Build your empire skyward, seize control outward, manipulate the economy, or dominate the battlefield. There are several paths to victory. Every decision counts, and no two games of Ascendancy are ever the same.
Anoint Powerful Champions
Choose which royal family members will lead your efforts on the battlefield. Each character comes with unique strengths & weaknesses.
Discover the World of Ascendancy
Develop A Kingdom of Your Own Design
Journey a classic hex based Map.
Draw 2, Place 1 Location. No two games will ever be the same.
Area Control Over Your Dominion
Each unique Location will test your Skills, and provide an adjacency bonus or penalty, depending on placement
Worker Placement - by Social Class
At the heart of the game is unique twist on this classic mechanic. Based on Social Class Hierarchy, Reward Your Loyalists, Exile Your Traitors, or Promote Your Outlaws to Kings.
OUTCASTS
"Undesireable scavengers, your grace"
LABORERS
"Useful bodies your grace"
LOYALISTS
"Vetted, valuable citizens"
LORDS
"Our esteemed vassals, your grace"
ROYAL ADVISORS
"What is your will?"
MOUNT
"A trusty companion for any explorer"
Each Decade (game round) has 4 Phases. Each Phase has up to 6 competitve placement Actions for each player to choose from.
Phase 1 - The FRONTIER
Phase 2 - The SUPPLY
Eurogame Inspired Economics
Trade whatever you want, whenever you want. The price of each resource is fully dynamic throughout each campaign, to simulate real world supply and demand.
Green FOOD in short supply? Time to get Farming, and make a handsome profit!
Phase 3 - The ACADEMY
Phase 4 - The EMPIRE
Grow Your Personal Estate
Your Estate Buildings become new shared Actions, with up to 3 possible Tiers of power.
Opponents can use them too! After paying your fee…
Grow your Personal Tech Tree
Variable Player powers? Each House has up to 29 unique techs to unlock!
Over 200 Unlockable Tech Cards
Every new Action card you unlock is a gateway to additional powers.
HARNESS THE POWER OF JOINING
Diabolical Game Controlled Nemesis Players and Bosses
If you’re a solo gamer, or want to make your multiplayer experience more challenging, you can add up to 3 Sovereign Nemesis players. Choose from Standard or Hard difficulty modes.
Side A - Nemesis Player
Side B - Boss Unit
Side View JRPG Style Combat
Fight it out versus diabolically game controlled Creatures, or 100% optional VS other players.
Place up to 3 Champions at a time, to counter up to 3 enemy units.
Rock Paper Scissors Combat, Combining Deep Strategy, and Tactical Decision Making.
Battles resolve quickly, with light dice chucking excitement.
Reap rewards for knowing when to push your luck, and when to manage risk.
Ascend Your Champions
Invest SKILL Resources to Ascend your Champions
Each Champion has multiple versions
24 Unlockable Champion Class Evolutions, 6 Schools of Elemental Magic, and Creature Summoning
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?
Epic Scenarios with Boss Battles
Unforgettable moments that will have you thinking & talking about them for a long time
Inherit Legacy Traits, Redeem Your Vices, and Gain Virtues
Legacy-Lite reward cards will persist across each game.
Your personality quirks are inherited from you previous generations. But, you may redeem yourself through completing quests, and you’ll have the chance to turn your Vices into Virtues.
Thematic Objectives
Draw a random backstory or win condition for each new generation of your Royal House.
Complete Quests
Complete Ascendancy Quests to advance your Workers, and gain Loyalty.
Rouge Like Loot
3 Tiers of rewards, dripping with nostalgia
Gear Up
Consumable Items are usable anytime. After use, they flip to a scrap, which can be used for crafting.
Status Effects
18 fully stackable states of Joy and Suffering. From Hasted Initiative, to Controling your enemies minds!
Play How YOU Want
Go Wide - Empire Expansion
Go Tall - City Building
Push Your Luck - Combat
Slow Roll Risk Mitigation
Economic Powerhouse
Superior Technology
A Great Community of Likeminded Gamers
Hundreds of convention floor & in-person playtests completed. Great balance!
Meet the Designer
Hi, I’m Matthew. Thanks for checking out my tabletop magnum opus..
The concept itself, was rather simple. What if I took all the video game and fantasy elements I loved most, and put them all together in 1 epic game?
I’d want the color themes and escalating complexity of Magic the Gathering.
It would need the epic scope, and political intrigue of Game of Thrones.
I’d want the interesting decisions, and area control of Civilization.
How about the side view combat of Final Fantasy? Evolving towns, like in Heroes of Might & Magic? Or the multi-generation marriage decisions of Phantasy Star III?
After 5 years of development (and several “throw it out and re-do everything” revisions), this dream game is finally going to become a reality.