About this project
DOMAIN: Lords of Ether is a tabletop card game that challenges 2-4 players to take control of mighty Ether Lords and conquer the world of Abhaddon - before your opponents do. Construct the world as you go, creating a brand new game every time. Lay magical Soul Wells strategically while trying to your foes from doing the same. Conjure powerful monsters, cast battle-deciding and world-altering hexes, and lay deadly traps.
Domain is a game full of world construction, tactical strategy, exciting combat, and BUT WAIT! moments. It's designed for gamers of all skill levels, and offers rules that are easy to understand and teach new friends, but also great depth and challenge to keep you coming back for one more game. Whether you're a Magic: The Gathering pro, a seasoned Carcassonne veteran, or love a game of Mage Wars with friends, Domain offers something for all!
Why Your Support Matters
Domain was created by Jesse Bull and Beau Langston, two high school friends who now run the indie game studio A Jolly Corpse. We create high quality, retro style PC games, and have always loved card and board games too. We've wanted to make Domain for years, but because of the manufacturing costs and liabilities we've never pursued creating it. But Kickstarter could make this possible! To fund a true production run with the quality Panda Games Manufacturing (Pandemic, The Walking Dead Board Game, Boss Monster), we need your support!
Our $18,000 goal is what we need to cover manufacturing and shipping costs, as well as a tiny bit leftover for us to polish up the art for all the cards. As with any Kickstarter project, you'll only be charged if we hit our funding goal. And with your help, we can!
More About the Game
Watch Jesse explain the basics in part 1 of a 1-on-1 game with Stinch the Gambler and Melancholy!And watch Rick from Box of Delights give our prototype an even more detailed playthrough! He addresses different kinds of bluffing, laying traps, apparitions, and more! Thanks Rick! :D
And another review of Domain! This time from the new show "Got Game". They're a great crew of pro gamers, who seemed to take a shine to Domain. Check out the review and be sure to support them in the future!
Keep checking back here for more videos an info about Domain!
Stretch Goals!
You asked and we answered! We'd love to upgrade those standard pawns to custom minis of some of our Lords of Ether, but to do that we need your help!
We've dropped the target for our first stretch goal and added in the first tier of minis! And as an extra incentive, we're going to let YOU decide which Lords get to be the first. We'll present all ten Lords as the campaign continues, and when it's finished, every backer will get to cast a vote!
Of course, we'd love to do give all ten of our base Lords their own figures, but that'll be another stretch goal! So If you've already pledged, spread the word! The more awesome people who know about Domain and pledge to support it on Kickstarter, the more cool stuff we'll be able to add to the game - in the Volume 1 Set and beyond!
The Rewards!
Thank you for your support! We're constructing a special Contributors page on lordsofether.com where your name (or "Anonymous", of course!) will forever burn brightly in the history books of Abhaddon. Everyone will know your pledge helped us make Domain a reality.
In addition, as a Thank You from us, you'll receive a special limited-edition A Jolly Corpse Lord card PDF!
Everyone who pledges at the Imp level and above will receive an expertly crafted official Instant Volume 1 Starter Deck - a PDF containing the rule set and all the Lords, Conjures, and World cards included in the Volume 1 Set.
Rules are presented in a fun-to-read, visual style, and cards are laid out ready for easy printing, cutting, and sleeving. Not only that, we'll send you the Instant PDF before Volume 1's release, so you can become a Domain pro even before it hits shelves - or if you pledge at the Soldier level or above, before you get shipped your own official set!
The game! All backers at the Soldier level and up receive the official retail edition Volume 1 starter set as soon as it's produced, including 140 cards and countless hours of world-building and card combat for 2-4 players.
Inside the box is everything you need for 2-4 people to play: 10 Ether Lord cards, 70 conjure cards with awesome monsters, hexes, and traps, and 60 world cards with soul wells, roads, and game-changing world event cards in 3 decks, 4 player pawns, 80 ether tokens, a die, and the fully illustrated rule book. If we hit our stretch goals, some or all of these pieces will be upgraded!
25 lucky early supporters will have a chance to get a very special, very unique card added to their order...
