The following is the officially localized information for Gate Ruler that was posted to our discord by babelshark, the game's English translator.
So what is Gate Ruler?
Gate Ruler is an upcoming trading card game being developed by Mr. Ikeda (hanamogera here on Discord), founder of the Card Kingdom chain of card shops and the original creator of Bushiroad's BuddyFight card game.
The basic concept of Gate Ruler is that players will be fighting each other as "gate rulers", individuals gifted with the power of summoning characters and other things from cards. The forces that the player will call upon will come from a variety of different universes, which are all threatened by a vicious enemy from another dimension.
I can't go into much detail, but the gameplay will be defined by the "ruler" mechanic (no connection to rulers in the FOW card game), which will enable the coexistence of vastly different playstyles and skill levels. We will have both splashy casual decks that, with a bit of luck, can be really explosive, or a highly consistent and reliable control deck that rewards high skill. Players with no prior experience in card games will be able to go toe-to-toe with veteran card gamers. It may sound too good to be true, but as someone who has actually played the game, I can assure you it is not an exaggeration.
The primary target demographic for the game will be card gamers of age 20 and above, though the plan is to make the game inclusive as possible. As you might have seen in some of the revealed card art, Gate Ruler will feature a range of art styles, with everything from cartoonish aliens to majestic dragons. However, it will not have much in terms of "moe" art, and Mr. Ikeda is specifically trying to avoid making Gate Ruler into another "waifu collection" game.
What is Mr. Ikeda's connection with BuddyFight?
Mr. Ikeda was the main creative mind behind the BuddyFight card game for its first year and a half. He designed the basic gameplay and the individual cards, as well the concepts for its setting, characters, monsters, and general storyline. After the first year and a half, he had to leave the project and move on to other things, at which point all creative control and ownership was transferred to the game's publisher, Bushiroad.
What does Gate Ruler have to do with Bushiroad's Dominator?
Bascially nothing. Gate Ruler is its own thing and is not associated with Dominator or Bushiroad in any official capacity. Mr. Ikeda was working on Dominator at one point in the past, but has since moved on, leaving it under the sole ownership of Bushiroad.
Is Gate Ruler going to be released by Card Kingdom?
No.
What size will the cards be?
Standard (same size as Magic: The Gathering)
How exactly will the game be released?
We will have the first booster set released alongside two starter decks. The exact date of release has not been announced yet.
That's basically all of the publicly available information about the game currently. There will be a bigger official announcement with the release date and rules towards the end of the October, though there may be some delay due to effects of covid19.
Lore Summary
Now that we've got that stuff out of the way, let's move on to lore!
Gate Ruler is set in the near future, where our world has been attacked by an extradimensional enemy known as the Exvaders. Though this initial invasion was driven back, it was clear they would soon return in force.
Fortunately for us, we are not alone in our stand against this threat. Various nations have set aside their differences to form grand coalitions. These are being aided by supernatural beings of myth and legend, who have suddenly remerged into our everyday reality. Visitors from other universes such as Volnar and the Wonderverse have also come to our help. These forces prepare for the inevitable onslaught of the Exvader's full might.
The key factor in this conflict are "gate rulers", individuals with the power to materialize physical copies of warriors, weapons, and phenomena from thin air using special cards. Their ability to manipulate dimensions and space-time are critical in stopping the Exvaders. You will play as one such gate ruler, preparing for the coming conflict through mock battles with other gate rulers.
The factions you can call upon are:
ATLAS (ATLantic Alliance Sentinels): An alliance between major Western powers and the Ark, a giant extradimensional craft constructed from a dislodged continent. The Ark is crewed by refugees of other universes that were destroyed by the Exvaders. The primary strength of ATLAS forces lies in their incredible firepower provided by state-of-the-art military arsenal.
Supporting ATLAS is the OWL (Old World League), a coalition of supernatural beings of Western tradition, such as vampires and werewolves. As many of them prey upon humans, the extinction of humanity by the hands of the Exvaders is against their interests.
Among the crew of the Ark is the Zoo Force, a group of animal-like humanoids that have extensively upgraded their bodies through cybernetic enhancements. Led by their fearless leader Hellkong, they seek nothing else than to avenge the ruination of their home world.
