The development team at Blizzard Entertainment announced that Hearthstone’s first expansion, titled Goblins vs Gnomes, will be released sometime during December 2014.

The expansion will deliver 120 new cards to the already extensive pool available to players, considerably altering the way the game is played through the introduction of a lot of new mechanics.

From the cards leaked so far, the theme seems to revolve around the ongoing conflict between Gnomes and Goblins, the tinkerers of the Horde and the Alliance, and the cards have a distinct luck-based flavor, seemingly favoring those who the random number generator gods are smiling upon.

The stars of the upcoming expansion will be the numerous crazy contraptions that both Goblins as well as Gnomes are known for coming up with. A lot of the card have random effects such as summoning random minions or weapons, and they have the potential to seriously backfire.

A shift toward craziness and fun

If Hearthstone’s first single-player adventure, The Curse of Naxxramas, was of a more serious nature (even though it was laden with puns), then Goblins vs. Gnomes is taking things into a completely different direction, going overboard on zaniness.

Of course, most of the cards will be neutral, but each and every class will also get some flavorful additions, to complement their arsenal in a manner that fits their specifics.

One of the new mechanics introduced will revolve around spare parts, which are cheap spells that add various effects such as extra attack or health, swapping a minion’s attack and health values and other such small enchantments.

Another notable addition is the “Mech” minion type, and many of the new cards will have meaningful interactions with mechanical units. Harvest Golem, an already existing card, will also gain the new type, so it might end up playing a role in the upcoming shenanigans.

A lot of new stuff, including Spectator Mode

If The Curse of Naxxramas only introduced 36 cards into the mix, having a visible impact on the Hearthstone metagame, then there’s no telling what 120 new cards will be able to do.

In addition to the cards, players will also get a brand new game board to play on, complete with the small interactions that Blizzard has accustomed us with, and possibly a Gnome-themed card back next month.

Furthermore, the highly anticipated Spectator Mode will be released alongside the Goblins vs Gnomes expansion, enabling gamers to join and watch their friends’ games. Of course, the feature can be set to only be accessible through invites only, to protect users’ privacy.