Scrum Deck 

is a rugby deckbuilder roguelite, with mud, bad ideas and third halves.

Take a village rugby club from the County Cup all the way to the National League. Every turn you play cards to go forward, keep the ball and stay on the referee's good side, while reading what the other team is about to do.

How it plays

• Matches last 16 turns. With the ball, your Control must match their Pressure or you lose it. Without it, Tackle their meters and out-Pressure their Control to win it back.
• Every card has two faces: the same card is a Pick & Go with the ball and a Solid Tackle without it.
• The opponent shows its intent before you play, and a live preview shows the outcome. Only the conversion kick is left to chance.
• Fatigue piles up, the subs come on, and the referee counts your sins.

The cup

• Three acts: the County Cup, then, if you win it, the Regional Cup with tougher clubs and a small town ground, then the National League in a big stadium, against pros with rush defences and benches full of internationals.
• A branching map: choose your route through matches, derbies against the local rival, third halves at the clubhouse bar (risky choices, bad ideas), training sessions and a final against a headliner.
• Win rewards: recruit common, uncommon and rare cards (derbies and finals offer better ones), swap your lucky charm. At training, cut a weak card, copy a good one or polish it (+).
• Build a style: a pack that grinds phase after phase, a backline that breaks through, a kicking game that pins them in their half, or a dressing room full of plans. Systems stay in play for the whole match, some tackles win the ball back, some cards grow with the phases.
• One repêchage per run: lose once and the committee lets you back in.
• Every cup match earns Reputation, even a lost one, and more the higher you climb. Spend it at the clubhouse: new cards, lucky charms and facilities (youth academy, weight room, supporters' club, a friendlier committee…) that make your next runs stronger. Beating the National League takes a few hours of learning and building up your club.
• Your cup is saved automatically, so you can stop and come back later.
• Home is your club's ground: the stadium, the clubhouse, the locker room, the club office and the video room, lit by the best league you have reached.

Also

• Four languages: English, Français, Español, Italiano (each with its own club names).
• Name your team and pick your kit colour.
• Mouse or touch: drag a card onto the pitch to play it, hover it (or long-press it) to read it in full. Keys: 1–9 play a card, E end the turn, R subs, M sound, Esc menu.
• Every card of the game in the "Cards" collection.

Early development

This is a greybox prototype, played and balanced a little more every week. Numbers change often and new cards are on the way. Feedback is very welcome in the comments.

Anonymous statistics

The game sends anonymous gameplay data (cards played, choices, scores) to help balance it. Nothing personal is sent, not even your team name, and the data is stored in the EU. You can turn it off at any time in the menu ("Anonymous stats").