Shu's Tactics was the name of the first game by Vietnamese game designer Thinh Lehuu, which was released in August 2022 Kickstarter has been financed. Over 3.000 people supported the Roll&Write game, which is based on Tower Defense and was offered in print&play format. With a 7.5 on BoardGameGeek, the game was also completely convincing. With this success behind us, the young designer's second project, Mons and Mages, is starting October 24th on Kickstarter. We were able to talk to Thinh and briefly introduce the game to you in this crowdfunding preview.
The Mons and Mages tournament takes place every three years when experienced magicians from all over the world come together and travel across the country to collect mystical monsters (Mons) for their team. To destroy their opponents' life points, they use the monsters' unique abilities and create powerful combinations. In the end, only a magician can receive the most prestigious title in the country and be the “Domitor”.
Creating epic combinations
Mons and Mages is a competitive engine builder with card combination elements in which we play as a powerful wizard to tame and train mystical monsters. In order to control the wild monsters, players must cleverly combine the unpredictable powers of their monsters. We can only outwit our opponents if there is a special synergy with the other monsters.
At its core, the game is structured in a pleasantly simple way. Basically, we collect cards by paying the associated costs and try to use the monsters' effects as cleverly as possible and create impressive combination chains. It is precisely the effects of the monsters that make Mons and Mages a game with great depth. The positioning and characteristics of each monster are of great importance. We have to manage our game board skillfully in order to emerge victorious from the game. All of these synergies allow for many tactical options in the game.
In terms of play, Mons and Mages is based on games like Pokémon. However, Thinh emphasizes that this is not a direct fight between the monsters. You create a temporary team of monsters and work to reduce your opponents' points. The concept of dealing damage in the game is therefore just another way of gaining victory points. The game also avoids selective take-that elements. Any “damage” you inflict is inflicted on all opponents and not on a single person.
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The creation of Mons and Mages
The inspiration for Mons and Mages came to Thinh quite by chance. In 2019, a friend invited him to a game night at their house and sent him pictures of different games they planned to play that night. He was particularly impressed by one picture Bruno Cathalas' Abyss. Since he didn't know the game at the time, he thought that the cards' faction symbols brought special effects to some kind of engine. Ultimately, however, it turned out that these had the function of collecting a set. From his misjudgment, he came up with the idea of a tableau building game in which you collect cards with special symbols to trigger their unique effects. This idea gave rise to Mons and Mages.
When developing the game, Thinh encountered two major challenges. The large number of unique cards and the development of the artwork for them was a major financial hurdle for him as an aspiring publisher. Thinh also lives in a country where the board game industry is not yet widely represented. The werewolves of Mirkwood and Exploding Kittens are the best known. A connoisseur game like Mons and Mages has a difficult time here. With a lot of courage, he decided to move forward with the development of the game because Thinh believes in his project. With Kickstarter he can reach board game enthusiasts all over the world and pass on his exciting game to people.
October 24th on Kickstarter
Mons and Mages is on October 24th on Kickstarter to the start. The game will be available in two versions. The standard version The game will be available for $39. The Deluxe version for a slim $49. The deluxe version adds additional solo bosses, improved game tokens and a protective box cover to the standard version. Improvement goals will also play an important role. “We are grateful for everyone who trusts us and supports us on Kickstarter,” said Thinh. With the improvement goals he wants to increase the already high replayability of his game with additional monsters and variable abilities (magic tricks).
You can tell that a lot of love and passion went into the project. Despite all the difficulties along the way, Mons and Mages looks excellent and simply leaves you wanting more. We're definitely excited to see how the game performs and how it plays in the end. You can find more information about Mons and Mages on the LeviathGames website.
Information about Mons and Mages
| Number of players: 1 – 4 Age: from 12 years Playing time: 30 - 60 minutes Difficulty: expert game Classification: Set Collection Author: Thinh Lehuu Illustrations: Richard Nguyen, Van Tran, Sofia Zurita, Bitt's Art, Nic Phan, Buttlerlinh Publisher: LeviathGames Official Website: Link Link to the campaign: Kickstarter Campaign start: October 24, 2023 Cost: Standard version $39; Deluxe version $49 |
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