BEARS NEVER DIE!

Hi Bearmasters!

It’s been months and months since I’ve updated either the devblog or the facebook page, but rest assured, I am still trucking along on development. Starting today, I’m going to be detailing individual cards, along with any lore or rules implications that are tied in. I’m gonna start out by spotlighting each bear, and then I may do other cards individually or in clumps, depending on levels of importance.

So! Today, we’re going to go over the first of five bears that are going to be in the initial set: the BRUTAL MAESTRO!

Brutal Maestro
HP: 10
Atk: 2
Def: 2
Sp. Atk: 2
Sp. Def: 2

Bearblast: Clarion Call – 3 BP – Draw a Card

I will have to explain a couple new concepts here. First, all Bears will start with 10 HP, to even the playing field. They will also begin with a stat total of 8-9, with no individual stat higher than 4. This allows plenty of variety while still keeping initial power levels down.

Second, besides the Aura and Bearblast, the two special abilities that I detailed in previous posts, I’ve included a new layer to the Bear cards. While the magical Aura and almighty Bearblast abilities provide beneficial effects in the Great Bear War, they also have the effect of sowing fear in the realm of humans. While all Bears have special abilities that set them apart from others, this ultimately comes with a trademark weakness as well. This is the Bear’s Legacy.

Third, I mentioned before that I was going to include an adjacency mechanic in the game. This is represented by the term “Domain”. Using this example, all Bears that are physically placed adjacent to Brutal Maestro are considered to be within its Domain, and are granted the boon from its Aura ability.

So! Back to Mr. Maestro. As you can see here, the Brutal Maestro is a Bard of sorts. He sacrifices his own combat ability in order to bolster his allies. This may not be a card that you’ll want to spend ability buffs on, since his own Legacy will immediately negate many of them. However, if you place him in between two bears who specialize in one particular stat, you can use him as a standard bearer in your struggle against the evil opposing forces.

Alternatively, placing two Brutal Maestros on the outside slots with a heavy attacker in the center will bolster your attack power the moment the game starts, making you a dangerous force.

A third, and entirely viable possibility is to have three Brutal Maestros. They’ll nerf three of their own stats, but be buffed by their neighbors. This gives you ultimate stat versatility, allowing you to build everything from a team of glass cannons, to a bunch of full defenders and everything in between.

Last, but not least, we have its Bearblast, Clarion Call. This ability takes up all of your BP for your turn, but it allows you to add new lifeblood to your hand and keep the game moving.

That’s it for the Brutal Maestro. Please leave comments and critiques in the comments section. I’d love to hear what kind of input you have, though I know it’s difficult when you don’t have any other cards to compare it to.

Catch ya next time, Bearmasters!