What is Mayhem
The simple answer is that it is a nTCG. Well what does that mean? TCG stands for Trading Card Game-- Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Magic: The Gathering are all examples of this. However, the n stands for new or neo...or what probably is a bit more fitting is NFT. That's right Mayhem is a new type of trading card game that runs entirely off of NFT's. So you never actually get cards; instead you make your deck or collection out of NFT's. However, there is much more to it than that, below is a bit more of our story and what we are trying to do.
A Quick Glance
Hello
I always find it rather rude when people don't introduce themselves. In that case, hello I am A.W. Roberts and I am the maker of this game.
The Dream
Ideas are infectious and powerful. Let me share the idea and dream that is Mayhem and why it has consumed so much of my time.
Why NFT's or what is an NFT?
Like the title suggests, why make cards NFT's? More importantly what is a NFT and why is it so useful for a card game?
Well like the heading says above, I am A.W. Roberts. A bit of an odd name but I have always gone by my last name since middle school. I take it as a personal pleasure to make your acquaintance.
If you are truly curious about the nutter that made up this game out of the blue, well allow me a moment of time for some back story. I grew up on a farm in Indiana and then moved away for college. I worked hard and became an engineer (not sure if I would recommend that), but in college I started to get into card games. I think it was the strategy or just using my brain, but everything from poker to Yu-Gi-Oh was fair game. Actually, I should blame my roommate for getting me into the Yu-Gi-Oh, but I'll introduce him shortly. However, college came to an end and I joined the workforce but it was just so dull!!! When NFTs became popular, I figured I would try my hand at it. Besides, how hard could it be to make my own card game?
So here we are; trying to make a card game. As a farm boy, I have always tried to be honest and hardworking, but I am not much for the spotlight. Also, I know almost nothing about business but that’s why I’m not necessarily doing things alone. I do have a few close friends helping me.
Andrew Weiss
Allow me to introduce Mr. Andrew Weiss – or Andy as I like to call him. He was my roommate in college and probably one of my closest friends. I can probably blame him for getting me into card games and giving me the idea for Mayhem. He is no short of a genius– quick witted and can do just about anything. He is my right hand man. He has started a few businesses and is a secret nerd so I have relied on him a lot to help me get things set up.
Oy…I do believe I can introduce myself, thank you. Well I kicked Arty of the keyboard, so allow me to introduce myself– I am Andrew Weiss. Genius is a bit of a stretch but Art was always more hands on and got things done whereas I tend to think things through. Yes, I am a bit of a nerd…with a massive trading card collection…but I also consider myself a gentle man. I can roll up my sleeves and get covered in grease fixing a car, or put on the perfect fit for and waltz my way into ladies hearts. However, I am always open to talking about anime. So when Art came to me with the idea for Mayhem, I hopped on board immediately. Then he told me I was mostly going to be working on website building and social media…of which I know almost nothing about. So what could go wrong? Either way I look forward to working with you.
Sidney Heier
I met Sidney through Andrew, and honestly I think he has a thing for her. Regardless, the first time I met her was over beers at a local bar and she was just going on about the sports games on the TVs. A sports lover to say the least…don’t talk down about any Philadelphia team to her or she will come after you. What I learned soon after is that she is a computer wizard. She actually sent me the specs to build my own PC.
Needless to say, she is invaluable. Building a card game is one thing, but doing so with NFTs is another. Both myself and Andrew knew very little about NFTs so she has virtually given us a library of information. On top of that, she thinks much differently than myself and Andy so she has helped us solve quite a few problems. Like myself she likes to work behind the curtains, but if anything goes wrong she is normally the first person we ask.
Hello, I'm A.W. Roberts
The Dream
Why did I make Mayhem? An extremely simple question, but one I hope to answer so that you will grow the same level of obsession for this game that I have. Let me share my dream with you.
As I explained in my introduction, I love trading card games. I don't know what it is exactly that I love so much about it, maybe the artwork or gameplay-- or perhaps the fantasy. Yet, while some people play instruments or have sports hobbies, mine is trading card games. Well that's one of them at least. I have tried other businesses in the past to no great avail, and also have been moderately interested with cryptocurrency. So you can see where this is going...
Seeing people make millions off NFT's and my love of trading card artwork crashed together in the initial idea of making some of my trading cards NFT's and selling them. However, copyrights... So I had the questionably brilliant idea of making my own card game. Besides how hard could it be... incredibly actually.
