Candy Critters:
Chihuahuas Vs. Llamas
A deliciously sweet tabletop card game about war and cute animals.
An ancient war looms between history’s cutest enemies: chihuahuas and llamas. For eons, chihuahuas and llamas have fought each other for total candy domination. In the deliciously sweet tabletop card game, Candy Critters it’s up to you to determine who wins the war and gets all the candy!
Artist: AJ Merrick
Greetings! My name is Whitney Grace and I’m the creator/writer and producer of Candy Critters: Chihuahuas vs. Llamas. For years, I wanted to build a game around the idea of chihuahuas and llamas fighting, but to channel Dr. Leonard McCoy, “I’m a writer, not a game designer!” Fortunately, I met the game designer, Alex Sierputowski.
Alex is a talented game designer and heads GameDirection, LLC. He adored my game concept, but not the execution. I asked him to make my idea a playable game. He disappeared for a while and returned with Candy Critters: Chihuahuas vs. Llamas. Alex also taught me an important trade secret: the KISS principle or “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” I’m the “stupid” one, not Alex. What can I say, though? I’m a writer, my craft is in the details.
Once upon a time, the Llamcan and Chitec Empires were great, peaceful societies. Their peoples were best friends because both the llamas and chihuahuas loved candy, especially chocolate. The llamas traded their wool and shiny rocks for the chihuahuas’ chile peppers and avocados. The chihuahuas loved making spicy chocolate candy, while the llamas love making hot cocoa. One day a group of llamas and chihuahuas were scouting in the jungle when they came across an untouched grove of chocolate cocoa bean trees. The cocoa bean grove was located directly on the border between the Chitec and Llamcan Empires. Both the chihuahuas and llamas claimed the grove for the respectful empires and neither wanted to share!
The two empires declared war! However, the chihuahuas and llamas realized they were too peace-loving and adorable, which meant they were horrible at waging war. The empires mutually decided to only fight with candy weapons to protect their cuteness (and so no one would get seriously injured). They also agreed that whoever was the last critter standing (and hadn’t passed out from eating the candy weapons) won control of the cocoa bean grove! Will the Chitec or Llamcan empire win? It’s up to you to decide their fate!
Core Mechanics: Competitive, Strategy, Card Collecting, Card Matching, Symbol Matching, Pattern Recognition
Language: English
Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Family
Candy Critters is a strategic card collecting and matching tabletop game. Its gameplay is similar to mancala with influences from Trouble and Sorry!
The chihuahuas and llamas are battling each other for control of a cocoa bean forest. Each player assumes the role of either the chihuahuas or the llamas with the appropriate card deck. Players move around the board using the cards as playing pieces. Various trick cards can hinder or aid players as they move around the board.
The goal is to match chihuahua and llama warriors with their candy weapons. Whoever is the first player to match six warriors with their candy weapons wins.
Candy Critters: Chihuahuas Vs. Llamas includes the following contents:
- 1 Chihuahua Card Deck (48 cards)
- 1 Llama Card Deck (48 cards)
- 1 Play Mat
The chihuahuas and llamas are battling each other for control of a cocoa bean forest. Each player assumes the role of either the chihuahuas or the llamas with the appropriate card deck. Players move around the board using the cards as playing pieces. Various trick cards can hinder or aid players as they move around the board.
The goal is to match chihuahua and llama warriors with their candy weapons. Whoever matches the most warrior and weapon cards wins.
Both Whitney and Alex are neurodivergent geeks, who love to share their passion for awesome games with others. Whitney has autism and Alex has ADHD. Candy Critters: Chihuahuas vs. Llamas was specially designed to appeal to people with neurodivergent disorders. Candy Critters’ gameplay involves pattern recognition and strategic planning which appeals to autistic gamers’ strengths. It also has fast gameplay, requires quick thinking, and its easy rules are perfect for ADHD gamers. Plus the eye-catching graphics and engaging story appeal to everyone, not just gamers with ADHD and autism.
Risks and challenges
Creator/writer and producer Whitney Grace is new to indie gaming that’s why she teamed up with game designer Alex Sierputowski of GameDirection to develop the best game possible. GameDirection, LLC. has a brilliant track record with tabletop, digital, and board games.
Candy Critters: Chihuahuas vs. Llamas is production-ready after beta testing. There are some final changes to make in game play and rules, but there won’t be any major redesigns. GameDirection has successfully produced, manufactured, and shipped published projects in the past.
Much like any startup project, even if we plan accordingly, things can go wrong due to unforeseen circumstances and cause shipping delays. These may include but aren’t limited to: lack of resources, pipeline distribution blocks, further interferences due to the global pandemic, chihuahuas refusing to leave their blanket burrows, llamas conspiring to swim to Australia, yarn, Whitney’s toy robot collection gaining sentience, breaking out of their toy box, and planning world domination, etc. Whitney and Alex plan to regularly update backers on progress as well as interact with them via email and social media. Part of the fun of launching a new project is notifying backers of progress as it develops.
Environmental commitments
Reusability and recyclability
The cards and box are made can be recycled.
Environmentally friendly factories
I’ll select a manufacturer that uses low-carbon emissions.
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