Unleash the asylum! Take on the roles of Arkham's mad inmates as you compete to take down Batman and his allies.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
48 Hours to Go! Future DC DBG Poll & Behind the Cover by Matteo Scalera
about 1 month ago
– Tue, Oct 08, 2024 at 02:28:03 PM
DC DBG fans,
Just 48 hours left in this Kickstarter… can you believe it? We expect some new backers to join us for this final stretch, so please make them feel welcome and help them get up to speed.
Let’s start today with a poll! We appreciate everyone’s input on what we should do next for DC Deck-Building Game. We took the ideas that we liked best or seemed the most likely to work for a game, and put together THIS POLL. You can choose up to three options. The point of the poll is to let us know what the fans want for future base sets and expansions. We typically don’t like to reveal the results of this kind of poll because there will have to be some other considerations as well, such as:
Can we get access to enough assets for a base set or an expansion?
Will the licensor approve this idea?
Does the story/theme lend itself to interesting new game mechanics?
Will it be commercial enough? The fact is some storylines or characters probably wouldn’t get enough casual fans interested.
Does our staff feel inspired by the theme? We do not ever want to work on a project we are not passionate about.
All that said, we believe in putting fans first and if fans want something, we’ll do our best to make it happen. We just don’t want people disappointed if the winner doesn’t end up being the basis of the next base set or expansion.
Now tell us in the comments: Which of the options in the poll did YOU vote for to be an upcoming DC DBG base set or expansion, and why?
Social Media Stretch Goal #2 Update
You still have not unlocked Social Media Stretch Goal #2 yet. Will we get there?
Facebook: 350 likes of this post & 100 friends tagged in the comments
Instagram: 300 likes of this post & 100 friends tagged in the comments
Azrael rips through Villains on his destructive path to victory. At $640k, you unlocked the Kickstarter Exclusive Azrael Character card and Suit of Sorrows Starter card for the Shadows expansion.
At $650k, you unlocked foil oversized Characters for Crossover Pack 12: Batman: Hush and at $660k you got the first-ever foil Crossover Pack box. Some of you have expressed confusion over this, but we thought a foil box for a Dark Nights: Metal-themed expansion would be a fun addition.
We have some fun stretch goals coming, including a couple late additions…
Behind the Cover: Arkham Asylum Art by Matteo Scalera
We had the good fortune of working with the incredible artist Matteo Scalera on the Kickstarter Exclusive cover of Arkham Asylum. You can check out some of the early layouts, the pencils, and the process of making the image of Harley and Joker, which is an actual 11” x 17” painting, entirely done in acrylic paint. The background is a separate painting. Check it out!
Background test
Thanks for backing,
The Cryptozoic Team
Final Three Days! Design a Card #2 Winner and More About Super Friends
about 1 month ago
– Mon, Oct 07, 2024 at 12:43:57 PM
DC DBG fans,
Just three days to go and we’re approaching 50 stretch goals unlocked! If you want to help unlock more stretch goals: One thing you can do is manage your pledge and manually add the amount you need to cover the shipping for your tier (see shipping table on the main page). You’ll be able to apply this amount toward shipping in the pledge manager after the campaign.
Reminder: You have some work to do to unlock Social Media Stretch Goal #2. Here’s how to make it happen:
Facebook: 350 likes of this post & 100 friends tagged in the comments
Instagram: 300 likes of this post & 100 friends tagged in the comments
We had a LOT of amazing entries again for “Design a Card” and the vote was close (after the first four hours, there was a three-way tie!). But we have a winner… big congratulations to Hunter Wooten for the winning entry for Tsunami from Crisis 5! Check out the final card below:
KS Exclusive Stretch Goals: An Imp from the Fifth Dimension Arrives
At $590k, you unlocked Bat-Mite. You can wow this magical being from the fifth dimension with a diverse deck to maximize the help he gives you!
At $600k, you unlocked the Tsunami card that’s part of the “Design a Card” discussed above.
When we reached $610k, you got a double dose of Hidden Surveillance. Spy on your foes and get a bonus when you catch them bribing!