Yomajin Front: A coalition between various nations of East Asia, such as Japan and China, along with their supernatural allies such as the yokai. Their military technology is just as advanced as ATLAS, but there are a lot more experimental weapons that extensively incorporate magic.
The reemergence of yokai, supernatural entities of Asian tradition, caught many governments by surprise, but Japan was able to adjust quickly, granting them full citizenship. Many of them returned the favor by offering to join the fight against the invaders.
Tokyo is where the initial invasion by the Exvaders occurred, marked by a giant sword that appeared from nowhere and lodged itself in the middle of the city. Even after the initial attack, the area is plagued by frequent Exvader raids slipping in through smaller dimensional breaches. However, fighting these incursions have allowed the Yomajin Front to test their new weaponry in combat and accelerate their research.
Volnar: A universe straight out of traditional fantasy, populated by familiar races and creatures such as dragons. Wars here are fought by sword and magic, the latter of which can surpass the power of our latest technology.
Some of the most powerful entities in Volnar are the five Dragon Lord Pentarchs, god-like dragons of unrivaled might. Magvarius, Dragon Lord Pentarch of Inferno is one of their number.
They are opposed by the equally powerful four Fell Dragon Quadrarchs, one of which, Vastorus Rex, is working with unscrupulous individuals of our Earth to gain further power.
Wonderverse: A universe that resembles the sci-fi future imagined in our past, populated by intrepid explorers and strange aliens. The laws of physics here are quite malleable, allowing people to travel light years in a matter of months just because they believe they can.
Most aliens here are friendly, but not all of them are well-behaved. The criminal syndicate Crimenauts, led by their don Malevolus Prime, are constantly scheming to take over the universe through petty criminal acts.
One of their goals is to find one of the great relics of outer space, the Holy Grail. However, they find themselves repeatedly foiled by its protector, the mysterious Space King Arthur!
Exvaders: Abbreviation of "extra-dimensional invaders". Not much is known about them currently, except that they go around devastating entire universes. Earth has sent multiple diplomatic missions to them to establish some kind of communication, but each one has been ruthlessly massacred. Their next target is our own universe, and the only thing that can stop them are gate rulers and their allies.
(Please note, the various names and terms mentioned here are still subject to change.)
So what is Gate Ruler?
Gate Ruler is an upcoming trading card game being developed by Mr. Ikeda (hanamogera here on Discord), founder of the Card Kingdom chain of card shops and the original creator of Bushiroad's BuddyFight card game.
The basic concept of Gate Ruler is that players will be fighting each other as "gate rulers", individuals gifted with the power of summoning characters and other things from cards. The forces that the player will call upon will come from a variety of different universes, which are all threatened by a vicious enemy from another dimension.
I can't go into much detail, but the gameplay will be defined by the "ruler" mechanic (no connection to rulers in the FOW card game), which will enable the coexistence of vastly different playstyles and skill levels. We will have both splashy casual decks that, with a bit of luck, can be really explosive, or a highly consistent and reliable control deck that rewards high skill. Players with no prior experience in card games will be able to go toe-to-toe with veteran card gamers. It may sound too good to be true, but as someone who has actually played the game, I can assure you it is not an exaggeration.
The primary target demographic for the game will be card gamers of age 20 and above, though the plan is to make the game inclusive as possible. As you might have seen in some of the revealed card art, Gate Ruler will feature a range of art styles, with everything from cartoonish aliens to majestic dragons. However, it will not have much in terms of "moe" art, and Mr. Ikeda is specifically trying to avoid making Gate Ruler into another "waifu collection" game.
What is Mr. Ikeda's connection with BuddyFight?
Mr. Ikeda was the main creative mind behind the BuddyFight card game for its first year and a half. He designed the basic gameplay and the individual cards, as well the concepts for its setting, characters, monsters, and general storyline. After the first year and a half, he had to leave the project and move on to other things, at which point all creative control and ownership was transferred to the game's publisher, Bushiroad.
What does Gate Ruler have to do with Bushiroad's Dominator?
Bascially nothing. Gate Ruler is its own thing and is not associated with Dominator or Bushiroad in any official capacity. Mr. Ikeda was working on Dominator at one point in the past, but has since moved on, leaving it under the sole ownership of Bushiroad.
Is Gate Ruler going to be released by Card Kingdom?
No.
What size will the cards be?
