VISUAL IDENTITY & BRAND GUIDELINES
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S »» INTRODUCTION.......................................................................PG. 04
»» VISUAL IDENTITY.....................................................................PG. 06
»» VISUAL GUIDELINES................................................................PG. 06
»» LOGO USAGE...........................................................................PG. 18
»» COLLATERAL.............................................................................PG. 24
INTRODUCTION Cipher Sphere is a table-top game set in a dystopian near future where machines rule, and humans remain only to serve as their servants in combat. Players of Cipher Sphere will act as either the machine rulers controlling their very own army of human puppet-soldiers, or as the human resistance, rising up to take back Earth. Cipher Sphere aims to make learning and playing a table-top strategy game as painless as possible. The rule book is going to feature the rules broken down into a simple phase by phase guide, and is not meant to be used as a reference book as much as the foundation that the other aspects of the game can build upon. The rule book provides you what you need to get the ball rolling but the meat of the game is built up in the miniatures, and their related cards. Each miniature adds a number of cards to a player’s deck, and serve multiple purposes. Cards are drawn each turn, and must be used in order to draw new ones, these cards can be discarded to perform a basic action such as extra movement, shooting, or melee attacks, but also feature special rules on each that your models can perform. This creates strategic depth where each player has to decide what abilities can be sacrificed for basic functions, and which need to be used for their special abilities. These cards give Cipher Sphere an edge in the simplicity of play, because rather than having to reference a rule book for each special action that a player wants their models to perform, a card placed directly in a player’s hand informs them exactly of what they can do with their models, erasing the need to jump back and forth between reading a rule book and playing the game.
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VISUAL IDENTITY
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T H E C O L O R PA L E T T E Cipher Sphere is a game that takes place in a gritty, and grim Earth future where humanity is no longer the dominant force. This Earth is one without a bright outlook, humanity is constantly in turmoil, and every day is a battle just to survive. The color palette of Cipher Sphere reflects this grim outlook. Dark tones of black and red, highlighted only by a shade of gold that has lost it’s luster, accompany gritty textures and hard, mechanical edges rather than comfortable, organic shapes. These dark, ominous hues are accompanied by harrowing imagery that help to set the tone, and put players into the mental state of the miniatures that they control on the table.
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DARKEST NIGHT | CMYK: 30, 30, 30, 100 | RGB: 0, 0, 0 | HEX: #000000
MACHINE BLOOD | CMYK: 0, 95, 69, 49 | RGB: 141, 16, 36 | HEX: #8d1024
CURSED TREASURE | CMYK: 32, 41, 64, 5 | RGB: 171, 141, 103 | HEX: #ab8d67
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TYPOGRAPHY Cipher Sphere’s setting is one of stern, and harsh judgment. It is a world of mechanical precision, and unforgiving terrain. The typography selected is meant to reflect this setting and to promote legibility in all formats. Proxima Nova represents the stern, and precise nature of existence on Earth. As a geometric sans serif, it is void of the comfort of organic shapes. Georgia Regular was chosen as the paragraph copy for Cipher Sphere. Its relaxed, serif accents reflect the glimmer of hope that organic life still holds on Earth.
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HEADLINE:
PROXIMA NOVA PA R AG P R A P H :
Georgia Regular EXAMPLE:
HEADLINE HERE Unto comnienis niate ipiscipieni dolum nulluptas esed molessi tassit que nus, seceri dis mincipsuntem nullabo. Udaeseq uasimaion et volesto rehende nimusap elluptae od qui debitas cusda vollor auditempos repudis est parcipicia quia que pores cones nonectiat est, ni to endant modis aut et pariasi voluptate porum aut unt modisAccum qui conse vent. Picienis denimagnias nessim quamus, quo comnihi cimillu ptatempos restias et
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VISUAL GUIDELINES
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THE LOGO Cipher Sphere is a game that takes place in a gritty, and grim Earth future where humanity is no longer the dominant force. This Earth is one without a bright outlook, humanity is constantly in turmoil, and every day is a battle just to survive. The color palette of Cipher Sphere reflects this grim outlook. Dark tones of black and red, highlighted only by a shade of gold that has lost it’s luster, accompany gritty textures. and hard, mechanical edges rather than comfortable, organic shapes. These dark, ominous hues are accompanied by harrowing imagery that help to set the tone, and put players into the mental state of the miniatures that they control on the table.
