Hexcaster

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HEXCASTER is a strategic, sorcery-themed card battler for one or two players, played with a standard deck of playing cards. 

Take turns attempting to smite your foe by throwing hexes, summoning minions, and twisting your opponent's magic against them. Will you have what it takes to out-hex—and outwit—your opponent and emerge victorious?

Don't have foes? (Or friends?)

Play a fully featured version of the game in Solo Mode!

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Inspired by games like Magic: The Gathering, Slay the Spire, and good old-fashioned War, Hexcaster attempts to increase the strategic choices given to the player, while at the same time remaining portable and easy to learn. No need to spend huge amounts of your favorite currency on rare cards.

All you need to play is a standard deck of playing cards and something to keep track of health points (pen & paper work just fine).

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How it plays
Every suit is a discipline of sorcery:

• ♠ Curses build persistent damage that strikes each turn.
• ♣ Wards shield you from curses and can heal you.
• ♦ Evil Eye strikes directly, bypassing wards.
• ♥ Blood Magic drains your foe's life into your own, but a strong enough block turns it against you.

Face cards are your minions. Jacks steal enemy cards, aces destroy them, kings lock down entire suits, and queens bend the rules of sorcery. Each turn you play a single card, so every choice counts. Do you focus on defense or offense? Do you overwhelm your foe with power or drain them with a curses? Do you bind your opponent with your king, and risk getting it stolen?

Once you understand the patterns, the rules are simple and intuitive. With luck, a beginner might withstand the onslaught of a more experienced player. However, to become a master Hexcaster, strategy and wits matter more than reliance on the whims of Chance. 

Prepare thyself for hours of strategic battles—against foes, with friends, and against Fate itself!

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Features

• Uses one standard 52-card deck. The same kind used for Poker and Bridge.
• Intuitive, pattern-based rules that are quick to pick-up and explain to friends.
• Quick battles (5–10 minutes), deep battles (15–30 minutes), or Epic Battles (30+), depending on starting HP and number of players.
• Solo Mode: battle Fate, a villain drawn straight from the deck, with five difficulty levels.

What's included in the Game Grimoire (PDF, 23 pages):

• Hexcaster complete rules
• Detailed explanations, including a layout diagram and a turn-by-turn example of play.
• Options for PvP, 2Pv2P, or Solo Mode against Fate 
• Card and Turn Reference sheet 
• Solo Mode Reference sheet
• Optional rule variants for more volatile or relaxed gameplay

Game design, rulebook, and artwork by Canucci.