I had the opportunity to spend some time with Prismata recently. Since we’re dealing with a game still in an early playable alpha stage, I was cautiously optimistic that Prismata was playable enough for me to enjoy myself and get a good feeling for the game. I’m very happy to report that Prismata is not only playable, but also a lot of fun.

Since learning new card games in general can be pretty difficult, I was pleased to see that Prismata’s alpha already has a robust series of tutorials that get new players up to speed. I’d like to think of myself as more of an experience-based learner, so after skipping around through 3 of the deeper tutorial missions, I opted to just start diving into real games versus the AI and living opponents. Regardless of how you learn, or at what pace, Prismata’s early learning curve isn’t as harsh as one might expect. This is especially true for players with prior card or strategy game experience.

Players that have some experience with Hearthstone or Magic: The Gathering will find some similarities in Prismata, though I suspect they’ll find just as many things that set this game far apart from the competition. Most notably, deck building is entirely removed. In its place, players have access to a standard deck of cards, along with a randomized assortment that will differ from game to game. Each player has access to the same standard and randomized cards during a match, thus doing away with situations like one player owning considerably more powerful cards than their opponent. By removing the emphasis on building overpowered decks, Lunarch Studios has put a real focus on adaptive strategy. Choosing the right strategy is largely dependant on observing what your opponent plays, and making strategic choices based upon that information.

The combat and economy aspects of Prismata play much more like a RTS game, but in more of a turn-based sense. Each turn, players go through a more streamlined set of phases compared to something like Magic: The Gathering. Players harvest gold from drone units, which they may then use to build new units with various abilities. Depending on the strategy a player chooses, new units may generate other resources or act as combatants during the attack or defend phases.

While both players will be using gold as their primary resource, they’ll also have access to 4 additional resources by which to build new units. Despite having access to the same cards, it’s possible for players to focus their resource generation differently than their opponent. Because the matches are so situationaly adaptive, players will need to keep a close watch on what resources their opponent is pushing towards, as that could be a good indication of the cards they are aiming to play later in the match.

Combat through both turns is played at a significantly quicker pace than traditional card game fans might be accustomed. While that may sound a bit offputting to some, I encourage you to try the Prismata Offline Demo out for yourself before casting judgement. Combat is fast, fluid, and still remains engaging. Quite frankly, this turn-based RTS-style card game makes a lot of sense once you’ve got a few games under your belt.

As a Magic: The Gathering player since back in the Ice Age days, and an avid RTS fan that got my start with games such as Warcraft 2 and Command & Conquer, I came into this hoping that my prior experience with both genres might give me a leg up on the competition. Learning to play Prismata went pretty quickly for me, although I suspect I’ve got quite a bit more to learn when it comes to many of the advanced strategies in the game. Thankfully, Prismata is similar enough to appeal to fans of either genre, while still being unique enough to require players invest some time to really learn the intricacies of the game.

Even for a Magic: The Gathering veteran of nearly 20 years, Prismata impressed me a lot more than I thought it would. Instead of waiting for what can feel like minutes for a slow player to complete a turn, players move through the phases at a much livelier pace. It’s a wonder why more developers haven’t made an attempt at quickening the experience of traditional card games, as it really makes the overall game more accessible to players that prefer action-oriented gameplay. With such an enjoyable experience in its alpha phase, I can only hope that Prismata continues down this design path during development. Newcomers to the card game genre might just really enjoy what Prismata brings to the table.

Warhammer 40k: Space Wolf is a free-to-play turn based tactical card game in development by HeroCraft. It sounds like the game is trying to be a lot of things but looking at the video and some screenshots it might just be able to pull it off. The game is expected to release some time in 2014 on Android, iOS, and PC.

Check out the trailer below and read on after the break for the full press release.

Warhammer® 40,000®: Space Wolf
TURN BASED COLLECTIBLE CARD VIDEO GAME Announced

August 16th 2013, Kaliningrad, Russia – HeroCraft are pleased to announce a licence partnership with Games Workshop®. Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf will be a new turn-based tactical combat video game, using collectible cards to drive the on-screen actions of the 3D characters. Set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the free to play game is in full development for a 2014 release on iOS, Android and PC.

“HeroCraft have presented us with a unique and exciting vision for a game based on this most evocative and barbaric chapter of Space Marines – the Space Wolves.” said Jon Gillard, Head of Licensing at Games Workshop. “Given that, their clear passion for the IP, and their experience in the market, we are only too happy to be working with them on this project.”

“We are all very excited to work with Games Workshop on this project, particularly our development team, who are not only games industry veterans but also Warhammer 40,000 fans who know the series well. As a gamer myself, I’m also excited about the mix of tactical turn based play using my own deck of cards to lead my Space Wolves to victory – I can’t wait to play it!” says Alexey Sazonov, Sales and Marketing Director of HeroCraft.

Game features:

Tactical Combat and CCG fusion:
-Lead your Space Wolves into fierce battles in glorious, interactive 3D environments.
-Play your cards and watch the real time action unfold on screen.

Collect Hundreds of Cards:
-Get started fast with easy to use pre-defined deck-building templates.
-Build your own decks to fit your unique strategy and tactics.
-Victory unlocks exciting new powerful weapons, bonuses and tactics cards.
-Evolve your cards at the Iron Priest’s Forge to further build your own killer deck!

Defeat the implacable enemies of the Space Wolves:
-An epic campaign with branching storylines, spanning hostile environments on a far distant planet.
-Combat the Word Bearers – fanatical and deadly traitors who serve the chaos gods.
-Defeat the implacable Necrons – waking from aeons of slumber to claim the galaxy.

Choose Your Path:
-Grey Hunter, Wolf Scout, Blood Claw, or Wolf Guard – You decide which path to follow, to best match your own style, strategies and tactics.

In addition, IOS and Android editions of the game were announced today and should be expected some time during the “first half” of 2014.

Blizzard is working on golden heroes, which will be unlocked in a new ranked play mode. These will be fully animated, just as golden minions are.

Blizzard’s goal with the new ranked play mode is to make constructed as much fun as the Arena mode, currently favoured among closed beta players.