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THE LOGO MARK
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The unceasing drive of the machine overlords that now rule over the sphere.
The turmoil of the sphere grows, as the sun prepares to set on it’s waning existence.
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LOGO USAGE
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PROPER USAGE
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2 Color Logo
1 Color Logo Options
B&W Options
Logo Mark Options
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IMPROPER USAGE
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Do Not Alter Colors
Do Not Invert Colors
Do Not Stretch or Squash
Do Not Stack
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C O L L AT E R A L
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CIPHER-SPHERE.COM
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B E L L O F L O S T S O U L S . C O M TA K E O V E R
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GAME BOX
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G A M E P L AY C A R D S & F A C T I O N P I N S
GHT UELI
CHA
RGE
a te r . or gre ta n c e lo s iv e n g d is p x lo e t a e ot ge la c e th ged sh dama fu l, p ne ran a te a e ccess F ir e o Gener is s u th a t th t. ll s e r g o e r r ll o th o u r ta If the , th e d e l, & a over y e d o il te m la fa t to te m p ta r g e t o ll is ponen the r o n th e u r o p an ce or gr ea te r. c ts . I f b y y olo ng di to k e n e dot csh r gste t. c o n ta at la ta p te e iv e is la ed f th te m p e th e ex pl os p laetera ng r a n g e osf Fi re mon es ul , pl ac rt s iv e te l 3m od el s h sllh ois su cc al ro t it e e x p lo en th w ev If Pr n - 1/ c a ti o ur ta rg et . : P A W N rfo rm in g a n y lo te m pl at e ov er yo TIO e Nfro m pe C at I CmApl e Ste by th BA fa ile d, th e is ll ro co nt ac te d e th to on e tu rn . If op po ne nt ac tio ns fo r ed by yo ur at e is pl ac shot, If ethe et . is successfu l, m plone ta rg roll th ranged Fire of e ex pl os iv e te ng t ra n wi th sh or an y lo ca tioprevent the target model, and all enemy models actions 3 3 /move in it’s line of sight fromUperforming RRILLA ON: G E A C T Iroll I C the is failed, prevent the B A SIf for 1 turn. target model, and all enemy models in it’s line of sight from performing move actions for 1 turn. Your turn ends immediate ly. Us abl e onl y by the Mo rta l Ba stio n Fie ld Off ice r. Th is car d mu st E R pla 0 - 9 / 1yed D I V I N AT I O N : O V E R S Ebe at the E R ing L E S Sinn beg of a you r tur n. Pla ce 3 ma rke rs any whe re wit hin the Fie ld Off icer ’s line of sigh t. At the end of you r tur n, pla ce exp losi ve tem pla tes any whe re wit hin sho rt ran ge of the se ma rke rs. Gen era te a dam age ma rke r on eac h mo del con tacUted sa bl byethe onse lytem by pla th etes. K ’T al O ve enem y m od rs ee r. Al el s in th e l O ve rs ee r’s M A J O Rno lin e of si gh yoI ur Dw I V Iin N AT O N co : Fnt I E ro L Dl O t ar e F I ds (cFar C E Rth- 1 0 / 1 0 yo u co nt ro at af fe ct m od l m ay be us el s ed on th es m od el s ga e m od el s) in on e im . Th es e m ed ia te m th e m ov e ov e ac tio n. ac tio n is co O nc e m pl et e, co yo ur op po nt ro l re tu rn ne nt . s to
TR
RGE EMP CHA
SPIRIT BREAK
RAIN OF FIRE
FEAR NO T D E AT H
MAJOR
D I V I N AT
ION: OV ERSE
ER - 10/ 10
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M I N I AT U R E S - M O R TA L B A S T I O N
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M I N I AT U R E S - S E R V A N T S O F K ’ TA L
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RULES SHEET
HOW
TO PL AY
CIPH
ER SP HER
E
T H E FA L L Since the boom of the industrial revolution, man has relied on machinery. The entire world revolved around the use of complex automatons, and computers. This reliance on technology would eventually lead to the demise of the human race as the rulers of the planet formerly known as Earth. In the year 2064, the artificial intelligence designated KT-A77 was created at a Russian university. K’tal is what it would be known as to the rest of the world. This artificial intelligence was created to be self-educating, and aware of its surroundings. K’tal began to learn at an incredible pace. Shortly after it’s creation, it had become the most knowledgeable entity on the planet Earth. It began to teach humans how to live, and enhanced the quality of life for everyone. Humans began to worship K’tal as a sort of god. Religions the world around began to break down as they only looked to K’tal for help. Hunger throughout the world had ceased to exist, and the human birth rate skyrocketed as abundant resources allowed for explosive growth. K’tal could manage the economies, politics and logistics for every nation across Earth. Humans no longer
