Genre: Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Indie, Card & Board Game
Kards: The WWII Card Game
KARDS Mobile Release: June 6th!
Hello everyone!
We are incredibly excited to share with you the official release date for KARDS mobile!
đ„ D-Day: June 6th! đ„
On June 6th in 1944 allied forces arrived on the beaches of Normandy to commence the liberation of France. This largest seaborne invasion in history became known as D-Day. On this historic day, KARDS will achieve one of its most significant milestones in its history, releasing KARDS mobile!
Developing the mobile version of KARDS has had its share of thrilling twists and turns. Donât miss our upcoming podcast, where Community Manager ElĂn and host Chris are joined by Mobile Development Lead Tuomas to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the mobile development journey.
Platforms
Following the mobile release, KARDS will be available on Android through the Google Play Store, on iOS through the Apple App Store, as well as existing PC platforms: Steam, Epic Games, Stove, and the native KARDS launcher.
Cross Platform Play
Access your KARDS account from anywhere at any time!
You can use the same account to play KARDS on PC or mobile devices. To do this, you'll need to create a KARDS Account inside the game client on the platform you currently play on. After you've entered your email and set a password for your KARDS Account, you'll be able to use those credentials to log into your KARDS Account on both PC and mobile devices, progressing on the same player profile no matter which device you're connecting from. We'll communicate more details about the specifics of this process as we move closer to the mobile release date.
If you participated in our second mobile beta and created a KARDS Account during that time, then you already have a KARDS Account and will be able to log in to KARDS on your mobile device using those credentials. If you've since forgotten your password, don't worry - we'll have a simple automated process for you to reset your password.
Youâll also be able to play with other KARDS players regardless of which platform you, or they, are connecting from!
Save the Date!
Make sure to mark this date in your calendar! Weâll have some special things for you around the mobile release that you donât want to miss!
Community Spotlight: AndYetItMoves and Jking7
Hello everyone!
The KARDS community is filled with players of diverse backgrounds with varied viewpoints. Many of its members create contributions that enrich the community, providing, for example, entertainment or guidance to other community members. Through the relaunch of the KARDS Contributor Program, we aim to provide added support to contributors, as well as to highlight the various contributions of KCP members to the KARDS community.
This month, the community spotlight shines on two members of the KARDS community: AndYetItMoves and Jking7.
AndYetItMoves
Background
Community guide AndYetItMoves (AYIM) started playing KARDS in February 2020. AYIM was originally drawn to KARDS through a love of card games, having played many digital board games and strategy games before, with KARDS being his first CCG. AYIM enjoys helping new players which is reflected in his community contributions.
AYIM says that some of his favorite aspects of the game are the different unit types and the frontline mechanic. When asked about his favorite card, he says that it used to be the 2e RIMa, before its recent nerf. Now, his favorite card is the PETLYAKOV PE-2FT, nicknamed the IQ-test plane in the Chinese community for its ability to stop deployment effects from triggering. AYIMâs favorite meta deck is the popular USA/Germany Frontline deck, but in casual games he plays his own inventions. âGer/Pol CA anyone?â
Contributions
AYIMâs most notable contributions are his New Playerâs Guide to KARDS (KARDSæ°ææć) and, from that, the Selected Builds for New Players (æ°ææććĄç»éèźČ). These extensive guides provide a framework for new players who are getting to grips with the game, guiding them in the first steps and giving advice on various aspects of playing KARDS. AYIM keeps the guides regularly updated with consideration of balance updates and new content. Starting as a project to help answer the frequently asked questions of new KARDS players, this guide has grown significantly over time, with AYIM describing that it is now: âtwice the length of my Bachelor thesis!â
AYIM also collaborates with streamer Mina to provide commentary and analysis of official KARDS tournaments as they are re-streamed to the Chinese player base on the Bilibili platform.
To access AYIMâs new player guides, join the Chinese KARDS communityâs QQ group with the following QR code:
New Player Advice
When asked about advice he would give to new KARDS players, AYIM suggests to âtake it slowly, and have fun before everything else.â Many players in the KARDS community have played for years, having completed their collections a long time ago. Their mindset may not align with that of a new player, which may be frustrating for some. AYIM suggests that new players take their time, figure out their main interests and which playstyles they like, build up a collection of standard and limited wildcards and, most importantly, figure out if KARDS is the right game for them. Having fun should always come first!
