PoxNora
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| PoxNora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Octopi, Inc. |
| Designer(s) | Dan Kopycienski, Arthur Griffith, Justin Felker, Brian Dellinger |
| Platform(s) | Java |
| Release |  August 1, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | turn-based strategy, collectible card game |
| Mode(s) | single player and two player |
PoxNora: Battlefield of the Immortals is a multiplayer online game that combines a collectible card game with a turn-based strategy game in a fantasy setting. PoxNora was originally launched via Java Web Start through a browser and can be played on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game is free to play with "Sample Battlegroups" and players can purchase additional game pieces, called "runes", and build their own strategies. The game currently includes more than 500 runes. As of January 16, 2009 the PoxNora game and it's website are owned by and operated for Sony Online Entertainment LLC. This division of SOE is typically refered to as SOETuscon (because Octopi's headquarters is located in Tucson, AZ).
Gameplay
Players build decks, called "BattleGroups", on PoxNora's website. A Battlegroup consists of thirty runes in any combination of spells, relics, equipment and champions. The game is launched via Java Web Start and players enter one of four game lobbies where they can chat or enter games. A fifth game lobby is reserved solely for trading discussion. Games consist of two players, though matches against AI "bots" are possible now with the release of single-player campaigns, first introduced in the "Path to Conquest" Expansion.
Each player's Battlegroup is shuffled (like a deck of cards) and (in standard settings) players reveal two runes per turn (except the first turn, when three are revealed and the second player's first turn, in which four runes are revealed). The game is played on one of 8 different square, "tiled" maps with various obstacles, fonts, and a Shrine representing each player. To win, you need to be the first to destroy your opponent's Shrine.
Players accumulate Nora (magical energy) each turn and can use it to cast spells, deploy champions, place relics, or use equipment. When a champion rune is played, it appears on the game map and can be moved around, just like any other tactical roleplaying game. Champion movement is limited by their Action Points (AP), which they regenerate at the start of your turn. Champions gain Champion Points (CP) as they participate in battles. You can spend CP to improve or add to your champion's abilities. Tokens can be used to reset a champion's spent CP, as well as to provide bonus CP. Tokens are obtained through purchasing traditional booster packs or separate token packs. Tokens can be traded with other players for alternative tokens or runes.
The game is free for trial play, but to be able to upgrade runes, create your own custom BattleGroups, or to trade for other runes, it is necessary to purchase your own runes. $3 US buys a pack of 10 randomized runes. $25 US buys a pack of 100 runes. Every booster pack has a set number of rarity slots. Many players also purchase a premium subscription, which costs $5 US per month. The premium subscription gives access to Premium Campaigns, store discounts, the possibility of being allowed the privilege of beta testing upcoming expansion runes, the ability to "craft" runes by sacrificing other runes using "crafting recipes", and the ability to obtain a few "Limited Edition" runes that otherwise do not appear in purchased packs.
You can even trade your runes with other players from around the world to get better runes or to make a better deck. There are several "rune shops" in the Trader forum that can give players a good idea of what their runes are worth. For an automated approximation of rune values, see the fan site PoxShop. It is important to do some research before you trade, as values are not approximate and there can be some dishonest traders.
Factions
PoxNora's world is split among eight factions. Each rune belongs to a particular faction. Players receive bonuses if their Battlegroups have at least 10 runes of a given faction and a greater bonus if all 20 runes are from the same faction. An additional Shrine Bonus is activated by having 10 runes of a faction. In the case of 2 factions with 10 runes in your BattleGroup, the faction with the greatest Nora cost total rules the shrine and controlled font zones.
| Factions | Themes |
|---|---|
| Forglar Swamp | Water, Poison, Psychic |
| Forsaken Wastes | Undead, Possession |
| Ironfist Stronghold | Metal, Earth, Holy |
| K'thir Forest | Magic |
| Savage Tundra | Ice |
| Shattered Peaks | Stone, Sonic, Lightning |
| Sundered Lands | Fire, Acid, Sand |
| The Underdepths | Fire, Strength |
Forglar Swamp
The telepathic Firk, the Salaman, and agile Boghoppers fill the Forglar Swamp, a place where creatures inhabit water as well as land.