Finally, slice through the top card of your deck with this new Super Power! At $620k, you unlocked two copies of Swordsmanship.
Super Friends Overview
With the amazing response we got from the Legion of Doom expansion during the previous Kickstarter campaign, we knew we had to also bring this retro version of the Super Heroes everyone knows and loves to DC Deck-Building Game. The Super Friends expansion gives you 13 new Super Heroes you can use to make an entirely new Nemesis stack for any base game or mix with your favorite Nemesis cards for a new experience. Superman gives you another option for the starting Nemesis and the rest will be encountered in a random order. These Nemesis cards have effects that are designed to seamlessly incorporate into most sets.
Our team’s personal favorite part of this expansion is the new Team Mode. As a big fan of cooperative games, we wanted to take this opportunity to add a little something more to the Super Friends expansion and give you a way to combine it with the Legion of Doom expansion. Each team has their own stack of 5 Nemesis cards (cost 8 to 12) they will recruit. You are free to use Nemesis cards from any set, but having one stack as Super Friends and the other as Legion of Doom creates the most thematic experience.
During a team game, each player receives a Team card. This reminds players of the player order and gives you the ability to pass a card to your teammate. This lets you help your teammate by giving them key cards for their deck that showed up in the Line-Up during your turn. Using this ability flips your Team card to its spent side. Your Team card doesn’t flip over until your teammate then passes you a card.
Thanks for backing,
The Cryptozoic Team
Design a Card #2 Poll! Social Media Stretch Goal #2
about 1 month ago
– Fri, Oct 04, 2024 at 11:46:57 AM
It’s the last Friday of the Kickstarter and it’s a day of sequels! Before we get to all that: We just added a summary of stretch goals so far to the top of the page to make it easy for current and new backers to see all the amazing stuff you have unlocked. We will update it periodically as more gets unlocked.
Wow, we had SO many great suggestions for the next entry in the DC DBG series. Thank you! We’re compiling the most popular and best suggestions and then we’ll have a poll next week.
Speaking of amazing suggestions from the fans, the second “Design a Card” deadline has passed. Now it’s YOUR chance to vote on our five different picks. Take the Poll at THIS LINK. Thanks for all the super entries!
Social Media Stretch Goal #2
Which hero has been taken Hostage by the inmates of Arkham Asylum? Unlock the second Social Media Stretch Goal to find out! Here’s how to make it happen:
Facebook: 350 likes of this post & 100 friends tagged in the comments
Instagram: 300 likes of this post & 100 friends tagged in the comments
Kickstarter Exclusive Stretch Goals: A Faithful Furry Friend Arrives
At $580k, the Arkham Asylum box went full bling… it’s now foil (regardless of cover).
Next, when we reached $585k, you unlocked Bitewing! Nightwing's faithful companion can give you a VP boost with a little Super Powered help.
Finally, another Metal card for Crossover 11! The Defense can pull back some powerful cards from your discard pile. You unlocked Nth Metal Armor at $590k!
Thanks for backing,
The Cryptozoic Team
More About the Shadows Expansion and YOUR Ideas for the Next DC DBG
about 1 month ago
– Thu, Oct 03, 2024 at 12:05:27 PM
DC DBG fans,
One week to go! So far, you have unlocked 40 stretch goals, which is incredible. Please help us spread the word (here’s a handy link: https://bit.ly/DC-AA). We love this community and want to see it keep growing!
Onto the fun stuff! First of all, you have until midnight PT tonight to help us “Design a Card” for Crisis Expansion Pack 5 — Death Metal. Check out yesterday’s update for full details.
The Future of DC DBG: Your Voice Matters
We are (if you can’t tell) insanely excited about Arkham Asylum. But we will soon start thinking about the NEXT set of DC Deck-Building Game releases since it takes a long time to design everything, get all the art, etc. So what DC storylines, characters, or themes would you like to see for the next releases? Feel free to specify whether you think something would work better as a base set or an expansion, but not necessary.
We will take the most popular and most interesting ideas and do a poll next week.
