Ambush!: A Fast-Paced Game of Strategy and Sacrifice (2021)

Ambush is a fast-paced, fantasy-themed strategy card game with exciting, dynamic gameplay centered around a cast of colorful characters with different abilities. Ambush seeks to provide the perfect blend of thrilling action and intense strategy in a game where the tide of battle can be turned in the blink of an eye! Take control of your personal castle and craft the perfect army of goblins, wizards, and knights to attack your opponents and defend your own walls from harm. The goal of the game is to be the last castle standing at the end of the hectic free-for-all. To do this, players will need to plan and strategize for the Ambush phase, where any card played in the game so far is up for grabs in a mad scramble that has a chance to be triggered at the start of every player’s turn. Having the speed and reflexes to grab the best cards first, as well as remembering where the best cards are on the field will be critical in obtaining the upper hand over other players. Ambush was created as a project for a USC Games class in the fall of 2019 by Michael Ford, Brendan Tighe, Masato Lin, and Tongwei Dai. The team saw some incredible potential in the game, and in the Spring of 2020,a portion of the group reformed and set out to publish and sell the game with the help of USC faculty and developers from other board game start-ups. —description from the designer