So there I was, deep in the throes of bringing Battle Fog Chess (BFC) to life. The mechanics were shaping up nicely, and the concept was solid, but there was one thing missing—a killer slogan. I needed something that would capture the essence of BFC in just a few words, something that would make people stop and think, “Hey, this isn’t your average chess game.”

I’ve always believed that a good slogan is like a battle cry—it should rally the troops, ignite excitement, and give a clear sense of what you’re all about. But, as it turns out, finding the right slogan is easier said than done.

We went through a bunch of ideas. Some were too long, others too vague. Some sounded cool but didn’t really say much about what made BFC unique. I mean, how do you capture the essence of flipping traditional chess on its head in just a few words?

One early contender was “Chess, Reinvented,” which had a nice ring to it. But it felt a bit too safe, a bit too… predictable. Then there was “Strategize, Adapt, Conquer,” which was definitely on point but felt like it was missing that edge, that punch we wanted to deliver.

And then, during one of those late-night brainstorming sessions (you know, the ones where your brain feels half fried but somehow also supercharged), it hit us: “Where Chess Gets Real… ELOs Be Damned.”

There it was. The perfect slogan.

“Where Chess Gets Real” immediately conveys that BFC is not just another chess variant; it’s a game that brings a raw, unpredictable element to the chessboard. And “ELOs Be Damned” is our cheeky nod to the fact that traditional rankings and opening strategies won’t necessarily save you here. It’s bold, it’s a little rebellious, and it’s exactly the tone we wanted to set.

This slogan captures the essence of what makes Battle Fog Chess so exciting—it’s a game where you’re not just playing chess, but you’re navigating the unpredictable, strategizing on the fly, and challenging everything you thought you knew about the game.

So after all the workshops, the debates, and the endless rounds of “Is this the one?” we finally had our slogan. And honestly, it just felt right. It’s not just a tagline; it’s a statement. Battle Fog Chess is where chess gets real, where strategy isn’t just about memorization, and where your ELO rating isn’t your safety net.

It was a long journey to get there, but sometimes the best ideas come when you’re not trying too hard, when you let the concept breathe and take on a life of its own. And now, with our slogan in place, we were ready to charge ahead.

In the next post, I’ll dive into how we started translating that vision into the actual gameplay mechanics that make BFC so unique. Until then, keep questioning the norm and embrace the chaos!