Yet that got us to the creation, but not the dream itself. In simple terms, I guess the dream is that I want to have fun. Watching Yu-Gi-Oh, playing and watching Pokémon; I loved the idea of settling disputes with a duel or battle. Living in a world where at any place and time someone could walk up to you and request a match is just cool. However, technology never allowed it in my youth, it was only a fantasy and time went on.
Then I saw an ad for the creation of the Metaverse and I saw the future. I could see myself leaving work and coming home to enter the virtual world. Not just a video game on a screen, but actually entering that world and interacting with it. I would walk up to a giant stadium and see notices for the upcoming professional matches. I would wonder around watching people from all over, summoning amazing creatures and battling it out. Hear the laughter and just feel the excitement as a match over there balances on just the right combination of offense and defense. Or the match over there is with a person who has never played. Have a person who I have never met come up and challenge me. I could see my deck virtually appear before me and feel the rush I used to get watching those old TV shows. For once there was a shot that what I had once dreamed about could become a reality. I invite you to live that reality with me.
It's not going to be easy and will take a long time, but I'm in it for the long haul. I wish to be the one who can meet the true king of games or league champion, and am willing to risk it all to do so.
Why and What Are NFT's?
Oh boy this is a big topic...I guess the why can help explain the what, but we will start with a brief overview. On top of that I will try and keep things as simple as possible. If you are still curious there are tons of books or podcasts on what NFT's are and how they work. I had to do a lot of learning myself.
To begin NFT stands for non-fungible token. The easiest way to think about, and a common example, is to consider the Mona Lisa as an NFT. We all know that there is only one true painting made by the master DaVinci. Yes there are copies and people take picture of it all the time, however there is only one true masterwork. Yet how do we know which is the real one? Well besides the obvious that a cellphone photo is not the real work, the painting has been meticulously tracked and studied. Thus, experts can definitively say what painting is the true work. NFT's are the same thing.
We use computers to track and determine what NFT is the true work. Thus you can take a screen shot of an NFT all you want, but will not possess the true work. The "how" on how using computers to ensure authenticity is extremely complex and simple at the same time. Because of this duality, people often get confused so just believe me when I say there can only ever be one copy of an NFT. This is where we start putting things together.
Because there can only be one true copy of an NFT then a trading card being an NFT means there can only be one true copy of it. This completely destroys the idea of having faked or false cards. Now, we can have multiple copies of cards based on the print number each card receives making each card unique. So when you purchase or trade a card, it is only ever the real thing. On top of that, making the cards digital means that they are easier to trade, store, and access. Finally based off the increasing popularity and growing value of NFTs, you don't just carry a deck, you are carrying a bank account with real world assets. This is what makes Mayhem a neo-TCG
Where Mayhem is at Now
I am an honest man and I always want to be upfront. We are truly at the beginning of the story. Actually more like the prologue. This game is little more than theory for the time being. The ideas are there, but it takes time to create and mint NFT's. On top of that I am neither rich nor a computer genius, so we are taking thing one step at a time. Aside from a few friends, I am currently alone in this endeavor. The first goal is to get a first batch of cards printed and begin generating retinue to further future projects.
As stated before I am not doing this for the money, so every penny goes right back into further development. Even though the situation seems dire, there is still quite a bit of hope. Firstly, the game theory is there. Make cards and boards of your own and test out the game in real life. With the first few sets of cards, their value will skyrocket and they are yours to do with as you please. Trade them and make a fortune if you wish, but I implore you to stay a part of the game, because what comes next is...amazing...
Where Mayhem is Aimed to Go.
We are taking things step by step so here is what those steps are looking like for the long term. Firstly is to produce two individual drops of cards. This should produce necessary revenue and allow for future development. After the second drop, we enter into phase two and that is developing a third and fourth drop of cards while producing an online gaming system, meaning you will be able to play right here on the site.
From there we will continue to regularly drop new cards, but the amount may begin to decrease per drop. However, the goal for phase three is to produce a shop and market right here on the site. Then you can buy, trade, and play all in one place. From here things will really begin to become amazing.
Phase four is the big one. By this time, significant revenue from card sales and trades should allow for a small, full time team. So you will have full time support and steady development...and we can begin to build the dream. In reality phase four is building into the metaverse and creating the world for all of us. Beyond that, I hope to make deals with other major TCG's so that this world we make is not just our own but for everyone that wishes to game. If I do say so myself, I'm really excited for phase four. However, we have not even started phase one...but I am willing to take all the time needed to make it all work.