Paws & Tusks

What is Paws & Tusks?

Paws & Tusks is a single-player card game about a feud between the Frost Pact's polar bears and the Mud Clans' warthogs. Each side has its own arena, and the battlefield is split into three lanes. A deck holds 12 cards drawn from heroes, tricks, and gear. The aim is to take lanes by bringing down all three enemy banners, or to hold more banners than the opponent when eight rounds are over. Matches are designed to last about three minutes, which makes the format feel closer to a quick skirmish than a long constructed card session. The Early Access build is free and runs in a browser. It includes two story worlds, an expedition mode, and a practice arena. The tone is fantasy animal warfare rather than realistic military card play: polar bears on one side, warthogs on the other, painted heroes, and named locations such as Frosty Pines and the Mud Flats. Season 1, called Thin Ice, adds 16 cards earned through play. The project is still in development, with later worlds planned.

How to play

Start by choosing the Bears or the Hogs, then assemble a 12-card deck from heroes, tricks, and gear. A match unfolds across three lanes. The win condition is concrete: destroy all three enemy banners, or finish round eight with more banners standing than the rival side. Last Stand adds pressure at the end: in round eight, banner damage doubles, so a close match can swing on the final push. That rule gives defensive play a deadline and makes lane priorities matter in the last turns. The Early Access content is split into three clear paths. The first two story worlds hold eight fights set in Frosty Pines and the Mud Flats. Expedition is a roguelite trail where choices come as three-card picks, and the run includes relic pickups, camps, a trail-side shop, and a boss encounter with The Big Thaw. Practice Arena lets a player test any deck against the computer at Easy, Normal, or Hard.

With 40 painted heroes and 16 Season 1 cards in the pool, the deck-building starts with a broad roster rather than a tiny starter set.

Controls

The browser build uses a card-inspection control: hold a card, or right-click it, to view it full size. That is useful in a game where heroes, tricks, and gear are painted and carry text, because a full-size view makes the card easier to read before a lane decision. On a desktop, right-clicking offers a direct inspection action. Holding a card serves the same reading purpose. The control fits the short-match structure: a player can check a card, return to the three-lane board, and keep the roughly three-minute pace. Card inspection also helps in Expedition, where choices between three cards and a trail-side shop put a premium on reading options before committing. The practice arena is a sensible place to test a 12-card deck while using the full-size card view. The build is an HTML5 browser game, and the full phone launch is planned for Android on Nov 24.

Tips for your first run

Use the Practice Arena before spending a story battle. It allows any deck to be tested against the computer at Easy, Normal, or Hard, which gives a low-risk way to learn how a 12-card mix of heroes, tricks, and gear behaves across three lanes. Keep the win condition in view: three enemy banners down wins immediately, and holding more banners after eight rounds also wins. That makes lane pressure and banner protection the core of each match. In Expedition, treat each three-card pick, relic, camp, and shop stop as part of a run that ends at The Big Thaw. The mode is a roguelite trail, so the boss is the clear target. Use the full-size card view by holding or right-clicking a card before committing to a play. Season 1 cards are earned by playing, so early matches also build the collection.

• Test a 12-card deck in Practice Arena at Easy before moving to Normal or Hard.
• Track the banner count: three enemy banners down ends the match, and the side with more standing after round eight wins.
• Remember Last Stand: round eight doubles banner damage, so close games can turn on the final round.
• In Expedition, weigh three-card picks, relics, camps, and shop offers with the boss The Big Thaw in mind.
• Hold a card or right-click it to read the full-size text before playing it.

Content and replayability

The Early Access package is built around three modes rather than a single ladder. The first two story worlds contain eight battles across Frosty Pines and the Mud Flats. Expedition is the roguelite trail, with three-card choices, relics, camps, a trail-side shop, and a boss called The Big Thaw. Practice Arena supports any deck against the computer at Easy, Normal, or Hard. The roster starts with 40 painted heroes, and Season 1: Thin Ice adds 16 cards earned by playing. Two sides, the Bears and the Hogs, each have their own arena, so the same three-lane rules can be approached from either faction. The fair-play structure matters for replayability: the game avoids randomized card packs, paid currency, timed gates, streak pressure, and advertising. Everything in this version is free and earnable by play. Planned updates point to Worlds 3-5: Aurora Peaks, Sunset Boardwalk, and the finale, The Big Thaw. More cards are planned with each season, and new cards are always meant to be earnable by playing. The full phone launch is planned for Android on Nov 24.

Presentation and performance

Paws & Tusks presents its conflict through two faction arenas: one for the Frost Pact's polar bears and one for the Mud Clans' warthogs. The card pool includes 40 painted heroes, with Season 1: Thin Ice adding 16 more cards. The visual identity leans on animal fantasy and named places such as Frosty Pines and the Mud Flats. A full-size card view, opened by holding or right-clicking a card, supports that art by letting a player inspect a card beyond the lane board. The match format is compact, with a target of about three minutes, so presentation is tied to quick reads: banners in three lanes, a round counter that matters at round eight, and card text that needs to be clear before a play. The build is an HTML5 browser game, and the full phone launch is planned for Android on Nov 24. The painted-hero approach gives the 40-character roster a consistent visual anchor, while the two arenas separate the Bears and Hogs without changing the core three-lane structure. Card inspection keeps the painted art readable during play.

Who should play it

This is a fit for players who want a card battler with short commitments, a clear three-lane board, and a 12-card deck limit. The roughly three-minute match target and the eight-round cap give each game a defined shape, while Last Stand adds a sharp finish at round eight. Players who like roguelite trails will find Expedition's three-card choices, relics, camps, trail-side shop, and The Big Thaw boss. Players who prefer to test ideas without story pressure can use Practice Arena at Easy, Normal, or Hard. The animal-fantasy framing is direct: polar bears against warthogs, each with its own arena. The fair-play rules also matter for anyone tired of randomized packs, paid currency, timed gates, streak pressure, and ads. Everything in this Early Access version is free and earnable by playing, and Season 1 cards come through play. The age guidance is 10 and up, with an E10+ rating. A player who wants a browser card game with a small deck, short matches, and a roguelite option is the intended audience.