Trade Cards, and Giggles, in Little Warlock

Do you have young children in your life that you’re dying to teach about gaming?

Do you have young children in your life that you’re dying to teach about gaming? Trading card games are one good option that’s open to players of all ages, teaching skills like strategy and good sportsmanship.

One of the newest choices for TCG gamers is Little Warlock , a playful, colorful fantasy card game from Storm Potion. Each player is, as the title suggests, a young warlock. Starting out with just a few personal possessions, the little warlock will explore their world, beginning on Tutorial Island and then making their way to other regions. Throughout the adventure, assorted cards will be gathered with which to battle other players in real time.

The game begins with the design of the warlock avatar; each gamer can create the look he or she wants for their little imp. The single player storyline allows each warlock to write his or her own adventure, but still brings the community excitement of card battles in the arena. Gamers will choose a starting deck based on one of the four seasons, and then expand from there as the game continues, adding cards with a variety of powers. Gamers will collect creatures like the Jade Tortoise, monsters like the Nightshade, geographical features like the Winter Rune Well, and much more. There is also an optional item crafting mode in which players can create their own cards and other items.

Swedish developer Storm Potion consists of a two-person team, Jerry Jonsson and Lina Tonegran, who founded the company while they were still at university. Now married with children, the duo have created Little Warlock in their spare time over the past three years, enlisting the help of musician Andreas Sellstedt for the soundtrack and sound effects. The game, which officially launched earlier this Spring, has already collected a handful of awards, including “Best Execution” from the Swedish Game Awards and “Best casual, social, and online game” at Selected Projects at Game Connection Europe.

To play the game, all one needs to do is visit the Kongregate sitewhich hosts Little Warlock . The Unity plug-in is required to make it run. A player with Facebook or Twitter can create an account with just a click by connecting to their profile; the developers promise that the information is never shared with third parties or used for anything but the game. Little Warlock is absolutely free to play, although players may choose to pay an optional fee in order to access certain features, such as special items. Card fanatics will also want to check out the game’s accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTubefor more magic.