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New Herobits Card Game Delivers Action Fun and Positive Message

Sci-fi collectible card game puts players in hero’s role for strategic play. Collect new characters, each illustrated by a talented artist in a unique style, and challenge your friends

Herobits [1]Lasalle ON – In an age where game-playing can take place across the Internet against a virtual opponent, the concept of a card game presents a low-tech but more personal alternative. No batteries, electricity, or wireless connection required — just two or more people, in person, facing off against each other in a friendly game.

For Mike Wills, a lifelong sci-fi fan, this concept has launched not only his new business, but hopefully the careers of some up-and-coming artists as well. Wills and a group of dedicated gamer friends

Li Kui [2]

Li Kui

created “Herobits [1]“, a collectible card game [3] that allows players to become heroes in powered armor fighting to save the planet.

Inspired by his daughters’ fascination with the extended worlds created for their toys, Wills wanted to create a game for youngsters and adults who enjoy sci-fi adventures. “I saw that the toys themselves were only part of the fun for my girls. They enjoyed building a world around the characters and giving them all a bit of personality,” says Wills. “It struck me that it would be fun to be able to collect and play with a totally new set of sci-fi heroes, to be able to build on their story, and add to their heroic powers.”

Complete decks eliminate booster pack purchasing

The idea took hold and Wills began researching games, only to discover that most card games of this type required booster packs. Kids had to keep paying out money in order to get more enjoyment from the game. Not with Herobits, Wills insists. Each 50-card deck is complete. All it takes to play the game is two people and two decks.

Herobits is played with a series of decks, each one featuring a single armored hero. The object is to strengthen the hero’s skills through practice battles with other heroes or to face off against the wicked Robots to be featured in upcoming decks. According to Wills, new Herobits characters with their own 50-card decks will be released about every two or three months. Every new character will feature a new artist. “In the near future, we will also be inviting new professional writers to imagine Herobits with short stories and works of fiction, in their chosen writing style, to expand the Herobits’ universe,” says Wills.

“This is a game of strategy and simple math,” explains Wills. “Players need to add points from their Attack and Resist cards in order to gain strength but they also need to think about the best way to use the cards in their deck.” Deciding when to play special upgrade and instant effect cards provides an additional level of fun and strategy.

Herobits artists come from around the world

Wills admits he’s a diehard sci-fi aficionado, but not an artist. So he went online to find artists who would be inspired to create the characters and artwork for Herobits [4]. His search found him rising stars in China, the Philippines, Canada, and the United States. Each artist created his or her own armored hero and illustrated every card in the deck. The styles vary from deck to deck, based on the artist’s unique skills. Wills says this reflects the worldwide community of talent in a diverse range of styles. “These cards reflect the amazing artistry of the comic book genre as much as the game-playing aspect.”

The future of the planet is in your hands

Set in the year 2160 and beyond, Herobits has an environmental message that resonates today. The human race has become a minority on Earth. Robots run by a greedy corporate CEO-turned-machine are pillaging the planet’s natural resources in search of the fuel they need to exist. Meanwhile, one group of surviving humans has created a safe haven called Arcadia. Inside this remote island community they’re training new armored heroes, called Herobits, to battle the machines and save the planet.

Herobits will be released in North America on June 21, 2009, through local hobby and game stores. For the full story of this world of the future and more information about Herobits, visit the Herobits website [1].