Currently I am toying with a new game design called Horde inc.. The game is set in a distant dystopian future where humans have adapted to zombies. So much so that there are now corporations using zombies and other experiments to war against each other. A war of abominations!
Players will be buying zombies and sending them out in waves against their opponents. Anywhere between 1-10 zombie cards per "hoard" or per "space" (These cards will be smaller than poker size so you can fit more). Combat should be less about tracking damage and more about throwing things at your opponent. In fact I want to try to keep it as "magic: the gathering" as possible when it comes to dealing damage.
Currently zombies have attack (how much damage they deal), defense (how much damage they can take) and initiative (when they attack/are attacked). There is another attribute called speed which (when all added up between all zombies) determines who is the defender (lower total speed) or attacker (higher total speed) when two hoards get into combat. Also there are three classes: frontline, assault, and support. Each having a class they favor against (rock-paper-scissors) gaining a +1 attack against the unit.
I'm trying to get to that sweet spot where combat is fast but not mindless.
Do you know of any games or mechanics that pull off the "having a lot of guys battle quickly" while still maintaining somewhat interesting tension?