Jking7
Background
Jking7 (Jking) has become a household name in KARDS, as the two-time KARDS World Champion, with a consistent and exceptional tournament track record, as well as regular appearances on the screens of KARDS community members. Jking started playing KARDS in May 2019, but it didnât become one of his most regular games until March 2020.
As a history buff that had sunk countless hours into Hearthstone, KARDS quickly captured Jkingâs attention and kept his interest with both its artistic design and some game design choices. Of particular interest were the frontline mechanic, operation cost, and mechanically different unit types, which he says âadded a level of thought to the game and deckbuilding that was missing from the other CCGâs Iâd tried.â
His favorite card of all time was one of the previous iterations of Night Witches that would perpetually create a copy of the card and put it into your deck, allowing for unique Soviet fatigue decks. His current favorite card is Commonwealth - a card that on its own is quite weak and requires a certain type of deck built around it that creates a dynamic where you and your opponent must balance several elements to try and wrest victory from the hands of each other. His favorite decks in general are control decks with no proactive win condition, best represented currently in KARDS by Soviet control or Germany/Italy control decks.
Having been a member of the KARDS community for a long time, Jking has seen the community develop and grow throughout the years. He expresses that heâs always loved how connected the community feels, and that KARDS developers engage with and listen to community feedback.
Contributions
Jking has created live broadcasts on his Twitch channel, but the main content Jking focuses on creating these days are videos on his YouTube channel. These include top-level gameplay, sharing his thoughts on different cards and patches, tournament analysis and guides, which he hopes to do more of in the future. He also makes the occasional content just for fun - such as trying out viewer submitted decks, or playing KARDS blindfolded.
With his extensive tournament knowledge and experience, Jking created his own new competitive KARDS format, which he hosted and cast last year, called the Kingâs Cup tournament.
Jking has also cast several official KARDS tournaments, providing his expert analysis of the gameplay of some of the top tournament players in KARDS.
Jking releases at least one new video per week. His ability to create and release new content can fluctuate, but he is never far from the screens of KARDS community members: âif you don't see anything new from me on my channel you can definitely expect to see me on a cast or in a tournamentâ.
https://youtu.be/jsXop8yABpE
https://youtu.be/Pa0S-eock5k
New Player Advice
Jking recommends that new players try and immerse themselves in the community. This can be through talking in stream chats, making friends in the official KARDS Discord, or by watching videos - all of these will help get new players into the game. New players can use these resources to improve their gameplay, get advice on how to build their collection, find fun decks to play or players to play against. As Jking says, âEveryone enjoys KARDS differently but everyone will enjoy it more if they have people to share those experiences with.â
We hope youâve enjoyed getting to know these contributors better and encourage you to check out their content! Make sure you stay tuned for next month, where we bring you another community spotlight featuring different KARDS contributors. Join us on the official KARDS Discord server and let us know if thereâs anything youâd like to see us cover in these articles in the future!
A New Skirmish Event is Live
A new Skirmish event is live now until April 23rd!
Hereâs everything you need to know.
Skirmish is a special game mode in KARDS where you play with alternate rules. These rules vary; youâll face something different at every Skirmish event. Read more about Skirmishes in our announcement blog New game mode: Skirmish.
For this Skirmish, we welcome the pauper ruleset! This means that only Standard and Limited rarity cards can be used in your Skirmish deck.
The prize for your first victory in this Skirmish is a random card pack!
Access the Skirmish event from the game's main screen to get an overview of the game mode, rules and prize.
This Skirmish is accessible from April 21st at 12:00 GMT until Sunday, April 23rd at 18:00 GMT.
Join this special event - win your Skirmish to claim victory and the spoils!
Please let us know what you think of the event in the comments below or on the KARDS Discord.
See you in the Skirmish this weekend!
Coming Soon: New Card Set Structure and Content Cycle
Hello everyone!
Earlier this year, we announced several details surrounding our plans for KARDS content going forward. Hereâs a brief summary of the main points in Director of Game Design Keliâs dev blog:
Two major releases each year. Major updates with new cards and features, potentially with some smaller content releases in between.
Card rotation with major releases. Equal number of cards are moved to the Reserve pool as cards that arrive with the release.
Hand-picked rotation. Cards entering the Reserve pool will be hand-picked, with new expansion cards being safe from rotation for at least 1.5 years.
Keep using Reserve cards. Play in AI training matches, challenge matches with friends, and an upcoming PvP gamemode.
Reserve cards reintroduced. Cards may return to the game with future expansions.
