Hey everyone,
its been ages since my last post - i was busy working on new ideas, and here is one of them: the CCG without mechanics (well the title is a bit misleading actually). its a game without a theme yet, and just another attempt to create a collectible card game that is completely expandable into any direction.
i try to keep things short, although the idea is quite complex. maybe this catches someones attention, i would like to hear some feedback on the subject, and maybe someone even likes to collaborate.
The CCG without mechanics
Imagine a collectible card game that removes the border between the "you play" and the "you create" aspects of games as much as possible. there are the cards with rules text printed on them of course, but they function as loose blocks of mechanics players can combine in any way they like to create not only a deck with a special strategy - but also a whole style of gameplay to suit their taste.
this is done by removing restrictions from known CCGs and radically changing the point of few we have about CCGs nowadays. I am not far into this idea yet, its all very cloudy and most of the concepts are still unclear - but maybe its worth a discussion.
There will be basic card types, rules terminology and abilities of course - as without a basic syntax it would be impossible to base a game around them.
basically i was thinking about something like: "there are no rules besides deckbuilding and drawing a card every turn, playing cards from your hand and using the cards already in play."
besides that i want the game to feel at least to a certain point like: "card by card the players build a maze of mechanics and victory conditions. after a while so many interactions, quirks and side-effects are in-play that the whole game process narrowes down to a single statement: "how long can we make this going? (until a victory condition triggers)".
otherwise, i would like to put almost everything we know from CCGs into the players hands. let me discribe two sample facts about the game to make things clearer:
1. There is no resource system
Well you need resources to play cards. But when there are no systems how to create them, there is only one option left: The cards themselves open up different ways of generating resources. Tapping lands for mana becomes the rules text of card - symbolizing only one way among many to generate resources (MTG style). Having a treshhold based on the number of turns already passed is a resource system (VS system style), as is granting your opponent additonal resources for every card you play (Middle Earth style).
[i]"You draw your starting hand and then play your first RESOURCE card. You have three resource cards in your hand: The "tap permanent of type X to gain 1 resource", the "gain resources equal to the number of turns passed" or "play any card for free, grant your enemy resources equal to the cost of the card". All in all your starting hand provides you with three choices: go the Magic the gathering way, the VS system way or the Middle Earth way. Its your decision what kind of resource system your deck will be using, or two - or all three of them?[/i]
2. There is no victory condition
Well there has to be a way to end the game. But when there is no victory condition we are left with only one option: The cards themselves describe the possible victory conditions for the game. collecting a certain amount of resources could be a victory condition, or destroying a number of opponent cards, or collect tokens of some sort or allocate tokens of some kind to your opponent.
[i]after the first few turns you have two different VICTORY CONDITION cards in your hand: The "collect 35 resources" card and the "destroy 13 opponent permanent cards". Its your decision to walk the defensive or the aggressive route. or you pay the costs of both cards and open up two different victory conditions.[/i]
and - you better suit your deck your "game".
Woah okay - this whole idea is just a quick hip-shot. join the idea anyone?
@simons
Yes, you are almost right - it seems you understood the idea very well already.
Exactly. The cards define the systems for winning, destroying cards, gaining resources and everything.
Yes, but I guess all CCGs are more or less like this? Try to accomplish your victory condition as fast as possible, try hinder your enemy before he does.
I have to admit, yes.
I guess i have to go a little bit more into detail. You are going to far by saying that all cards work differently in every match played: the rules on the card are fixed. but basically the rules of the whole game are written on the cards. so every card represents a block of mechanics the players can bring into play to modify, break and bend the rules of the game to their liking: cards define how resources are gained, how victory is achieved, how cards can be destroyed, drawn, discarded.
i could imagine a player building a deck around a victory condition card that says:
"you win the game when you have 35 points of resources".
the player would put some copies of this card into his deck. and then cards wich support that goal: cards for resource generation, cards to reduce the cost of other cards, cards to increase the amount of resources generated and finally cards to protect the resources and to protect the players cards against opponent attacks. add some counters and a few "disenchant" (MTG) like cards to protect your deck against specialised opponent tactics and you are ready.
a completely different aproach would be a victory condition like this:
"you win the game when you destroy 13 of your opponents permanent cards"
then the player would add everything that supports destroying his opponents cards.
etc. etc. etc.
with variable victory conditions, variable resource systems and basically almost every aspect of the game being variable - i think a enormous bandwith of possibilities could be created.