“Can you imagine George Washington battling Thor? With Heroes of History it can happen.”
Nowadays, I feel as though it takes something truly out of the ordinary to catch and hold my interest. So naturally, George Washington inviting me to try out Heroes of History, a new game he has been developing, had my full attention.
It was at this year’s Boston Festival of Indie Games (BFIG) Convention where I met Samuel Friedman, who was dressed in colonial garb to showcase his fun and addictive game. Samuel is the owner of Bradan’s World, the developers of Heroes of History, the game displayed at the festival which had even been selected to be a finalist for the BFIG annual Figgie Award. Players will need to use the vast array of Heroes, Weapons, and Battlefields that Heroes of History has to offer as they develop strategies to overcome their opponents in this unique Collectable Battle Card Game.
You might be asking yourself, “Sounds waaay too interesting to be true. What’s the catch?” Great question, because while you are playing this fun-filled game, you will secretly be LEARNING!
Yes it’s true. Heroes of History isn’t just a catchy title, it also speaks for the theme of the game. Every weapon, playable character, item and battlefield in HoH is based on those from history. In HOH, you might pit Robert E. Lee against Annie Oakley, or equip weapons like a musket, tomahawk, bayonet, or even a Gatling gun. With Friedman’s newest expansion, you will be able to add Roman Armies and Norse Mythology to your deck. Can you imagine George Washington battling Thor? With Heroes of History it can happen.
Courtesy of Bradan’s World
At the time, I admitted to Samuel that I honestly have no interest in history and that my parents were huge history buffs. If they couldn’t get me interested, I wasn’t sure if a card game would. But I took a chance and tried out the game for myself, and I can honestly say that I was not disappointed.
The game didn’t take very long to pick up. I had actually just played Yu-Gi-Oh for the first time a few weeks prior and found that the set up was similar to this game. I had only expected to play one round, but after the 5th round in a row, I realized that my expectations for HOH were far off. Heroes of History was actually quite fun. At the end of each round (the average play time was about 20 minutes), I found myself trying to create a better strategy that I could use the next time I played the game. Using a handful of people I haven’t heard of since my high school history class and a ton of cool weapons, I worked on building the ultimate setup so I could squash my opponents.
While the style was similar to other games I have tried, it had its own unique touch to it. I found that the game can be very unpredictable at times, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Several times as I was on the verge of defeat, I would play a Battle Field card and completely turn the game around when paired with Heroes with assigned stars.
My favorite part of the game was actually reading the information on the card about each character or weapon (who knew!) which frustrated the other player because I would take too long reading each card. In my defense, I did find the text to be a little small.
Courtesy of Bradan’s World
Overall this game is actually quite enjoyable and I really did learn a few things each time I played it. But it surprisingly didn’t really seem that focused on the history aspect of the game. I pretty much forgot that this game had educational value until after the game when I would comment on a character or item with historical significance. I would definitely recommend this game to others, whether they enjoy history or have no real interest in history, Heroes of History doesn’t seem to be about that. But is instead a family friendly game that is fun to play and easy to get addicted to.
I later had the opportunity to talk with Samuel about the development of Heroes of History and what we can expect in the future.
Nerd Reactor: Hello Samuel, would you mind telling us a little bit about Bradan’s World and Heroes of History?
Samuel Friedman: Hey there! So Bradan’s World is an educational gaming company and the developers behind Heroes of History. Our goal is to provide a game that takes a new approach to learning by making it more interesting. That’s where Heroes of History comes in. In HoH players can use champion from all time periods and history to compete in a battle of the trenches. The style of gameplay is similar to that of Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic: The Gathering, making it quite easy to pick up if you have played either of these games.
That sounds awesome. What was the inspiration behind your game?
Well, my job at the time was involved with the State of Delaware’s educational branch. During that time I noticed that there were a lot of students who were struggling in school. I began to wonder if one of the reasons for this is that students are having difficulty being engaged and interested in the topics they were learning about. So I had this idea, “What if there was a game that could be fun to play but would still have some educational value to it?” Shortly after, I started working on Heroes of History.
You had mentioned before that HoH is similar to other Collectable Card Games like Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic.
Yes, there are aspects of HoH that are very similar to Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic, and several other games out there. I wanted to create a game that had a similar feel to other games, making it easier for younger players to pick up. Very often games are difficult to learn, especially card games. My hope is that the gameplay will feel natural and be simple to pick up.
While Heroes of History is similar to these games, I really didn’t want it to be “Yu-Gi-Oh with history.” But to be its own thing. HoH has many features that are different from these games, some of which I believe are improvements to the gameplay. For example, weapon cards are very important in the game and can even mean the difference between victory and defeat. I have also incorporated Battle Fields, which provide large benefits when in play. I have improved upon the Star System that some card games use. In HoH, your characters either have stars or they don’t. This allows for better strategies to be developed without sacrificing play time.
While we are called a CCG, we are actually more of a “Living Card Game” (LCG); however, the term LCG term is trademarked by Fantasy Flight Games. We don’t plan to sell randomized booster packs but instead will get all of the cards you need when you buy the core deck box or an expansion. But we do hope that collect the cards which have incredible artwork and educational value, even if they don’t play the game.
Can you speak a little bit about the educational value of HoH?
Sure! On every card there is a filler section that has factual information about the characters, items, weapons, etc. All of the information is factual. I did my homework. [laughs] My hope is that any information, even if it is just a small filler, might provide the player with some historical/educational information or might pique their interest enough to try and learn more.
Where are you with the development of HoH and what can we expect to see in the future?
So our current and original edition of HoH is Heroes of History the Epic combo Pack: Midnight Riders vs. Echoes of the Plains. This starter pack consists of 2 decks of 50 cards each (100 total), 2 battle mats, and a rule book. Midnight Riders vs. Echoes of the Plains is our US History Edition and is sold on Amazon and eBay.
I am currently developing our next Epic Combo Pack: Dragon Boat Riders vs. Iron Phalanx. This edition is similar to our previous one, except will revolve around Norse Mythology and Roman History. I believe this is the one that you had tried at BFIG this year.
One of the cool features about all of our decks is that they can be combined to create diverse and powerful armies. In fact, we encourage mixing up the cards!
Also, check out our Bradan’s World for more information and see what we have featured. I have thought about making a mini-series called, “Making Alexander Great Again.” We have also thrown around ideas for potential future packs like Pirates, Knights, and Ninjas.
Courtesy of Bradan’s World
Where is the best place for our readers to learn more about your game or to even purchase a copy for themselves?
We have a ton of information on our site, bradansworld.com, including rules, FAQs, News, etc. We even have a cool PDF that helps you create your own tabletop game.
Currently, Heroes of History can be purchased in a number of stores located in the mid-Atlantic as well as through Amazon and on eBay. If you purchase the game on eBay, 10% of what you pay goes directly to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
This game was reviewed using a copy of Heroes of History provided by Bradan’s World.
from Nerd Reactor
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