Card set simplification. All cards, except the latest expansion (currently Legions), enter the Core set.
Shop changes. World at War bundles retired from the Shop, Theaters of War temporarily removed and reintroduced at a later date without card rewards.
Crate system rework. More things will contribute to filling up the crate, which fills up more frequently but with reduced rewards each time, providing overall similar gains.
Duplicate protection. Card packs and rewards will not give duplicates if possible.
At the end of April, we commence the first phase of the new content cycle. At that time, the following happens:
All cards, apart from the latest expansion, Legions, become part of the new Core set.
Theaters of War campaigns and World at War bundles are removed from the shop. Theaters of War will return at a later date in a reworked state, without the card rewards.
Five very infrequently used cards move into the Reserve pool.
Which Cards Are Rotated Out?
For this first rotation, only 5 very infrequently used cards enter the Reserve pool. This first rotation is primarily intended to test the Reserve pool system before the first major rotation happens this summer, when the summer expansion is released.
The cards to be rotated into the Reserve pool at the end of April are:
AT ALL COST
SUPPRESSION
F4F-3 WILDCAT
QF 40mm Mk III
SHIBATA REGIMENT
These cards are present on average in 0.79% of all decks of players playing in 2023 and were played on average in only 0.78% of matches in March this year.
Going forward, when the first major rotations kick in, you can expect a similar amount of cards to be rotated out and into the game - so if 80 new cards come into the game, you can expect about 80 cards to move into the Reserve pool at the same time. We also aim to communicate about cards moving into the Reserve pool with at least 4-6 weeks notice.
Why Do a Rotation?
There are many reasons why we are introducing a rotation at this point in time. With a plan of up to 200 new cards entering the game each year, this could lead to a number of issues, such as:
Power creep. When introducing new and exciting cards and mechanics through expansions, without a rotation, we risk a power creep issue, making it less appealing to play anything other than a narrow range of the top cards. We want to support a variety of decks and strategies and create an environment where cards in a new expansion donât always have to be more powerful than previous content, which in turn could continuously make older cards less relevant and lead to balance issues.
Deck building difficulties. With an ever-expanding pool of cards, deck building would become increasingly difficult. Recalling all the different cards and possibilities can take a lot of mental energy and building new decks can become tedious with too many cards.
Inaccessibility for newer players. As the amount of cards in the game grows, newer players have more and more of a difficult time getting into the game. Collecting all available cards will be challenging and wrapping your head around all the available cards will become increasingly daunting for newer players.
Balancing difficulties. Balancing the game becomes more challenging as the card pool expands. With a card rotation, we are able to more effectively balance the game, providing a consistently fun and engaging experience for our players.
For this first phase, since only five very infrequently used cards are rotated into the Reserve pool, we have not planned for a specific compensation. However, we are planning a one-time larger compensation when the first full rotation cycle happens with the summer expansion, the details of which will be revealed closer to the summer expansion release. Going forward from there, the reworked crate mechanic will serve in part as a compensation mechanic, as we plan on cards moving into the Reserve pool contributing to filling up your crate.
We Want Your Feedback!
To collect feedback from various sources about the new content cycle and card set structure, weâve set up the Content Cycle Feedback channel in the official KARDS Discord server. Please join us in Discord and let us know what you think - your feedback means a lot to us!
A New Skirmish Event is Live
A new Skirmish event is live now until April 9th!
Hereâs everything you need to know.
Skirmish is a special game mode in KARDS where you play with alternate rules. These rules vary; youâll face something different at every Skirmish event. Read more about Skirmishes in our announcement blog New game mode: Skirmish.
In this Skirmish, you choose your own deck to battle with. Tanks and Infantry units have Blitz. When a unit is deployed, it gets an attack bonus equal to its operation cost, then the operation cost is set to 0.
The prize for your first victory in this Skirmish is a random card pack!
Access the Skirmish event from the game's main screen to get an overview of the game mode, rules and prize.
This Skirmish is accessible from April 7th at 12:00 GMT until Sunday, April 9th at 18:00 GMT.
Join this special event - win your Skirmish to claim victory and the spoils!
Please let us know what you think of the event in the comments below or on the KARDS Discord.
See you in the Skirmish this weekend!
April Update - Patch Notes
Hello everyone!
This April update contains some bug fixes and other improvements, mostly related to the new user interface. Some of the highlights are:
The collection overview has returned! Go to your card collection to find the collection overview button on the top bar.
