Hello everyone! I’m pleased as punch to announce Sinister Design’s very first board game–True Messiah, a game of cult warfare.
Whoa, wait–a board game?!
Yup! Here’s the premise:
It is the near future; Earth. Years ago, scientists successfully constructed the Belief Engine, a machine that warps reality based on peoples’ strongly held beliefs. The machine was turned on for testing, but it proved too sensitive: widespread belief in the depravity of man and fears of social collapse suddenly took on the full force of objective fact, and science skepticism rendered the Engine’s creators helpless to intervene. Without resort to a shared external reality, civilization crumbled like a sand castle in the tide.
From the ruins have now arisen cults led by charismatic, messianic figures possessed of seemingly divine powers derived from the still-functioning Engine. You are one such a figure—the true one, the Messiah. It is God’s will that you build temples and marshal followers, then mold their beliefs to perform miracles and destroy your rivals. They’ll be doing the same, but don’t worry–God is on your side…
What’s the art like?
Evocative. Bizarre. Horrifying. The Belief Engine picks up on the things we don’t allow ourselves to visualize and makes them real, producing scenes that are imaginative, weird, and more than a little disturbing.
Our art is inspired in part by the works of Zdzisław Beksiński. Here are just a few of the dozens of pieces of original art we’ve already produced for the game:
And here are our lovely playable messiahs: red, black, violet and white. (Click to zoom-enhance!)
How’s it going to play?
Think of a cross between Checkers and Dominion, with secret bidding over miracle cards and cellular automata governing follower recruitment and temple building.
What’s the plan for getting this thing released?
In a word: Kickstarter.
Due to storage constraints, it’s very likely that this Kickstarter will be the only way for you to obtain a copy of True Messiah. Don’t want to miss out? Enter your email address below to receive an email notification when the campaign launches!
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