Swordball: A New Kind of Card Game

SWORDBALL

One Striker. One Keeper. Make the Stop.

Swordball is a defense-first strategy card game where reading your opponent is just as important as the cards in your hand.

Set in the near-future world of the Nether League, Swordball puts you in control of professional athletes competing in a sport built around precision, anticipation, and split-second decisions.

Unlike games where attacking is everything, Swordball puts the defender at the center of the action.

Your challenge? Predict the strike, choose the right Keeper, and make the stop.

How Swordball Works

Two players compete to capture Striker cards and accumulate points over a series of rounds.

1. Reveal the Striker

Each round begins with a Striker card. Every Striker has six possible shot profiles, corresponding to the Roman numerals I–VI on the custom die.

2. Choose Your Defense

Each player selects a Keeper from their hand and commits to a defensive response before the shot is determined.

There are three fundamental shot types, each with its corresponding defense

3. Roll the Die

The custom six-sided die determines which shot profile the Striker uses.

Now the anticipation ends and the outcome is revealed.

4. Resolve the Save

A correct defensive choice is the first requirement for a successful save. Coverage and Reaction help determine which Keeper wins when players have made the correct read.

Certain athletes possess signature abilities that can change how a round unfolds.

5. Claim the Points

The winning player captures the Striker card and earns points based on the Striker's tier and the Keeper's Recovery Cost.

Sometimes neither player wins the round outright, allowing the stakes to carry forward.

Over the course of a match, the challenge is to balance your strongest defensive options against the cost of using them.

Meet the Athletes

Swordball's first edition introduces 24 athletes across four Nether League clubs:

Meridian Athletic · Greenwich Sporting · Ironpeak United · Oceana SC

Each athlete has a distinct identity, competitive history, and place within the Swordball universe.

The game features 18 Strikers and six Keepers, each represented by three different playable Keeper configurations.

What's in the First Edition?

• 36 illustrated, wide-format playing cards
• Custom six-sided Roman-numeral die
• Full-color printed rulebook
• Scorekeeping pad
• Custom rigid presentation box

Help Bring Swordball to Life

Swordball's gameplay system, world, clubs, and initial visual identity have already been developed.

Your support will fund the remaining original athlete illustrations, independent rules validation, physical prototypes, final production preparation, and manufacturing of the first edition.

We're building a game where every decision matters, every save has a cost, and defense gets its moment in the spotlight.

Meet the Original Keeper

Every great sport has an origin story. Swordball's happens to involve a dog named Venti.

Every evening at our California ranch, Venti plays her own version of kickball. But instead of simply chasing the ball, she chooses a defensive implement from her toy bag, whether it's a Frisbee, a stuffed animal, or another ball, and uses it to stop whatever comes her way.

Watching her anticipate shots, make saves, and prepare for the next attempt inspired a simple question: What if defense were the most exciting part of a sport?

That question eventually became Swordball.

Venti remains our original Keeper, and the inspiration behind the game's guiding challenge: MAKE THE STOP.

Read the full story of how Venti inspired Swordball on Twenty Nickels. [Link coming soon]