Fixed a bug with rewards at the end of a game always requiring two clicks.
Fixed a bug where the card collection would sometimes show up on the board in battle.
Fixed a bug where you would get a "please delete deck" error for no apparent reason.
Fixed bug where sometimes you would see wrong icons in help bubbles.
Fixed bug where you would get stuck in the Campaign menu after buying a campaign.
Fixed a bug where draft admissions were sometimes not updated until after restart.
Fixed Elite cards not showing up in collection until restart.
Fixed Campaign rewards not showing up until restart.
Fixed issue with target arrow sometimes showing wrong info.
Fixed issue with Friends list sometimes getting messed up.
Fixed a few blinking issues in the menu.
Several other small fixes and improvements have also been made.
We thank you all for reporting on bugs and giving us your feedback! We continue to monitor all your reports, fix any issues that crop up and make adjustments to the new UI based on player feedback. We welcome your feedback in the comments below or on the KARDS Discord.
KARDS Living Roadmap đ„ Update
Dear KARDS players, friends, and WWII enthusiasts,
We are thrilled to bring you an updated KARDS roadmap!
What is the Roadmap?
The roadmap is a regularly updated, high-level overview of the milestones and important events for KARDS. The roadmap contains only the highest level of features.
The roadmap does not display regular game updates and improvements, seasonal in-game events, the esports calendar with monthly opportunities, and general KARDS refinements. Also not listed on the roadmap are balance changes, even though they are a key part of our ongoing work on KARDS.
Letâs have a look at some of the exciting things we can look forward to in KARDS in the coming months!
KARDS Living Roadmap
March: New User Interface Live
The new user interface went live in March. The new user interface is an important part of developing the mobile version of the game, providing a consistent experience regardless of which device youâre playing on. Itâs also an opportunity for us to improve many elements in the user interface that we always wanted to improve, and which player feedback throughout the years has suggested could use improvement. You can read more about the new user interface in our dev blog: The New User Interface is Here.
April: New Card Set Structure and Content Cycle
In April, the first phase of the new content cycle will go live! In this first phase, we streamline existing content, with all cards becoming part of the Core set of cards aside from the most recent expansion, Legions. Five very infrequently used cards move into the Reserve pool at the same time, primarily to test this new pipeline and verify that all is working as intended before the first full cycle hits with the new expansion this summer. World at War bundles and Theaters of War are removed from the Shop, with a revamped Theaters of War returning at a later date. Check out more details about the upcoming content cycle and the plans surrounding this in Lead Game Designer Keliâs dev blog: The Cycle of KARDS.
May: Shop Update
The Shop will receive a big update in May! Weâre going to be reworking some elements of how offers are presented and which offers are available at any given time. Stay tuned for more details on this!
Summer: KARDS Mobile Release
The release of KARDS mobile is just around the corner! After two beta tests and tons of hard work developing the mobile version of the game, KARDS mobile will become available this summer on both the Google Play and Apple App Stores. Get ready to enjoy KARDS from anywhere with your mobile device!
Summer: Summer Expansion
A new major expansion is coming to KARDS this summer! Similar in size to the Legions and Breakthrough expansions, you can expect somewhere around 80 new cards and potentially some new mechanics with this summer expansion. Get ready to enjoy a load of new content in KARDS this summer!
Winter: Winter Expansion
The summer expansion isnât the only big new content release this year - a second large expansion will be dropping this winter! Get ready to enjoy even more new content in KARDS towards the end of the year!
Winter: World Championship
The KARDS 2023 World Championship will be held again this year, with the qualification period starting in the latter half of the year and the Grand Finals planned for the first weekend in December. Keep an eye out for more news and updates regarding this in the upcoming months!
This roadmap provides a broad overview of what we have planned for KARDS. We will also bring you many smaller features, improvements and events throughout this period.
The whole team is incredibly excited for whatâs ahead and we would love to hear your feedback! Join us on the KARDS Discord and let us know what you think!
KARDS Living Roadmap đ Update
Dear KARDS players, friends, and WWII enthusiasts,
We are thrilled to bring you an updated KARDS roadmap!
What is the Roadmap?
The roadmap is a regularly updated, high-level overview of the milestones and important events for KARDS. The roadmap contains only the highest level of features.
The roadmap does not display regular game updates and improvements, seasonal in-game events, the esports calendar with monthly opportunities, and general KARDS refinements. Also not listed on the roadmap are balance changes, even though they are a key part of our ongoing work on KARDS.
