Hey there, Drion here!
Today I'll try getting closer to an initial prototype for my planned 1-4 player cooperative survival horror card game.
Before I talked about ways we can achieve branching plots and replay ability by making the players place in new cards into the deck and other ways to achieve that survival horror feeling.
This time let's make at least one card.
For all cards that are in the Main deck, they need to support any other plot we might want to create, so it needs to consist of generic cards and horror elements that fit into the theme of traveling through an endless snowy forest.
It should also be a self-contained game, challenging players to an appropriate level (after sufficient testing) so later cards can be balanced based on these. It will also simplify the prototype so we won't have to worry about branching plots or rare mechanics, only core content.
From a bit of brainstorming, I got the following ideas:
-Hitting a deer (I'm sorry)
-Owl hooting menacingly
-Finding an item
-Finding a car
-Snowstorm
-Wolves chase you
-Stray dog
Sounds like we can identify a couple of mechanics from these and add them to our core mechanics and see what we can cut for now:
-Driving car (drawing cards) fast or slow (skip 2 before drawing when going fast)
-Plot cards (cards causing you to insert other cards into the main deck)
-Decision cards (deciding between options on a card)
-Combat mechanics (unknown yet)
-Character health loss/gain (lose condition)
-Item deck
-Chasing (have to draw fast x times or something happens)
So out of these we need the health resource and drawing fast and slow, as they closely relate to the win and lose conditions. Afterwards items give the most interactibility and game depth. Otherwise we need cards that decrease health so the players can lose. Decision cards can also be included, but are not a necessity right now, as we want to see if the decision space of going fast or slow and using items is interesting enough.
So let's make some basic items:
-First aid kit: restores 2 health
-Food: restores 1 health or discard a hunger
-Dagger: attack: 2 damage
-Crossbow: ranged attack: 2 damage, consume an arrow, take no retaliation damage
-Arrows
And some event cards:
-Crash into tree: if going fast, each player takes 1 damage
-Chased by wolves: stays until discarded. If you go fast 3 times, discard this.
If you draw slow, discard this and each player takes 1 damage.
-Hunger: the player who draws this takes 1 damage for each hunger in their hand.
-Wolf: discard 1 food or take 2 damage.
-Bunny: if this is attacked with a ranged attack, draw it as a food.
-Something in the snow: draw a card from the item deck
This feels rudimentary at best, but I'll try it to see if the drawing fast and slow, as well as the health systems have potential and are engaging or not.
If you like or dislike any of this, please leave a comment!
Until then,
Have a great day and take care!
