Combat Cards Enter The Real World: Second Life Strategy Game Now For Sale In Hard Copy

Combat Cards, the acclaimed SL strategy game from Doc Boffin and Osprey Therian, is now for sale in a real world edition.  US Residents can buy a deck of cards for $10 here; UK Residents can get theirs for £7 over here.

This is a cool example of mixed reality and metaverse prototyping.  The high quality card illustrations were derived from SL screenshots, an economical way of developing product art. And as you can guess from the photo at left, Combat Cards comfortably fits in the genre of Magic: The Gathering and other tabletop strategy card games.  So it might actually be just as fun to play in the real world, as in SL.  But starting the game's development in Second Life was probably an advantage for Mssrs. Boffin and Therian, since it gave them a low cost means of playtesting and fine-tuning it. 

But is the game itself any good?  Don't take my word for it, read this enthralled review of Combat Cards from NWN game reviewer Ms. Vidal Tripsa.  Hat tip: slgames.wordpress.com

Comments

[Doubledown Tandino]

I rez one tree and tap it for mana, and then rez my Ogre-ish Imps of the Mainland.
Your turn :O)

[Adri]

DD-- I challenge you to a Combat Cards duel in SL! (It's really fun)

[Seven Shikami]

Interesting. How are they dealing with the copyright issue? Is all the clothing, skin, and hair they're using in the screenshot artwork cleared with the original creators for reproduction and sale?

I'm wondering because I've had an idea for awhile of using avatars for the artwork in an arcade game I want to make, but always figured it'd be a pain to deal with getting copyright cleared on every single bit of texture mapping and geometry involved... and the only other solution is entirely DIY avatarness, right down to the shape.

[Young Geoffrion]

Yes, Seven, as the original creator of the "Ghastly Grin" avatar (though not of the name) shown in the illustration to this story, I can confirm that all textures and geometry are original, from cap to boots to rusty sword. I cannot speak for other creators, but I was delighted by Osprey Therian and Doc Boffin's invitation to model, with every expectation that they will earn milliards of linden dollars and retire to the Azores from the sale of these cards. I should admit the skull was inspired by Locke Cardway's superb sculptie example in the inventory standard library, but not knowing the copyright status of library objects, I made one of my own in Blender. For some of us, DIY avatarness is a way of life.