Torque Arena - Design Goals

While I'm an old-time miniature games player, this is my first serious attempt ad designing one. What could possibly go wrong? :D

Torque Arena is an old idea of mine.

Originally meant to be a mobile videogame, it has now been resurrected and retooled as a miniature sports game taking place in a post-collapse setting with a solarpunk twist. The core gameplay is stable enough to be publicly tested, so I finally uploaded it here on itch.io

The main and most obvious influence comes from the (sadly defunct) Dreadball game, by Mantic. I always liked it better than the more popular Blood Bowl because, in comparison, it is waaay faster, simpler and more geared towards spectacular and daring actions, rather than towards precise tactical analysis. As part of my development research for Torque I have also checked out other games in the same family, like the hyper-competitive Guild Ball (also dead), or the very new and very interesting Takkure.

Another important influence has come from the amazing One Page Rules project and its modern and lightweight take on the hobby. I also like their miniature agnostic approach very much.

But the thing that really sparked my imagination for this project was Grave Trigger, an upcoming skirmish wargame built around the idea of "free" movement and "measure-less" distances.

Obviously, I would not even be interested in any of this in the first place, if it weren't for the 1989 cult classic movie Salute to the Jugger. I want THAT level of speed and brutality, and most of all I want THAT level of comradery, fair play and solidarity in the face of hardship. Within the context of its imaginary world, Torque should be more than just an egotistical competition for a hollow victory, but rather the sport should be a symbol, a conduit for meaning and change, an activity that has an important impact on the fate of communities and individuals.
In a nutshell, I want the sport to be the cornerstone of a rich narrative-focused campaign play with maybe some TTRPG elements ;-)

Also... this kind of screams "solarpunk" to me. As in a vision for a community-focused, post-capitalist, sustainable-oriented future. Not the same old cynical critique of the sh!7 of the past and present, but an attempt as imagining a different world, still full of challenges and ripe for adventure, but somehow more hopeful and humane.

More on the practical side, I am trying to make Tonrque be easy to pick-up, teach and play. While I hope that "my people" (aka miniature grognards) will welcome this game, my target audience is really the crowd of new/non players that are miniature-curious and are looking for an accessible intro to the hobby.

Will this fail spectacularly?
Only one way to find out è_é