Domainetika

"I am forever a devoted follower of the god of life, Yondalla, but when I play a game with my friend who follows the god of death Talona, we have the best conversations and laughs." - Eursian citizen, in Palbralis

Domainetika is a popular card game once created by caravaneers in the earliest decades of Targonia's formation. It was a mockery of the god's wager, and the game is played with 2 players acting as competing gods and domains. There are 10 individual deck types that personify the 10 Domains, and each deck has unique cards and abilities a player has access to (You only play one deck type per game). Each player draws 10 cards, decides who gets to go first by the proximity of domain likeliness to the location, and plays in turns where a player can take 3 actions. Each player starts with 46 Hit Points, and the goal is to reduce the opponents to 0. Each card has 3 assigned values and a number of abilities they can use. The 3 values include an Attack Value that reduces an opponent's Hit Point pool, a Heal Value that heals the player up to 50 (but not past, unless otherwise specified), and a Convert Value that can enable other cards to use special abilities at the cost of discarding a card. Domainetika is a card collection game at heart, and many individuals play it as a means of relaxation against other individuals, or as a recreational debate with opponents of other domains. It is commonly believed that the players are actually having religious debates, as they decide which domain is the "victor", often believed that the more devoted and smarter player always prevail. Despite the importance of religion, it is a game enjoyed at all ages, and even games with polarized deck types could create a dialogue between two individuals of opposing religions in the name of fun recreation.

History

Domainetika had its first systems created by a caravaneer named Silius Grassfowler. He was a caravaneer for the House of Dinero just two decades after the formation of Targonia was recognized. Despite the busy work he and other caravaneers did during this golden age of formation from 1 AFT to 25 AFT, nearly every caravaneer found himself rather bored on the long trips and wait times. Inspired by the recent emergence of the 46 Divines and the apparent refusal against their wager, Silius began formating a game that caravaneers could play all on the road. It's success as a mockery of the Divine's grew its prominence outside caravans and is a common game between players of both similar and different religions, though the tone and context of the game as changed in the past millennia.

Execution

The players begin by drawing 10 cards after the other person has shuffled the player's deck (meant to symbolize the randomness of fate). The game is played in turns, and the follower who's domain is closer to them acts first (Each nation is represented by a domain to determine first order, if one can't be decided, the domain closer to the top of the alphabetical order goes first). Each player starts with a pool of 46 Hit Points, and the cards can either add, subtract or convert the Hit Points. Whoever loses all their Hit Points loses. During a turn, a player can only play 3 cards at a time (with minor exceptions), but it changes turns.

Components and tools

Domainetika is played with two decks of cards, one for each player. The deck must be one of the 10 official deck builds used and created by the Vorshire Company, and the 10 deck types are the domains acolytes use to differentiate the 46 Divines. The deck does not have a limit as to how many cards you could have but is recommended for 50 cards, since 10 cards are drawn at any point and reshuffles occur when a player goes through an entire hand. While not mandatory, there is an official Domainetika Guidebook that explains some of the mechanics and terminology more thoroughly but is not required, since most cards are detailed enough to be comprehensible by its target audience of commoners.

Participants

Domainetika is primarily played with 2 players, who act as the gods of the domains they bring their decks with.

Observance

While the precise nature of the game does not account for the time or place, the first turn is determined by which nation's designated domain is closest to the location of the game being played. Each nation has been assigned a domain (Zidatzu = Death, Springlend = Nature, Rockdelven = Forge, etc.), and whoever's chosen deck domain is closest in relation to the nation where the game's being played at goes first. For example, a Domainetika game played with Tempest and Light decks in the country of Tungushka would have the Tempest deck go first, since Tungushka is assigned the domain of Tempest and Eursia is assigned the domain of Light, and the game's played at Tungushka. If it was a Tempest and Light deck, but played in Springlend, Tempest would still go first, since Tungushka is far closer to the nation of Springlend then Eursia. Designations are found in the Domainetika Guidebook.