When I decided to design my own game, my first thought was implementing what I call Champions, the avatars that players use to win (or, one of the ways to win).
Basically Champions would work like this:
(a) CARDNAME
(b) Champion - Female Cleric
(c) Once a round, you may reduce any incoming damage from another Champion by 1.
(d) As long as CARDNAME has Valor, once a round, you may reduce any incoming damage from any source by 1.
(e) Valor: staff, gloves
(f) 1, Light
Here's the key:
(a) the Champion's name
(b) the card's type and supertypes
(c) an ability that the Champion grants as long as it's in play
(d) an ability that the Champion grants as long as it has Valor (more on that later)
(e) the requirements for the Champion to have Valor
(f) the Champions base power and their affinity
....
Basically, every player starts with a premade Champion of their choosing (the game would come with a variety of them, and maybe blanks so creative players can make their own). When a Champion is equipped with what they need for Valor, that Champion can now enter combat with players and use their abilities that require Valor. Equipment affect that Champion's base power to give them advantages or disadvantages in battle. Things like the card's supertypes and affinities also influence their abilities in combat or as a Champion. For example, a weapon could give female Champions a boost and detriment male Champions.
The second supertype, the class, determines the way a Champion behaves. The classes I have so far are:
Swordsmen: Champions with abilities focused on strength and combat.
Archers: Champions with abilities that play to a more patient and midrange game.
Clerics: Champions that specialize in healing, or preventing, damage, and generous abilities.
Mages: Champions that are designed to cause havoc and randomness to the game
and the equipment I have so far are:
helmet/hat
armor/torso
trousers
gloves/gauntlets
boots
swords
bows
staffs
I'm currently trying to find ways to incorporate Thieves and Skirmishers as classes. My intention is to make Thieves steal (self-explanatory) and Skirmishers excel at extremely fast, but weaker damage, as opposed to Swordsmen who excel at slower, stronger damage.
The classes were designed to satisfy different kinds of players, since I want this game to be very social/political, but still is based around defeating opponents (and whatever else I decide to include).
....
Please bear in mind that this isn't going to be a trading card game, it's going to be solid deck. So every player will be playing from the same one (or two or three) deck. I haven't decided how many different decks will be involved in the single game, but it will probably be two or three.
My questions to anyone and everyone are...
1. There are obviously going to be times when players will have equipment they don't want or need. What are some ways to let players get rid of or get some benefit from their unwanted equipment? (this question has been resolved)
2. This Champion system is very high risk, high reward esque. The Valor cost of Champions are higher for Champions that have better abilities, making it more difficult to get them online, but making them powerful if their players do. Is this kind of system favorable? I thought it would appeal to all forms of players; players get to experiment with what kind of Champions appeal to them, fast or slow, weak or strong, fun or aggressive. But I could be beating a dead horse here.
3. In regards to Thieves and Skirmishers. Being able to steal equipment could end very badly. Stealing could be too powerful, or too weak when I try to tune it down, and other players could feel cheated when they get stolen from (though that does play into the social/political aspect of the game). Skirmishers sound nice on paper, but since I don't know the curve of the game yet, they could end up being pointless. For example, if I make them fast enough that their Valor is online with only one equipment, then later in development I make other classes have Champions that have Valor with only one equipment, I've basically just contradicted the entire point of Skirmishers. If I make Skirmishers even faster than that, it could get to the point of them being unfair. There isn't really a question here, but I'd like to hear people's input on these two classes and maybe more classes to come.
4. Lastly, does the process to getting Valor online seem tedious? Obviously I intend to include other cards to make the game fun for players that don't have online Champions 24/7, but does the idea in its entirety seem like it will be just too stale?
Also, should I be afraid of someone stealing this idea here?
