How to *design* a game

I'm not trying to be WOTC and making things similar to MtG. It's just that I like the approach, it adds depth to a game.

Well I am thinking about *Instant* cards and what they can do. Also if I have pie abilities, that will help me think in the *Right direction* to find new Instant cards.

I understand. But even the cards that break rules follow another set of rules (like the pie and its abilities).

This is very interesting. I have: Deck, Hand, Battlefield, Victory Spots and Graveyard. (And Deck can be Exile also). For resources, I have: Mana (5 types), APs, Battle Dice (5 types too). I do not have "life" in the game, your Character does not suffer damage from opposing forces.

These all seem sensible, with the exception of the of "2 cards from your deck to your graveyard - gain 1 AP". Seems too costly.

Also please explain the difference between *Graveyard* and *Exile*. My assumption is when the card is in the Graveyard, that card is done - unless some other card can restore it to life. My understanding of Exile is that the card is returned to your deck where it may be conjured again. Am I correct? These are my game's dynamics even if they are incorrect...

So back to my *colors*, this is what I have so far (people may comment):

Green - ??? (Don't know yet)
Blue - Balance
Red - Coercion
White - Self-sacrifice
Black - Amorality

So for my AP example, I have: ??? (Green), Steal 1 AP by discarding 1 card from your hand (Blue), Your opponent must draw 1 additional card (Red), Discard 1 card from your hand to earn 1 extra AP (White), Steal 1 AP from your opponent (Black).

Not sure what to do with *Green*. The element is Earth and features earth units. It also includes land-friendly Elves which are usually neutral in alignment.

Ideas welcome... Many thanks.

I think I agree... Maybe something like: "Give 2 AP back to opponent, return topmost card in your graveyard to your hand." or "Give 1 AP back to opponent, return topmost card in your graveyard to your deck."

Sometimes you need to be "nice" to people to get what you want! :P

Okay, in my game when the card is in the Graveyard - its DEAD. You can only revive the topmost graveyard card. What I call "Exile" is when a card is revived back into your "Deck". Then it is in Exile until it gets picked and then subsequently conjured (for a second time). This will happen when a Powerful card "dies" at the hands of another. Basically you want to *revive* that card on the next turn or it's a goner...

Unlike MtG, I am using Dice for both Mana and Battles. The good news about that is the game is a little bit more *random* and makes the player *FEEL* like he is in more control - obviously not because he has to roll dice. The GOOD (or GREAT) news is that a Powerful unit can be defeated by a WEAK unit (luck of the dice). This is AGAINST the ODDS - but still it can happen. And if I *inject* enough Instant cards to make that happen, well then the game becomes better *rounded out*.

This is the opposite of Yu-Gi-Oh! where stronger creature cards are much harder to get rid of. In MtG there are several ways to win a game without the need of having the stronger creature since you have Life points and you can directly target the "Planeswalker"...

Chaos? Is similar to "coercion" (Red)? The idea being that you "Force" a player to do something he did not plan to do... That is somewhat chaotic...

How about this = (Red - Chaos) You must roll a dice to determine how many APs you get this turn.

This is VERY chaotic... 6 is like having 2 turns, 1 is not enough to do anything... almost. And the odds on the dice are all the same. So it is complete luck and total chaos! :D

Well it was in the back of my mind when I designed how to conjure cards. My plan was to roll 5 dice, each of a different color and you would use those dice in conjunction with the cards in your hand... So each dice had a Mana value and you would conjure up units using those dice values.

BUT I already knew that something in my design was *incorrect*. And I have FINALLY figured it out: instead of using Action Points (APs), I will ONLY use Mana Points (MPs). The reason this did not work earlier is because I was "re-using" the d6s for MPs and battles. No more, MPs use d6s and battles use d12s!

Okay so how does this work? Well at the beginning of each TURN, the player rolls 5 dice (d6) each one a different color.

And the rules are as follows:
-Draw a card = Costs 3 MPs (player's choice).
-Conjure a unit = Costs 3 MPs (according to the card being conjured).
-Move a unit = Costs 2 MPs (player's choice, 2 out of 3 colors on the card).
-Battle a unit = Cost varies according to the card and which attack is used.

When a battle ensues, players roll d12s (versus d6 for MPs). After a battle a player can still spend remaining MPs... (such as draw another card, move a card, battle again, etc.)

So Mana is a *Random* element in the game. And it kinda makes sense that you can gather only a certain amount of MP each turn based on fate.

MORE: Using MPs for all things related to units is both a blessing and a curse depending on your dice rolls. The good news is that I think mathematically things round themselves out to about 3 or 4 of each MP (5 dice). So you can conjure a unit, draw some cards and then maybe have a battle. On another turn, you can simply focus on moving units (rearranging the battlefield)... On some turns you will be able to do both (good dice roll)...