“Wonders of The First” Veiled as CCG is Essentially an NFT Scheme

Yesterday we covered “Wonders of the First”, an NFT-based card game that now has gathered over a million dollars from over 1800 backers. In yesterday’s article, we mistakenly wrote that the game was previously an NFT-based game, as the Kickstarter page has little to no information about the fact.

Jeff French, the creator of the project reached out to us via Twitter with the following comment:

This is the level of “reporting” that comes from the tabletop game space anonymous gate keepers I suppose. It’s literally just fake. Made up. It’s a slap in the face to all of you who support the game. There was NEVER an “nft” game. Ever. Ever ever. That is a lie.

According to the official website, Wonders of The First is not just offering a physical card game but is also heavily promoting exclusive NFT-based benefits. Holders of the Booster Box NFTs are granted exclusive access to the playtesting beta, an advantage cloaked as an opportunity for community engagement but serving as a gateway for NFT sales. The site describes the project as “a groundbreaking collectable adventure franchise built on the blockchain,” emphasizing its reliance on Web3 technologies.

The project team, led by Jeff French and listed under his company Blokpax—a seemingly nearly defunct platform with a dubious reputation in the NFT space—raises further red flags. Most team members, including purported game designers Rider Tinsman and Cooper French, who are likely relatives of the leadership duo, have scant or non-existent online profiles. With none of the members of the team having any experience or interest in the world of card games from what we could gather, except for Brian Tinsman. In fact, several of the people on the team were listed with only a first name making it difficult to confirm if they are real humans at all or just pretty A.I.-generated images.

Brian Tinsman, the only team member with game design experience it seems, notably from his time with Magic: The Gathering over a decade ago, has more recently been involved in less successful ventures, including NFT projects and a stint with mobile games at Zynga where he worked on the mobile game flop War of the Fallen . His recent affiliations, including an advisory role at NFT startup Nemus, align closely with the blockchain-based strategy of Wonders of The First.

Nemus came under scrutiny in 2022 for its controversial activities in the Amazon region, particularly concerning the Apurinã Indigenous people and the handling of their ancestral lands. Nemus marketed itself as a venture to preserve the Amazon rainforest by selling NFTs linked to real plots of land, aiming to create a protective belt around the rainforest. However, their actions have sparked significant backlash from the local Indigenous community.

The Kickstarter campaign itself, which was funded in a mere 26 seconds, saw an unusually high number of backers opting for the most expensive tiers, which contributed suspiciously large amounts. 25 backers have so far pledged the second highest tier of $4350, while 48 backers has so far pledged at the highest tier at $8250, many coming in at the beginning of the campaign. This pattern is atypical for a brand-new game without an established fanbase and suggests pre-arranged backing to stimulate demand. Jeff French commented on the high number of “whales” on Twitter saying:

Our core community of believers unapologetically came in strong AF on a per person basis. Definitely. They have a level of belief and excitement fostered for YEARS. They were ready to enthusiastically support the game and it showed with record smashing early results. So jaw dropping as to make Mr. Reporter ask if they are even real.

Jeff French’s social media activity, primarily focused on NFTs rather than any genuine interest in CCGs, further underscores the project’s true nature. With all signs pointing to a project built more on speculative digital assets than on gaming, potential backers and the gaming community are urged to approach Wonders of The First with caution. The intersection of high costs and lack of transparency paints a troubling picture of what promises to be an innovative gaming experience.

Wonders of the First is estimated to start shipping in November of this year, which seems like a very close deadline, but by the end of the year we will at least see if the card game community has a new hit game in their hands or if the project will be “delayed”.

For more info on Wonders of the First, check out the video below from Faker on Youtube: