Information for Newcomers

Welcome to a comprehensive introduction to the WTactics project. This page is the best starting point for anyone that us new to WTactics. It outlines what the project is about and how it is structured. When a list suggest that you read something in a given order we beg you to really read the documents in that order.

About WTactics

We’re creating a game that’s open source, free to play both on the table at home and also online. We’ll give you the rules, high-resolution versions of all the cards, we’ll keep you updated on the game’s development, and also invite you to participate in the development of the game. WTactics is a game by players, for players, with the community in mind. We already have all the graphics. All we need is a ruleset, and that’s where you and your friends enter the scene as developers.

what

• high on strategy, low on luck
• several unique factions and more than 120 unique units with their own traits and abilities
• only 30 – 60 cards needed for a complete army
• two players, an hour to play
• no need for a board or special material
• no collecting – we give you every card that exists
• none of the ads, sign-ups or fees etc. that many so-called “free” games lure you into
• playable for free, online or on the kitchen table

how

tabletop

For tabletop play we’ll provide you with all the cards in various common high-resolution and high quality formats such as PNG or PDF. You’ll be able to download them and print them out or, as we recommend, produce top quality digital photographic versions by using any service that is to your liking. Once you have the cards you only need to cut them out and then put them in standard plastic sleeves which can be bought in any local game store.

internet

If you want to play the game online instead you will be able to download it as a patch for an open source card game engine, which will allow you to play as much as you want and for free, without being bothered by advertisements. We will support Windows, Mac and Linux. We happily allow anyone to port the game to whatever platform he/she feels like.

you

WTactics will be in development and alive as long as there's people like you showing interest in it. The project is over two years old now and we have a solid team of developers with a progress that is accelerating. We're excited that you have shown interest in the project, and hope we will get your help with it as our survival is in the hands of people that want to see this happen and are prepared to do some work. The number one rule in all open source project is as true as ever: "Want this done? Then you have to either do it yourself or pay somebody else to do it."

Get Acquainted

To get your bearings with the general idea of WTactics, take a look at these pages:

1. FAQ - answers your basic questions.
2. General Design Document - heavy reading, but necessary: All about the fundamentals of the project and it's framework.
3. Rules System - an example of one rules system that is in development, called the Original Rules Concept (ORC).
4. The Blog - the most current news updates. Not very informative until you have read the above linked to documents.

Participate in Development

We invite everyone to participate in the development. If you are thinking about getting involved by joining an already existing team or want to create your own you will also need to read these documents when you are done with the above:

1. General Design Document
2. Project Philosophy
3. Newsletters - archive of newsletters
4. Development Team - short presentation

Get in Contact

There's a number of ways to contact us. Some of the best ways are, in given order:

1. E-mail: contact at wtactics dot org
2. WTactics Forums: Join up and participate.
3. IRC: irc.freenode.net, channel #wtactics.