JINGI is a fast tactical 2 player competitive card game that has a tic-tac-toe play feel. Chaos and Law fight to take control of the JINGI (sacred treasure) to rebuild the world.  Players place their cards (Gods) onto the field strategically.  When a row becomes completed on the field the gods begin their battle.

I want to share this indie board game with the world.  With your support we can experience building this game as a team.  Together we can join in the battle and help win and build Jingi together.

What kind of game is JINGI?

Components improvement – Please stay tuned for when we can reveal the look.  In the prototype we used cards to represent the Jingi-track, but we are hoping to place it on the playmat. The letters on the god cards and summary cards will be replaced by 8 unique symbols. I’ll unveil the specific sizes when they are ready.

How to play – You win the game when you advance the Jingi(track-marker) to the end of the Jingi-track of your side. Players play a card to place it on 3 x 3 shared field. If cards form a row or rows on the field after card play, the battle(trick) will occur. Players compare their own cards’ power with the opponent.

The Jingi moves along the Jingi-track depending on the battle outcome. It advances 1 space towards the player who initiates the attack. It also advances 1 space for the winner of the battle.  Basically these scoring patterns are possible:

• Attacker wins: The Jingi advances 2 spaces towards the attacker.
• Draw: The Jingi advances 1 space towards the attacker.
• Defender wins: Defense player draws a card. The Jingi does not move.

Game design – I tried to keep it minimal and simple, while at the same time packing in some of my favorite elements.

• Plenty of scope for planning and problem solving.
• A pleasant annoyance arising from expectations and risks.
• Some hidden concealment to outwit opponent.

Players can play cards face down to bluff or entice. The RENEGADE card is a powerful one that makes the game more exciting and thought provoking. BLESSING mechanics that use the top of the discard pile forces you to think about next action. Those all are making JINGI a simple but not easy game.

Play prototype – If you own Tabletop Simulator on Steam, you can play a rough prototype of JINGI for free. If you’re curious about JINGI, or if you’re worried about the game design quality, please try the prototype with your friends before you back this project. Please bear in mind that the game you’ll receive will have the real components. It means there is no digital version of JINGI.

Reviews

“This is a fun card game that is perfect for those that are looking for a short, light strategy game that can be played anywhere. I loved the quick and fun game play and trying to outsmart my opponent! It is the type of game that I enjoy playing over and over. Also, being a big fan of fantasy art, I loved the artwork—it added a little something extra to the overall feel of the game.” K. Stuart

“[…]After playing it over the weekend, we played it 2 more times – and the rules are solid and felt so different from other games I was wow’d.[…]” @merc007

History of the game

When I started on making JINGI it was originally set out to be a digital project. But I found creating a digital game all by myself would  take a long time. Then I shrunk down the scale of the project and re-designed it for an analog game. I simply wanted to create a finished product as a creator as soon as I could.

Stories are one of my motivations for playing digital games. I love stories. So if JINGI was developed as digital game, it probably had protagonist character who had an environment, people and events that prevented him from achieving his goals, had abilities that helped him achieve his goals (e.g. magic), and the act of using those abilities to solve problems was represented as game play (e.g. battles), and the sequence of these events was told as a story of the process, choices and achievements of his adventures.

Finally, I decided to make JINGI into a board game. I tried to keep the scale of the game down, something that could be achievable by an amateur game designer like myself. Less resources, less actions or phases, less mechanics, less elements, less stories… Then JINGI was transformed into an abstract game. Unfortunately, while it worked as a game, it was very dull. Despite my enthusiasm and decision, it became an epic fail. I was terribly dismayed.

After that, I finally got started on True game design. First, I made a list of concept experiences I want to give players. It also meant I had to ask myself what kind of game I wanted to play. I caught onto a new vision, and I had to break the current rules.

I have kept the original version of JINGI’s core, but I’ve added, removed, and tweaked the other mechanics. That created the BLESSING mechanics and the RENEGADE. Also, I gave up on the original story but I found it still needed some flavor for the game world. So I incorporated wonderful art. That is how I rebuild the JINGI.

Why crowdfunding?

At the Game Market Live (a live version of Japanese largest board game event) I saw a Kickstarter campaign. I felt inspired and thought it was an opportunity to build a track record as an indie game creator for me (someone who is unknown).

I wanted to go for it, to build and continue my career as indie board game designer, I think I need good motivation (my first project reaches the goal), so I set the goal and pledge amount low as realistic for me 😀

The production of JINGI will be mostly manufactured by my own money. This time, I’m mainly using Kickstarter to research, to build my brand and build a community. So please support my project.

Creators

Game designer – DegJP. Hi, it’s me! I usually work at Japanese game developer as a level designer. Wannabe indie board game designer.

I’ve been playing video games since I was a kid. On the other hand, I didn’t really know what board games were until 5 years ago. I quickly fell in love with board games, both as a gamer and as a game creator.

In particular, encountering various game mechanics fills my intellectual curiosity and invigorates my mind. A board game seems just a play of communicating and interacting according to specific rules, but actually I feel it is more than that. They give us an extraordinary experience and a own special story. I believe that board games are a tool with a special value that cannot be replaced by any other content. I wanted to create the one with my own hands, such a valuable experience. Let me try it to start with JINGI.

Character artist – NIRA. A Japanese freelance illustrator.  He create dark mysterious forbidden creatures and bring them into our world. If you dare want to peek at them, you shall visit his Twitter.

Interfaces and Box artist – Kei@. A Japanese 2D/3D artist.  He is a geek, Kenomer, Deg’s friend and former colleague. He usually works as a Japanese game developer.

VAT and tariff

Depending on the country you live in,  to receive the game, you may be obligated to pay VAT and tariff in addition to the support amount. Please check your country’s policies.