You'll get one of five exclusive rare conjures - an extremely limited version of a monster, hex, or trap that's more fiendishly powerful than its little brother. We're still not sure when or even if rare cards will make it into Domain... but you'll definitely have one. We, the creators, will pick one out just for you.
Everyone who backs Domain at the Acolyte level and above will receive the Original Soundtrack in high quality MP3 and FLAC!
"A soundtrack to a tabletop game!?", you say? Of course! Just play it on your stereo, PC, or from your phone while you play the game! Enjoy the long overworld tracks during strategic world-building, and when a Soul Well is invaded, queue up one of the exciting battle tracks.
Watch for more samples here as the campaign continues!
During this campaign, Beau and Jesse will be producing a special, Kickstarter-exclusive and never-again-to-be-printed set of five cards. We'll be revealing the first cards very soon into the campaign, so stay tuned to find out who it is!
Our second reveal is T-Rex, inspired by Ryan North's Dinosaur Comics! We love ol' Rex and his blind optimism, but not as much as he loves smashing cabins!
Our first reveal is Rayne from Fallen Angel's break-out 2001 hit Factor X! She's back from the future to wreak some havoc, and Atmos is at the console making sure to pull her back from death.
Stay tuned for more!
Pledge at Golem level or above to get copies of A Jolly Corpse's two smash PC hits, Wyv and Keep: The Temple of the Lost Idol and Smashbox!
You'll get direct download links, plus codes to redeem the games on Desura. And if they make it onto Steam, you can be sure you'll get codes for that as well!
Plus, get a set of five limited-edition Domain cards based on the characters from the games!
All backers at the Commander level and above will receive all previous rewards, plus one of the Beta Prototype sets of Domain printed by The Game Crafter!You'll also be given the opportunity to become an official beta tester for A Jolly Corpse - participate in the final stages of solidifying the rule set, and in balancing the power of the cards.
You'll be given access to the Developers' Documents and be the first to see not only the hundreds of cards and new rules and ideas we have for Domain, but also where it came from.
Your name will also be listed as a Beta Tester on the Contributors page on lordsofether.com, so you can brag to your friends when they're all playing the game YOU helped create!
Extended for Comic Con! Pledge early at the $100 level and you'll not only get everything at the Commander level, but have a chance to get your Beta Prototype in a limited edition BLACK DOMAIN box.
This box just screams cool. Or dark. Or maybe evil. Or all of those things. And it'll only be available during the Kickstarter.
Design Rewards
Ever want to write your own flavor text? Well now you can! Make your mark on the world of Abhaddon by sponsoring one of 25 monster, trap, and hex cards whose descriptions could use a little flavor - and forever own a part of Domain's history.
You can be funny, poetic, thought-provoking, or deeply disturbing - we want to see what you've got! And just to sweeten the deal, you'll receive a special jumbo-sized copy of your card to show off to your friends. If you want, we'll even sign it!
The High Consul, Shadow Master, Abyssal Warlock, and Wyrm Guard tiers are very special. If you simply must design your own card, from beginning to end, one of these tiers is for you. Either Beau, Jesse, or both will work with you to create a Soul Well, Trap, Hex, or Monster card from beginning to end. You'll tell us what you want it to look like, its horrible (or beautiful?) name, and most importantly, just what you want it to do.
Your card will be part of all Volume 1 sets, and as a bonus, we'll send you a special jumbo-sized deluxe copy of your creation. If you want, we'll sign it too!
More info on Domain
Be sure to check out lordsofether.com and jollycorpse.com!
Risks and challenges
Domain is already fully designed and illustrated, and has undergone extensive playtesting, but we would like to perfect the game with our beta pledgers, as well as give the art some final polish before printing. That's why we've given ourselves plenty of time to get the finished games to you. But the wait won't be long! We're staying ahead of the game, and have already chosen a trustworthy and experienced manufacturing partner - Panda Games. They are committed to excellence in board games and since 2007 have produced the likes of Pandemic, The Walking Dead, and Boss Monster. Between Panda and freight systems leader Leader Mutual, we're sure we can deliver an awesome game on time. We're all ready - we just need your support!
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Funding period
- (30 days)