Because kids love "duels" where they can "face-off" against their friends, I got the idea of making the "Second Edition" of the game about duels.
No, I'm not going to remove the "set collection" aspect of the game. That will stay - since it's a simple mechanic children can understand and then fully understand how the game will play out.
So how do I combine "Set collection" with a "duel" mechanic? Easy as pie! Basically what I want to do is have player's compete to WIN Quests (as in the original First Edition of the game). But I am leaning towards a "Gin-Rummy" mechanic for "set completion".
Something that combines SETS and COLORS and corresponding POINTS. I obviously want to remove the "Quest" cards themselves (always part of the plan) and go for something more "OPEN"!
Just like in "Gin-Rummy" if a player has three (3) two's, his opponent can score points by playing a fourth (4) two! This means that by ADDING a DUEL element which will bring this game together...
These are some early thoughts and I have been "scattered-brained" when it comes to the 2nd Edition. I first wanted it to be about "story-telling" something more like the "Tarot" and figured that would be too difficult for children and requires too much memorization (since the meaning of the cards are not directly on the cards themselves...)
But I want a "Sparring"/"Take-that" aspect to be part of the duel. This still requires further thinking... But I will work on this idea. Because I think it has merit... We'll see if the "Second Edition" will materialize from these ideas!
Wait and see! :)
Comments
Use of colors
The First Edition uses colors to "re-group" Quests into different categories. The original Edition had SIX (6) sets. The colors go as follows:
My thoughts are that this is too many for a "rummy"-based 2nd Edition. Instead of classes, I will probably divide into three (3) types of quests:
Purple is a combination of Both Red + Blue. Can sometimes be direct, at other times it is indirect.
Given an equal distribution, this will result in NINE (9) sets (3x3) so 90 cards.
Those are my *thoughts* as of today. Plenty more to flesh-out!
I know I have something...
I am still "unsure" about the end-product. I have sort of a "vision" for the game... I know I have something with this 2nd Edition. But I'm not 100% seeing it come together - YET!
Some other ideas = SIMPLIFIED scoring. No longer having to ADD and keep track of points is where I want to go. Something simple, like +1 point per card on the table... And something like FIRST player to reach 20 points WINs... Hmm, I like this simplification.
Greetings!
Kris,
Are you attempting to develop the two games (Quest and Tradewars - Homeworld) in tandem?
Joe
I am dabbling in it...
Well the truth is that I have wanted to "re-design" Quest AC shortly after it's initial release. Why? Because I wanted to improve upon Quest AC basic design...
I still want a game like "Memory" where kids can learn and play the game with ease. BUT I also wanted to add some strategy in how the game is played.
The problem lies in the game's mechanics: I don't know how to implement a "gin-rummy" style game with the card for the game.
Okay, so there are suits with 3 card melds. Something like "Hero" + "Weapon" > "Monster" + "Treasure". Then I wanted to add something like "City" + "Hero" + "Weapon" > "Monster" + "Treasure" + "Lair".
But I wanted SUITS and COLORS to work with this - and I'm not sure how to make it happen. :( It needs to also be simple enough for kids aged 9+ to be able to play the game.
Anyhow - the design is NOT progressing further. Regretfully.
I am stuck - trying how to make this game part storytelling, part "gin-rummy", ALL QUEST!!! :D
If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to respond.
Rummy...Interesting!
Kris,
It's interesting that you mention Rummy which includes either collecting "sets" or "runs" of cards, as I recently watched one of the newer "Dice Tower" videos. Tom and his friends discussed their Top 10 Most Influential Games, of which one included Poker (and by extension, anything in which you collect "sets" or "runs"). A number of games use this as a mechanic, including Shadows Over Camelot (a personal favorite), so that would work exceptionally well for kids to grasp.
Cheers,
Joe
Yes - because...
In the Second Edition, there are TWO (2) BUTTONS that get ADDED to the cards themselves. These buttons have a TWO (2) NUMBERS. Both buttons have DISTINCT colors.
It is those buttons which MUST dictate the RULES of how the "sets" or "runs" play out. Like a Hero is a Red "6" and can work with a Red "7" + "8" or other colors of #6... Something like that.
Because there are TWO (2) NUMBERS there are way MORE possibilities to create "runs" and "sets"! But because there are more possibilities, I am having difficulties grasping HOW the cards should lay out.
See Quest AC was purely SET COLLECTION. And then for Quest AC 2, I added those two (2) buttons and want to create RUNS to go along with the concept. At the same time, I wanted to rid myself of the Quest cards and make it more about those buttons.
Anyhow I will ramble about this some more...
Two buttons working like a CHARM
Okay so I have been working with color and the buttons. I have managed to create two (2) possible scoring methods (melds): "Runs" and "Sets". The TOP button is used for RUNS and the BOTTOM button is used for SETS.
The structure of the cards (for RUNS) looks like this:
But that's only five (5) cards. If there are ten (10) cards per set, that leaves me with two (2) possibilities:
So the question is: more for melds or "take-that"???
Enhanced Set Collection - 2nd Edition
Here is a sample table of two (2) different types of set collection. Since this is a game for children aged 9+, I wanted something simple. And I'd like to know if this is SIMPLE enough!
How does it work?
The first thing you can do is MATCH any three (3) symbols: so 3 swords or 3 stars, etc. Easy enough right?!
The next thing you can do is MATCH any three (3) numbers: so 3 #1 or 3 #4, etc. Also easy enough right?!
Using these pairings, I get a deck of fifty (50) cards (5 x 10). Which is almost a STANDARD deck of 52 cards (less 2 cards). Why is this important? Well it allows me to create interesting "take-that" cards with the OTHER fifty (50) cards (for a total of 100 cards)!
Please comment, I'd like to know if this system is easy enough and clear for children aged 9+ to understand...
Update:
Do you think this is oversimplified? Would you prefer run-sequences instead of just SET collection???
Another possibility
A more complicated way of using the Numbers and Symbols would be:
This is more difficult... The COOL thing about this is that the rules can CHANGE according to how OLD and experienced the players are. "Runs" can be for veteran players or older players and "Sets only" can be for new and young players...
This is an interesting turn, I had not thought that BOTH these methods of play could be possible AT THE SAME TIME! Really something impressive I believe. Could really make the game FUN and challenging!
Tell me what you think, all comments welcomed!