Introducing Hubworld: Aidalon

Earthborne Games, led by former head of Fantasy Flight Games, Andrew Navaro, has created a new non-collectible, expandable, competitive card game called Hubworld: Aidalon. We've partnered with them to offer a free set of two preview decks to anyone who wants to try the game—all you have to do is pay shipping.

If you've missed the LCGs, or if you love Netrunner (which Hubworld echoes in many ways), or if you've never played a card game and want to try it out, this is for you.

"On the hubworld of Aidalon there is no problem that a fistful of shards can't solve. Build out your sphere of influence and race to keep your foothold through cunning and subterfuge in this sustainably produced, competitive, expandable card game for 2 – 4 players." - Hubworld Gamefound preview

The first thing to know about Hubworld: Aidalon is that it's an evolution of the LCG-style release model. There's no card rarity or booster packs. You buy a release and get all the cards you need to build the decks you want. That's a welcome return to form for the many FFG refugees among us.

Now, obviously, we've spent the last few years analyzing the problems of the competitive LCG model and why it didn't quite work over the long term. I'm sure Andrew and most of the former FFG designers at Earthborne Games have been thinking about that, too, especially before launching their own. Can they solve the puzzle on this new go-round with the format? I can't say for sure, but if anyone is going to do it, I'd bet it's this team.

Second, this is a game about "delving" into your opponent's deck, hand, and grid of facedown cards to secure (score) agents and win the game. It's co-designed by former Android: Netrunner lead developer Michael Boggs. You choose a Seeker with a unique ability, who represents a specific faction, and you can splash cards from outside of your faction to customize your deck (in a very cool way). So yeah, this is a game clearly influenced heavily by Netrunner.

At the same time, it's not Netrunner, and it being a symmetrical game (the Corps and Runner are basically combined into the same deck) should be your first clue that this is the case. Playing it like Netrunner will mean that you play it poorly—I certainly learned that when I got my hands on an earlier version of the preview decks. I got wrecked! But once I unraveled my attachment to Netrunner habits and assumptions and realized that this was indeed a different game that demanded different calculations and priorities, it all clicked while still feeling like Netrunner, or dare I say, even better. That’s something I didn’t think was possible.

Third, it's built with multiplayer in mind from the start, and the multiplayer format actually works. I've commonly lamented the "free for all" multiplayer format that is always just "Politics and Yelling: The Card Game" so you should know that Hubworld has a delightful mechanic where you must necessarily steal an agent from each player. It's that kind of critical rule that actually makes multiplayer Hubworld a game.

And lastly, it's an Earthborne Games title, so you can expect that the art will be unique, expressive, and made by people who care a lot about every illustration. For Hubworld, the unifying style is a delightful pen and watercolor vibe that really captivates one's imagination and makes the world come alive. You can also expect that the game will be made as sustainably as possible, prioritizing domestic manufacturing (the preview decks are printed in the USA) and plastic-free components. Like I said, it's Earthborne.

So yeah, ultimately, it's about $8 to get two preview decks shipped within the continental US, and though it'll cost more we'll ship them internationally too. Even if the game sounds terrible based on my musings above, it's probably still worth it. I hope you'll take us up on it!