Objective: Create a fully functional card game with good quality rendered art.
History: A few years ago I designed a prototype card game which was conceived by being inspired from existing card games. I have played most of the popular card games in the last 10 years. From Pokemon, Duel Masters, Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic: The Gathering. I also used to play the tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000. My card game design is a fusion of the two elements. Introducing dice rolls into a card game adds a further sense of interactivity.
Influence:
Magic: The Gathering
A game for the older player, this game can be very sophisticated to play and eventually master. Some of the finest artists work on these cards such as Kekai Kotaki. Very popular in the UK and US. The game is very enjoyable and a victory can be pulled out from the last minute. It only takes 1 card to turn the tables.
One of the leading card games for a younger audience, this game began with rather simplistic and easy card rulings but has evolved into a major league past time. I believe the game has degenerated into an awful mess due to the fact that people tend to only use very specific 'cookie cutter' cards. (cards which are found within the top 10 decks in current tournaments which are very sought after) It boils down to who can get the broken cards out the fastest.
Probably the simplest game to pick up out of my influences, this game is an amalgamation of Magic and Yu-Gi-OH. Not very well known in the UK, this game reached immense popularity in the early 2000's in Japan. Some awesome artwork and easy physics makes it a great influence.
The grandfather of trading card games. With so much transmedial presence, this IP is unavoidable. The game runs very much like its GameBoy counterpart, using a 'bench' system to keep your Pokemon in reserve until needed. I grew to dislike this game when I found out how easy Yu-Gi-Oh! was to play. Needless to say, a heavy hitter in the card world.
Each of the existing card games share the same factors:
- Colourful and appealing artwork/designs
- Bordered edges and segmented areas
- Clear, concise text
- Rectangular shape
- Square design showcasing the art
- Dice rolls implemented
- Easier to pick up than existing games
- Very tactical for wide audeince
Version 1.0 - Initial playtesting with prototypes included an auxillery 'side deck' filled with varying equipment and effect cards. These cards were of a smaller size and were shuffled in a different deck. Each player was distributed 10 random cards from a pile before the match. Some of these cards proved to be useless or too overpowered so I decided to remove them.
Version 1.01 - After editing and balancing the power and effectiveness of certain cards, the field felt a bit more balanced. The removal of the smaller effect cards made the matches more smooth and fluid.
Version 1.02 - Digital versions produced. Card attacks revised and edited for further balance. Card art reworked/redefined with colour. Some cards were completely scrapped to make way for better replacements.
Each deck has 11 cards. Each card will perform a specific role within the deck. Each role acts as an
archetype.
Game Rules Version 1.02
DECK STRUCTURE: Each deck must contain 11 different cards. The theme decks supplied with this starter set have been tailored for balance but it is totally possible to customise each deck if the player wishes.
STARTING: Each player shuffles their own deck and places it on the battlefield, then rolls a die to determine who goes first. The highest rolling player goes first. Each player starts the game with a random unit deployed from the top of their deck. Each player must have a unit on their side of the battlefield when ending their turn or they will LOSE the game. If a player is left with no units during their opponents turn, the player has 1 turn to play a unit to the battlefield or will lose the game .
ACTION POINTS: Each turn, players can use up to 3 Action Points (AP). An Action Point is used when:
Drawing a card from the deck. (Players can draw multiple times per turn.)
Playing a unit to the battlefield in its respective position.
Changing a battlefield position of a unit to any free space.
Attempting an attack. Each unit can only attempt to attack ONCE per turn.
TURN STRUCTURE:
Draw cards > Play units > Change Battle Positions > Attack > End Turn > Opponents Turn.
DEPLOYING: When a unit is played to the battlefield, it must be played in its starting position, found near the top of the card. A FRONTLINE unit is therefore played in any 1 of the 3 positions in the frontline. A REARGUARD unit will be played in any 1 of the 3 positions in the rearguard.
BATTLEFIELD: There are 6 positions on each players side of the battlefield, 3 in the frontline and 3 in the rearguard. Once these position are filled, no more units can be played. A player may not choose to remove a unit from the battlefield unless it is a cards effect.
