With my urge to "design" a Card Game that is totally different from Magic, HearthStone, and co., I have had the idea of a smaller-sized, filler game back in my mind.
In truth Wizards: TCG (WIZ) was starting to expand into a larger game... Something that I wanted to avoid, since my goal was to design a "filler-type" game.
So thinking about this has led me to "revive" "Crystal Heroes" (CHero).
Basically the board is a 3x3 grid (similar to Tic-Tac-Toe), in the middle is the Battefield card which dictates the Astral Plane on which the battle is occurring (and some basic rules to the battle).
You have a limited amount of cards in your deck.
Scoring (for Victory) is simple:
- The player who has the most "Score Cards" on the Battlefield wins.
- If it is a tie: the player with the highest Crystal Power is the Victor.
My early thoughts on Deck sizes, is thirteen (13) cards.
Something the size of a typical "filler-type" game. Not like Magic (60) or other Trading Card Games (40+).
Still need to think about the rounds (How many, how to end, etc.)
Maybe you draw five (5) cards in the 1st round and many place from one (1) to three (3) cards. Next you decide if you want to KEEP any of the remaining cards in your hand and then refresh to five (5). This means you use 10 out of 13 cards (Maximum) or 6 out of 13 cards (Minimum). In the 2nd round, you may place from one to four (4) cards... Creating conflicts on the board.
I am thinking that the game uses a RPS-9 to resolve combat:
- A "Conquest" is when the RPS is an automatic victory over the opposing player's card.
- A "Challenge" is when the dispute gets resolved by calculating the total amount of "Crystal Power". The lower total (Card) is removed from the board.
- An "Accord" is when you don't defeat any cards, but that you inflict damage to the "Crystal Power" of BOTH player's cards. No card is removed, only damage is applied.
I've got quite a few things to sort out... These are just some early ideas.
Please feel free to post comments/feedback.
Comments
After-thoughts
To reduce the number of cards (UNIQUE), I would say that the original game would ONLY have nine (9) unique cards. You may have up to three (3) identical cards per deck. This makes for many combinations of a deck, from the original cards...
There are nine (9) factions that battle for glory in the game.
(More to come...)
Note: All of the nine (9) factions have already been defined (types of Minions)... This was outlined in the previous blog entry:
http://www.bgdf.com/blog/legendary-souls-races-and-crystals
This was when I was going to use "Legendary Souls" as the name but decided on "Crystal Heroes" (CHero) after winning the auction bid on GoDaddy...
Fancy game of Tic-Tac-Toe
Yeah I know - it's a FANCY game of Tic-Tac-Toe... I don't really mind the simplicity of the design "board". I have contemplated a 5x5 board - not sure, one thing for certain is that the 3x3 board first needs to WORK WELL!
But I think IF I add enough elements to the design - it might be a REAL challenge to defeat your opponent. Having different "Battlefield" cards will also open the game up to other "possibilities" meaning that the RULES of the game change according to the center (Battlefield) card.
That will add much replayability.
Players start with a Coin toss, the Winner gets to CHOOSE the "Battlefield" and place it in the center. The Loser gets to GO FIRST and place the first "Hero" card on the board.
Here is the revised RPS-9!
Take a look and tell me your thoughts:
This version is a simplified version (was part of the Monster Keep attempt). I really LIKE this "streamlined" version of the RPS-9.
For a filler game, I think
For a filler game, I think that RPS-9 is overly convoluted.
Need to have some MEAT
Well the RPS-9 has been refined (and has gone through many iterations). In it's present form it is rather easy to remember "Coup" (Beats). The cards will display all the information using icons.
You don't really need to rely on the RPS-9... It's just a reference that will probably be in the rulebook.
Otherwise you rely on the icons on the card itself.
Which boils down to only 5 icons per card.
So it's rather simple to know what card you must play against your opponent. You just look at the icons and know the relationship with regards to an opposing card.
Mini Drafting Battle Game Idea
Quest, I have an interesting card game idea if you're interested...
Each set comes with 9 cards and you can mix/match the sets. The game only has the 3 color (you can add theme later): red, blue, yellow.
