In our recent article on the future of Minecraft, Notch mentioned his desire to work on other games in addition to Minecraft. He wasn’t messing around. It’s hard to believe that Minecraft is still in its Beta phase and they are already head first into the development of a new game. It would have been normal to not get any news about Mojang’s next game for quite a while.

Scrolls is a hybrid of collectible card games, board games, and tactical strategy games. The end result may be more mainstream than Minecraft, but it’s certainly unique in its own way. With such an intriguing premise, Scrolls feels like a game that could have appeared in Game Rant’s list of 5 Video Game Mashups That Would Blow Our Minds.

Scrolls is a fantasy-themed game born out of discussion regarding common gameplay flaws in collectible card games. The game offers both single player and multiplayer modes and is based around choosing the perfect combination of scrolls. Each scroll (or card) represents a creature, spell, or structure, which gamers can tactically maneuver in order to defeat their opponent.

Jakob Porser, lead-developer of Scrolls and friend of Notch, recently sat down with PC Gamer and talked at length about Scrolls.

Porser went on to discuss a few of the features Scrolls would add to the typical CCG formula.

In addition to the actual gameplay, Collecting scrolls is a whole other layer of the game. Players will obtain scrolls through packs purchased online with real money. These packs contain a random selection of scrolls. Scrolls can also be obtained through the single player offline campaign as well as through an in game auction house. Certain cards will be exclusive to the purchased packs, while others will only be found in the campaign. Other than the optional ability to buy packs, Scrolls is completely free to play. This is a great model and seems to be working well for League of Legends."

Scrolls is poised to take advantage of the video game medium and do things collectible card games simply can’t. Instead of just playing a card and having it sit there, Scrolls forces gamers to keep a watchful eye on all of their units and resources. Imagine a mechanic similar to collecting sun in Plants vs. Zombies that keeps the player busy and adds another layer to the already strategic game.

Also, since Scrolls is designed to be played on a computer and not as a paper version, we have the ability to add effects that would be to complicated to keep track of otherwise. For instance, the units in Scrolls does not heal up at the end of your round. Their life pool will diminish as they are being damaged and they will eventually die, unless healed or protected in some other way. Keeping track of that in a paper version would be really hard, but in a computer game where the computer remember this for you, its very much possible."

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In an effort to show off the strategic depth of Scrolls, Porser explained the effects of a particular card during one of their prototype games. It is funny to think about Porser taking jabs at Notch.

Scrolls is a very interesting concept and definitely not something anybody saw coming. With Minecraft still in development, many people are wondering what the future holds for Mojang’s first hit. According to Porser, this is the most common type of question they get after talking about Scrolls.

It is refreshing to see a developer creating the games they want, opposed to regurgitated cash-grab sequels. The claim that Scrolls is the game they really wanted to make is certainly a big deal. It is hard to imagine such an impressive game like Minecraft is simply a stepping stone, rather than the developer’s ultimate game.

Obviously, that would indeed be the best choice if we were only in it to make money. But we said from the start that the biggest advantage of Minecraft’s success is that it enables us to do the projects we really want to do. Scrolls is just that."

Mojang is only in its infant stages as a developer, and their future is promising. They are, without a doubt, a developer that fans of indie games should keep a close eye on.

Scrolls has a pedigree and original design that suggests it will be a fun, clever and addicting game. For those wary of the CCGs, check out Phantom Dust on the original Xbox. It is a prime example that fun gameplay and collectible card game elements are not mutually exclusive.

Is Scrolls the type of game you envisioned Mojang working on after Minecraft? Are you interested in giving it a try?

No release dates have been announced, but Mojang is hard at work on the game and Game Rant will keep you up to date on any new developments.

Source: PC Gamer