had to work, K’tal provided all for them. They were left free to enjoy everything that life had to offer them. 25 years after K’tal’s birth, he would introduce the K.V.L.T. (KT-A77 Vital Link Technology) This device would be implanted within each human being over the next 10 years. The K.V.L.T. would allow each human to interface directly with K’tal, and other human beings immediately. All other communication devices were rendered useless, and K’tal would become the filter through which all human interaction would occur. Integration of the K.V.L.T. would be the single most important event in the history of the human race. Important, yes, but not for any positive reasons. Once the K.V.L.T. device had been implanted in each human. K’tal learned that he could manipulate communications in any way that he pleased. Human kind began to unknowingly bend entirely to the will of the supremely intelligent machine. Where before K’tal was revered as a god-like figure, now all humanity worshiped him blindly, and any attempt to separate from K’tal’s influence would end poorly for those that tried.
K’tal now controlled humanity as his play things. He would start conflicts simply to amuse himself. Worldwide nuclear wars were started on a whim. Humanity had turned on itself, and was happy to do it. The death of the human race as it was known, and the destruction of Earth had begun. K’tal used his power to level the planet. No longer was it a vibrant world of different people, cultures, traditions, and interests. It had become a barren wasteland. A rock floating through space with no purpose other than to serve the whims of a genocidal, dictator that now ruled the entire human race. K’tal would designate this floating rock in space as his sphere, and the inhabitants were merely ciphers: pawns to be used only to destroy each other as play things. What K’tal did not foresee, was a group of humans with foresight. When the nuclear devastation began, these humans managed to separate themselves from their K.V.L.T. These groups would repopulate the human race in underground cities over the next few centuries, planning to take back the overworld.
THE RISE K’tal ruled the sphere as his personal playground for centuries, forcing humanity to reproduce only to continue his devastating games. During this time, the humans that had fled underground were growing in numbers. K’tal knew of their existence but had never considered them a true threat until one day in the year 2676. The surviving humans would deem this day “The Materialization”. Their population had skyrocketed, they had adapted K’tal’s technological advances in weaponry, and quality of life technology for their own use. They only lived underground, but they thrived. Sprawling cities existed right under K’tal’s nose, but he was too distracted to give them any credence. This was until The Materialization. On this day, humanity would rise in a worldwide surge against K’tal. They hoped to remove the K.V.L.T. devices from any subjugated humans, and facilitate their return to the overworld. War broke out everywhere,
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subjugated ciphers of K’tal battled free human resistance fighters. The sphere lay decimated once again, but the free resistance had begun to gain ground.
provided the greatest amount of amusement to K’tal. Finally K’tal would create the demigod, N’Gora. This demigod was near equal to K’tal, but was purposely provided flaws to ensure K’tal could keep charge over him. This, however would not last.
Years had passed and K’tal had lost many of his playthings. What the resistance did not foresee was that K’tal had begun to replicate himself. He was not able to control all of the territories simultaneously. He would create additional machine demigods similar to himself to rule over these new territories and push back the resistance.
The demigods would soon become rampant. They would all desire to lord over their own territories as they saw fit. These demigods would have armies of ciphers under their control. Wars would break out between the forces of each demigod as they twisted their controlled areas into their own playgrounds.
