Happy weekend, folks!
What are you guys playing of late?
As for me... I’m no longer in 2026.
I’ve jumped 63 years into the future, straight into 2089!
Thanks to Overclock.
It’s a solo 4X card game set in a cyberpunk world where humanity’s planetary neural network (the Spine) is being erased by a rogue program (the Kill-Code). So you play as a netrunner, racing to rebuild it before it's too late.
So, a futuristic save-humanity-from-its-own-creation game. The theme already feels relevant in 2026. If you know, you know.
I printed the game recently, built all 36 cards, and gave the card corners the Kadomaru Pro treatment while going through the playthrough video. And I’ve already given the game a shot too!
Just played it once so far, and I really loved how layered the whole thing feels. Each section almost feels like a little game of its own, yet they’re all working together as parts of something much bigger. That whole games-within-a-game feel is the winner so far.
Loving the retro-tech artwork!
Of course, one play is not enough for me to start dishing out proper thoughts. I’ll be sharing a lot more about Overclock through my blog in less than a couple of weeks (you can read my recent blogs here if you're interested).
Before I went any further with the game, I got to do one of my favorite things of late: reaching out to the creator behind it to learn what went into making the game.
So folks... welcome to the 11th Behind-the-Scenes issue!
I asked Mohammad Soliman what went into creating Overclock, and here’s what he shared:
I wanted to make a 4x game. Explore, expand, exploit, exterminate. The full package. But I also wanted it to fit the PnP requirements. 36 cards, a few dice, some tokens. That's it. 4x games are big. They spread across tables. They have tech trees and unit stacks and resource boards. Games like Twilight Imperium take an entire day. How do you compress all of that into something smaller than most card games? And how do you make it solo? I didn't have a good answer when I started. But I took a step-by-step approach.
The first breakthrough was making cards do double duty. In Overclock, every card has two sides. One side is a piece of the network you're expanding. The other side is a tool you can use: a one-time ability, a permanent upgrade, or a defensive card you hold for emergencies. It sounds like a small rule. It turned out to be the engine that drives the entire game. Every time you draw a card, you're holding two opportunities and you have to throw one away. That tension never goes away. It's there on turn one and it's still there in the final round.
From prototype to final version: the cards of Overclock.
The trick to making a small game feel big isn't adding more stuff. It's making sure the things you have interact with each other in multiple ways. The cards in Overclock connect to each other through matching symbols on their edges. When two cards share the same symbol where they touch, that connection matters for three different reasons: it's cheaper to navigate across, it helps you clean up problems in the network, and it earns you currency which makes your character (Ghost) stronger, unlocking unique abilities. Each card interacts with its neighbors, with your character's abilities, with the factions working against you, and with the escalating threat that's always ticking in the background. The components are minimal but the connections between them are dense.
The hardest part of the entire design and the thing that separates 4x from other strategy games is diplomacy. Alliances, betrayals, shifting loyalties. In a multiplayer game, that happens naturally because people are unpredictable. Also, multiplayer 4x games enforce diplomacy in one way or another. In a solo game, you're playing against an automated opponent on a card. How do you make cardboard feel like it has an agenda?
The 4 Factions
I tried a lot of approaches that didn't work. Simple AI scripts felt robotic. Random behavior felt pointless. The version that finally clicked has four factions, each with a hostile side and a friendly side. You can strike a deal with a faction to get their help, but maintaining that deal costs you resources every round. And every round you stay allied, tension builds. Push it too far and the faction turns on you.
What makes it feel like real negotiation is that you're constantly evaluating the deal. Is the bonus this faction gives me still worth the upkeep cost? Can I handle the betrayal effect if things go wrong? Should I break the deal myself on my own terms before the betrayal triggers? And sometimes you set up the betrayal on purpose because you have a card ready that profits from it. Those moments where you plan a betrayal three rounds in advance and watch it play out are the closest I've gotten to what multiplayer negotiation feels like. You're not just reacting to what the game throws at you. You're gaming the system, reading the tension, and making calculated bets about when to push and when to bail.
Overclock launches on Gamefound on August 24th. Every backer gets a free expansion with additional characters and scenario cards. If you're into solo games and you've ever wished you could get a full strategy experience in 45 minutes with a tiny footprint, I'd love for you to check it out.
- Mohammad Soliman
And there you have it!
This might just be one of the most insightful behind-the-scenes interviews to date, and after hearing the story behind Overclock, I’m even more curious to jump back into 2089!
See you on the next one!
- Tas.
Build a Holiday Creator Affiliate Program in 90 Days
Creators lock in holiday content calendars 90 days out, before brands figure out commissions. Waiting too long to launch an affiliate program means less runway to build demand and a missed shot at the best partnerships.
The 90-Day Holiday Sprint covers commissions, recruiting, and scaling a program at Day 30, 60, and 90.
