Greetings, Lords!

Second playable faction in the campaigns is Sphere. Let's take a closer look!

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Symbol of the Sphere (above) is a visual of a world exploding, as a result of the Calamity. Although that apocalyptic process has been dramatically slowed down, the image remains on the Spheres banners as a constant reminder of what unchecked magic can lead to.

Fun fact: This town was entirely sculpted out of air-drying clay by my fiance, who goes by the nickname KungChan complete with tiny embedded LEDs. Our original vision was to create the entire game with visuals inspired by The Neverhood, using handmade clay models. However, we quickly realized that this approach was far too time-consuming for a small team like ours, and without the support of a professional studio, the final result just wouldnt meet the quality we were aiming for.

Eventually, we decided to take a different route and looked for an artist who could bring their own visual style to the game. Thats when we found Mr. Szymon he redrew all the original clay models created by KungChan (including the city, Patatuf, Hound, Phoenix, and a few others) and also crafted the character animations. A big shoutout to him if hes reading this! :)

Lore overview

As the world was crumbling under the overwhelming force of magical energy, a figure known as Aldasir appeared a powerful being, perhaps a mage, who managed to slow the collapse. In doing so, he sacrificed his life to preserve what remained and give others a chance to rebuild.

Not long after the Calamity, a mysterious group calling themselves Aldasirs Brotherhood emerged. They seems to try to reconnect the shattered lands and slowly piece them back into a single, unified continent.

However, they are rarely seen, and little is truly known about them adding even more to their mythic presence.

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Magic itself changed after the Calamity. Once orderly and well-defined, split into schools and techniques it has now become a wild, untamed force. Its no longer a tool to be wielded, but a raging element that punishes even those who dare to use it.

Out of the four factions, only Sphere and Chrama have chosen to continue using post-Calamity magic, but both pay a heavy price for it.

Sphere mages gradually lose their physical bodies as if their magic consumes their very existence, turning them into the void. From the very beginning of their training, they must bind their souls to masks, which serve as vessels for their being. These masks are worn with lightweight cloaks that make movement easier their only remaining semblance of form.

There is, however, a second path one less destructive. In this form of magic, the body remains intact, but it slowly becomes covered in crystalline growths.

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45443998/e84031205f70e1c19440146e4a4485093c56538f.png"][/img]The division between these two magical paths is deeply embedded in the Spheres rules. Each mage must commit to one path only a strict rule meant to limit the amount of power any one individual can amass. This self-imposed restriction serves as a safeguard, meant to prevent any mage from ever becoming powerful enough to trigger another Calamity.

The Spheres ultimate purpose is to understand and eventually master this new, chaotic magic.

Campaign hero: Adalbert

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Adalbert is a skilled diplomat and Spheres foremost envoy when it comes to persuading towns to join their faction. Hes sent ahead to negotiate with independent settlements, building trust and forging connections with their inhabitants.

One such mission is featured in the Tutorial, where you experience firsthand how Adalbert works to win trust.

Hes open-minded and pragmatic, even willing to bend the rules if he believes its the right thing to do. For Adalbert, principles are important but not at the cost of missing a crucial opportunity for peace or progress.

Units and heroes

Units:

• Mage is a classic offensive spellcaster, capable of dealing powerful single-target magic damage or weaker attacks to multiple enemies at once. In addition to offensive spells, the Mage can also shield an ally with a protective sphere that absorbs the first incoming hit.

  Like all magicians, the Mage starts with 100 Mana, which is consumed when casting spells. Each round, 10 Mana is restored, but running out of Mana too soon can leave your Mage powerless at a crucial moment.

• Sculpture a barrier-type unit. It cannot attack or counterattack. Instead, at the start of its turn, it emits a Decay Aura that damages all adjacent enemy units.

  Though immobile in offense, the Sculpture excels in battlefield control use it to block chokepoints or protect your more vulnerable allies. When fighting against a Sculpture, its wise to move away from it as soon as possible, to avoid damage from its lingering aura.

• Obelisk a crystal-based ranged unit, slow but durable. In addition to ranged attacks, it can sacrifice a portion of its own health to restore Mana to an allied magician making it a valuable support on magic-heavy teams.

  Its second ability allows it to regenerate its own health once per combat, letting it stay alive after it sacrifice some health in exchange for Mana.

• Battlemage when a Mage falls in battle but their mask remains intact, the Wisemans of the Sphere can transfer the Mages consciousness into a magical construct creating a Battlemage. This unit wields three spells: to summon Imp, to clone a friendly unit and to create Crystal Blocks on the battlefield (for example: to protect key allies from enemy warriors). Once it is out of Mana, the Battlemage can active a final ability: it receives a massive boost to melee damage for the rest of the battle at the cost of permanently losing the ability to regain Mana.

• Phoenix the Spheres second ranged unit, but dont be fooled by the classification, its just as deadly in melee combat.

  When attacking from a distance, the Phoenix ignites itself, conjuring a blazing fireball with a mighty beat of its wings and hurling it toward its target.

  Its most iconic trait, however, is its ability to rise from the ashes once per battle, when slain, the Phoenix will resurrect itself, returning to the fight reborn and ready to strike again

Units in total: 2 Magicians, 2 Shooters and 1 Barrier.

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Heroes:

• Wiseman a mage-based hero that follows first path of Sphere's magic. He has an Aura of Power that increases magical damage for all magicians standing around. A perfect spellcasters leader.

• Strategist an obelisk-based hero that follows second, crystal, path of Sphere's magic. With his Aura of accuracy, Strategist is a hero dedicated for a team based on ranged units.

Heroes in total: 1 Magician and 1 Shooter.

Sphere's special actions: Spells

Every faction in the game has a set of unique abilities used on a worldmap. These special actions are unlocked by upgrading the Palace in your Capital to Level 2 or 3.

For the Sphere, these are called Spells. Might be used for Mana and Sphere faction has 100 Mana point to spend that way.

Spells list unlocked with Lvl 2 Palace:

• Summoning creates a portal to remote regions of the world to bring a spectrum. The spectrum can explore lands, but it cannot lead any units and will be vanished when faces with an enemy. At the beginning of next turn it will be dismissed.

• Harvest picked controlled Province will produce additional income. This spell will be auto-used at the beginning of next turn, on the same area.

• Restoration heals all your units for 25 hitpoints. This spell can also be used on an allied team.

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Spells list unlocked with Lvl 3 Palace:

• Haste a single targeted team receives two additional move points.

• Return targeted team immediately returns to the Capital.

• Storm deals 30 magical damage to every unit in enemy, targeted, structure (Watchtower, Town or Capital).

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In compare, Order's Decrees are slightly stronger that above Spells. On the other hand, Sphere can use two spells per turn, while Order can use only one Decree.

This faction is available in Demo. The last two factions are not, but both will be playable it the Early Access version.

Coming soon: Chrama faction presentation.

Take care! Mateusz from Boargames