Epic Adventure Awaits!

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Introduction

Shadow has fallen over Lorehelm. The Denizens lay defeated. You, a lone Paladin, are what's left of the heroes of the Riverwide Alliance. Mere days remain until the evils of Nul Gador take permanent hold of the crystals. Their plans at the Castle must be stopped before all is lost.

You look Northward, squinting against the burning shadow. You whisper a prayer and take the first steps of your final quest.

Pocket Paladin is an epic solo overland adventure designed to be stored in a single card sleeve. Work your way across the landscape, interacting with map sites like storms, wandering enemies, Mage and Monster towers, secret tunnels, towns and caravans. Unlock new abilities, recruit allies and learn new skills to be prepared to take on more challenging enemies and--ultimately--the enemy's Castle. Complete your quest before time runs out to lift the cover of shadow and bring peace back to Lorehelm!

Why Tho?

I often see posts online of people asking for recommendations for small games that are easy to travel with. The goal with Pocket Paladin was to make the ultimate answer to this question.

I wanted to make a game that gave players their Mage Knight fix, but that fit comfortably in their wallets and purses.

A while back, I found myself waiting for an appointment for around 90 minutes, but I didn't have my phone. That's when I started brainstorming an idea for an adventure game that could be there for emergency situations like this.

I also wanted to challenge myself to complete the progression (regression?) of shrinkning the Mage Knight experience:

1. First, Mage Knight took over your dining room table and your entire afternoon.

2. Then, Mage Lite shrunk Mage Knight into ~18 cards.

3. Then, Dragons of Etchinstone put Mage Knight in your hands.

4. Now, Pocket Paladin puts Mage Knight in a card sleeve.

What's Included?

This is the base game of Pocket Paladin. It gives you everything you need to play. You get the full Pocket Paladin experience with this product.

What's NOT Included?

The game does NOT include a card sleeve, so you will need to provide your own (the Game Crafter does not allow me to add a single card sleeve as a component). You will need a soft/loose sleeve to be able to fit all the components in it. I recommend Ultra Pro penny sleeves, which are about the cheapest you can buy. All you need is for the sleeve to not fall apart. The game is sturdy enough to then be stored in your wallet, billfold, purse, etc.

The game does not come with a physical rulebook by default. This in part to save the customer money (rulebooks can get expensive!) but also because without a box it does not make much sense to provide a physical rulebook that can't be stored with the game.

You can, however, buy a separate Game Crafter game that gets you a tuck box with small rulebooks that can fit the game in the box with the books. It also comes with a larger rulebook for ease of reading when you are not on the go.

Buy the playmat, tuckbox and rulebooks as separate games (see the related games noted on this shop page).

Single-Sleeve Storage? Really?

Yep, not kidding.

The 2 map cards are double-sided for modularity. There is also an optional bonus map on the inside of the cover mat (the component that holds the components in the sleeve).

The tracking cards are multi-multi-multi-multi-use.

The 16 enemy tokens have the skills and allies on their back faces.

These components are stuffed to the rafters with content that makes Pocket Paladin a truly epic and sweeping adventure!

Note that the reference cards don't fit in the same sleeve as the rest of the game (look, I'm not a miracle worker). You also could theoretically memorize how the different sites work to eventually not need the reference cards to play.

How's It Play?

Here's a partial playthrough:

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And here's a rules video:

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Pocket Paladin uses puzzly mechanics that pay homage to the heavyweight overland adventure great, Mage Knight: Board Game.

Instead of card play, you use an innovative action track, advancing your marker along routing arrows to use your various abilities. You use abilities (along with skills and allies!) to generate movement to traverse the landscape; generate influence to interact at towns and caravans and recruit allies; and generate attacks and blocks to defeat enemy Monsters and Mages.

You can even use the more potent boosted half of abilities by paying the appropriate color of crystal!

This game has way more going on that it has any right to. It packs intricate mechanics into a tiny form factor. All the way down to separate mechanisms that depend on whether it is Day or Night, an innovative Wound system that can shorten your round, and multiple ways to use allies (will you exhaust them for their ability, or wound them to soak damage?).

You are constantly under pressure to keep moving forward to reach the castle in time. But you also need to pace yourself, taking on encounters you stand a chance of winning and taking time to interact at friendly sites (like towns) to heal, buy crystals, and recruit allies.

Replayability?

Yeah, off the charts.

Every token has a unique enemy on one side, and a unique ally and skill on the other. You will always see a variety of enemies and have access to a unique set of skills and allies in each play.

Choose to face either the red castle or purple castle, which also switches up the landscape.

Add in the optional bonus map and you have unbelievable modularity in your map setup. Where will you explore next?

Plus, explore the different play styles of the two Paladin characters you can play as. The Red Paladin is faster, favors ranged attacks, and picks up on skills more quickly. The Purple Paladin is slower but is more skilled at recruiting allies, blocking attacks, and gaining crystals to power up her abilities.

You May Recognize the Designer From...

I've made a lot of small-box, micro and in-hand titles, including:

• Dragons of Etchinstone

• Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs (co-designed with Nikki Valens)

• Rome: Fate of an Empire

• Birdscaping

• The Hand of Destiny

And micro versions of some of your favorite games from other publishers!

• Gloomholdin' (Gloomhaven)

• Ark Minima (Ark Nova)

• Mage Lite (Mage Knight)

• Pax Pamini (Pax Pamir 2e)

• Mistsmall (Mistfall)

• Pocket Watch (Set a Watch)