Zems – A New Fantasy Online Trading Card Game

A Match of Cards

I’ve always had a love for card games. This includes both standard deck games like “Thirteen” and “Slapjack” as well as complex fantasy games like “Magic: The Gathering” and “Yu-Gi-Oh!” While these games are somewhat frowned upon by a considerable amount of society for my age range, the rewards from playing these card games, especially the complex thinking methods that arise from competition, become very apparent when trying to solve a problem with several people.

A lot of people might disagree with me when I say that card games make you smarter. Many people abhor these games simply because they seem immature or childish. However, I believe there is nothing to lose by playing these games.

Naturally, if you do something long enough, you start to notice flaws and find ways to improve upon them. Thus, Zems was born out of the frustrations apparent in popular fantasy card games such as Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh!

The Flaws of Physically-based Card Games

I have a bit of a problem with physically-based card games, which I have outlined here here:

• A lot of money must be invested in order to stay competitive.
• Most vendors who sell cards have used pack examination techniques to determine which packs contain the rarest cards and thus have already claimed them.
• Game balance is hard to maintain since cards have to be mass-reproduced in addition to cards rulings’ changes.

My proposed solution to remedy the above is to reestablish the card game scene in a virtual setting. This would bring about the following benefits over a physically-based card game:

• Card access is eliminated since desired cards are easily accessible through an online card database.
• Tournament location problems are no longer an issue as users simply need a computer with Internet access to compete.
• Game balance problems can be easily fixed as there are no cards to mass reprint.
• Topdecking (a form of cheating in which a player secretly places desired first turn cards on the top of the deck) is eliminated, as well as other forms of cheating.
• Since the server handles all calculations, gameplay elements not possible in a physically-based card game are possible in a virtual setting.

The biggest drawback is that many players like the feeling of physically holding cards in their hand, which I completely understand. However, I believe the possibilities present within a virtual card game are enough to outweigh this familiar and traditional setting so many players are used to.

What is Zems?

Zems is an upcoming free online card game currently in development. It is fantasy based, with many game elements inspired by real-time strategy, board, and virtually all the popular card games. The unique combination of these elements, along with several victory conditions, is what separate Zems from the many other collectible card games currently out there.

Basic Lore

Everything has to have a foundation, otherwise there wouldn’t be any logical reasoning behind it. For games, that foundation is either lore or familiarity, but often both. Thus, for those interested in a basic overview of the Zems lore, it can be found below:

The spirit of a Colossal is a measure of its power. When it passes, the Colossal becomes an astrological object. The first of these is the All-Father, Draznib, who represents the sun.

The All-Father created the universe, organized into five realms, and linked them together through a powerful self-regulating ethereal network called Midar. Each realm is described below:

Spectral Realm

Here a visitor can see the ghosts of civilizations passed. The Spectral Realm is shaped by the emotional imprint of the people on Midar. This leaves the realm hint to at Midar’s very distant past, as the echoes of long extinct civilizations can be found in deserts, just as the ghosts of the recently departed can be found in modern cities. These “ghosts” are only imprints, though. They hold no sentience and will repeat the same tasks for eternity, often one of extreme emotional investment. Because of this the spectral realm can be one of terror for most of the imprints there were captured by people in their final death throes, often dying in some horrible manner that forever scarred its memory into the realm.

Elemental Realm

The Elemental Realm is misleading, in the sense it does not reflect basic elements of the world such as fire, water, wind, etc. Instead the realm is an exaggerated aspect of the physical land it overlaps. For example, a desert in Midar becomes a plain of “fire”. Here fires reign, but they are easily shaped and little more than illusory. The realm offers a parallax of the observer’s normal view of the realm, where the metaphysical blends with the metaphorical.

Gilded Realm

Perhaps the most fickle of all realms, the Gilded Realm is a dreamscape often visited by implacable priest who believe they can use the events in this realm as a reflection of what their Colossal wishes. The Gilded Realm is an abstraction placed over the landscape, and changes rapidly, metamorphosing to fit the influence of the closest Colossal’s dreams. A simple example would be Dryjnar, The Nomad, and how cities turn to several piles of refuse when he dreams beside them and reflects his opinion of settled life.

Physical Realm

The realm of Colossi creation, the physical realm houses the numerous races and creatures created by the Colossi to wage war and harvest the vastly scattered Zems. It is in this realm in which zems are the most abundant, making this realm a center stage for the great war raging throughout the universe.

Divine Realm

The Divine Realm is considered a refuge for the Colossals. It is the easiest for them to shape, and they often carve out territories in the Divine Realm that reflect their territories in Midar. Priests can enter this realm to ask for favors, and in exchange for the power of zems needed for that favor, the Colossal will often grant it. The Colossals are immortal to all but time in the Divine Realm, but they are chained to returning to Midar for more zems to sustain themselves. Most do not like leaving the Divine Realm, however, as it leaves them vulnerable.

The four realms overlap each other in this order respectively. Like ascending a mountain, the Spectral Realm lies at the base and the Divine Realm makes the peak, one must travel through the other realms and ascend the mountain to reach their destination. However, mortals can plummet back to Midar whenever they wish, so long as there is a gate open for them.

As time passed, however, Draznib noticed that he was slowly losing his power to the universe he created. Realizing he was the only being capable of controlling his great creation and keeping it from falling into chaos, Draznib used the remainder of his powers to create lesser copies of himself. These new beings, created separately from each other, became the new Colossi, the greatest beings in the universe.

Each of these new Colossals had a special power stemmed from Draznib, and a memory that they were once part of a greater power was the only thing they could remember. Thus, each Colossal was born with an overriding desire to seek Draznib’s power and establish control over the universe.

The Colossals eventually discovered each other over time. While initial interactions were peaceful, the Colossi eventually began to see each other as powerful threats to their innate desire. A universal war began. Each Colossal began to use its powers to create an army of loyal creatures to fight against the forces of the other Colossi.

Over time, the Colossi began to realize they were mysteriously losing their powers, a defect they did not realize they had inherited from Draznib. Because of this, many of the Colossi died out, forming the stars. However, the discovery of powerfully charged minerals called Zems on the remote continent Gurdu created a new salvation for the remaining Colossi.

Through analysis of the rare mineral, the Colossi realized the powers they had lost had created the zems, and that through consumption of the minerals the Colossi would be able to regain their lost energy. Desperate to insure their own survival, the Colossals scrambled for the power of this mythic ore, and in the subsequent mining and conflict the continent was ruined. Hundreds of Colossals were either too slow or pushed out, most died from the conflict until a handful hundred remained. Many started over in other continents, discovering these zems in every land, coming to the surface everywhere.

Fifty of these remaining Colossals had bigger ambitions, though. They formed an alliance called the Kairt and devised a ritual to bring down the spirits (stars) of their fallen brethren and harvest their power. When the fifty began their ritual several hundred “stars” fell, but they failed to capture any of them. Destruction swept across the universe, leaving only a single unharvested planet, Delnoa. Ten Colossals remain–two from the Kairt, the rest survivors by chance–and realize the opportunity before them. The chance to dominate the remaining Zems would give them enough power to effectively seize control of the universe.

Delving Deeper…

For those curious about gameplay mechanics and what is definite in the game, check out the Comprehensive Guide.

For answers to basic questions, please check out the FAQ.

For people interested in participating in the discussion and development of the game, please join the Zems Forums.

I am looking for help from anyone and everyone interested. No technical skills are necessary – I’m mainly looking for ideas and feedback. Forum participants will also be among the first invited to test the beta version of Zems peer-to-peer live matchups, so please check out the forums and get involved!

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