Legacy Card Game: 16 Years in the Making

Legacy is an upcoming roleplaying/fantasy card game by designer Erick Harding along the lines of Magic: The Gathering. We recently had the opportunity to evaluate a prototype of the game — while it didn't fit our casual game ideal, we found the artwork and production quality to be very polished. Upon learning more about the history of the game, we learned some surprising facts, so we set out to hear more from the designer. Below is my interview with Erick.

Chris: Congratulations on your upcoming game, Erick! Could you tell us a bit about Legacy? Who is the target audience?

Erick: Thank you! Legacy is a Card Battle game in the style of Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh!, where you build a deck and try and get the other players' life points to zero.

The target audience for Legacy is people who are craving a simplistic game that offers them a near infinite level of strategy, should they wish to employ it. The game can be played by beginners or seasoned card gamers.

Chris: How does Legacy compare to other games on the market?

Erick: I think Legacy is different on some levels, and a bit of what people are used to on some levels. I understand that if something is entirely new people are less likely to try it, so I wanted to build a familiar engine to get people through the front door, then show them that there is depth beyond what you first see.

Chris: Please tell us about the history of the game. How long has it been in development and how has it evolved over time?

Erick: Legacy has been around for about 16 years now, in the form of a text-based and pen/paper RPG simply called "The Game".

It was created when I was just 14 or 15 years old, when the Internet was nothing but BBS's. I thought I could do a big Dungeons & Dragons type of game and set out to do so, and I did. But then I realized what makes the games awesome is the storyteller, not the rules you impose on people. So, I had this vast world and nothing to do with it. Over the years, I began to convert it into a card game...and the result is Legacy.

Chris: What have you learned through the design process?

Erick: Everything I know now is a result of building Legacy. I have learned that people do not like trading card games because it involves gambling with their money, and people really like the expandable card game model. I learned that you must have amazing art for people to look at a game of this magnitude. I already knew making a card game of any type was going to be a very long road, but if I had to do it over again, I would probably not have started with a card game. The process took half my life.

Chris: We had an opportunity to view a prototype of Legacy and the artwork and design look great! It must have cost a fortune to produce.

Erick: Actually, Legacy was done without spending any money yet. I spoke to tens of thousands of artists over the years and convinced a few to work for a contract that pays them later instead of up front. This is not ideal for anyone involved, but it's what has to be done when you have no money to make something you desperately want to make. People do what they love, and I love making games, so I found a way to get it done.

Chris: Wow! Not a single penny has been spent? How did you convince so many people to contribute to the project?

Erick: It was not easy, I can tell you that. I spent countless hours every day hunting down amazing artists and asking them to work on this no-name project, trying to convince each one to see my vision. I found one artist here and one artist there, and they quit after one or two images. After a while, I accumulated 30 or 40 images. Then, I approached Satanasov from Ubisoft because his work is spectacular. I told him about Legacy and he jumped on board. From then on, I never had trouble finding art again, because thanks to his awesome art, people took the game more seriously and artists started wanting to be a part of the project.

Chris: When and where will it be available? What will be the price for the basic game?

Erick: I am launching a Kickstarter in June 2014. I hope the game will be available at every card store the way any major card game is, but since it is an Indie game, only my backers can make that a reality.

The basic cost of the game will be 20-25 dollars. I want to keep this game around the 20 dollar mark because I want everyone to be able to afford this and play it.

Chris: Do you have plans to design any future games? Will any be targeted to casual gamers?

Erick: I am always designing games. Even right now, I have 15 other games in the works. My games can be played by just about anyone. I always have the casual game market in mind when designing, just as i do hardcore gamers.

Chris: Thank you for your time, Erick, and best of luck with your upcoming Kickstarter campaign!

Erick: You're welcome — thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed by Casual Game Revolution!