Inside the Creation of Planarist: Forging a World Worth Entering
There was a time when trading card games felt alive.
You weren't simply playing cards; you were discovering worlds. You learned the names of legendary creatures, debated strategy late into the night, and built decks that felt uniquely your own. Matches became stories. Victories felt earned. The games themselves invited you to believe there was something larger waiting just beyond the next card draw.
For many players, that feeling became harder to find.
As trading card games evolved, some grew increasingly complex. Others drifted away from the identities that made them memorable in the first place. New mechanics arrived, new products launched, and new worlds appeared. Yet many longtime players found themselves searching for the same thing they had been searching for all along: a game with depth, a world worth investing in, and a reason to keep coming back.
Planarist began with that search.
What started as a burst of inspiration for founder Harrison Parker quickly evolved into something much larger than a new trading card game. He wasn't interested in creating another collection of cards. He wanted to build a world governed by its own laws…a world where creatures possess identity and purpose, where strategy emerges through understanding rather than memorization, and where players become part of the story unfolding around them.
That vision would demand patience.
For nearly three years, Planarist existed behind the scenes. It lived in notebooks and design documents, in rulebooks marked by countless revisions, and in thousands of hours of playtesting sessions where mechanics were refined, challenged, and rebuilt. Entire systems changed as cards evolved, rules were rewritten, and new ideas were tested against a simple question: did they make the game better?
Through it all, the central question remained the same:
How do you create a game with meaningful strategic depth without losing the sense of wonder that brought people to trading card games in the first place?
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Original Planarist Test Deck from 2024.The Search for Something More
Planarist was never created to replace the games that inspired it.
In many ways, it exists because of them.
But every generation of trading card games creates new opportunities. As established games expand, complexity inevitably grows. New mechanics layer on top of old ones, card pools grow larger, and rules become increasingly dense. For experienced players, that depth can be rewarding. For others, it can make the barrier to entry feel increasingly steep.
Planarist pursued a different path.
Rather than building a system around escalating complexity, the goal was to create strategic depth through meaningful decisions. Every card, creature, and mechanic was designed to serve a purpose. Understanding the game should feel rewarding. Mastering it should feel even more rewarding.
One longtime playtester described the experience this way:
"When I first saw Planarist, I saw a unique card game that still felt familiar enough to ones I'd played previously to feel good to sit down and play."
That balance became one of the team's guiding principles.
The game needed enough depth to reward strategic players while remaining intuitive enough for new players to enter the world without feeling overwhelmed.
As Harrison explains:
"It has to be simple and addictive enough to bring anyone into its world."
Achieving that balance required difficult decisions. Some mechanics became more elegant, others disappeared entirely, and more than a few promising ideas were sacrificed in service of a better experience.
The result is a game built not around complexity for complexity's sake, but around meaningful choices, evolving strategy, and the stories that emerge from play.
Beyond Factions: Enter the Planes
Most card games ask players to choose a faction.
Planarist asks a different question:
Which reality calls to you?
The world of Planarist is shaped bysix known Planesof existence, each representing its own philosophies, powers, and cosmic forces.
There is Elysium, where celestial powers move according to designs mortals can barely comprehend.
Perdition, where ambition, temptation, and chaos flourish among demons and fiends.
The Vortex, a realm of unstable energy and entities desperate to survive.
Death, the mysterious threshold that separates the mortal world from the immortal realms beyond.
The Beyond, where parallel realities, hidden worlds, and impossible possibilities stretch endlessly outward.
And the Materium, the mortal realm itself, suspended between order and entropy.
These Planes are more than lore. They influence strategy, shape identities, and define how players experience the world of Planarist.
As one playtester noted:
"What separates it the most is the plane system that allows each deck to really express itself from how it plays to how it wins."
That idea sits at the heart of Planarist.
Every deck tells a story.
Every strategy reflects a philosophy.
Every player eventually discovers which forces resonate most strongly with them.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
One of the original test games with the original rules and art from 2024. Behind the Veil
Worldbuilding is only one part of creating a trading card game.
Behind every card lies an enormous amount of work that most players never see.
Artists have spent hundreds of hours bringing creatures, realms, and legendary figures to life. Playtesters have challenged mechanics through countless games. Printers have reviewed proofs and prepared production files. Logistics partners have been evaluated. Retail relationships have begun to form. Convention plans have been set into motion.
Today, the cards are finalized.
The gameplay system is finalized.
Production is underway.
The world that once existed only in conversations, notebooks, and test sessions is becoming tangible.
For the first time, Planarist is moving from imagination into reality.
The Gates Are Opening
Launch may still be ahead, but the journey has already begun.
Players who join the Planarist Discord gain access to exclusive pre-launch opportunities, including early access to the Tabletop Simulator version of the game and future access to the Planar Portal.
The Planar Portal is designed to become the central hub of the Planarist experience. Players will be able to explore cards, build decks, discover events, connect with local communities, and engage with the growing world surrounding the game.
As the system expands, players will also have opportunities to deepen their connection to the Planes they favor most.
The first members of the community will help shape what comes next.
And those who enter early will gain access to future updates, announcements, and exclusive pre-sale opportunities as launch approaches.
You'll also be able to find the Planarist team at Southern Fried Gaming Expo from July 31 through August 2, with additional convention appearances currently being explored.
The Planes Are Stirring
For nearly three years, Planarist existed behind the veil.
It existed in sketches and concepts, late-night discussions about lore and mechanics, playtesting sessions, printer proofs, and hundreds of creative decisions that slowly transformed an idea into a world.
Now the gates are beginning to open.
The first players are gathering.
The Planes are stirring.
The only question that remains is:
Which Plane will claim you?
Join the Planarist Discord to gain early access to the Tabletop Simulator, follow development updates, explore the growing world of Planarist, and be among the first to enter the Planes.
