CyberSiege:Strike - Print and Play - Computer Science Learning Card Game

As an IT trainer in the dual education system in Germany, I originally developed the game for my trainees so that I could motivate them to learn more about cyber security, hacks and other IT topics in a fun way. After receiving very positive feedback on the game (via very different channels), I spent months preparing it for publication for a wider audience. 

That's the reason why I'm giving away a demo of the print and play version. I really hope you enjoy it 🙂 Let me know in the comments what you think!

The print and play files for the normal game (up to 3 hours gameplay) will be available in the coming weeks (More below).

What is CyberSiege?

CyberSiege is a new card game that is currently in beta phase.
Join the never-ending battle between admins and hackers and choose your side!

Imagine a tower defense game with deck building in a real cyber security setting. As an admin, you defend your server with your team, while the hackers have to take the server. 

With the basic card decks you can play all 3 different game modes: 

• Siege, where the roles are clearly divided and offer the most comprehensive experience, with a playtime of a maximum of 3 hours
• Warfare, the more fast-paced game where you must both defend your own server and attack the opposing server, with a playtime of about an hour
• Strike, the fastest game with only 5 minutes, in which you either disable the hacker's exploits as an admin or capture the defenses as a hacker. 

In this free Print and Play you will find a few selected cards from a current total of 200, which will give you an introduction to the “Strike” rules. 

CyberSiege:Strike is a bit different from the other play styles. In a 3x3 field, you and your opponent take it in turns to place one of the 5 cards you have selected beforehand. If an adjacent card has a lower value than yours, it is considered “ captured”. As soon as the 3x3 field is full, the player with at least 5 captured cards has won. 

You will also need a marker such as a penny, confetti snippet or something else small to play CyberSiege:Strike. 

Currently over 220 Cards and more to come!

With over 220 Cards there are enough room to build your very own Deck! Regardless, if you want to specialize in Defending your Server or to Attack the Good Guys.

In this free print and play version, you'll find 8 cards each of the types exploit and barrier. This gives you a selection of different cards that you need for the Strike Gameplay. And of course you'll get the rulebook as PDF so you can start as you've printed the Cards. 

Free To Play Demo

The Cards you'll get here, is a very short demo, you can play with a single friend. Since the game is a very small demo of the game that you can print out yourself, you don't need to pay anything for the printable PDF's.

But I would be very happy if you share your experiences, give me feedback and if you are up for the right game, support me with the release on Kickstarter. 

In the comming weeks I'll also provide you with the print-and-play version of the essential decks (Admin and Hacker) for the Siege-Gamemode. This will include 2x 42 playing cards. And with this PnP:Strike-Demo you can extend the next level of the upcomming PnP:Siege-Demo. 

What do I want to achieve with CyberSiege?

CyberSiege is first and foremost an educational game for beginners in computer science and cyber security. Here you can find my roadmap with all the ideas to give you a glimpse of the upcoming milestones:

• Release of the Kickstarter campaign with discounted prices for CyberSiege
• Print cards with a professional playing card printer through the Kickstarter budget
• Publication of the online store with various purchasable items (decks, boosters, other tools and gimmicks, some of them will be handmade) 
• Release of the AR tool to help with learning the terms (I'm aiming for an app-less solution for mobile, desktops and tablets)

How AI is used for CyberSiege

Since I create CyberSiege as a single person, I unfortunately don't have the time or monetary capacity to take care of everything on my own. For this reason, DeepAI is used as an image generator. Should CyberSiege generate enough revenue, I will open a budget pot that will be used to create additional playing cards with the collaboration of human artists. (If you are an AI opponent, please understand that this could be a future opportunity for artists, which I am strongly pursuing)

I don't see the AI as an opponent, but as a tool with which I manage to pay aspiring artists appropriately once I have the opportunity to do so.  The AI also fits in perfectly with the setting of the game, as CyberSiege points out modern technologies to IT beginners. Without the support of the AI, I would never have managed to develop a fun learning aid for students and beginners in computer science. 

The remaining work was done exclusively by me: 

• The card design (and all the iterations)
• The names, functions and values of the cards
• The balancing and the playtests
• The rulebooks (currently 3 different game modes)
• The post-processing of the graphics
• All videos and 3D animations on the social channels
• And above all the entire concept

I'm aware that AI can never match the human imagination and passion to create a really good image. If you're an artist and you think that your style could fit well with CyberSiege, please feel free to contact me. 

As CyberSiege is still in its early stages, I don't yet have any collaborations with artists. Unfortunately, I can't promise whether my game will be a success, but I'll make a note of your contact and get in touch with you when I'm ready. 

And don't worry. I've already planned a place where your name will be on the card 🙂