February 2025 Update: Play the Game Now!

 Posted on February 28, 2025  |  Brian Toth

Big news this month: You can now play Legends of the Arena! But before we get into that, a quick reminder to follow our Kickstarter campaign here so you don’t miss the launch. Now, let’s dive in! Play Legends of the Arena – Print & Play + Tabletop Simulator! We’re thrilled to announce that both a Print & Play and a Tabletop Simulator mod featuring Alysia and Fitz are now available! [Read More]
updates  convention 

Bringing Legends of the Arena to Genesis X2🎮

 Posted on February 24, 2025  |  Brian Toth

Earlier this month, we took Legends of the Arena to Genesis X2, a convention focused on Super Smash Bros. and other competitive games (mostly fighting games, but there were TCG tournaments, rhythm games, and even Mahjong). It was our first time running a vendor booth, and we weren’t sure what to expect. Would fighting game fans be interested in a tactical board game? Legends of the Arena is heavily inspired by Super Smash Bros. [Read More]
convention 

January 2025 Update - Card Design & Genesis X2 🃏

 Posted on January 31, 2025  |  Brian Toth

We’ve got some huge updates this month, including our next convention appearance, exciting character reveals, and our first look at final card designs! Meet Us at Genesis X2! 🎮🔥 We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll have a booth at Genesis X2 from February 14-16, 2025, in San Jose, CA! If you’re at the event, stop by to play a demo, grab some free stickers, and chat with us about the game. [Read More]
updates  cards 

December 2024 Update with Board Art 🎨

 Posted on December 31, 2024  |  Brian Toth

As we wrap up the year, we’re excited to share some major updates and invite you to shape the game with your feedback! Explore the Rules Draft 📖 The draft of our game rules is now available! While the images and formatting are placeholders, the content is ready for your thoughts! Please share your impressions (feel free to comment right on the doc) - your feedback is crucial in refining Legends of the Arena. [Read More]
updates  art 

November 2024 Update & Tikkit’s Arrival

 Posted on November 27, 2024  |  Brian Toth

It’s been a busy month for Legends of the Arena, and we’re thrilled to share our latest updates with you! Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page Now Live! Our Kickstarter landing page is now up! Click below to get notified when the campaign goes live. Your support makes all the difference as we prepare for our mid-2025 launch! Catch Alysia’s Art on Instagram We’ve shared all of Alysia’s art on Instagram, including her powerful moves like Sunder and her ultimate Carve a Path. [Read More]
updates  art 

Join the Fight! (October 2024 update) ⚔️

 Posted on October 28, 2024  |  Brian Toth

We’ve got some exciting news ahead: Monthly Updates: Starting today, we’ll be sharing regular updates on game development, upcoming conventions (we’ll be at KublaCon Fall in the Protospiel room!), and more. Art Sneak Peeks: We’ll also be showcasing new art and progress on our Instagram, so make sure to follow us there for exclusive visuals that bring the Arena to life! Kickstarter Announcement: Our launch is set for mid-2025, and we’ll keep you updated on every step leading up to it. [Read More]
updates  art 

PAX Unplugged 2023

 Posted on November 30, 2023  |  Brian Toth

Hey folks! Just a quick update that Michael is at PAX Unplugged this weekend. Drop us a line if you would like to see the latest version of Legends of the Arena! We’ve been hard at work since Origins adding character upgrades, reducing the number of cards in hand, and, most excitingly, changing to a KO count win condition where you score a KO each time you knock an opponent off of the map. [Read More]
convention  updates 

Player Aids in Tabletop Simulator

 Posted on October 9, 2023  |  Brian Toth

Why have a player aid? Standard playing card sized player aid. Note that we've recycled some Frosthaven statuses for prototyping! Over the years we’ve written full rules for Legends of the Arena (and done blind playtesting with them as well), but for most playtests - where the goal is to figure out if a mechanic or component is fun - it isn’t time efficient to force players to read the rules first. [Read More]
tips  components  prototyping 

Decisions in board games part 2: Uncertainty

 Posted on May 20, 2023  |  Brian Toth

What does this AI generated picture of a donkey in space have to do with uncertainty? Read on to find out! Welcome to the second installment of “Decisions in board games”, a three-part series on engaging players through meaningful decisions in competitive multiplayer board games. Previously we discussed why decisions are important and why you should have them in your game. If you haven’t checked that out yet, I recommend reading it first. [Read More]
design  theory 

Decisions in board games part 1: Theory

 Posted on May 5, 2023  |  Brian Toth

Welcome to “Decisions in board games”, a three-part series on engaging players through meaningful decisions in competitive multiplayer games. In this post we will discuss why decisions are important and the basic outline of how to reason about the decisions in your games. The second post will be a deeper dive into what really makes decisions “meaningful”. The third and final post will share a number of examples from Legends of the Arena and how we applied board game decision theory to create a more engaging experience for players. [Read More]
design  theory