Single copy cards and 3< copy cards

[yudencow]

In a game I'm working there are going to be both, very strong cards than can only appear once in your deck, and cards that can appear over the normal limit.

Should I limit the number of single copy cards that can be in a deck? I'm afraid most players will just put as many as they can from them, around a quarter of their deck probably. The deck size is 60, so I though just allowing 6 is great, because there is a high chance of havong one in the beginning of the game.

How should be the multiple cards, so they won't appear broken or useless? Should I also limit that to 20, a third of the deck?

[yudencow]

60 card deck. There can be only 6 of the single copy cards in your deck which are very powerful. Every multiple copy card can have up to 15 copies in your deck. Will that work?

[3XXXDDD]

Why do you need these powerful cards in the first place?

[yudencow]

Narratively they are quite important, and while being strong they have their cutbacks.

It's like the Unique cards in WoWTCG or the very strong cards in the Vs System.

I'm trying to figure out how to balance all cards, regardless of copy limit.

Is my idea okay, and are there any other suggestions?

[3XXXDDD]

Well do costs exist in the game? Are cards only to be allowed to be played if they share the same faction/clan/race as yours?

[yudencow]

The deck building is very flexed, you pick a hero, 40 of the 60 cards must share the same faction, the other 20 can be anything. The cost system is similar to the VS System.

[3XXXDDD]

Well if there is a cost system and your careful with card design, limitations of cards like this are unnecessary.

[yudencow]

My fear is 15 cards or so will be single copy in your deck. Will limiting up to 2 of them on the field at any time fix that?

[3XXXDDD]

My point is if your cards are well designed, there shouldn't be a need to limit them anyway whatsoever. Especially if your using the Location (aka Mana) system that Vs uses.

[yudencow]

I'm thinking about using a new one I created. You start with 1 and every turn you get 1 more until you have 5. every time you are attacked you receive an extra 1 that disappears in the end of your next turn. Will that work?

[3XXXDDD]

Seems a bit convoluted. You get one of what every turn?

Anything & everything can work within the context of the game but you don't seem to have a context for your game.

[yudencow]

You get 1 Mana every turn until you have 5. You gain optional Mana every time you are atacked. It disappears in the end of your turn.

The context is Unit vs. Unit.

[Typherion]

I'm actually a fan of having different limits for cards if the game is designed around it. I wouldn't mind a system where your deck could have say 30 basic cards, 20 special cards, and 10 super cards.

Well if there is a cost system and your careful with card design, limitations of cards like this are unnecessary.

The thing is, limitations like this can actually function very well as costs by themselves, or as an addition to another cost system. Limiting the number of certain cards that can be included can also make the game more fun.

This is one of the reasons people play the Commander variant of Magic - fewer identical cards increases the variance of gameplay. Your next game will probably be very different from the last one because you are drawing different cards.

However, this has a potential downside - the player who draws more of their powerful but restricted cards is more likely to win. But this also gives the losing player a good excuse for losing, so it can still encourage more fun.

A slightly different idea is a point limitation system instead. I've played a weird Japanese arcade only(!) card game called Lord of Vermilion. You made a party of about 5 creatures of different power levels that cost different amounts of points. The stronger ones cost more points than the weaker ones. You could put whatever characters you wanted in your party as long as their total cost was within the limit.

[yudencow]

Thanks for the input. I had some changes:

Mana system: you start with 1 mana. you gain 1 mana every turn until you have 7. you gain 2 mania that will disappear in the end of yout turn for every time a player does breakthrough damage against you.

All single copy cards will cost 4 mania and have 1 flip move and 1 move that costs 1 mania to play.

All endless copy cards will cost 1 mania and will have a move that activates on entry to the field that will be efected by the number of cards with the same name on the field/graveyard.

There will be no limitations about them in deck building or field.

I have this mechanic I like which allows you to return 1 card fromt he graveyard to the field tapped for tis cost on your turn.

Will that work?