Summary
- Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is a successful idle game that combines addictive gameplay and satisfying progression with a live service approach, offering seasonal content and events.
- The game leverages the extensive cast of beloved characters and iconic locales from Dungeons & Dragons, capturing the tabletop gaming vibes despite being a different kind of game.
- The key to making a fun idle game is continuous and consistent live service, rolling out new content on a weekly basis and introducing new Champions regularly to keep the game fresh and engaging for players.
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is a glowing example of idle gaming done right, bringing to the table the kind of deviously addictive gameplay loop and satisfying progression the genre is known for, while also sporting a live service approach that keeps things fresh with seasonal content and events. On top of that, the game has the advantage of Dungeons & Dragons' extensive cast of beloved characters and iconic locales, and it even manages to channel some tabletop gaming vibes despite being a vastly different kind of game.
In an exclusive interview with The Best War Games ahead of Idle Champions' new season launch, The Best War Games spoke with Idle Champions Partner and Talent Manager Vee Mus'e, Lead Game Designer Justin Stocks, and Game System Designer Peter Lee about how the game has teamed up with both Neverwinter and Baldur's Gate 3 to introduce their characters as Idle Champions, as well as how they approach making a fun and engaging idle game. As a bonus, they generously provided a code for The Best War Games readers to unlock an Astarion chest for their rosters in Idle Champions: GAME-RANT-STAR.
Idle Champions Astarion Code
- Code to unlock 1 Gold Astarion Chest in Idle Champions: GAME-RANT-STAR
- Expires November 17th, 11:59 PM PT
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
RELATED:Dungeons & Dragons: Obscure Monsters You Might Not Have Heard Of
Q: Neverwinter and Idle Champions previously collaborated in 2021 to bring in Sgt. Knox, and Idle Champions has also worked brought in origin characters from Baldur's Gate 3. What's the process like when kicking off these collaborations? Are the various teams often in touch as they work on their respective titles?
Mus’e: Our Champion collaborations involve a hefty amount of communication between everyone involved on all sides. It starts with the initial call with the character’s creators to get the details needed to transform a beloved, established character into a Champion. Then we move forward to various art and design elements, which all need approvals to be sure we are keeping in line with the essence of the original character. We also determine how the Champion will work in-game with other Champions and delve into more finite aspects, like important bits of equipment and even dialogue text to add to the Champion’s overall presentation.
Everyone who has a hand in Idle Champions’ Champion development plays an important part in the process. Over the months, we work closely with the creator(s) and one another to ensure that the Champion’s launch goes as smoothly as possible and lives up to the original concept of the character. This process takes a great deal of time from start to finish, so the excitement is real when it comes to the official launch during one of our featured events throughout the year.
Q: An idle game is an unusual format for D&D. How does Idle Champions leverage the D&D setting to set itself apart from more typical idle games?
Stocks: Idle Champions makes extensive use of the D&D world in its adventures, characters, and events. From the sprawling city of Waterdeep, to the frosty plains of Icewind Dale, to the misty forests of Barovia, Idle Champions visits every corner of the Forgotten Realms and then some. There are also dozens upon dozens of characters from the D&D universe available to recruit in the game, including famous characters like Drizzt Do'Urden, and also deep cut characters like Dungeon Master from the 1980s D&D cartoon series. While the levels in tabletop D&D may not scale as high as they do in Idle Champions, the essence of D&D is pervasive throughout it. For players with a knowledge of D&D, the game will already feel familiar when they get started.
Q: Despite being an idle game -- a genre that is by definition not meant to constantly actively engage players -- Idle Champions is quite fun and attracts a sizable amount of players. What do you feel makes a fun idle game? Are there certain core concepts or systems you think are important for keeping players interested?
Stocks: Our approach is to keep players interested in the game with continuous and consistent live service in Idle Champions. We roll out new content on a weekly basis, meaning there's always something new to do. To keep Idle Champion's "formation" system fresh, a new Champion is added to the game roughly every 3 weeks, potentially switching up the meta and allowing for exciting new combinations that players can use to push even further. Idle Champions never feels stale because even if you've completed everything the game has to offer, you only need to wait a week and new challenges will be added.
Q: When introducing new characters such as through these collaborations with Neverwinter, how do you decide which character to add, and how do you determine that character's capabilities?
Lee and Mus’e: We introduce 17 new event Champions every year, so we're always looking for new characters that resonate with our players. We don’t have just one source of inspiration, but many. Sometimes it’s a matter of diving deep into D&D lore to choose cool characters that appeal with D&D players. Other times, it’s connecting with content creators from popular D&D Actual Plays and working with them to bring their fan favorites into the game as Champions.
We also have opportunities to collaborate with other licensed D&D video games, like Neverwinter and Baldur’s Gate 3. This offers yet another way for our players to enjoy an array of characters in our game. Whether it’s an official D&D campaign or working with a creator known for their memorable characters, we look to provide exciting Champions for the players to choose for their formations and game play experience.
When designing how they work in Idle Champions, we start with their statistics, such as their class and ability scores. Do they have a signature spell, item, or special power that they are particularly known for? If so, that is used as inspiration for an attack or a formation ability. For characters that have in-depth stories, we'll often allude to parts of the story, but we try not to spoil any major developments. Finally, if they function as a particular role in a party like a tank or a healer, we try to design the Champion to have a similar function in Idle Champions.
Idle Champions sometimes associates groups of characters in an Affiliation, such as Drizzt's Companions of the Hall or Lae'zel's Absolute Adversaries. We try to have Champions from the same Affiliation work particularly well together, so a character's role in an Affiliation also helps determine a Champion's capabilities. For example, if a particular Champion is the main damage dealer of the group, we try to make sure that all other affiliation members are good at supporting that Champion in some way.
Q: Since Idle Champions has been working with Baldur's Gate 3, can Idle Champions players potentially look forward to adding more characters like Astarion to their idle rosters?
Mus’e: The good news is, Astarion is already on our Champion roster! We were thrilled to have him launch in-game during our annual Brightswords event back in September. If players would like to add previously launched Champions, they can take advantage of our Time Gate Weekends, or use Time Gate Pieces, to unlock the Champions they need.
However, we’re happy to offer your readers a chance to unlock 1 Gold Astarion chest in Idle Champions with the code GAME-RANT-STAR. It’s good until November 17th, 11:59 PM PT.
As for upcoming Champions from a certain game, let’s just say that if players enjoyed unlocking BG3’s Astarion, they will have more to look forward to in the upcoming months! For the latest information and updates about what is going on in-game, definitely check out idlechampions.com/bg3 and go to the “News & Blog” section. Another great community resource is our Idle Champions Discord server, especially for newer players looking for advice and assistance!
[END]
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is free to play on Mobile, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.