Setup: Shuffle 18 cards to form the deck. Deal 9 cards to each player.
Rounds of Play: Both players select 1 card from their hand and play it face down. Then they simultaneously reveal their card.
Look at the card's color and put it in a pile with other cards of the same color.
Swap hands with your opponent.
End of Game: The game ends when all cards have been played. Each player adds up the power of all cards in each of their color piles. The person with the higher total controls that color. The player that controls two out of three colors wins the game.
What is really interesting is you can create unique interactions, mechanics, and conditions within the same color or based on the other colors!
Let me know what you think.
Hmm... pretty interesting
I like the idea - Maybe it could be called "Monster Keep"!!! SOUNDS SO AWESOME!!! Get it "You KEEP the Monsters!" Such an amazing play on words!
What do you think?
But I'm not certain I understand this part:
"What is really interesting is you can create unique interactions, mechanics, and conditions within the same color or based on the other colors!"
Can you explain this??? You can PM me if you prefer! :)
Update: Let's say there are THREE (3) Lords of the Keep!
But let's add that there are three (3) attributes:
At the beginning of the game, each player RANDOMLY draws ONE (1) Lord. It remains SECRET until the "End of Game" is reached.
It FORCES a player to choose when to "take a useless - or less powerful" card on that turn, to either try to screw their opponent or to make it harder to figure out which Lord he has chosen...
Scoring should be in terms of your Lord's DESIRE. You only collect victory points for cards with the proper attribute. So if your Lord is "Asinius" and he gives points for FOOD, you add up all the FOOD points for all your monsters and then you have a score X. Your opponent must beat with his score being X+1 for one of the other two Lords...
Does this sound like we're moving along on a similar path???
Update: I am thinking that the FIRST card should remain hidden from the opponent. Since you have not seen the other hand - you don't really know what your opponent has SCORED on that first turn - before you have a chance to look at the other hand...
I can PM more details but the
I can PM more details but the strategy comes from assessing what strategies your opponent is going for, what cards are still available to draft, etc.
Cards would have effects like:
This is worth +1 for every other copy of this card.
This (green) is worth +3 if you have 3 yellow cards.
Etc.
So it's a tactical drafting game. Different 9 card sets would have different powers but always have 3 blue, 3 red, 3 yellow so they can easily mix/match 2 sets to form 18 card deck.
Oh this really sounds cool...
But HOW do you know who's cards belong to who (after you mix them)? :(
We could use PLASTIC cards and mark them - but then the players would know what cards belong to which player - making the strategy more "obvious"?!?!
Help me out here... Let me know what your thoughts are?
Hmm... Neutral Victory Points (NVPs)
NVPs could come from the card combos like you said. They can be like "Score +X" instead of having to calculate which attribute your Lord wants. If they are NEUTRAL they can work independently of the Lord you choose.
Other points could only be for a specific LORD.
Which makes it that even if you BANK on a Lord, doesn't mean you will actually be playing for that Lord's Favor... If you know what I mean?!
I'd like to know some more "strategies" because I can't think up with too many... You've stated like 2, can you come up with more?
The 18 cards belong to no one
The 18 cards belong to no one specifically.
After each player has selected and revealed a card, they place it in one of their 3 piles. So you have 3 piles, I have 3 piles.
At the end of the game I compare the power of my red pile against your red pile, my blue against your blue, my yellow against your yellow.
The replayability comes from mixing and matching the 18 cards and from having different hands every game.
Tougher to guess the Lord
Which Lord you are is a 50/50 odds to know which is the correct Lord. But because it is "attributes" NOT just color, it will make it HARDER to figure out what your opponent is doing.
Just remembering and counting colors is much too easy.
Having to remember that your opponent picked a "Blue" card which had "6 Battle, 5 Food and 3 Treasure" because he is collecting for FOOD... Is actually pretty tricky...
So at the same time you are "stealing" a "Blue" card because it has HIGH Battle and Food. Two birds - with one stone (so to speak)!
JewellGames wrote:The 18
So then the game is sold in 9 card packs? How do you know what cards are for what pack? And if you do know - doesn't that break the strategy of that pack???