COMBAT: Players roll a single die to determine if an attack is successful or not. Offensive attacks target a single enemy anywhere on the battlefield unless otherwise specified. When a unit is reduced to 0 health, remove it from the battlefield and place it in a discard pile.
RANKS: Units in the FRONTLINE deal +10 Damage and take +10 damage from attacks.
Units in the REARGUARD deal -10 Damage and take -10 Damage from attacks.
VICTORY: When a player has destroyed 6 enemy units, that player is the winner.
The 11 card types are:
Hero - The most powerful character in the deck, normally has automatic moves.
Heavy Unit - The unit with the highest damage output and resistance.
Light Unit - An evasive unit capable of avoiding damage but has low health.
Aggressive Unit - Deals high damage but has average health.
Defensive Unit - Prevents damage but has average health.
Frontline Unit - Powerful unit which draws attention to itself.
Rearguard Unit - A unit which detracts attention to itself whilst causing damage.
Support Unit - Capable of buffering any character with useful bonuses.
Medic Unit - Capable of restoring health to friendly units.
Beast Unit - A creature employed to cause disruption within enemy ranks.
Vehicle Unit - A mixture of high damage with evasive/defensive abilities.
Each of the 4 decks will utilise a balanced mixture of these units. Each deck will feature differen card types.
Race Information
Galgarothians:
Being amphibious, they spend all their lives living on giant coral cities. The heart of their dwelling is called Galgaroth, named after a legendary giant whale who was said to carry a great city on its back. Coastal guardians of the sea, they wear distinct heavy armour and use great spears and harpoons. Not many have seen the true appearance of a Galgarothian.
Seeing as I came up with the designs many years ago, I thought it would be ok to go along with the originals. This is a very personal project to me as I have invested an enourmous amount of time conceving them.
Cyclosians:
These one eyed people are experts of technology and ranged weaponry. They have extremely acute vision and are renowned for their skills with long ranged laser weapons. Since their cities were long lost to ground forces 500 years ago, they now live on board giant floating cities suspended by solar-gravitional engines. They are masters of the skies and employ many flying vehicles in their army. Scavengers harvest resources from the surface of the planet to sustain their crops and supplies.
The Nalvarog:
A race of hound-like humanoids who reside in the hot deserts of Nalvarog. Only capable of surviving in warm and humid conditions, they wear special battle suits that regulate temperature. The Nalvarog are capable of barking so louding that one shout can cause extreme trauma in its victims.
IN PROGRESS
The Dark:
A sinister amalgamation of rogue cybernetics and long-lost remains of deadly heroic figures. Supported by Phoenix Cyber Shaman’s, The Dark use an array of dark magic and extremely advanced technology to bring destruction to their world. Their aim is to end the galaxy.
IN PROGRESS
The font I used for the Cards attacks/names was Optimus Princeps
The font I used for its title was CM Tattoo Dragon
Original Card Prototypes
These hand rendered cards took over an hour each to complete, excluding additonal time to conjour up ideas and think about each cards technical aspects. Although I tried my best to be perfect them at first, some cards have gone through numerous iterations to balance and refine their appearance to be more appealing. I used biro because it is my favourite medium to work with as it produces very definite lines for a striking image. I enjoy ink as a mistake can lead to something new and refreshing.
There are 4 distinct races here, but I only had time to fully produce 2 of them. It is a truly draining task to come up with so many ideas. I ultimately enjoyed coming up with them and it is extremely satisfying seeing them come to life.
Galgaroth
Cyclosian
Nalvarog
The Dark
How could I take my game further?
A series of narratives exploring each race could be periodically published to accompany the physical copy of the game.
Booster packs could be released to quench a collectors thirst for more cards. Perhaps even a digital version of the game could be developed to allow players to play on the go with a mobile device, handheld console or it could even be a downloadable arcade title for PS3 and Xbox 360.
No comments:
Post a Comment