| Faction bonus |
| You gain +4/+8 Nora per turn. |
| Shrine/Font bonus |
| All friendly Champions heal 1 HP per turn while inside this faction's Shrine and font deployment zones. The four spaces adjacent to this Shrine which are closest to the enemy Shrine are water and one pre-determined square in each controlled font zone is water. |
Forsaken Wastes
A faction of Skeletons, Liches, and Zombies the Forsaken Wastes has an unending army of undead.
| Faction bonus |
| Your champions can be redeployed in 30%/60% fewer turns. |
| Shrine/Font bonus |
| This faction's Shrine and font deployment zones becomes a Dead Magic zone: spells cast by the opposing player may not be targeted within this area. |
Ironfist Stronghold
The Ironfist Stronghold is a well-defended mountain kingdom inhabited by Dwarves, Constructs (magically created lifeforms), and Barbarians.
| Faction bonus |
| Damage to your champions from spells is reduced by 3/6. |
| Shrine/Font bonus |
| All friendly Champions regain an extra Action Points (AP) at the start of the controller's turn while they are located inside the Shrine or font deployment zones. |
K'thir Forest
The people of K'thir Forest are Elves, Treant (animated trees and other plants), and Garu (man-bears). These inhabitants are known for being in touch with nature.
| Faction bonus |
| +1/+2 speed (SPD) to your Champions. |
| Shrine/Font bonus |
| All friendly Champions have mobility, allowing them to disengage from combat for free, while inside this faction's Shrine or font deployment zones. |
Savage Tundra
The frigid tundras of PoxNora are home to the Jakei, a blue-skinned people at home in the snow, as well as the Lonx and all manner of frozen beasts.
| Faction bonus |
| +5/+10 hitpoints (HP) to your Champions. |
| Shrine/Font bonus |
| All friendly Champions have +1 Damage (DMG) while inside this faction's Shrine or font deployment zones. The four spaces adjacent to this Shrine which are closest to the enemy Shrine are either snow or ice and one pre-determined square in each controlled font zone is snow. |
Shattered Peaks
These jagged peaks full of crags are home to Cyclops and the cruel Voil, but most noticeably the Moga and their dominating G'hern.
| Faction bonus |
| +6%/+12% Nora when you deploy a champion. |
| Shrine/Font bonus |
| Whenever a friendly Champion is deployed within this faction's Shrine or font deployment zones, it gains 2 AP. |
Sundered Lands
The desolate sands of the Sundered Lands are home to Dragons, the Draksar, and the Skeezick, all forms of Dragonkin.
| Faction bonus |
| +7/+14 defense (DEF) for your Champions. |
| Shrine/Font bonus |
| All friendly Champions have +5 ATK while inside this faction's Shrine or font deployment zones. |
The Underdepths
The Underdepths is a dark, hot place filled with numerous Demons, Arachnids, and the fallen Nefari Deep Elves.
| Faction bonus |
| +2/+5 damage (DMG) for your Champions. |
| Shrine/Font bonus |
| All enemy Champions in this faction's Shrine or font deployment zones take 1 Fire damage each round. The four spaces adjacent to this Shrine which are closest to the enemy Shrine are lava and one pre-determined square in each controlled font zone is also lava. |
Expansion: The Savage Tundra
Octopi, Inc. released PoxNora's first expansion on 25 October 2006. The expansion, consisting of approximately 70 new runes, introduced the Savage Tundra faction. This brought the total rune count to almost 250.[1]
Expansion: The Shattered Peaks
Octopi, Inc. released PoxNora's second expansion January 2, 2007[1]. This expansion added close to 100 runes, introduced the 8th and final faction, the Tribes of the Shattered Peaks, and added additional changes and improvements to gameplay mechanics.
Expansion: Drums of War
Octopi, Inc. released PoxNora's third expansion on May 9 2007. This expansion introduced premium user accounts, heroes, "King of the Hill" and "Capture the Flag" modes, a spectator mode, 80 new runes (10 per faction), and a faction ranking system where players could influence the game's future storyline.
Expansion: Skeezick Rebellion
Octopi, Inc. released PoxNora's fourth expansion on August 29 2007. This expansion introduced 80 new runes, diplomat runes, and a rune crafter.
Expansion: Grimlic's Descent
Was released on Wednesday December 12, 2007. It added an exotic rune for each faction.
