2Armored Burrower✳
UNIT · NEUTRALCOMMON
A NEW COLLECTIBLE CARD GAME / DESIGN JOURNAL
Small deck.
Big possibilities.
A game you can learn over a coffee,
and keep discovering for years.
Three ways to play. Two leading theme directions.
This is where we find the game worth making.
CREATURE COLLECTION / STUDYBuilt to survive.RESEARCH-INFORMED CONCEPT / NOT FINAL ART
ORIGINAL WORLDS. OPEN QUESTIONS.RESEARCH → PAPER TESTS → PLAYABLE PROTOTYPE
10–15 min
Match length target
100 cards
Initial set budget
2 players
Tabletop rules, digital play
THE DESIGN PROMISE
Easy first turns.
Interesting last decisions.
01 / THE GAME UNDERNEATH
Choose your kind
of clever.
Different rules create different decisions. These are three complete directions to compare, before we commit to a world or a hundred cards.
RESEARCH INSIGHT
Keep the rules small and the decisions rich. Resource reliability, limited response windows, and a visible finish line are our first design levers.
Read the research ↗02 / FINDING THE FEELING
A world you want
in your hand.
Two leading territories have direct collectible-card lineages. A third is a secondary experiment. Compare the evidence before choosing a treatment.
Lineage is not a popularity prediction.
Pokémon and Magic are direct category comparables. Evolution, Scythe, and other tabletop games help explain particular ideas; they do not establish demand for our game.
Evidence, figures, and all sources ↗| Direction | Direct category lineage | Specific inspiration | What is still unproven |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creature collection | Pokémon: >85bn cards producedAs of March 2026. Production, not sales. | Pokémon illustrator interviews: individual personality. Evolution: traits explain strategy. | Whether our original species create attachment; whether biological adaptation is the right hook. |
| Mythic confrontation | Magic: $1.72bn 2025 revenueIncludes licensed worlds. Not isolated mythic-fantasy sales. | Magic art and world design: readable card concepts. Flesh and Blood: physical confrontation. | What makes our champions and conflict distinct enough to remember. |
| Industrial tactics | No close original mech TCG commercial benchmark verified. | Scythe: faction machines. Star Wars Unlimited: people and vehicles in one visual language. | Whether an adjacent board-game theme transfers to this compact original card game. |
THE CARD WORKBENCH
One card.
Three treatments.
All three studies use the same Stone Sentry pilot rules: cost 2, Guard, power 1, health 4. Names are visual-study aliases. Compare theme and frame without changing gameplay.
Read the art direction ↗03 / A SMALL SET WITH ROOM TO GROW
One hundred cards.
Many ways to win.
Build a network of strategies and answers. Start with a focused pilot; expand only after the core decisions feel good.
80Faction cardsFive factions × 16
20Neutral cardsShared tools and answers
↗
Pressure
Claim early points and make the opponent respond.
⇄
Tempo
Move power to the place where it matters next.
◇
Control
Trade efficiently and prepare for the late rounds.
✳
Engines
Build a small combination worth protecting.
These are play styles, not separate rulebooks or guaranteed balanced decks. Explore factions, counters, and the set skeleton ↗
04 / THE WORKING LIBRARY
Every decision
starts somewhere.
Primary-source research, proposed rules, and the practical plan for getting the first cards onto the table.
01 / RESEARCH
What card games teach us
Resources, combat, interaction, variance, and strategic identity across established games.
Read the deep dive ↗ 02 / RULES LABThree ways to structure play
Compare the systems, read the proposed first rules, and see what each test must answer.
Read the rules candidates ↗ 03 / SET DESIGNFrom a pilot to 100 cards
Faction identities, shared answers, set budgets, sample cards, and playtest priorities.
Explore the set plan ↗ 04 / THEME RESEARCHThe lineage behind the themes
Evidence-linked theme briefs, physical card anatomy, and original concept prompts.
Read the sources and comparisons ↗ 05 / PUBLISHINGA home at cards.rje.ai
Local nginx findings, DNS preparation, certificate setup, and repeatable static publishing.
Read the hosting runbook ↗ 06 / DESIGN REVIEWQuestions before commitment
Independent critique, revisions, and the boundaries of what we have actually verified.
Read the design review ↗