Arkham Asylum Shadows: Update #3
With the “Arkham Asylum Shadows: Finishing” stretch goal, the Shadows expansion now includes 18 new main deck cards. One of the primary themes for this expansion is more Ongoing cards and, unlike the Arkham Asylum base game, some of them can even be Bribed!
Bribing an Ongoing card gives you access to that Ongoing card until the end of your turn. Need an extra Power? Clue Master can convert a Vulnerability or Weakness from your hand into 1 Power, while Punch & Jewelee can let you play your unique Starter card again!
Additional Outsiders can also be found among the main deck Heroes. Grace can help you squash those pesky Weakness and Vulnerability cards while the immovable Thunder stands ready to defend you from an Attack!
Not all of the cards in this expansion have Ongoing abilities, but those that don’t often interact with the central mechanisms of Arkham Asylum. Geoforce can help you get your Ongoing cards into play faster, while Hired Hit gives you access to any Bribe card in your discard pile.
That’s everything that will be included in the retail edition of Arkham Asylum: Shadows, which is included as a free bonus in all copies of the Arkham Asylum base game purchased during this Kickstarter campaign. This brings the total expansion content to 8 Character cards, 8 Starter cards, 18 Nemesis cards, 18 main deck cards, and 1 Multiverse Randomizer card
2DZ Video
Having already received samples, we are pumped about 2DZ acrylic standees. They look amazing and feel substantial. Even if Rebirth isn’t your cup of tea, we feel strongly that you’ll love having these standees. Check out this video!
These Stretch Goals Are Ice Cold!
Anyone feel a chill? At $565k, Mr. Freeze joined Crossover Pack 11: Dark Knights Rising!
Next up: Gain additional information when you Investigate from this vantage point. Gotham City Bridge was unlocked for Crossover Pack 12: Batman: Hush at $570k.
HELL YEAH! Finally, you got Kite-Man and Hell Yeah (his unique Starter card) at $575k!
Thanks for backing,
The Cryptozoic Team
Design a Card #2, More Dividers, and Overview of Crisis 5 — Death Metal!
about 2 months ago
– Wed, Oct 02, 2024 at 02:37:37 PM
DC DBG fans,
We have a big update today. Let’s start with the headline: We had so much fun the first time, we are doing a second Design a Card! This time, it’s a Crisis card! Can you come up with some game text? We will take submissions until midnight PT on Thursday, October 3. We’ll then do a poll so you can vote on your favorite. Check out the Crisis 5 Overview below to learn about the changes to Crisis mode in this expansion, especially the new rules for Crisis cards.
New Add-on: Blank Oversized Divider Pack
We have heard from many of you that you want more options with the oversized multiverse dividers. Given the lack of consensus on what backers wanted and the small number of votes in the earlier poll, we decided the best solution is to give you maximum flexibility. So we are offering a new Blank Oversized Divider Pack with 10 blank oversized dividers (in five different colors). You can choose how YOU want to organize your collection. While we’re at it, we are adding a limited quantity of the Oversized Divider Pack and Standard Divider Pack from the last Kickstarter (also available on our website).
Stretch Goals: Finishing Shadows, Superman’s Best Friend, and Play as Hush!
You have unlocked some big stretch goals. At $550k, you put the “Finishing” touches on the Arkham Asylum Shadows expansion with 18 more cards. We will have the third part of our Shadows updates later this week… we’ll tell you more then!
At $555k, you got a super-powered best friend… Krypto joins Crossover Pack 12: Batman: Hush!
Last but not least: The bandaged killer joins the ranks of Arkham Asylum's playable Characters at $560k. Hush is a master manipulator and can generate a lot of bonus Power from Bribe cards.
Crisis 5 Overview: Cooperative Mode
Crisis 5 — Death Metal is the newest Crisis expansion and is thematically tied to Dark Nights: Metal. While you will see several mechanisms shared between this expansion and Dark Nights: Metal, Crisis 5 can be used to add a cooperative mode to any of the Cerberus Heroes base games.
