Core Game Concept: Hearthstone: Azeroth Unleashed

Community Discussion
1

**Here’s a complete breakdown of mash up game concept combining Hearthstone with MTG: Shandalar. I personally would be playing this nonstop I would love to hear what my fellow Hearthstone players think. As for Blizzard, I only have one thing to say…

If you build it, they will come!**

Hearthstone: Azeroth Unleashed - Full Design Document

Game Title: Hearthstone: Azeroth Unleashed Genre: Digital Collectible Card Game (DCCG) with RPG & Adventure Elements Platform: PC (Primary), Mobile (Secondary) Target Audience: Fans of Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, and single-player card game experiences.

1. Game Vision

“Hearthstone: Azeroth Unleashed” aims to capture the beloved card combat of Hearthstone and merge it with the immersive exploration and progression of a classic RPG, reminiscent of Magic: The Gathering - Shandalar. Players will journey across Azeroth, battling iconic foes, discovering powerful cards, and developing their hero to overcome a looming threat to the world. The core appeal lies in the strategic deckbuilding within a persistent world, offering endless replayability through randomized encounters and diverse challenges.

2. Core Game Loop

  1. Hero Creation: Choose a Class and customize initial appearance (basic options).
  2. World Map Exploration: Navigate a zone-based map, encountering nodes.
  3. Node Interaction: Engage in combat, visit taverns, undertake quests, or face bosses.
  4. Hearthstone Duels: Play standard Hearthstone matches against AI opponents.
  5. Rewards & Progression: Earn Gold, XP, and Cards from victories and quests.
  6. Hero Development: Level up, gain Talent Points, and unlock Hero Power upgrades.
  7. Deck Management: Continuously refine and optimize your deck with new cards.
  8. Zone Completion: Defeat the zone boss to unlock new zones and advance the story.
  9. Game End: Confront and defeat the ultimate antagonist of Azeroth.

3. Core Mechanics in Detail

3.1 Hero Creation & Progression

  • Class Selection:
    • Warrior: Focuses on Armor, Weapons, and minion aggression.
      • Starting Hero Power: Armor Up! (Gain 2 Armor).
      • Starting Deck: Basic Warrior cards (e.g., Fiery War Axe, Shield Block, Armorsmith, Execute).
    • Mage: Specializes in direct damage spells, Freezing, and card generation.
      • Starting Hero Power: Fireblast (Deal 1 damage).
      • Starting Deck: Basic Mage cards (e.g., Frostbolt, Arcane Intellect, Water Elemental, Polymorph).
    • Hunter: Emphasizes Beast synergies, minion rush, and direct hero damage.
      • Starting Hero Power: Steady Shot (Deal 2 damage to enemy hero).
      • Starting Deck: Basic Hunter cards (e.g., Animal Companion, Kill Command, Savannah Highmane, Tracking).
    • (Future Classes: Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Druid, Demon Hunter, Death Knight, Evoker - each with thematic starting decks and Hero Powers.)
  • Hero Levels & XP:
    • Gain XP from winning duels, completing quests, and defeating bosses.
    • Each level provides a Talent Point and/or a minor Passive Bonus (e.g., +5 Max Hero Health, +5 Starting Gold, +1% Card Drop Chance).
    • Hero Level Caps: Increase with progress through zones.
  • Talent System:
    • A unique talent tree for each class, offering choices between different playstyle enhancements.
    • Tiers: Talents unlock at specific hero levels.
    • Examples (Mage):
      • Tier 1 (Level 2):
        • Arcane Familiar: Your starting hand contains an additional “Mana Wyrm” minion.
        • Glyph of Warding: Secrets cost (1) less.
      • Tier 2 (Level 5):
        • Elemental Mastery: Your Elemental minions gain +1/+1.
        • Time Warp: Once per turn, you can Discover a spell that costs (3) or less when your Hero Power is used.
  • Hero Health (Persistent):
    • A separate health pool for your hero on the adventure map (e.g., 100-500 HP).
    • Losing a duel reduces Hero Health (e.g., by 10-25%).
    • Reaches 0: Game Over / Retry Zone.
    • Restores at Taverns (for Gold) or through rare quest rewards/artifacts.

3.2 World Map & Nodes

  • Zone-Based Progression: Players start in a beginner zone (e.g., Elwynn Forest, Durotar) and unlock new zones by completing the current one’s main questline and defeating its boss.
  • Map Layout:
    • Node System: A network of interconnected points representing locations.
    • Linear & Branching Paths: Early zones might be more linear; later zones offer more branching paths and hidden areas.
  • Node Types:
    • Combat Node (Common):
      • Visual: Generic enemy icon (e.g., Kobold, Defias Thug, Quillboar).
      • Action: Initiates a standard Hearthstone duel against an AI opponent with a thematic deck.
      • Rewards: Gold, XP, common/rare cards.
    • Tavern Node (Safe Zone):
      • Visual: Inn/Campfire icon.
      • Actions:
        • Heal Hero: Restore a portion or all of Hero Health for Gold.
        • Shop: Buy individual cards (rotating stock), card packs, or consumable items (e.g., “Elixir of Might”: your first minion in next duel gains +1 Attack).
        • Sell Cards: Disenchant unwanted cards for Arcane Dust or sell for Gold.
        • Take Quests: Accept new side quests or advance main quest lines.
    • Quest Node (Story/Objective):
      • Visual: Scroll/Exclamation Mark icon.
      • Action: Progresses a narrative quest. Could involve a unique encounter, dialogue, puzzle, or lead to a specific location.
      • Rewards: Significant Gold, XP, rare/epic cards, unique artifacts.
    • Elite Node (Challenging Combat):
      • Visual: Skull/Stronger enemy icon.
      • Action: Initiates a harder Hearthstone duel against a named mini-boss (e.g., “Hogger,” “Sneed”).
      • Rewards: Higher Gold/XP, guaranteed rare/epic card, chance for a legendary.
    • Boss Node (Zone Finale):
      • Visual: Large, imposing enemy icon (e.g., “Onyxia’s Lair,” “Ragnaros’s Throne”).
      • Action: Initiates a multi-stage Hearthstone duel or a duel with unique boss mechanics (e.g., boss has 50 starting health and a unique Hero Power, or summons specific minions every turn).
      • Rewards: Large Gold/XP, guaranteed legendary card, unlocks next zone.
    • Special Nodes (Rare):
      • Shrine/Obelisk: Grants a temporary buff for the next few duels.
      • Portal: Teleports to a different part of the map.
      • Loot Chest: Contains Gold and a few cards.

