Hello, rulers!
We are the development team of Force of Will.
In this article, we would like to talk about the Reworking Protocol (RWP) and what it means to the game.
First of all, we read all your opinions and comments via e-mail, social media, and our videos on our official YouTube channel. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Recently we have received the most feedback about the RWP. We envisioned it as an important milestone in our commitment to making Force of Will an engaging and inclusive game for all kinds of players. We prioritized accessibility to cards that have historically marked an important moment in Force of Will rather than keeping them permanently banned. The goal of RWP is to create an environment where all players can enjoy Force of Will, regardless of their experience or the size of their collection.
Some of you in the current environment have had the opportunity to play with all the cards that have been moved to the banned list over the years, while others have only experienced the latest cards. So, we wanted to enable everyone in the community to experience any of these cards without having to add them back to the banned list in the future. To do this, in addition to modifying the abilities to make the cards more balanced for the current environment, they have created new support for each of these cards, with the added difficulty that this implies when designing the new products. These cards have already appeared in “Timeless Eclipse of the Underground” and in the ABC Duel Decks, and more support will be provided for the cards that have left the Banned list due the RWP during 2025.
The main goal of the RWP is to make as many Force of Will cards as possible accessible to all players. This approach reflects our belief that every card has the potential to provide unique and exciting gameplay experiences. In doing so, we would also reduce the number of cards on the Banned List and the Combination Banned List.
Of course, the power level of these cards has been balanced to make them as powerful as they were originally intended to be. Many of these cards will never again have the impact on competitive play that they had when they were released, just as many of the other 4000+ cards in Force of Will. However, by releasing them from the Banned list, they will still be able to have an impact in casual play and ABC games, sharing our focus on making as many cards as possible playable (just as we have implemented Runes being playable in the deck in ABC games).
By revising and updating the texts of cards on the Banned List, we can give them new playability, since, through RWP, cards that were previously banned are no longer banned. Each card is carefully analysed to keep its original spirit intact, to continue to work with as many cards in its own support as possible, and to be able to see play again at any level of competition. So, where that card was previously not playable (due to being banned), it can now be played. We believe that this change is a necessary attempt to encourage diversity in deckbuilding, something we saw in WGP 2023 and 2024, ensuring that no card's potential is wasted. By giving these cards a second chance, we want to provide players with the opportunity to explore new strategies and combinations, enhancing their gaming experience.
The key aspect of RWP is our focus on allowing as many cards as possible in Force of Will games, including community-favourite J/rulers. We want players to continue using their favourite characters across all Force of Will formats. We understand the deep connection players develop with their rulers: they are more than cards, they represent emotions. A tournament where that ruler brought you victory, the first ruler you opened in a booster pack, one whose story made you want to be a part of the Force of Will world… there are thousands of diverse narratives and personal experiences tied to those J/rulers.
RWP is designed to honour that bond, as many of those J/rulers were no longer available due to the Banned list or the Combination Banned list. By updating these J/rulers’ abilities and creating new support for them, we ensure that they remain viable and exciting options for players, while avoiding the situations that led them to be on the Banned list in the first place. This is a way to reflect continuity and loyalty, allowing experienced players to continue developing decks with their favourite J/rulers while also introducing newcomers to a wider range of possibilities when it comes to J/ruler selection.
For new players entering Force of Will, the RWP ensures a balanced metagame and an open door. We have done a deep analysis of how new players are introduced to Force of Will, drawing on their experience in the world of TCGs. Consequently, we know that new players tend to begin with the newest cards, often missing out and never experiencing the variety offered by older sets. The RWP and the Memoria Collection reduces that gap, reintroducing older cards with updated abilities to compete with the newest mechanics.
This allows new players to incorporate these cards into their decks without feeling disadvantaged. We hope that they'll perceive these cards as new discoveries, alongside the other cards in their decks. This is based on the idea that is to create an inclusive environment where everyone, regardless of their starting point, can fully participate by making historical Force of Will cards more accessible.
The RWP transforms the legacy of these cards into a shared resource: for new players, these are exciting cards to play, and for experienced players, a way to relive nostalgia and remember moments from the previous metagames. We aim to encourage all players to explore Forces of Will and innovate as a community.
The Reworking Protocol was initiated in "Clash of the Star Trees", the fifth set of the Hero Cluster, with the update of "The Origin of the Seven Lands" in Memoria Collection 02. During the Trinity Cluster we have increased the speed of the RWP, so that it can reach its culmination with "Ten Oaths of Protopaterpolis' War", the fourth and final set of the Trinity Cluster.
This finale ensues that each card that has been released from the Banned list due the RWP is carefully implemented back into the game after being tested and analysed.
"Ten Oaths of Protopaterpolis’ will be our last set to employ RWP, and we hope to mark a new era of gameplay possibilities. Players can expect to experience as solid and balanced a metagame as we currently have, we would say.
As we continue to advance the story of Force of Will, we remain committed to ensuring clarity and balance across all aspects of the game. We do not plan to reuse the RWP during the next cluster season (Devil Cluster: it’s a tentative name), since the Banned List has been greatly reduced, as we wanted.
However, we will continue to explore alternative approaches to RWP and bring old cards back into the spotlight, while ensuring satisfaction for all.
And of course, whenever an old card is reprinted, we will use the latest terminology for its ability text, just as we have done with many of the ABC Duel Deck cards (Example: "Seal of Wind and Light".). These updates are absolutely necessary to ensure that the game remains dynamic, engaging, and consistent. Texts that are updated to the latest terminology will provide clarity, allowing all players to enjoy Force of Will without unnecessary confusion.
To summarize: the Reworking Protocol is, for us, a way to celebrate the history of Force of Will and the players who make it extraordinary. By reducing the Banned List and the Combination Banned List, by revitalizing the most popular J/rulers and making historic Force of Will cards accessible to new players, we are creating a game where creativity and strategy know no limits.
We invite you to enjoy the RWP and the gameplay opportunities that comes with it. Together, we will shape a future where every card, every J/ruler, and every strategy has a place in Force of Will, so that the initiative that gave birth to this game remains true: bringing people together from around the world.
Thank you so much for reading this letter to the end and thank you so much for your continued support to Force of Will. Your passion and dedication for the game inspires us to continually strive for excellence. But keep in mind that, behind all the effort, we are still humans: we will succeed, we will fail, but we will always try to do our best.
Let's continue building this Force of Will timeline together, so that even though Flute and Kaguya are playing with time and creating paradoxes, we can continue enjoying Force of Will together for many more years.
Force of Will Development Team