Heresy: Kingdom Come

Lore & Background

The theme of Heresy was the continuation of the War in Heaven between angels and demons in a futuristic cyberpunk setting. The premise is that the barriers (known in the game as the Mirror, Shroud, or Veil) between the physical realm (the Wilds), the digital realm (the Matrix), and the spiritual realm (Heaven) have grown thin, and fallen angels on Earth are trying to use the Matrix (cyberspace) to open a portal to ascend back into Heaven. Meanwhile, Earth is torn by conflict between not just the aforementioned angels and demons, but also human governments, corporations, criminal organizations, artificial intelligences, hackers, and cybernetically-enhanced humans.

Reader's Guide

Players alternate turns. Cards are played into either of two zones, the Wilds (the physical realm) or the Matrix (the digital realm). To open a card means to turn it sideways. A player wins once he or she has generated enough tau to open a portal with which to ascend to Heaven. Each card is associated with one of eight convictions: Acquisition, Devotion, Evolution, Preservation, Rebellion, Stagnation, Technology, and Tradition. There are six types of cards: Location cards (can be opened to either generate aura or store tau), Character cards (represent individuals, remain on the board, can engage in combat), Aleph cards (represent artifacts, remain on the board), Enhancement cards (attach to other cards for various effects), Celestial Power cards (one-time effects, played only during the player's turn), and Miracle cards (one-time effects, can be played at any time). Card components include name, conviction icon, call value (call influence and call aura), and additional attributes such as attack/defense, virtual support, tau storage, free will, and Aereopagus votes. The base set, released in September 1995, consisted of 374 cards. An expansion called Project Demiurge with 90 cards was planned for a June 1996 release, but no expansion sets were ever published.

Did You Know?

• Heresy was notable for using oversized cards with a much greater height than the standard ISO 216 B8 size, similar to tarot cards, which emphasized the magical and mystical themes.
• The larger card size allowed for larger art but was criticized for not fitting standard card sleeves and making shuffling difficult.
• Art was provided by well-known artists including Tim Bradstreet, Gerald Brom, Michael W. Kaluta, Tom Kidd, James O'Barr, Andrew Robinson, Barclay Shaw, John K. Snyder III, Karl Waller, and Bernie Wrightson.
• Steve Faragher reviewed Heresy for Arcane magazine, rating it an 8 out of 10 overall, commenting that 'Heresy is a wonderful game that proves that startlingly original atmosphere is just as important as innovative mechan