OK, so in my game Knightshade (posted in the new games ideas section) I currently was going to use hit location cards in a slightly different way.
I decided not to use the generic: "draw a card, hit in the torso, one wound to torso" sort of mechanic for the cards. Instead, I have a 3x3 grid that players draw their stats off of and compare to the enemies to determine if the hit was successful. I have a couple things that I want to do that are starting to blur together, and the number of different cards now is getting a little out of hand just for an attack phase. So, this is what I have and what I want to do, what do you guys think (out of the following) would be the better idea.
HAVE:
- An AI event card for the start of the turn, this stays in play for each 1 turn EACH. This card has special events to occur during the attack and defend phase for each "person." This also has a 3x3 grid of static buffs for the AI opponent. (since they cannot upgrade any way that the player can as they level)
- A Hit Location/attack type card. OK..... so this is the one I am going back and forth about. I want a transparent card that actually rests on top of the AI event card's 3x3 grid. This transparent card will have the lines of the grid only! Some of the "boxes" will have a red line around them, those are the areas that were hit.. taking into account the buffed stats from the card underneath.
WANT:
- Hit location dice
- Defend location dice
- AI event cards
- Attack type cards
- New idea for hit locations (explained below)
OK. So I really want the transparent cards. The issue is, they *technically* do not NEED to be transparent, as one can easily visualize what squares are hit. But I really like the mechanic.
Another idea I had was transparent hit location cards that are more "realistic" so do any of you think this would be *fair*?:
Each player and each NPC opponent has a stat card with a picture on it. The picture will end up being about 2x4 inches (about the same size as a standard playing card- 2.5x3.5). A female "knight" and male knight are obviously going to be different sizes. So, I was thinking that I could have transparent cards that ONLY have little crosshairs or slash marks on them, or both. So you draw one of these hit location cards, you line it up on the picture, and that is where you are hit at. Slashes indicate a chance for a wound and crosshairs would be an auto wound that cannot be defended (the idea so far, and crosshairs are not on every card). It is a pretty simple idea, allowing smaller opponents to basically have a higher Agility stat without keeping track of it.... a smaller opponent is obviously a smaller target and the opposite for larger opponents. That way the larger, more powerful players are more susceptible to being hit! This would also be more realistic. And add another depth to the "demonic" and "angelic" side of things. When a player is switched, their profile/stat card flips over. The picture is then different, a slightly larger size for being demonic. I can also basically develop the characters like "shapes" of sorts. So when doing the first sketches have one player's basic shape be a triangle for example... and fill in the triangle with the artwork, making sure that the vital areas line up where I want. Same with a diamond, square, triangle, circle, and repeated for the most part. So some body parts would be "smaller" or "largers" areas to hit.
3 issues.
1. I would need different cards for specific enemies (if I have anything other than a "human" shape)
2. This might not end up being quite fair??? what do you think?
3. The marks on the cards will be somewhat visible...
So, to remedy this, I have thought that I will still use the transparent cards as just explained, but also use hit location and defend location dice. The transp. cards will only be used on the players, while players will use dice when attacking the NPC's. I am just not quite sure if I should allow the NPC's to block themselves or not... maybe stating on the AI event card that "if attacked in the head, the attack is automatically blocked" ?? I also want to have at least 2 different attack location "levels" for the NPC's... So a stronger, higher level opponent will basically hit in more critical areas.
Basically guys... I am kind of stuck in this mutated version of cards and dice. I don't want one attack to take like 15 minutes do to rolling so many dice and such. I really really really like the transparent cards that lay over the player's image, But I also like the randomness of the dice (and so do A LOT of other players). It just seems for fair too because the NPC cannot roll their own dice (I know how to roll dice out of my hand to get better odds of landing on a certain side ;P )
SO what do you all think? Are the transparent cards just a gimmicky thing? Is the second idea better than the first? Do dice and cards work together well with probabilities...?
