Cross The Ages: A Universe of Cards and Conquest

Cross The Ages features intense tactical card battles on a shared board. Each card’s power and element determine how it can capture or be captured by adjacent cards.

Welcome to the World of Cross The Ages (CTA)

Cross The Ages is more than just a digital TCG. It’s an entire dystopian universe grounded in lore from seven fantasy and science fiction novels written by 13 different authors​. These novels flesh out a world inhabited by three distinct populations: the Arkhante, the Mantris, and the people of the Rift​. This rich backstory isn’t just flavour. It directly ties into the game’s cards and characters, making each match feel like part of an epic story.

Gameplay Concept: Territory Conquest

Unlike typical TCGs where you reduce an opponent’s life points or destroy a hero, Cross The Ages focuses on controlling territory on a shared 4×4 grid board​. Both players play on the same board with no fixed “your side” or “my side” – you can place a card on any empty cell of the 4×4 grid​. Once played, a card stays on that cell and belongs to you until it’s captured by the opponent. The goal is to dominate the board by capturing more cards than your rival, using strategic placement and card abilities to flip opponent cards to your control​. Games are fast-paced (average ~5 minutes per duel; but definitely not more than 10) and turn-based, so each decision – where to play a card, which card to use – can swing the balance of power.

What Makes Cross The Ages Unique for TCG Fans?

The core gameplay twist is that victory comes from points via board control, not directly dealing damage. You earn 2 points for every enemy card you capture, and bonus points for forming special elemental combinations on the board​. This creates a tactical dance of placement and area control that will feel refreshing to TCG veterans. The elemental system is another unique feature: every card has one of seven elements, and these elements have a rock-paper-scissors style relationship defined by a “Heptagram” chart. Playing a card with an elemental advantage over an adjacent enemy card gives it +150 power for that capture attempt (shown as a green line on the Heptagram), while an elemental disadvantage incurs -150 power (red line)​. This means success isn’t just about raw stats – it’s about playing the right element in the right situation. Moreover, CTA introduces affinities (elemental synergies) where certain elements boost each other if placed side by side, and trinity combos where controlling three specific elements yields continuous points​. We’ll delve deeper into these mechanics in the next post.

Why You’ll Love Cross The Ages

In summary, Cross The Ages offers an engaging mix of familiar TCG elements and innovative twists. You get the strategic deck-building and card collecting you know and love, set in a deeply developed sci-fi/fantasy universe. But you also get a fresh victory condition (board domination and points), elemental strategy layers, and the chance to bridge your in-game accomplishments into the real world. For a player coming from games like Magic: The Gathering or Hearthstone, CTA feels at once comfortable and new – you’ll recognize the card genres and turn structure, but the territory-control win condition will spark new strategic thinking. In the next posts, we’ll guide you through mastering the core mechanics of CTA and developing winning strategies. Get ready to conquer the board!