Hey! My name is Cesco and today I am incredibly happy to introduce version 1.0 of the game I have wanted to make for a long time called "Contesa: Fight For Foresta". C:FfF is my take on the classic 'trick-taking' card-game format, a format I hold very dearly. 

Having grown up in an Italian family, I have been playing 'Briscola' for as long as I can remember and Briscola is probably one of the more notable trick-taking card games. After having played thousands of hands of Briscola, I found myself wanting more out of the game, and through lots of experimentation, I found myself creating Contesa. This first version includes some new mechanics I haven't yet encountered in trick-taking card games.

The big change is that the 'trump-suit' (or Faction as I call it in C:FfF) changes every 3 hands. Over the course of a 10 round game this means you will see 4 factions with the last one only lasting 1 turn. This means that every card should get a chance to shine over the course of a game BUT only for a period of time which means players will have to carefully determine when to use their cards instead of hoarding them until the perfect moment since the battlefield is changing.

The next change was introducing special abilities. I wanted to give a purpose to every single card in this game, and I found I could do this by making the weakest cards carry the strongest abilities. The 1 card (weakest) carries an ability based on the faction that allows it to manipulate the game. Some will boost their power under certain circumstances while others will manipulate their opponent's hand or even the trump-faction!

The last major change was symmetrical decks. This one was definitely controversial but I believe symmetrical gameplay gives way to more skillful plays since now both players have knowledge of their opponent's capabilities over the course of a game.

I want to stress however that these changes do not and should not scare away more casual fans because at the end of the day, I wanted depth but not at the cost of simplicity and ease of entry. The core trick-taking mechanics are all still intact but now there are a few extra twists to keep you on your toes over the course of a game.

Games also only last 10 rounds (11th if tie) so the games are incredibly quick. For other minor changes, the rulebook in-game has everything you need to know. Overall, I am very happy with how Version 1.0 of Contesa: Fight For Foresta has shaped out. I believe I have captured the essence of trick-taking card games into an exciting new format.

As a solo-dev for about a year and a half, bringing this project to life has been an immense satisfaction. From struggling to make pong in March of 2022 to today, I am very proud of what I have accomplished. Writing the lore, scoring the music, designing the art, and programming the logic, has been immensely gratifying. 

If you would like some more behind-the-scenes looks into what the process was getting to this point, please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to share my personal logs recounting everything from concept to version 1.0 with you! 

I am currently teaching myself multiplayer (holy moly it is hard) in hopes to implement it in the next big update. I have a future roadmap planned including a campaign mode, new factions, multiplayer, and even a dream of turning this into a physical card game. 

I will be updating on here (itch) primarily so if you want to keep up with me you know where to find me!

Alright that was a lot, so lets wrap this up. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out "Contesa: Fight For Foresta", this project has brought me great joy and I hope it will do the same to you. I hope you can unite the factions, and find joy in this simple trick-taking card game that was created with a lot of love. 

I hope to hear from you soon, thanks again!