I really want high randomness, and having no attacks be the same EVER(ish). If i have 2 different cards played and dice rolled twice during an attack and defend phase, then the odds of landing the same hit location with the same type of attack again and again are super low.
Thanks. Its good to get some reassurance.
I have decided that I am going to lose some of the dice rolling. I really like the transparent cards and fits really well with the theme. the game will have a character silhouette on stat cards for every miniature/character, a pretty decent sized deck of translucent hit location cards, and event cards that stay in play for each players' turn. I will have dice as explained:
Red custom d6 for attacks:
1.stab
2.slash
3.smash
4.special
5.slash
6.stab
Blue custom D6 for defending:
1.block
2.counter
3.FAIL
4.FAIL
5.counter
6.block
Yellow custom D6 for body parts:
1.head
2. R. Arm
3. R. Leg
4. L. Leg
5. L. Arm
6.torso
Just so you know.
So. Transparent silhouette card. A hit location card that is just slashes and the such in specific parts of the (Imaginary) grid on top of that card. Hit location card shpuld more aproprately be called the "swing location" because then the attscker rolls dice. 1 pair of red and yellow dice, with the number of dice being upped by buffs. Strength grants more *possible* chances of landing a strike... attacker strength minus defender's defense equals how many dice the attacker throws + the number shown on the card (make sense?) :)
Each "hit/swing" location card will have a listed min. and max. possible hits located in the upper corners of the cards that are unused.
NPC enemies will have a set number of about 15-20 hit location cards special for their silouhette if they are odd shaped/sized.
So now I have decided that the picture of the characters stat card will be this "pose" sort of stance. And still have an angelic and demonic side. The demonic being larger, and an added consequence being evil; more possible hits scored on you.
The "groin" location is gone. I am not going to have that body part. I cannot do it with translucent hit location cards because there is really no grid space. And it is annoying me...
*edit* so that was all on my phone.. laptop wasn't loading?!? so ..
Turn order with the transparent hit location cards if The Knight/player attacks first (hopefully not too complicated... o_O)
1. Special Event Card- draw and play (active for player and NPC turn)
2. Movement Phase
*3. Attack Phase, choose player attack (levels 1-3)
4. Draw translucent hit location card according to attack level and play on top of enemy's image
5. Count possible hits, add Strength stat minus NPC Defense, make sure it is in between the MIN/MAX possible hits.
6. Roll 1 Red and 1 Yellow dice for each hit. (1-10, usually about 2-6)
7. Match up areas. ( If the hit location card has a "slash" symbol in the "head" of the silhouette, and you roll a "slash" with the red dice, and a "head" with yellow, then that area is wounded)... attacker allocates what hits land where, if multiples or odd numbers. (1 attack type, and 2 body parts that match silhouette for example)
8. Rebound phase, any end of turn special abilities/cards played, and movement if able. "1 turn" effects fizzle last.
same when the NPC attacks but all hits from the opponent's hit location card played on your silhouette are assumed to land, your defense determines how many defense dice you can roll to block. If attacking another player, then they get to roll defense dice, hit location cards are not assumed to land.
As you all can see. It is really not too complicated and moves pretty quickly you you wrap you head around it. It is straightforward and all buffs and stats are precalculated with the 3x3 grid of dice on the play mat, so there is not franticly adding anything up. All wounds are taken from the stats on the corresponding space on the grid. And the translucent hit location cards make things much easier than I previously had... no more consecutive dice throwing, or consecutive card flipping. A nice 2:1 ratio of cards to dice, where both really make the difference.
I might start a game journal. Maybe just post new stuff up on my "GAME IDEAS" thread. So check it out!(game board 2.0 ;) ) I am loving all the feedback and all these little things are getting worked out nicely. For a while now I have kept this all to myself thinking I'd get ripped apart and ridiculed.. so.... thanks for not doing that. I think this could be really great and the refined feel I want to put in will go great.