Decipher has announced the title, story themes, launch schedule, and creative contributors for its new collectible card game based on the mechanics for its Star Wars CCG (see 'Decipher Plans Two New CCGs'). 

 

WARS: The Mumon Rip will street October 6, 2004.  Decipher CEO Warren Holland said of the game, 'Re-introducing the game system with a proprietary storyline allows us to control its destiny for a long time to come.'  The announcement stressed the flexibility that not being tied to visual images and storylines from the films would provide. 

 

John Howe, the renowned fantasy artist who was a conceptual designer on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, will be developing conceptual drawings for the WARS characters and locations.  And fantasy writer Michael Stackpole will write backstory for the game.that will be developed into a series of short stories.     

 

One difference between the Star Wars CCG and WARS is that WARS will feature a single card back, which will make things easier for organized and tournament play. 

 

The storyline is set in 2391, when Earth is fighting alien warriors emerging through a tear in the fabric of the universe. 

 

The launch schedule revolves around major national and international shows.  Origins will host the first official playtest of the new game; a preview will be available at Gencon; and the first tournament weekend is scheduled for the Spiel Game Faire in Essen.