Reality can be weird can’t it? Make one decision, you’re a noble leader guiding your world to peace; make another and you’re a megalomaniacal dictator bent on universal domination. The pieces need to fall just the right way to give us what we have around us now…
Since last summer, when Wizards of the Coast pulled the plug on our beloved Transformers TCG, independent developers and media teams have been hard at work producing new cards, sets, and tournament formats dedicated to keeping the game we all know and love alive.
As an interconnected but still largely independent fandom we’ve seen concurrent development, various personal takes on characters and mechanics, and more. In the last couple weeks, two developers separate of each other announced their own projects based on a relatively recent and beloved, if little supported, corner of the Transformers Universe: the alternate, inverted, reality Shattered Glass!
Today, for a first announcement of several to come, both Nate Petersen of Edge of Iacon, developer of the MSE Template and designer of “Timelines: Shattered Glass” box set, and Kaleb Adams, designer of Wave X and Shattered Glass release, are stoked to announce joint collaboration on our respective projects!
Announced days apart and both having spent several months in stages of development, the projects bore a lot of surface similarities of course. The developers had a chance to sit down, hash out some notes and ideas, and sorted out some fun and exciting ways to proceed with our respective projects and helping to improve each other’s as well!
Each release is still that of the given developer, but both will feature interrelated themes and mechanics to produce fun, thematically appropriate, and interesting new cards and characters to explore! By working along side one another, we can make a more cohesive, shared-world, feeling so that players can enjoy the best of everything the mirrored universe has to offer!
Timelines: Shattered Glass is a “boxed set” featuring 7 new character cards on two opposing teams, 7 new battle cards, 2 stratagems, and alternate art battle cards for the preconstructed deck lists! The release also features brand new art courtesy of WotC artist and Transformers fan Harvey Nazareno Bunda!
Kaleb Adams’ Shattered Glass is a “full set” release featuring 32 new character cards, 15 new battle cards, and 10 stratagems, expanding the Shattered Glass universe with an army of alternate takes on classic characters including a classic combiner and a terrifying titan!
Q&A
Q: Are the releases merged?
A: No, each release is still the project of the respective developer.
Q: What elements do the releases share?
A: The releases share mostly thematic elements, ensuring that SG Autobots and SG Decepticons have a somewhat distinctive flavor that resembles their traditional play but also represent both the SG universe and the respective releases.
Mechanically, both releases will designate their universes with an addition to the subtype byline, denoting “Shattered Glass” as a way to call out a Shattered Glass Autobot from a (normal) Autobot, and an instance of Shattered Glass Starscream from the traditional Starscream. If we might humbly suggest to other developers, this would make a reasonable and consistent way to call out very unique iterations of characters as well from other major brands & timelines!
Lastly, some mechanical concepts and newly developed keyword(s) will be seen across the two sets, further embracing the shared universe.
Q: Are the developers working on both sets together?
A: Not precisely. We have compared notes to ensure we’re on the same page and are sharing initial card designs for input, feedback, and tweaking, but each developer is largely responsible for their own release with the other offering another set of eyes and insight!
Q: Can the releases be played together?
A: That’s the dream! When we’re through with the releases, general balance, team mechanics and focuses, and abilities should align well that cards can be shared between the releases with little concern.