2023. November 30.
We are proud to announce IRONWOOD, a rules-light, highly asymmetric, card-driven tactical game for 1 to 2 players.
Ironwood (former working title: "Leaf") will be released in 2024 as the second game of our Mindclash Play sub-brand, established to bring you the clever and thematic gameplay that our games are known for, at a smaller and more accessible scale.
THE STORY
An eternal conflict for the land of Ironwood is raging between two factions: the stalwart and hard-working Ironclad, settlers of the iron mountains; and the ferocious Woodwalkers, swift and deadly shadows of the forests. Both factions struggle for the ultimate control over the land for its greatest treasure: the Larimor Crystals, a mysterious substance holding immense energy within. It can be found both inside the colossal mountains, and scattered across the dense forests.
The Ironclad extract the essence of the crystals and process their energy to fuel their machines and mechanical inventions. If they succeed, their giant forges will swarm the land with endless armies, and establish ultimate dominance over Ironwood.
The Woodwalkers use the crystals’ raw magical power to discover and retrieve three ancient totems from secret ritual sites, hidden in the mountains. Once retrieved, the combined power of these totems will summon the Guardian, the ancient protector of the woods, to wipe out the Ironclad once and for all.
GAMEPLAY
Each round, you and your opponent alternate playing a total of 3 of your faction-specific cards for their action effects. These effects include positioning your warbands, initiating combat, extracting crystals, bestowing temporary passive effects, and many more. When a combat occurs, you will use the same cards for their combat values instead, in a simultaneous bid to gain combat bonuses, inflict and fend off casualties, and augment the Tactics value of your warbands to win the combat.
The two factions are completely asymmetric in their play styles, decks, victory conditions - even in which parts of the map they can access. This asymmetry also appears in the game components: the fighters and totems of the Woodwalkers are made of silkscreened wood, while the Ironclad troops, golems and forges are all metal pieces.
As the Commander of the Ironclad, your primary goal is to lay down the foundations of your forges in the outer mountains, and once you have collected enough crystals, build forges on the foundations. As the Chieftain of the Woodwalkers, your mission is to locate your people’s ancient totems through Vision cards, clear the path to them by defeating Ironclad warbands, and finally securing them in the outer forests, beyond the Ironclads’ reach. Once you have retrieved the third totem as the Chieftain, or built the third Forge as the Commander, you immediately win the game.
Ironwood also features a low-upkeep solo mode against the Ironclad or the Woodwalkers, designed by David Turczi. Although both solo opponents work on the same main principles, each of them bears its faction’s unique aspects and features.
For more information on Ironwood, visit the game’s BoardGameGeek page and subscribe for more upcoming news about the game and its release!