Blocklords is a new game (new to me) partnering with IMX. It's a strategy / resource management game with a crypto backbone.
Get the Free NFT
"I'll read more later, just give me the free NFT!"
OK! Here you go:
- Sign up: https://www.blocklords.com/auth/register
- Log in and click "Claim Hero".
- This will prompt you to connect your wallet (I use metamask). Click through a few prompts to sign the transactions.
- Done! You get a basic chest. You'll see this when you've done all the steps.
*Note: When creating an account, I had a bit of trouble with the captcha failing to load. I tried a few times on a few different browsers. No luck. I tried a few more times and viola! My only advice is to keep trying.
Quick Links
Website: https://www.blocklords.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/EnaHbsr3mh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blocklords
Whitepaper
OK, now that you've signed up for this game, what have you signed up for? I'm going to hit the highlights and summarize the whitepaper, but you can read it for yourself here:
https://sugar-tithonia-e05.notion.site/BLOCKLORDS-Whitepaper-5fa6f33ad69e42c1ab93d1220c1cdc91
The Hero is the NFT
First and foremost, your hero is your NFT, and he/she has a life cycle:
- Grow up.
- Do stuff.
- Have kids (creates a new NFT)
- DIE (your NFT becomes useless!)
From what I can tell, nothing else in the game in on the blockchain. I actually like this approach. Blockchain is at the core, but not every bushel of wheat needs to be an NFT. This also means that most of the game will feel like a game: fast and seamless. You won't have to be signing transactions every few minutes.
Activities
Your hero/NFT has some options that make up the core game:
- You start as a farmer. Build up resources. Think Farmville.
- With enough resources, you can choose to become a fighter (Good = Knight or Bad = Raider).
- If you rise the ranks, you can become a Lord and rule over farmers and fighters both.
- Ultimately, you can become a king.
Just make sure you have some kids or you lose it all without an heir. Blocklords' take on 'breeding' seems similar to other games: traits of the parents impact the child. It's going to be a little odd to talk about buying and selling people (as opposed to cards/axie/etc.), but that appears to be how you'll have kids (or buy them? 😟).
Token Details
None so far. They are referenced a few times in the whitepaper but we are encouraged to 'stay tuned' for more details.
Images
I'm not 100% sure, but these images are presented as if they are from the game itself. They look really nice, so let's hope so!
CEO Interview
For even more details, give this interview a watch.
My Thoughts
After consuming all of the above, I think this is great idea for a game. David Johansson (CEO) has learned some valuable lessons from previous games - not least of which is limiting the role of NFTs to a core backbone so that not all game actions are transactions. Kudos.
NFTs that expire solves certain problems while raising new ones. Early whales don't have a permanent advantage, which is great, but it also means this game isn't really something you can put down or else you'll lose all your value as your NFTs age and die (even when not playing). This could lead to an unhealthy relationship with the game where you feel like you have to log in each day and do some tasks. That's a job. Of course, you'll have the option of selling your hero (and kids! 😟) to the highest bidder and effectively cash out. If you want to play again later, just buy back in (for hopefully similar prices) or start over.
Ultimately, this is a game I'll be trying out. Everyone can get started for free, which means we have nothing to lose as we decide if the game is something we'll enjoy.
Love to see yet another quality game coming to IMX.