Curse of the Cards gameplay, beta, and website

Curse of the Cards is getting close to early access again.

The game has a clear loop: grid-based movement, monster fights, potions, spellcasting, and a curse meter that punishes careless play. Potions and spells are useful, but they also increase the curse. Once the meter fills, the dungeon's curse activates for a number of turns.

Those curses can vary by dungeon. Some drain health every turn, some make monsters stronger, and others can even change how monsters move. That gives the same core board system room to create different pressures from dungeon to dungeon.

Monster abilities are also becoming more defined. I tested monsters such as Drie and Slimm with position-changing abilities, and added new creatures that still need names. That kind of stress testing is where a grid-based game starts revealing whether the rules are interesting or just complicated.

The first beta invites are going out now. I sent the initial round to 100 testers, with TestFlight and Google Play access planned for early players. Android has a stricter cap, so the invite flow needs some extra care.

The game also has a new website, which makes it easier to point people toward early access signups and explain what Curse of the Cards is becoming. At this stage, the project finally has enough pieces in public: gameplay, monsters, beta testing, and a place for interested players to follow along.