Expansion: Path To Conquest
Released on Wednesday May 21, 2008, this expansion introduced the new single-player campaign modes, which come in two types:Premium (available only to Premium members), and Purchasable. These campaigns offer rare rewards for completion; each campaign has several difficulty levels that yield rewards based on the difficulty completed. This expansion also introduced many new runes, as well as the "Sand" terrain type. The rune crafter that was previously available only to Premium Members became available to everyone (in a limited capacity).
Expansion: Nora Surge
Released on Wednesday August 13, 2008, this expansion added additional single-player campaign levels. Like previously released campaigns, these single-player levels offer rare rewards for completion; each campaign has several difficulty levels that yield rewards based on the difficulty completed.
The design team operated on the concept of exploring more design-space by having new abilities on most of the runes in the expansion. Titans were introduced in this expansion - these exotic champions are on a 2x2 base for each faction which can have a tremendous impact on games. By design, un-upgraded versions of every one costs over 100 nora to deploy to reflect their power in game. Additionally, each faction received an equipment rune, in the form of a helm, that automatically transfer to the nearest friendly champion when the equipped champion dies - this mechanic is a first in Pox Nora. This expansion also introduced the "tar" terrain type.
Expansion: Dawn of Elements
Released on November 20, 2008, this expansion placed an emphasis on each faction gaining an elemental champion and added the elemental plateau map for play.
Shortly after the release of this expansion, a limited edition "Giving Tree" relic rune was released for a pre-determined period of time. This rune was not available in booster packs like traditionally released runes and could only be obtained through the single rune store or trading. 100% of the money earned from this sale went to the Giving Tree Outreach Program, whose mission is to support and improve the quality of life for children, families, elderly and disabled individuals in the community. At the conclusion of the two week promotional sale, $9,850 was raised for the cause. This money was used to purchase items the organization requested, with the remainder being deposited with the organization for future needs.
Expansion: Ancient Awakenings
Released on February 25, 2009. In addition to the standard introduction of new champion abilities, this release has been one of the most game-altering expansions in Pox Nora's history. The player rune dock increased from 20 runes to 30 slots, making split battlegroups 15/15 instead of 10/10 (10/10/10 are not allowed). The rune docks also gained a sortable feature, which allows the player to organize revealed runes. Another change was the introduction of Avatars. Avatars are a secondary form of each player's shrine, each possessing unique abilities and operating similarly to other champions. Like traditional heroes, Avatars gain experience and when they level up, additional attribute bonuses and abilities at certain levels are granted to them. They have a maximum level of 50 and the level cap for this expansion was set to 10. A new rune purchase option was added, allowing players to obtain a guaranteed exotic rune for buying a 10 pack of the most recently released runes. For all levels of play, "circus" battlegroups which were neither split or full faction were barred from the game. It was announced that up to two different heroes from the same faction could be played simultaneously and that the factions only having one hero at the moment would receive a second hero in a later expansion. Unlike previous expansions, it is now possible for each opponent to field the same hero simultaneously. Finally, the filter between full faction and split battlegroups in ranked play was removed. All of these changes have had mixed responses from the gaming community in general, though the game has maintained the majority of its player base and continues to add new players. One factor which contributed to some community backlash was that the beta for this release was open to fewer players than previous expansions.
Single Player Campaigns
- Free Campaigns
- Purchased Campaigns
- Angels Descend
- The Ancients Arrive
- Elements at War: Protectorate
- Elements at War: Wrath
- Nora Surge
- Grimlic's Descent
- Premium Member Only Campaigns
Faction Avatars
| Factions | Avatar |
|---|---|
| Forglar Swamp | Lemsu of Darkmarsh |
| Forsaken Wastes | Zarimahl of Elsarin |
| Ironfist Stronghold | Semmir the Brave |
| K'thir Forest | Sapaleh the Ancient |
| Savage Tundra | Laerik the Fierce |
| Shattered Peaks | Oltok the Lost |
| Sundered Lands | Ardain the Zealot |
| The Underdepths | Erimalion the Cruel |
References
External links
- PoxNora Official Web Site
- Pox Nora Campaign Store
- SOE Tuscan Blog Information on thegreenroom.poxnora.com
- PoxWiki - The PoxNora Wiki
- Pox Portal
- Pox Pwn
- Poxnora Game Soundtrack on cdbaby.com
- Giving Tree Charity Sale Information
- Review on Slashdot.org
- Review on Gamespy.com
- Review on ign.com
- Review on games32.com
- Review on gamingtarget.com
- Preview on Gamezone.com