With the emphasis on cooperative mode in Crisis games, you’ll see that many of the new Crisis Characters in this set have abilities that can also benefit your teammates. Once Hawkgirl has assembled her arsenal, she can strengthen the team’s decks by destroying a weaker card off the top of someone’s deck. The Flash, on the other hand, showcases a cycle of Characters that let you contribute cards to a Crisis from zones other than your hand. Assemble the right combination of cards and The Flash hops into the future and plays a card off the top of the main deck. With a little luck, or some main deck manipulation, the card pulled from the future might even be Contributed to the current Crisis.
The biggest difference between Crisis 5 and previous Crisis games is that the 30 new “main deck” cards are not shuffled into the main deck. Instead, they form the Crisis main deck, which fills a separate Crisis Line-Up below the main Line-Up. Each round, (at least) 1 card is added from the Crisis main deck to the Crisis Line-Up. If the Crisis main deck runs out, the players lose the game. With Crisis 5 featuring the Dark Multiverse, we wanted to turn Crisis mode on its head. Now, players don’t have to fear tearing through the main deck, since running out of main deck cards doesn’t end the game. In fact, players are even incentivized to burn through the main deck as fast as they can. More on that later.
All the Villains in the Crisis main deck have Ambush Attacks, which means these Villains will assault the players when they enter the Line-Up. Like previous Crisis games, defeated Villains don’t go into your discard pile. In Crisis 5, however, all the new Villains have immediate Reward abilities that will give the players a boost and then go into the score pile of the player that defeated them. Points aren’t counted in this game, but there are several effects that will interact with the Villains in your score pile, such as the Crisis new main deck cards Jarro and Reverse Polarity.
The playable cards in the Crisis main deck are powerful cards with costs of 5 to 9. Many of these cards allow you to interact with your teammates in various ways. Jay Garrick allows your teammates to give you a Power boost while also potentially saving your teammates from being Captured from having to play two Weakness cards. Chainsaw of Truth will let you rip through the Villains and Nemesis cards that stand in your path to victory.
To win a Crisis game, your team will have to defeat a certain number of Nemesis cards before the Crisis main deck runs out of cards. Nemesis cards in Crisis 5 have Reward abilities that give your team an immediate ability when they are defeated. Unlike regular Villains, Nemesis cards do not go into your score pile and are instead placed next to the Storyline card to keep track of how many have been defeated. However, before you can defeat a Nemesis, you must stop the Crisis event that they have enacted.
Crisis cards represent various threatening events and plots a Super-Villain may enact. They usually have some game altering ability that hampers the players’ progress. In order to stop each Crisis, players must Contribute a certain amount of specific cards. Contributed cards usually have to be added from your hand, but some effects allow you to Contribute cards from other zones. Note that all the required cards don’t need to be Contributed at the same time, so players can work toward completing a Crisis over multiple turns. Final Crisis needs players to Contribute 20 cost worth of Super Powers while Crisis on Infinite Earths needs 16 cost of Defense cards. Some Crisis cards only have effects that occur when they are immediately revealed, like Vengeful Justice, but have a little puzzle for how players can beat the Crisis. You can’t Contribute cards to Vengeful Justice directly from your hand, but will have to use your destroy effects to Contribute cards.
Finally, let’s talk about the other major update for Crisis 5. The plots of the Nemesis cards in this Crisis are not as overt as in previous Crisis games. At the start of the game, there is only 1 Crisis card in the Crisis stack. The rest of the Crisis cards are seeded into sections of the main deck. Players will have to go through the main deck to uncover the plots of the rest of the Nemesis cards. When a player reveals a Crisis from the main deck, they add it to the Crisis stack. This reconnaissance gives players a little foreknowledge of what is to come and what they need to beat future Crisis cards. This also means that after a Nemesis is defeated players may not reveal the next Nemesis until they uncover that Nemesis card’s Crisis card. This twist means players will need a new mindset when approaching Crisis 5 games. Previously, abilities that removed cards from the main deck were detrimental as they pushed the players toward the lose condition. Now, those effects will be crucial in order for players to uncover the Crisis cards in time.
We hope this overview and these Crisis card examples give you inspiration for how to torment the players with your Crisis card design submissions!
