In episode 14 of the Nerdlab, I’m very proud to talk with Angelo Nikolaou about the game Cardpocalypse and the specific design process of a single player CCG. We also discussed a lot about legacy elements in games and why we think they make a game more interesting through personalization.

Angelo has a lot of practical advice that he shared with me and I am sure you can benefit from it as much as I did.

What impressed me the most was Angelo’s attitude in the situation when he had to throw away 6 months of work to start all over again. Instead of watching his baby die, he just had in mind to enhance it step by step in order to develop the best possible end result of the game. He used the same attitude when he had to decide whether the game should be physically playable or not. Again, he made the decision for the best possible end product. With some distance, these decisions always seem relatively simple and logical, but when you’re in this situation, it takes a lot of focus and discipline to make them that way.

Topics we discussed in this episode:

  • Cardpocalypse Soundtrack (da da da daaaa)
  • Cardpocalypse (What is the game about)
  • The genre of narrative-driven single player CCGs and the differences compared to traditional CCGs (e.g. Magic the Gathering)
  • Legacy Elements
    • Main Advantages
    • How to transfer to a digital game
    • Resistance to legacy elements and effects on the target audience
    • Design challenges
  • Lessons Learned during the design process

Important Links:
Angelo Nikolaou on Twitter
Cardpocalypse Website 
Cardpocalypse on Twitter 
Cardpocalypse Discord 
Cardpocalypse Announcement Trailer

Nerdlab Website 
Nerdlab Facebook Page
Nerdlab on Twitter
Nerdlab on Instagram

Sources:
Music by Mathew Pablo