G.I. Joe (Classic) CCG

[Gattison]

  I have an idea for a CCg based on the classic G.I. Joe franchise, drawing heavily upon information in the original cartoons and Marvel comics.  At the risk of alienating any new Joe-fans, I have no intention of using the travesty of a movie "The Rise of Cobra" at all.

  The basic idea of the game would be this:  You stary with a certain amount of characters in play and can "recruit" more during play.  The "playing field" consists of multiple zones or "Ranges" on your side of the field and your opponent's.  The fields are HQ (closest to you), Long Range, Short Range (closest to opponent) and Frontlines (a "shared" field, or Range, in between both players.  Additionally, these are each divided into three Fields: Land, Water, Air (Deep-Six can only start the game in or be deployed to a Water Field, but after that he can be repositioned, the MOBAT tank can only be deployed to Land Fields, the Skystriker jet can only be deployed to the Air Field and naval vehicals can only be deployed to the Water Field and vehicles cannot be moved to a different Field.
  Most players can begin the game with a Level 1 (aka weak) Weapon, but can equip more during gameplay.  Weapons have a requirement or two that must be met by a player before they can use it and add attacking power.  Characters can also be equipped with Gear, which adds special bonuses.  Characters can also be Deployed into Vehicles, gaining an even bigger bonus (vehicles rarely function without a driver in them).  Characters may move one Range closer to or away from the Frontlines each turn.  Characters in you HQ are healed slowly.  A notable trait that some characters have (such as Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow and Firefly, for instance) is called Infiltration, which allows Characters to freely move into the opponent's Fields and Ranges or Territory.  Most Joe characters are Unique (only 1 in play at a time), while many Cobra troops are not.

[Gattison]

(continued)
  Characters have a pre-determined "reach" for their attacks, Long Range attackers can attack the Frontlines from the Long Range zone, Close Range attackers can attack the Frontlines from the Close Range zone.  Opposing characters in the same field can engage in Hand-to-Hand Combat.
  Maneuver Cards are circumstantial cards that modify or alter the normal combat protocol and offer the bulk of the strategies for general combat, mainly dealing with zones and positioning.  Mission Cards are similar the Maneuvers, but have requirements that must be met, such as a Character, Vehicle or zone that must be involved before they can be played.  A Maneuver Card would be something like "Yooo Joe!" or "Cobraaa!" (your forces charge and all units in one Field--Land, Sea, Air--move one space toward the Frontlines), while a Mission Card might be "Covert Ops Training" (Requires: Espionage, Covert Ops or Ninja.  The character playing this Mission can teach another the techniques of undercover assignments, that character gains Infiltration) or a better example might be "Attack the Officer" (Requires: 4 available Units + 2 available Vehicles or 2 available Ninjas, the involved Units may attack any zone with a high-ranking character in it directly).
  Finally, Base Cards, which are similar to Vehicle cards, can be deployed to your HQ Range or another applicable zone, but they cannot be repositioned.  If deployed in your HQ, your HQ range may not be Infiltrated until the base is destroyed, if deployed elsewhere, other card-specific bonuses may apply.
  A couple other things; first, in battle things explode alot so there are rules for explosions.  They deal half damage to all other Units in the same zone, rounded down.  Most vehicles explode upon destruction, dealing half the damage of the killing blow to those in the same zone.  In this way Tunnel Rat and Firefly are effective.

[Gattison]

(continued more, sorry, I'm long-winded)
  Second, there are two discard piles, one called Retired and one called KIA, guess what their purposes are.  Retired cards can possibly be accessed via other cards, but the KIA discard pile is considered "no longer in play."  Characters can be "knocked out" and simply retired in battle, or (if they receive double damage or something) they are killed for the game.
  Third, obviously you could play as either G.I. Joe or Cobra, with supposed "Expansion Packs" featuring additional Armies that are either allied with the Joes or Cobra.  Such other groups would be the Oktober Guard, Iron Grenadiers, Cobra-La, Arashikage Ninjas, Night Creepers, Dreadnoks, Headhunters, etc.  Also, I thought it would be cool to make some kind of distinction between unique characters and non-unique ones like "Greenshirts," Vipers, Crimson Guards, and the like.
  Fourthly and finally, kind of, I may be forgetting some things, since I don't have my notes with me at this moment, but that's the gist of it.  I personally think if I could stay grounded and keep that rather complex system as simple as possible, that this is a truly good idea for a G.I. Joe-based CCG.  I may be biased though, so, I guess, tell me if it is or not.  I always appreciate constructive criticism.