About Silberheim Evolving Card Game
Our first module on the path to a comprehensive product universe is our trading card game, Silberheim ECG, which will be available both digitally and in print. Players will be able to scan the printed cards with their phones and add them to their digital collection. The game is deeply connected to the story of our fantasy world, Silberheim, meaning that characters, creatures, locations, and items from the books will appear in the card game. Silberheim ECG stands out with its high complexity and is designed for many years and numerous expansions. One of our most important goals in game design was to ensure that every card has value and usefulness for players—not just those that are currently the strongest in the meta. How we achieve this is explained below.
What exactly is an evolving card game?
An Evolving Card Game (ECG) such as Silberheim ECG is a further development of classic trading card games (TCGs/CCGs). However, unlike these, an Evolving Card Game is characterised by the fact that cards can evolve: they become more powerful and stronger, though not to the same extent for all players. This means the gaming experience is tailored precisely to the playing behaviour of individual players. The underlying mechanics, however, remain hidden. As a result, players never know which card might evolve in what way at any given time.
But the ‘evolving’ aspect doesn’t just apply to the cards, which are called fragments in Silberheim ECG, by the way. The account is also designed to be able to level up in a variety of ways. In Silberheim, you start as a formless soul that takes shape and can develop further through in-game achievements. Future systems such as skill trees are intended to further deepen this individualisation.
Furthermore, the world of Silberheim is also evolving dynamically. Players of Silberheim ECG have the opportunity to influence the course of Silberheim’s history.
Some unique features of the game
Developing a trading card game that continues to meet the preferences and interests of vastly different player types over time is a significant challenge. Many game design decisions come down to personal taste—some players enjoy longer matches, while others prefer quick victories. Some have a passion for collecting, while others focus on optimizing their decks.
However, there are certain recurring issues in trading card games that all player types would like to see resolved. Here, we will highlight three of these issues and present our solutions:
