Retina - A competitive card game of AI destruction.

🔥 Retina - Overview

The AIs of the world are getting too big for their britches... your job is to stop them. 

Retina is a competitive card game of AI destruction, where players build an AI, then race to destroy it, earning Uniquely Human cards to win. 

…but there is a hidden twist, the Retina becomes harder to destroy with each AI the players successfully eliminate.

Experience the fun of raging against a tricky AI with your uniquely human friends! 

📦 What's in the base game box?

📦 What's in the Base Game box? 

20 AI cards to FIGHT A DIFFERENT AI configuration every time you play,  plus 45 Uniquely Human cards and 135 cards to destroy the AI and mess with your opponents. 200 cards total! 

❇️ Expansion Deck (optional)

❇️ What's in the Expansion Deck? 

We had so much fun playtesting Retina, many of our ideas didn't make it into the final game. However, the 'Clones & Encryptions' variation was legendary and makes the AI even more tricky as you try to destroy it! Add it as an expansion deck with your pledge!

• Adds 30+ cards to the game so you can duplicate, protect, and defend your best cards. 
• Adds extra tricky AI cards that add even more challenges to each game.
• Adds new ways to outmaneuver your opponents and dual use cards.
• Creates new paths to win!

🎉 Choose a reward

🎉 Uniquely Human Kickstarter Rewards

Kickstarter Rewards are focused on one thing: delivering a copy of Retina to your door in as few steps as humanly possible. Ordering your copy of Retina is easy:

Step 1. Choose your Kickstarter reward.
Step 2. Receive your copy in early 2027!
Step 3. Then schedule game night...our team of unique humans will take care of the rest

🚚 Flat-Rate Shipping (world-wide)

🚚 Flat-Rate Shipping (World-Wide)

Simple, predictable, and backed by our Peace of Mind Guarantee!  You will receive a full refund if we're unable to ship your game to your location.

📖 How to play

📖 How To Play

• For 2-6 players, ages 8 to adult, plays in 20 min from start to destruction.
• Every game the AI cards change. As you fight the Retina, the AI will become more difficult to destroy, revealing new challenges to overcome.
• Race to collect the most Uniquely Human cards before the end of the game.
• Mess with other players using action cards.
• Player interaction is competitive PvP (every player for themselves).

Retina is deceptively simple, but each round you will discover there is a depth of strategy that makes it fun to play over and over again.

🇬🇧 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 🇩🇪 Languages

🇬🇧 🇫🇷 🇪🇸  🇩🇪Languages & Translations

Language options include: English, Français, Español and Deutsch, translated by certified localization specialists ... who are Unique Humans, not convincing imposters speaking from a cloud somewhere that is generated by an secret corporation with a PR playbook.

👫 Meet the creators

👫 Meet The Creators

Retina's story began when Timothy and Rachel overheard their 10-year-old twins in the back seat of the car energetically debating how to authenticate whether an AI was real. Inspiration struck because we don't want to see AI destroy what it means to be Uniquely Human! As soon as we got home a mountain of Sharpies quickly filled our dining room table ... that day we played our first game of 'Retina'. The goal was simple: Build an AI, using only a deck of cards, then try to destroy it before it destroys us.  It wasn't polished but the fun we had was real as we discovered something AI could never replace. 

All funds will go towards putting a copy of Retina in your Uniquely Human hands. 
 

🦋 From Prototype to Production

 Retina's first prototype was made with Sharpies and hand cramps!

So we hired an artist, assembled a team of a real humans, and got to work playtesting Retina with professional game designers, lots of kids, and adult game enthusiasts. 

The first time we played we didn't know the name of the game, but that didn't stop us from having fun. Some things were an adventure, like figuring out the rules and how to win, but the real fun was discovering something completely new. 

Thankfully we didn't do this alone! We also owe a ton of thanks to our local playtest community and GDoNC (Game Designers of North Carolina). They helped guide Retina from 'an idea' to a unique and streamlined game that we can't wait to share with you! 

⭐️ Playtester Reviews

⭐️ Playtester Reviews

We have since spent hundreds of hours playtesting and refining Retina into the game it is today But don't take our word for it...

"Wow this game is fun, I could see myself playing this again and again"

"This game is simple and streamlined, fast to play, and a lot of fun"  

"I like this! .... I want a copy. Where can I buy it? When will it be available?" 

"The strategy involved is simple and fun. I can't wait to play again. "

Our son - "Dad, I'm so good at Retina you can't even beat me at your own game!

♟️ Game Design & Contributors

♟️Game Design - by Black Swan Game Co.

Retina is designed by Timothy & Rachel, founders of Black Swan Game Co, along with help from dozens of very unique humans who have all contributed in big and small ways! Special thanks are in order for:

- Chloe Fraetis (The Artist)
- Mesa Game Lab: David Diaz (Animation) & Rick (voiceover artist) for Retina's promo video).
- Forrest B., David M., David D. and Joe R. for Rulebook feedback.
- Certified Translation Services by Lana Cantos
- Justus Oddy (Video Production)
- John, Nate, Jeff, Marni, Ibraham, Cam, David, George, Robert, Jeff, Anna, Joe, Mike, Grace, and all the other game designers from our region who contributed in more ways than we can count!
- Michael from Potions & Pixels, Nick from Luck Game Factory, & Teressa from Mighty Meeple for hosting community game nights with other tabletop game enthusiasts!
- Chris E. and Louis F. from ColorSym for helping us refine Retina's iconography to better serve the color blind community.
- Chris P. for timely feedback early in our journey that helped us realize we needed to keep going and not take ourselves too seriously as we went back to the drawing board on some important game mechanics. We all need people like this in our lives! 
- All the neighborhood kids and friends who showed up with enthusiasm asking to play Retina and each of our 4 of our kids for everything you individually contributed to making Retina and this journey to production an adventure!
- George B. Not least of all George, thanks for being the inspiration behind all of this and an invisible hand that inspired us in more ways than you will ever know. 

All together dozens of people came together to bring Retina to your game table. Thank you to everyone who contributed!

⚙️ Manufacturing & Production

⚙️ Manufacturing & Production

All Retina's art files are complete and we are already working with a trusted manufacturing partner who comes highly recommended from other Kickstarter creators and game publishers. Be the first to get a copy of Retina in your hands!

📆 Estimated Delivery

📆 Estimated Delivery & Fulfillment 

Estimated delivery is Early 2027. Regional fulfillment centers will be used to distribute orders at scale and world-wide. All backed by our Peace of Mind Guarantee! 

VAT & Sales Taxes

We will manage VAT and Sales taxes through Kickstarter's pledge manager.