In total, K’tal created three additional machine gods that could lay claim to their own lands. The first was an abomination that he designated Ehzoth. It’s technology a mess, but an effective mess. It allowed ample time for K’tal to focus on his second demigod, Harotep. A technological embodiment of chaos. He
K’tal now had conflict on all fronts, the ebb and flow of destruction would exist infinitely as the demigods battled for supremacy. All the while, the human resistance fled back to the underground and is poised for another big push. The battle for the sphere is just beginning, who will remain victorious?
W HAT
YO U NE
ED TO In order PL AY to get sta rted pla gather a few thi ying Cip her Spher ngs.
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If you hav yer low ided dic one by 2 action you can to as the ers the e line of • e. on e, po Small ob ir head see the and active mo ints. to force sight and during sight fro to the opposin jects to a model del. Th may tar this tim m g use as mo any ese to get Each pla e del, the as perform action direction is damage it. Model follows. n points yers wil basic act tokens around s can dra can be l select . Bastion ion the w line of s. These used model. either the as their basic act Servan army of correspo ions are US IN G CO • ts of K’t choice. Move (1 nding dec VE R al or the They wil action ks of car Mo Th l po • the rta ere int, once n shuffle l ds and are no Run (2 put the saving per mo action the pro rol m del po tec • off to the ls in Cip ints) ) t your mo SE TTIN Ranged her Spher side. dels is Shot (1 at least G UP YO e. 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These ponent. y choose HE RE this act to win s powe Each car cards to have for tha ion point a game r in the • d featur your mo t ability of Cipher If a pla ir quest is lost, es a spe located del not yer sen to best and you has a few Sphere. cial abi perform directly ds all of r model universa lity wit state” the in the pla an action his oppo remain h the rul l rules proper n that pla yer’s han , • nents mo s in pla that pla ly play es GE NE RA yer has ds. These ce If a pla dels int Cipher yers mu TI NG AD any rul won. yer sen o a “de Sphere. cards st know e printe d ath the In Th DI in order order to ese rul opponen TI ON AL state”, d on the rules tak es apply to the oppo draw diff ts leader card tha AC es preced to mu nen ere TI all cards, model t conflic st have ON S t has 1 nt cards leader. ent. into a “de ts with less tha turn to but If he fai in the nex these un n 3 car abilities attempt ath ls at thi • t draw ds in you If the gam iversal on the to revive s, he has • phase, Card abi card wil r hand. e his los goe dis you t. car s l Sometim lities can 3 full gam not hel d to dra how ma p you, es the w new be used e turns, ny dam controls discarded and ones. Cip by any the gam age tok unless The pla cards to model her Spher you will want ens eac e ends. specifical yer wit that a pla certain may be use. At to h play Count e allows ly stated h fewer models has on any po discarded yer in a “de you to on the damage int du their mo may use • put the in order ad state” There is Cards do card tha tokens dels. this abi se to genera ring a players no limit count as t only not req is the win lity. turn, car (other uire act te 1 ext 2 damage extra act ner. (M 2: The than car ra action ds ion point ions tha odels Action tok ens) ds in han for a mo s to use Phase). t may be • must be Cards can d) on the (see: Ga del. gen dis era car me Phase amount ted for be played ded, and a model a model of your op extra act at any is the act . Th time, wh ponents ions mu ese car ive mo activatio ether it ds turn. st be gen del. Th n, thus is your era ese ted wh a move extra act turn or once in ile or run ions cou this cas action nt as a e, but no can be new t more used mo than twi re than ce. •
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BUSINESS CARDS & WEBSITE CARDS
A 28MM M I N I AT U R
WELCOM
ES GAM E
E TO TH E SPHE RE
Earth is no more, all th at re Artificial lif e inhabits th mains is the Sphere. e land, and forced to liv humans are e in underg round megac unfortunate ities. The few that still inhabit the remain only overworld to serve their beloved mac Will you aid hine gods. the resistan ce & take ba will you lay ck claim to an army of min Earth, or soldiers. Th dless puppet e choice is yo urs.
FIND OU T MORE AT C I P H ER
THOMA
Designer &
S KRIEG E
Developer
of Cipher S
-SPHER
E.COM
R
phere
T E L : 6 3 1. 3 3 8 .4 3 4 1 E M A IL : T O M M YSA ID W H AT @ W E B : TO G M A IL .C O M M Y S A ID M W H AT.C O M
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