Tristan and Oliver seek to play their cards right or face permadeath as they break down MegaCrit’s seminal roguelike deckbuilder Slay the Spire into these three bits:

1. Risk VS Reward - How the game masterfully goes about presenting truly meaningful choices to players.

2. Class Variety - The curation of playable characters and how they make a punishing, almost traditional, roguelike exciting to replay.
3. Enemy Intentions - designing around RNG and leaning into player strategy through the power of UI and enemy designs.

Find us on Twitter:

3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign
Oliver - @oliverwauters
Tristan - @theatrewalker

Some references:

On slay the spire, progression, and making games more loser-friendly - Cheryl-jean Leo (article, blog)
Slay the Spire: Metrics Driven Design and Balance - Anthony Giovanett (video, GDC talk)
How Slay the Spire Keeps You Guessing (Game Design) - Patch Quest (video)
25: Slay the Spire with Anthony Giovannetti - Eggplant: The secret lives of games (podcast episode)
Game Design Tips from Slay the Spire - AC Atienza (article, Cloudfall Studios blog)
How Slay the Spire Defined a New Genre - Josh Bycer (article, Superjump)
Why Classes Are D&D's Best Idea - Adam Millard: The architect of games (video)