3.3 Hearthstone Duel System

  • Standard Hearthstone Rules: The core card game mechanics are identical to Hearthstone (Mana Crystals, minion combat, spells, keywords, Hero Powers, Secrets, Overload, etc.).
  • Player Deck: Managed through the “Collection” menu, adhering to Hearthstone deck limits (30 cards, max 2 copies of non-legendary, max 1 legendary).
  • AI Opponent Decks: Pre-built and thematic to the encounter (e.g., a “Kobold Geomancer” might run a Spell Damage heavy Mage deck; a “Gnoll” might have a face Hunter deck).
  • Boss Mechanics in Duels:
    • Unique Hero Powers: Bosses often have powerful or modified Hero Powers that differ from standard player ones.
    • Passive Abilities: Some bosses might have passive effects that influence the duel (e.g., “The Lich King starts with 3 2/2 Ghouls”).
    • Starting Board States: Bosses can begin with minions or specific cards in play.
    • Multi-Stage Fights: Bosses might have multiple “phases” after reaching certain health thresholds, changing their Hero Power or summoning new threats.

3.4 Card Acquisition & Deckbuilding

  • Starting Deck: Player begins with a basic, class-specific 30-card deck.
  • Card Sources:
    • Duel Rewards: Random common/rare cards drop from winning regular duels.
    • Quest Rewards: Higher rarity cards, often themed to the quest.
    • Boss Drops: Guaranteed rare, epic, or legendary cards, often strong and unique.
    • Tavern Shop:
      • Packs: Purchase random 5-card packs for Gold (simulating Hearthstone packs).
      • Individual Cards: A rotating stock of specific cards for direct purchase with Gold. Prices vary by rarity.
    • Crafting: Disenchant unwanted cards for Arcane Dust, then use Dust to craft any card you own or have previously encountered.
  • Deck Builder: An intuitive interface allowing players to manage their card collection, filter by class/rarity/keyword, and build multiple decks.

3.5 Economy & Resources

  • Gold: Primary currency for purchasing cards, packs, healing, and some quest-related activities.
  • XP (Experience Points): Drives Hero Level progression.
  • Arcane Dust: Acquired by disenchanting cards. Used for crafting specific cards.

4. Game World & Lore (Azeroth Unleashed)

  • Setting: A new, unfolding narrative in the World of Warcraft universe. A shadowy force (e.g., an Old God resurgence, a new Legion invasion, a void corruption) threatens Azeroth.
  • Factions: While players choose a class, the narrative can involve interacting with both Horde and Alliance characters, emphasizing a united front against the new threat.
  • Iconic Locations: Zones like Elwynn Forest, Durotar, Westfall, Stranglethorn Vale, Ashenvale, Northrend, Outland, Pandaria, etc., each with unique environments and local threats.
  • Characters: Players encounter famous WoW characters as quest givers, allies, or powerful boss opponents (e.g., Jaina Proudmoore, Thrall, Sylvanas, Malfurion, Illidan, Arthas, Deathwing).

5. Art & Sound (Conceptual)

  • Art Style: Faithful to Hearthstone’s vibrant, cartoony, and expressive aesthetic. Cards would use existing Hearthstone art where possible, or new art in the same style.
  • UI: Clean, intuitive, and consistent with Hearthstone’s established UI, adapted for world map navigation and RPG elements.
  • Sound: Utilizes Hearthstone’s iconic sound effects and voice lines, combined with evocative ambient sounds for world map exploration and WoW-inspired music.

6. Monetization (If applicable for a commercial product)

  • Buy-to-Play: A single purchase for the base game.
  • Optional Cosmetics: Character skins, card backs, or alternate Hero Power animations.
  • Expansion Packs: Future content updates introducing new zones, classes, cards, and story arcs.

7. Future Considerations / Expansion Ideas

  • Multiplayer Duels: A PvP mode where players can challenge each other using their adventure decks.
  • Co-op Adventures: Team up with another player to tackle challenging dungeons.
  • Procedural Generation: Randomize map layouts and encounter types for greater replayability.
  • Daily/Weekly Quests: Offer repeatable objectives for ongoing rewards.
  • Leaderboards: For zone completion times or overall power level.
  • Seasonal Content: Limited-time events with unique rewards.