Standard (same size as Magic: The Gathering)
How exactly will the game be released?
We will have the first booster set released alongside two starter decks. The exact date of release has not been announced yet.
That's basically all of the publicly available information about the game currently. There will be a bigger official announcement with the release date and rules towards the end of the October, though there may be some delay due to effects of covid19.
Lore Summary
Now that we've got that stuff out of the way, let's move on to lore!
Gate Ruler is set in the near future, where our world has been attacked by an extradimensional enemy known as the Exvaders. Though this initial invasion was driven back, it was clear they would soon return in force.
Fortunately for us, we are not alone in our stand against this threat. Various nations have set aside their differences to form grand coalitions. These are being aided by supernatural beings of myth and legend, who have suddenly remerged into our everyday reality. Visitors from other universes such as Volnar and the Wonderverse have also come to our help. These forces prepare for the inevitable onslaught of the Exvader's full might.
The key factor in this conflict are "gate rulers", individuals with the power to materialize physical copies of warriors, weapons, and phenomena from thin air using special cards. Their ability to manipulate dimensions and space-time are critical in stopping the Exvaders. You will play as one such gate ruler, preparing for the coming conflict through mock battles with other gate rulers.
The factions you can call upon are:
ATLAS (ATLantic Alliance Sentinels): An alliance between major Western powers and the Ark, a giant extradimensional craft constructed from a dislodged continent. The Ark is crewed by refugees of other universes that were destroyed by the Exvaders. The primary strength of ATLAS forces lies in their incredible firepower provided by state-of-the-art military arsenal.
Supporting ATLAS is the OWL (Old World League), a coalition of supernatural beings of Western tradition, such as vampires and werewolves. As many of them prey upon humans, the extinction of humanity by the hands of the Exvaders is against their interests.
Among the crew of the Ark is the Zoo Force, a group of animal-like humanoids that have extensively upgraded their bodies through cybernetic enhancements. Led by their fearless leader Hellkong, they seek nothing else than to avenge the ruination of their home world.
Yomajin Front: A coalition between various nations of East Asia, such as Japan and China, along with their supernatural allies such as the yokai. Their military technology is just as advanced as ATLAS, but there are a lot more experimental weapons that extensively incorporate magic.
The reemergence of yokai, supernatural entities of Asian tradition, caught many governments by surprise, but Japan was able to adjust quickly, granting them full citizenship. Many of them returned the favor by offering to join the fight against the invaders.
Tokyo is where the initial invasion by the Exvaders occurred, marked by a giant sword that appeared from nowhere and lodged itself in the middle of the city. Even after the initial attack, the area is plagued by frequent Exvader raids slipping in through smaller dimensional breaches. However, fighting these incursions have allowed the Yomajin Front to test their new weaponry in combat and accelerate their research.
Volnar: A universe straight out of traditional fantasy, populated by familiar races and creatures such as dragons. Wars here are fought by sword and magic, the latter of which can surpass the power of our latest technology.
Some of the most powerful entities in Volnar are the five Dragon Lord Pentarchs, god-like dragons of unrivaled might. Magvarius, Dragon Lord Pentarch of Inferno is one of their number.
They are opposed by the equally powerful four Fell Dragon Quadrarchs, one of which, Vastorus Rex, is working with unscrupulous individuals of our Earth to gain further power.
Wonderverse: A universe that resembles the sci-fi future imagined in our past, populated by intrepid explorers and strange aliens. The laws of physics here are quite malleable, allowing people to travel light years in a matter of months just because they believe they can.
Most aliens here are friendly, but not all of them are well-behaved. The criminal syndicate Crimenauts, led by their don Malevolus Prime, are constantly scheming to take over the universe through petty criminal acts.
One of their goals is to find one of the great relics of outer space, the Holy Grail. However, they find themselves repeatedly foiled by its protector, the mysterious Space King Arthur!
Exvaders: Abbreviation of "extra-dimensional invaders". Not much is known about them currently, except that they go around devastating entire universes. Earth has sent multiple diplomatic missions to them to establish some kind of communication, but each one has been ruthlessly massacred. Their next target is our own universe, and the only thing that can stop them are gate rulers and their allies.
(Please note, the various names and terms mentioned here are still subject to change.)
Edited by LykunGG on 2nd August, 2020 at 11:30pm CST