I think color-matching is too simple. I'd rather go for one of three attributes: Food, Treasure, and Bloodlust.
Did you get my "attribute" variation of this? If you have a HIDDEN Lord with 50/50 odds of guessing the correct one, it's still tougher to determine which cards were "stolen". Because you have a bunch of attributes to memorize instead of just colors. Colors is way to simple.
What do you mean? Choosing other packs???
Lets say we each provide 9
Lets say we each provide 9 cards, the requirement being there are 3 red, 3 blue, 3 yellow. The game would release a new 9 card set providing new synergies and effects but they can be seamlessly mixed and matched with other sets as long as the 3/3/3 requirement is kept.
I am only using 3 colors for an easy themeless reference. It can be any 3 categories.
The object of the game is to make decisions based on what your opponent took, what you are taking, etc. You're basically trying to draft the best 2 out of 3 categories. The cards have complex powers on them so there is quite a bit of analysis.
You spot that on round 2 I drafted a card that says "This is worth -2 if another copy is in the pile." so I plan to purposely leave that as last card for you to draft. But wait, I need that color to fulfill one of my cards conditions that states, this is worth +3 if you have 3 yellow" and I only have 2 yellow.
I get everything ...
Except the "Super Powers"! :(
I can't imagine enough possibilities to make this significant. You say that the cards have complex powers - but I'm not sure that I can think of too many that are actually so.
So far all I see is that we have:
+X/-Y if you have Z copies
+X if you have Y color cards
That's 2 super powers...!
What I can figure out as possibilities is this:
That's my list of "super powers"...
More on WHY you reveal cards
To me there has to be a REASON to REVEAL cards... Otherwise why would you reveal them at all?
If all your cards go into ONE (1) single pile and you must count up your Lord's "attribute"... Makes it way tougher than just three (3) color piles.
But still need a good reason to SHOW what card you chose on your turn...
I just got a FLASH!
What IF we combined the Card Game of WAR! This is just a thought...
But what if you CHOOSE YOUR card and your opponent chooses HIS.
You play both cards FACE-DOWN and then simultaneously REVEAL.
Basically it means that the two (2) cards face off against each other and the victor of that round collects BOTH Cards. Each card has a "attack" value (1-9) (Top left-hand corner - dual swords). If it's a TIE, you both collect your card (draw).
But again instead of "counting" colors, you "total" the Lord's "attribute" in the end.
Everything else is the same... Just that you do battle EACH turn... And you need to be clever - to out-think your opponent.
This might make more sense (at least to me...)
Picture THIS =
Of the 18 cards there is a "Red Dragon". It has an "Attack" of 9!!! And it has a HIGH "Treasure" of 8 points, LOW "Food" of 3 points and MID "Bloodlust" of 5 points.
(Some deduction - by Player #1)
-Since I don't have the "Red Dragon" in my hand, that must mean that my opponent has it.
-Also since I am not "Lord Kane" there is a 50/50 chance that my opponent will want to collect this card.
-So the odds are he will probably play this card to defeat me. And collect some valuable "treasure".
-Therefore I should play the weakest card from this hand, because he will beat every other card in my hand.
Something like this... Does this sound more appealing???
You show your cards to plan
You show your cards to plan your future strategies while trying to mitigate your opponent's. Then you swap hands. This is just a very lite drafting game idea so it's quick and easy to learn.
But no "battling"
I think it would make a better game - if when you revealed your card, you would be engaged in a "BATTLE".
Okay so a "9" Atk Red Dragon is too powerful. And maybe makes a easy and quick decision on the FIRST turn... But there are still 8 more rounds to play ... and winning those rounds also matters.
And there are other cards, figuring out what strategy your opponent will be using... Winning a round is not the end-all of the struggle. You still need to figure out what cards you WANT to win and winning "tough" battles.
With an "Orc Bezerker" that has a "6" Atk but has a ("9" Bloodlust, "6" Food, "1" Treasure) could be a valuable card for a player who is playing for Lord Duncan...! +9 Victory Points... And then you need to ADD the opponent's card ... Very tricky indeed.
Hmm getting pretty advanced
Hmm getting pretty advanced indeed. Hope my lite drafting game idea inspired something.