the expansion in Update #24
In order to secure your copy of the expansion, simply click the "Manage My Pledge" button at the top of the Kickstarter Page, and increase your pledge by the appropriate amount.
