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TEWT is the first digital strategy game by Despot Development, to be released to mobile in 2023.
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If Chess was made in medieval times for a medieval reality, then it is grossly outdated. Tactical Exercises Without Troops (or "TEWT" for short) is a new game that takes the fundamental building blocks that make chess such a great strategic game and applies these to a different time period, the Modern era. Although originally a board game, the COVID era and production costs drove us to build out the digital version of the game first.
In short Chess was built to (somewhat) reflect the realities of the time, it was in many ways a "TEWT" for the medieval era. Today a "TEWT" is used by modern militaries to practice different strategic scenarios, without the cost of full scale exercises with entire platoons, companies or armies.
Ok, now I get that a TEWT is a theoretical modern military training exercise, how have you "mashed" that with Chess? TEWT is based on a few fundamental realities of warfare, both modern and historical. We then placed these inside a fast paced skill based game platform. In essence, the skill and level playing field of Chess, with the pace, reality and intensity of modern warfare. This is a way to modernize "Chess" with speed, fun and ease of use that anyone can get behind. In essence, modern wargames, in the simple framework that made Chess such a success.
This is explained in more detail below in the three following segments, "Realities of Warfare", "Skill Based Game Platform" and "Pace and Intensity".
"What are the "Realities of Warfare" and how have you implemented them in TEWT?"
One of the founding reasons that TEWT came to exist was our frustration that Chess was referred to generally as the "board game reflection of the arenas of war, business and politics" (the "Arenas"). Respectfully, we disagree.
In the Arenas, you succeed or fail not just on your wit and strategic ability, but also foresight, ability to remain cool under pressure and ability to deceive. These three components are limited in Chess generally, as all your units are exposed, everyone brings identical resources to the table and all information is available to all players at all times.
In addition Chess is fundamentally limited to only ever being between two players, another unrealistic (and lets face it, fun and multiplayer limiting) factor.
TEWT addresses this and other factors by...
Giving players the ability to deceive their opponents with fake units, hidden units, and bringing
different units to the board at the beginning of battle! Never again will your opponent have all the
information, until its too late!
The ability to play from 2 - 6 players in various combinations including solo play such as: 1 v 1 up
to 6 player free for all | OR Team play such as: 2 v 2/2 v 2 v 2/3 v 3.
And more!
SKILL BASED GAME PLATFORM
"How do you keep Chess's logic, skill based components in such a seemingly chaotic environment?"
Every player has identical opportunity at the beginning of the game. They select from an identical limited pool of units, what combination they choose, however, is entirely up to them. The units are played one by one during the course of the game at a time of each individual player's choice.
In essence, exactly as in Chess, from the beginning all players share the equal opportunity, and
there are no advantages (different classes, abilities or units) to any one person.
The outcome, is entirely based on what decisions you make.
"Chess is slow, and concentration heavy, how do you maintain pace and intensity in such a framework?"
There are several simple tools we have used to address this, however, the two most pertinent are the
"timer" and "deployment".
No one players turn can exceed 30 seconds (this can be edited or disabled in custom lobbies, because we all love choice!). Too much pressure, can't make a decision, that's unfortunate but in the real world, especially modern times, your opponent isn't willing to wait.
It looks like it is all over, your opponent smiles smugly as the end draws near, but its your turn.
Maybe, just maybe you can turn the tables.
You still have a powerful unit to deploy.
You deploy your unit, racing it into the worst possible place for your enemy, as the color drains
from your opponents face the tables just turned, and your in control now.
Chess has elements of certainty that TEWT does not share as intensely. Victory can always be
snatched from the jaws of defeat, if you have the skill.