Convergence

The Coming Convergence
Recently, Alex Miller announced a new game, called Convergence, on the Genesis Discord server. Once he did that, imagination flew. I wanted to know more about what was brewing in Toronto and had lots of questions to ask. So, I did. And he answered. The following article is a summation of those answers.

The Vision
First and foremost, the goal of Convergence is to keep the memory of Genesis alive. To keep fans playing the game they love. Convergence will be a cleaner game with new ideas and perspectives. This is a fan driven endeavor. One of Genesis' strengths was the involvement of fans either through Future League, Patreon, or Sid’s Ramblings. Convergence is meant to keep that involvement going.

The Lore
The theme, or I should say the duality, of Convergence is destruction and rebirth. In this game, whole worlds are physically colliding. Civilizations with different technologies and social structures find themselves intermixed and in conflict. This new world separates familiarity and family. Denizens in this newly formed world, composed of distinct genres, will see fantasy creatures, sci-fi aliens, and horrific abominations. And new worlds are still joining. What is causing this Convergence? What is next? How will the world change tomorrow? No one knows.

The next world joining could bring anything. A new hero or a new horror? Convergence has its own world and its own story. The Convergence has just started. The world is in its infancy. There is no defined state of being. It is constantly fluctuating. Some have names for it, but these names only last until the next amalgamation. Maybe the world will stabilize, until then many are trying to control the chaos and disruption.

The Game Play
There are similarities with Genesis in terms of game play. Convergence plays on the familiar 5x6 arena, however other arena sizes are being imagined by the design team. The designers have several ideas (and wants) to have unique arenas. In its current state, the game plays a little slower than Genesis, but this outcome is from the focus on balance by the designers. The game could speed up as new worlds and new cards are imagined and developed. Multiplayer formats will be included as well.

And there are a few differences. The rules are being updated to make it clearer for new players and old. A mulligan system will be added. Some mechanics will also change, such as Aerial being less oppressive.

The Production

The game will be available as five ready-to-play decks. That’s nine combinations of one-on-one battles in the initial offering. With the ability to add existing Genesis cards, players will have the means to create almost endless variability in deck building and battles.

After the initial release of the five decks, the designers of the game will take feedback from players and proceed from there in terms of future production. The concept of new worlds colliding with old will definitely influence more decks coming out, or possibly different ways of getting cards in the hands of players. Fan involvement is meant to be huge in Convergence. Maybe that's another meaning behind the word "Convergence", where designers and players converge.

The Participation
The designers want this to be a fan-based community-run game. Anyone who wants to get involved can reach out to Alex Miller and ask how to get involved. According to Alex, several have already reached out. The existing 5 decks planned for the initial production have been designed and played since before the Raze set was released. And everything about these decks are being revisited with several years worth of experience and improved knowledge. Everyone’s voice will be heard and can potentially influence the future of Convergence.

Have you ever had an idea for a new genre? Ever wanted to bring high tech and 1970s martial arts movies together? How about pulp action heroes and the old west? Can you imagine a world colliding with another? You chance to pitch your idea for a new card game that is just around the corner.