What's so cool about it?
iA is a pdf, which means you will view it on your computer using the Adobe Acrobat Reader, in this case version 5, 6 or 7. Acrobat Reader has the ability to run a subset of the Java programming language, which means the iArmy builder is not just a pdf, but a very sophisticated graphic and math engine. This gives you the ability to calculate card costs, manipulate images on-screen, and export the results as data you can save in any text or word processing program. Combine that with a tactical card game and a set of rules that allow something like 10¹² possible combinations for each card, plus global abilities for your deck, and you can see why we call it Infinite Armies.

No more rares. iA includes a good selection of images and card skins to get you started, but part of the fun of the game is really customizing your deck. Any image that you can make into a pdf, you can import into your cards. Stuff you find online, stuff you scan from a book, or stuff you made yourself, if you are artistically inclined. If you can scrounge it up*, you can put it in your army. And if this is too much work, we will be selling "booster packs" of image sets on a particular theme, enough to build an entire army without using the same image twice. Plus, each image set will come with new skins and pre-constructed deck ideas.

March 29, 2008 update
iA does not work properly under Acrobat Reader 8. The nice folks at Adobe like to change the subset of Javascript that works in Acrobat each time they upgrade it, and the current upgrade removes or invalidates the permissions on the commands that the Army Builder uses to construct cards. Use a Reader of version 5.1 through 7.x and you should be fine.

June 29, 2006 update
iA has won a Vanguard award at the 2006 Origins game convention. I am tickled pink by the news, proud to have been nominated and proud to share the award with the other winners. Fortunately, I think there are enough statuettes to go around, otherwise we'd have to time-share it or I might end up getting stuck with just the feet. Anyway, sad I couldn't be there to pick it up in person, but happy to win. In other news, I hope to release a new image set for the game in early July, peacekeepers and insurgents, along with a software add-on to let you make custom card backs in case you want to use transparent sleeves in your deck.

March 31, 2006 update
iA has been nominated for an Origins Award in the 'Vanguard' category. Despite there being some dispute in the gaming community about the nomination process, voting, value of the award and just about everything else associated with it, I'm still happy to get the nomination...

November 2, 2005 update
Version 1.1 is out! The 1.1 upgrade is now at all the online vendors. If you have version 1.0, consider this a mandatory upgrade notice. The changes are minor but far-reaching, and include a slightly revised turn and cost structure, a faster iArmy builder program, a quick reference sheet, and the ability to change the color of your card text for better contrast on dark card skins.

August 26, 2005 update
Back from GenCon! Thanks to everyone who dropped by the booth to play or get a demo of the game. Seemed to be doing non-stop demos the whole show. Finally getting my voice back to normal. Based on a few requests, I have updated the demo army builder. It now includes the full text of the rules, so you can design cards and actually play the game. It's still a crippled demo, but there's a lot more meat to it in case you liked the iArmy builder demo, but really wanted to see the game you use it with.

August 14, 2005 update
The Critical Kobold has given Infinite Armies a five dice review rating! Woo-hoo! So far, we're running hot. I'm sure some killjoy reviewer will only give us four stars soon, but until then we'll bask in the glorious publicity. User feedback at DriveThruRPG and e23 has also been good. See what the Kobold has to say here.

August 8, 2005 update
GamingReport.com has done a review of the Infinite Armies demo, which really isn't even a game. It's more of a technology demonstrator, but the reviewer still liked it, so hopefully it's a good omen for the full product. You can read the review here.

August 7, 2005 update
Well, it's Sunday morning, August 7, 2005. The release date for Infinite Armies, and the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. So, if you're one of those people who said "I want one!" on the poll thingy, time to put your money where your mouse is. And if you like it, tell friends and leave comments at the site where you bought it and any applicable forums. Please. iA is going to be a word of mouth product, with some banner support, but mostly it will spread on good buzz. I've done my best to make it a great product, but like the early days of Magic: the Gathering, friends getting friends involved is going to be a key part of its success (or lack thereof). That's why the rules say you can print a spare deck for a friend. You buy the game, and then hook them in with a freebie...

A bit more detail
In terms of game mechanics, you play on an imaginary grid that represents the battlefield. Half your territory, half your opponents (see the pic at the bottom of the page). You win by either destroying your foe's Staging Area, or running them out of cards by keeping units in their territory. The more powerful the unit, the faster your opponent's cards go away. When they're out of cards, they sue for peace. Game over.

iA has no "mana". Rather, you get a certain number of actions each turn, which can include collecting resource points, deploying units to your Staging Area by spending a card's cost, moving/making attacks or using special abilities. If you can't deploy a unit, spend an action to collect the resources you need to pay the cost! And, iA minimizes the luck of the draw. Your opening hand is exactly what you want. You start each battle with the forces you think will bring you victory. Of course, your opponent is doing the same, and only one of you will be right...

Units have abilites measured in icons and the quantity of them in four categories, plus a special ability, plus any bonus from a global ability for your army. Each icon has a strength and a weakness, and you compare them to the corresponding trait on the enemy unit (attack vs. defense, etc.). Hard? Not really, since the icons are rock, paper, scissors. If your attack is paper, and his defense is rock, you do damage. If your attack is paper, and his defense is scissors, you might want to reconsider. So, it is not just the icons, but the order in which they are used that makes up the attack and defense profiles of each unit in your army. Terrain that cannot be passed through can be used to channel enemy forces or provide strongpoints for your own, and optional rules can add even more depth to play.

In addition to the benefits of never having to buy cards again, iA has the ultimate in customizing flexibility. As long as your deck adds up to the right number of points, any card is legal. So, you can scribble one down at the last second and put it in if you want to try something new. Your army's visual theme is up to you. If you want to use iA for fantasy battles build a pair of armies with art of mages and barbarians. It works for that as well as it does for deep space starship combats or Lovecraftian monsters. Or enrage your friends by abusing them with a deck of cutesy stuffed animals. To top it off, iA is not just a card game, it is a card game design engine. Since everything on the card can be customized, you can use the sophisticated routines embedded in the iArmy builder to create your own professional-looking cards for whatever idea you had for your own set of rules.

Sneak peek
The picture below shows what each player's side of the battlefield looks like. You have a Staging Area in the rear, a 3-card second rank, and a 5-card first rank.



You move and attack to adjacent cards, unless of course your unit has a special ability that allows longer range attacks or special movement. For instance, the unit on the right on the second rank is a "carrier", which can deploy smaller units like a mini Staging Area. The infantry and helicopter at the right side of the first rank have "combined arms", which allows them a more flexible offense or defense if attacking or defending against a unit that is adjacent to both of them. The face-down cards are placeholders. If you move onto your own face-down card, you draw it into your hand. If your opponent moves onto it, it goes into your discard pile. The card at the center of the front rank is an "urban" terrain. Only units with movement appropriate to this terrain can occupy that zone, though units with the "engineer" ability can loan their movement to adjacent units to help move them into terrains they could not otherwise traverse. It's a simple set of rules and a handful of special abilities, but the combinations and strategies will keep you busy for a long time...

*If you can scrounge it up and are allowed to copy it for personal use. We're selling intellectual property here, we don't go for copyright violation. Besides, there is enough high-res, copyright-free stuff on the variuous .mil sites to fill several thousand iArmies decks.