Design decks that bring new players to Altered

Re:Union is working with ForgeFire to develop six new preconstructed starter decks to their catalogue as a way of making Altered more available to new players. We need your help to make the best decks to welcome players to the game!

We’re inviting deckbuilders to design the decks that will help new players learn the game, join a local game night or play Altered at home as a board game.

These are different from the standard starter decks to introduce a new set or a new hero. We’re looking for decks that feel fair and balanced to play against each other, as well as showing off various styles like aggro or control play. We want friendly decks (leaving out cards that a beginner would struggle with like The Hunger) that are also sturdy enough to operate when about 20% of the cards have been swapped.

Key rules:

• One of these heroes: Isaree, Della, Sol, Gretel, Nadir, Yeong-gi, Kauri, Turuun, Zhen, Matz, Moyo, Sam
• 39 cards and 1 hero, using sets 1 to 6 only
• 3 uniques (from sets 4 to 6) that will ship with every copy of the deck

Check in at the full rules for the full set of guidelines and the card ban list to avoid. 

Share your deck idea here, refine the concept with the community and then submit it in that channel as well. A jury check will confirm that the deck follows our full rules and guidelines. 

After decks have been submitted, a community vote picks the favorites, within the published difficulty and style rules. Anyone that has played the decks can submit a balance patch, while the jury will fine-tune them based on player feedback. 

Two rounds of public tournaments with the decks will be organized on Board Game Arena to gather some data for balancing. Each round has a live tournament and a turn-based one with the same lists; the decks change between the two rounds.

Once all of those steps have been completed, the decks will be made available on ForgeFire for easy purchase and direct printing!

Key dates (Paris time, UTC+1):

• Nov 5, 12:00: final decks due
• Nov 5 to 9: community vote
• Nov 12 to 30: starter decks playable on BGA, tournaments

If you help in balancing the decks by playing, you can earn up to 3 copies of a special alternate art card created by the talented Hana that is part of the Fugace team playmat! The more games you play, the more alt art you’ll receive. Join in the chat to debate with the community. That’s also where you can find more details about this project! We’re really excited to see what the community comes up with.

If you want to be a judge, we’re looking for four experienced players to check the decks, apply the guidelines and decide balance alongside Re:Union Board Member Sparky. Jury members aren’t allowed to submit a deck. To become a judge, please directly message Sparky before Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. with your BGA name, the factions you play well and one or two notable results. Please also include your available hours between Nov. 9-30 and your availability Nov. 12 and 24. The jury will be decided by Nov. 2.

Building and maintaining ways to experience each of the sets on BGA are among our milestones for the community. As a fully volunteer team, Re:Union’s mission is to preserve the future of Altered’s gameplay, making it accessible and open to as many players as possible. Help us out by sharing your talents and volunteering! Join our Discord to connect with the community and show your support.