Warhammer trading card game Champions is gunning for casual players with all-in-one ‘game-in-a-box’ later this year

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar – Champions, the trading card game from Lightseekers studio PlayFusion, is making it easier for new players to jump into the game with an upcoming all-in-one set.

Champions launched a year ago, combining a physical card game with a digital app that lets players use the same collection of cards across both formats.

The game works like a typical CCG, with players able to pick up both fixed ‘champion’ starter decks built around specific factions from the Warhammer universe and booster packs containing a randomised selection of cards to customise their deck. Three waves of Champions cards have been released so far, with the fourth, Unleashed, due to land in August.

In an effort to make Champions more accessible for newcomers and those not particularly excited by the idea of digging through booster pack after booster pack, PlayFusion has announced a new ‘game-in-a-box’ set for release later in 2019.

The all-in-one set will include multiple campaign decks that can be played out of the box, as well as playmats and everything else needed to play – essentially meaning that someone can pick up the set and start playing like a standalone game without the need to buy collectible boosters.

PlayFusion said the set is part of a focus on increased support for casual play for the physical game, including more casual events in local game shops across the UK.

The studio added that the game’s competitive scene would be expanded with new digital events on the app, held alongside ranked seasons – the app’s most popular mode – with the potential for players to win prizes.

It also confirmed that Champions’ fourth expansion Unleashed would be made available in the game’s digital app on August 19th before being released for the physical game later in the year, in order to fine-tune and balance the set’s cards before they’re printed. 

“All cards and sets we produce are carefully designed, tested and balanced but there is simply no substitute for watching and learning from the myriad ways our players use and interact with the cards, making decks and utilising synergies we didn’t predict,” the studio wrote in a blog update.

“Releasing digitally first means that we get to see all these plays, watch all the data and see the win rates of certain cards and decks. We will then be making changes as needed based on all this data prior to hitting the button on a new print run so the next physical set is as good as it can be.”