Aus Indie Showcase winner INTERVIEW Conquest For The Capital

Firstly, what is Conquest For The Capital?

Conquest For The Capital is a strategy tabletop game where 4 players compete against one another and a central non-playable faction to seize control of the capital tile. Over the course of 5 turns, players build their forces in completely asymmetric ways defined by their chosen fantasy faction.

• Dwarves grow strong through defensive play, using towers to interfere in remote battles.

• Elves expand their lands and protect them with instant reinforcements.

• Orcs thrive on constant conflict, gaining strength from every battle; win or lose, and can move twice each turn.

• Undead invade and capture enemy provinces without fear of permanent losses, returning again and again in relentless waves.

The game is fast-paced, taking only 1–2 hours for a full playthrough. With no dice involved, success comes from reading your opponents and devising clever strategies, not from random chance. Along the way you'll have the option to respond to the shifting state of the board, by drawing upgrade cards that could counter a particular strategy or allow you a new pathway to victory.

How does it feel being announced as a winner for PAX Aus 2025 Indie Showcase?

I’m thrilled to have been selected, as it’s been a long journey of developing and fine-tuning the game until we believed it was truly ready. At the start of the year, we reached the point where Conquest For The Capital felt complete, and we were eager to share it with the world. When we heard that PAX had chosen to showcase the game, it confirmed that we’d succeeded in capturing that feeling of a unique style of play.

How long have you been working on Conquest For The Capital?

The game has been in development for over 10 years, evolving through three complete reworks to reach the version we have today. Early designs included taxation, complex movement rules, hidden unit placement, elite units, and other mechanics that, while interesting, ultimately distracted from the experience we wanted to create. In our final rebuild from the ground up, we focused on clarity, balance, and replayability - running months of playtests to refine each faction against the others. The game has always been a passion project, and we refused to release it until we felt it was truly ready. Now, we believe it has finally become the game we envisioned.

Conquest For The Capital is your debut in the industry, what made you decide that you wanted to make a game?

Personally, I (Daniel) have always been driven creatively, whether it be writing short-stories, being the DM for a TTRPG or exploring smaller artistic hobbies. Creating a game felt like the natural extension of that passion: a project where I could channel my imagination and focus into something tangible, and something that others could experience and enjoy.

What inspired you to make this style of game?

My biggest inspirations have always been grand strategy titles like Axis & Allies, Diplomacy, Twilight Imperium, and Eclipse. During my university years, we’d carve out entire weekends to play these games, but even then, committing two or three days wasn't always possible, and may not even have finished a game. I wanted to capture the same scale, depth, and flavor of those experiences while reducing the time commitment and make something more accessible. From the beginning, we also placed a strong emphasis on true asymmetry - ensuring that each faction not only had its own abilities, but also felt completely distinct in how it played and the strategies it encouraged.

What kind of experience do you want players to have when playing your game?

I want players to feel like they are experiencing the feeling of that classic fantasy trope, whether you are indomitable or inevitable. Then, by switching factions, I want them to feel the complete reversal of perspective: to experience the game from the other side, with an entirely new style of power and play. It should feel like you are switching out a completely different mentality when stepping into that new role.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during development, and how did you overcome them?

As mentioned before, we faced plenty of challenges during playtesting - from balance issues to mechanics that just didn’t click. More than once, we stepped away from the project for long breaks, only to return with fresh eyes and rebuild the game from the ground up. Along the way, we had the support of friends and family who offered invaluable feedback and suggestions for improvement. At times, we had to completely cut mechanics we had grown attached to - a difficult process, but one that ultimately led us to the streamlined final design we’re proud of today.

How did you approach playtesting during development? Did player feedback change the direction of your game?

Our playtesters are a huge part of why we love this game as much as we do. Their feedback has been invaluable; shaping mechanics, refining balance, and pushing us to constantly improve. Keeping an open mind throughout this process has been one of the core values of our design journey.

How did you come up with the mechanics of the game?

It’s been a long journey. Feedback and playtesting have always guided us, but we found that sometimes adjustments weren’t enough. Rather than endlessly rebalancing mechanics that felt clunky or unintuitive, we weren’t afraid to scrap whole systems and rebuild from scratch. Those bold restarts often led to a cleaner, more engaging design than trying to force something that didn’t fit. 

What advice have you got for upcoming game developers?

If you’re feeling stuck on a mechanic, it might not be the piece that’s wrong - it could be the puzzle itself. What helped us was taking a fresh look at the game from the ground up. With hindsight, I’d recommend starting even earlier: clarify what you and your players want from the experience, define your goals, and then design mechanics that serve those objectives. 

What advice have you received that you have held on to throughout your journey?

I think the classic advise we got was "Don't be afraid to kill your darlings" when it came to designing.