Why make an app?

When we originally developed the analog version of Crimson Company back in 2017, we were inspired by games such as Hearthstone, Gwent and Prismata. You can read more about what aspects we liked and disliked about those games and the origins of Crimson Company's game design in this article.

Now, you may notice that many of our influences were video games. And while we didn't think we could break into the digital space right away at the time, gathering a considerable following and several successful Kickstarter campaigns gave us the confidence to start digitizing our game. And if you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense!

1. Crimson Company is extremely competitive!

With the order of the character deck being the only piece of hidden information in our game, the better player will win a large percentage of matches. Skill-based gameplay like this always profits from a broad player base, because it's the most fun if you can find an opponent of equal skill. In a real-life setting that's pretty rare.

Maybe you can find a specific opponent on your level, but then you'd only ever be allowed to against them so you're both always on equal footing. Or maybe you have a small group of roughly equally skilled players, but then your strategic ideas stay inside this limited bubble and never really expand by being confronted with out side influences. It's not ideal in terms of exploring the game's depth.

A digital version though allows you to search for an opponent of equal skill anywhere in the world at any point during the day. This is how the gameplay system we created can ultimately shine the most.

2. Crimson Company is designed to be easy to grasp!

From the earliest prototypes on, we tried to keep the information that's available on the board very clear and focussed. Essentially you just have the 3 lanes with a few characters each, all of which have strength points and an effect. Match this with the current offer of 4 mercenaries and both players' coin supplies and you get a large amount of possible combinations, however the individual game states are relatively easy to understand.

This transfers to mobile quite naturally in that we can use portrait orientation (which is preferred by most players) and still nearly fit everything you need to know on the screen.

3. Crimson Company fits deep strategy gaming into your pocket!

As an extension the former point, while our game is pretty easy to understand and play and thus well-suited for mobile play, it's also extremely deep. Many players have been playing it for years and are still improving and discovering new things even about the base game.

While there of course are a few card battling games on mobile, none of them are as non-random and competitively fair as Crimson Company and really put your thinking to the test. Matches can regularly be decided by the luck of the draw or by your metagame collection. If you're looking to reliably test your strategic understanding of a complex gameplay system though, there's no real alternative.

In short: Our game fills a need, which is why we truly believe that it can become a very special phenomenon in the digital and especially mobile space as well. Of course we need all the support we can get to reach that point though. So if you believe in our app too or are already playing it via Google Play, please spread the word and tell your friends! Every little bit is deeply appreciated!