Letâs have a look at some of the exciting things we can look forward to in KARDS in the coming months!
KARDS Living Roadmap
March: New User Interface Live
The new user interface went live in March. The new user interface is an important part of developing the mobile version of the game, providing a consistent experience regardless of which device youâre playing on. Itâs also an opportunity for us to improve many elements in the user interface that we always wanted to improve, and which player feedback throughout the years has suggested could use improvement. You can read more about the new user interface in our dev blog: The New User Interface is Here.
April: New Card Set Structure and Content Cycle
In April, the first phase of the new content cycle will go live! In this first phase, we streamline existing content, with all cards becoming part of the Core set of cards aside from the most recent expansion, Legions. Five very infrequently used cards move into the Reserve pool at the same time, primarily to test this new pipeline and verify that all is working as intended before the first full cycle hits with the new expansion this summer. World at War bundles and Theaters of War are removed from the Shop, with a revamped Theaters of War returning at a later date. Check out more details about the upcoming content cycle and the plans surrounding this in Lead Game Designer Keliâs dev blog: The Cycle of KARDS.
May: Shop Update
The Shop will receive a big update in May! Weâre going to be reworking some elements of how offers are presented and which offers are available at any given time. Stay tuned for more details on this!
Summer: KARDS Mobile Release
The release of KARDS mobile is just around the corner! After two beta tests and tons of hard work developing the mobile version of the game, KARDS mobile will become available this summer on both the Google Play and Apple App Stores. Get ready to enjoy KARDS from anywhere with your mobile device!
Summer: Summer Expansion
A new major expansion is coming to KARDS this summer! Similar in size to the Legions and Breakthrough expansions, you can expect somewhere around 80 new cards and potentially some new mechanics with this summer expansion. Get ready to enjoy a load of new content in KARDS this summer!
Winter: Winter Expansion
The summer expansion isnât the only big new content release this year - a second large expansion will be dropping this winter! Get ready to enjoy even more new content in KARDS towards the end of the year!
Winter: World Championship
The KARDS 2023 World Championship will be held again this year, with the qualification period starting in the latter half of the year and the Grand Finals planned for the first weekend in December. Keep an eye out for more news and updates regarding this in the upcoming months!
This roadmap provides a broad overview of what we have planned for KARDS. We will also bring you many smaller features, improvements and events throughout this period.
The whole team is incredibly excited for whatâs ahead and we would love to hear your feedback! Join us on the KARDS Discord and let us know what you think!
A New Skirmish Event is Live
A new Skirmish event is live now until March 26th!
Hereâs everything you need to know.
Skirmish is a special game mode in KARDS where you play with alternate rules. These rules vary; youâll face something different at every Skirmish event. Read more about Skirmishes in our announcement blog New game mode: Skirmish.
In this Skirmish, you choose your own deck to battle with. You start with an extra Kredit slot and, at the start of your turn, choose CARELESS TALK, IN THE NAVY or INTERCEPTION to add to your hand and set its cost to 0.
The prize for your first victory in this Skirmish is a random card pack!
Access the Skirmish event from the game's main screen to get an overview of the game mode, rules and prize.
This Skirmish is accessible from March 24th at 12:00 GMT until Sunday, March 26th at 18:00 GMT.
Join this special event - win your Skirmish to claim victory and the spoils!
Please let us know what you think of the event in the comments below or on the KARDS Discord.
See you in the Skirmish this weekend!
The Frontline: A KARDS Podcast - Third Episode Available Now!
Hello KARDS players!
We are thrilled to bring you the third episode of the official 1939 Games podcast - The Frontline: A KARDS Podcast! Join us and get an exclusive insight on the exciting future of KARDS in a discussion with the developers.
The KARDS Podcast is a monthly podcast featuring different KARDS developers in every episode. This is where youâll hear about all the latest things in KARDS and get a closer look at the team behind KARDS, as we explore developersâ varied work and contributions to the constant development of the game. The podcast is conveniently available on Spotify, Apple and Google Podcasts, as well as on the KARDS YouTube channel.
The Frontline Episode 3: Letâs Discuss the New User Interface
In this third episode, KARDS Community Manager ElĂn and host Christo welcome Senior UI/UX Designer Juha and UI/UX Designer Frikki to discuss the recently released new user interface. Join us as we go over the user interface changes, the thought process behind them, and discuss the design process.
Tune in Now!
Tune in to The Frontline podcast on the following platforms:
