TUN35 Trading Card Game

Creative Direction · Game Design · Worldbuilding · Prototype Art

Overview

The TUN35 Trading Card Game began as an unexpected opportunity while I was auditioning as a voice actor for the TUN35 IP. I was cast as Bubbie-Bot, and through conversations with the Harakka team learned they were exploring tabletop experiences—specifically card and board games—set within the world of TUN35.

TUN35 is a narrative-driven video game about a small mining robot working for the Space-O corporation who discovers freedom through music. I saw an opportunity to expand the IP’s universe and emotional themes into a social, strategic format that players could experience together.

I initially mocked up a board game concept using the Robot Raiders engine. During early exploration, we pivoted the direction into a trading card game to better support deep lore expansion, faction identity, and replayable strategy.

My Role

Creative Director & Lead Designer

• Defined the creative direction and design goals for a TUN35 tabletop adaptation
• Designed the core trading card game engine over a single weekend and validated it through rapid playtesting
• Ensured the system supported at least four distinct, viable decks from the outset
• Balanced gameplay through iterative testing with volunteer players

Worldbuilding & IP Development

• Expanded the narrative scope of the TUN35 universe through faction design
• Supported lore development for the Suomenmaa faction
• Contributed to character design for the Grubbers
• Created design beats and thematic guidelines for each faction to maintain narrative cohesion

Art Direction & Production

• Produced the majority of prototype artwork
• Designed the visual UI system for the cards
• Created print-ready production files for playtesting
• Built an educational slide pack for artists interested in entering card game illustration, including visual direction per faction

Core Game Concept

The game is a resource-driven strategy TCG that uses planet cards and resource decks as its energy system. Players build faction-aligned decks and compete to shape control of the universe.

Win Conditions

Players can win in one of two ways:

Planetary Control

• Control four planets on the board
• Each player begins with a home planet and introduces an outer planet aligned to their strategy
• Players deploy Allies or activate Events on planets to secure influence
• Players can play an Ally to their opponents home planet if they control all other planets

1. Protagonist Victory Condition

• Each player has a protagonist card active throughout the match
• Completing that character’s unique objective triggers an alternate win state

This dual-path structure supports multiple play styles, from territorial strategy to narrative-driven objectives.

Factions

Robot Uprising

TUN35 and allied robots rebelling against Space-O’s control.
Their strategy revolves around collaboration, momentum, and building toward a decisive technological breakthrough.

Win Condition: Construct a Mega Sound Cannon capable of defeating Space-O.

Space-O

A resource-hungry corporate force stripping planets for Earth’s survival.
Their playstyle rewards calculated greed and risk.

Win Condition: Empty their own deck.
They have limited ways to retrieve cards from their Junk Yard, forcing strategic resource management and timing.

Suomenmaa

A futuristic Finnish faction specialising in surviving and settling harsh planetary environments.
They sacrifice resource efficiency in exchange for exploration-triggered abilities and environmental adaptation.

Win Condition: Explore planets a set number of times to activate cumulative faction effects.

Grubbers

Pacifist alien salvagers who restore planets devastated by Space-O.
They rely on recycling and transformation rather than direct confrontation.

Win Condition: Recycle materials to create Titan Ore and forge a relic that secures victory.

Systems & Design Approach

• Built a modular engine to allow future faction expansion
• Designed each faction around a distinct psychological playstyle (rebellion, greed, resilience, restoration)
• Balanced mechanical clarity with strong narrative identity
• Ensured each deck could function independently while remaining competitive in mixed play

Playtesting focused on pacing, faction identity, and viability across multiple player skill levels.

Outcome & Next Steps

• Prototype artwork, UI, and print files completed
• Four balanced decks ready for large-scale playtesting
• Educational resources created for onboarding new artists into the card game pipeline

The game is preparing for a major playtest reveal session in Finland. Following this, Harakka will begin discussions with distributors to explore production and release pathways.

This project demonstrates my ability to lead from concept through prototype—shaping mechanics, visual direction, and narrative systems into a cohesive, playable experience that expands an existing IP into a new medium.