Hi, my name is Dennis Michels and I have opinions on many things; today I would like to share my thoughts and opinions regarding the resurrected Spellfire CCG and the connection to NFT’s. Long story short: big fan of Spellfire, not a fan of NFT!
I applaud all fan-projects and attempts to resurrect dead CCGs. When I learned about this dedicated group attempting to revivify the classic Spellfire TCG my heart skipped a beat from excitement. I quickly started following all their social media as well as regularly inspecting their website for news and updates.
Now a few weeks later all enthusiasm has died out and I actually started unfollowing them at least on twitter, might unfollow them elsewhere too was I not curious on what the future will bring to this project.
What is this project really?
The reason being that I am disappointed is how the developers behind this project are funding this game by selling NFT-powered components, which feels a bit like praying on the FOMO of gullible investors. I am not against the concept behind NFT’s and absolutely not opposed to the technology behind it, I somewhat agree that it’s a great development and when used in the right way it might actually add value to the internet. However the way NFT’s are currently exploited as the next big collectible is making this whole thing feel like a get-rich-quick scheme, money laundering and a bubble waiting to burst. This unfortunately makes the Spellfire re-master project feel like a fraud, which it does not deserve.
A clear description or an about section on the website stating what the team is trying to accomplish here with the game and how they plan to fund and develop it does not speak for the legitimacy of this project. At first glance you can’t tell if this a digital client for the game, like Heartstone and Arena or if are they planning to print physical decks for this game? There’s no official rulebook to download, actually there is not much content to be found about how to actually play the game..just a website plastered with Buy NFT buttons. The same goes for their social media channels; they are all screaming NFT this and NFT that, but not a word on how to play the game! This heavy focus on the NFT part of the game might just actually be scaring away a lot of potential players.
Licensing and trademarks
WotC dropped the trademark for Spellfire since 2006, and since 2019 it is registered to one Ugnius Kiguolis, who is also the owner of the website and big brain behind this project; everything perfectly legal and an awesome initiative. However…
…I had quite the paragraph written here about their terms page, pointing out the flaws and glaring mistakes, doubting the legality of their eula and claims about certain technologies, but decided on deleting it. Yes, there are some things on there that seem shady, but I am convinced they will iron out these things as the project evolves because despite my initial knee-jerk reaction to scream scam, I do think the guys in this project have their best interest in this game. They might want to consider working on their marketing and legalese ..
About..
The developers of this game are prominently listed on the frontpage of the website. There are 2 things of note though..
- None of them have any listed experience developing games
- Most of them are hated by scammers (why? I don’t know)
Having absolutely 0 experience in game development is of course no issue, the game already is developed after all. They state on their site that they are changing the rules, in fact the ruleset they will be using for their implementation of the game was created in 2000 and is named the Antigonish Variant. Developed by the duo of Marc Dalesandro and Hayden William Courtland in an attempt to revitalize the game.
I have reached out to Mark and he explains his involvement in this project. He actually got consulted by Ugnius during a 2-hour long Zoom meeting and is himself pretty excited for the project and the way Ugnius is going about it. Marc lets me know that 400+ cards have already been designed for the new game and he looks forward to seeing this project become a succes, adding that he can tell Ugnius has a huge passion for Spellfire.
Conclusion
My initial thought was that this whole project is a fraud and a scam; but after talking to Marc I have reconsidered my opinion. It is obviously clear that these guys are doing this project out of passion for the game. Going out of their way to avoid any legal troubles, infringements of patents, copyright and trademarks even doing the right thing by consulting the original creators of the Antigonish rules. They truly are working a labor of love.
Despite their love for this game, as well as my own, I cannot force myself to recommend getting involved in NFTs and will discourage anyone investing in this game in this way. I am convinced the current state of the NFT technology and economy is not healthy. I urge Ugnius to consider other means of raising funds though, like for example a Kickstarter, a Patreon page or just a plain simple donation button.
ps. I am totally claiming the term NFTCG as my own invention and trademark. Feel free to use the term anyway you see fit for non-commercial purposes. If you’d like to use the term commercially, just contact me and we’ll figure out a license for you to use.
