Clash of Kingdoms (WIP - Feedback appreciated)

[Koziu]

Hi,

I would like to share with you a rulebook (very early version of course) of a card game I am working on. Therefore any review will be appreciated

Sorry that the stories at the beginning are in polish (my native language) but it is still work in progress - I encourage you to use google translator just to get in the game theme

Some short info about the game:

• It is a 2 player game with a possibility of multiplayer setup (no specific rules at this point)
• There are currently 4 factions playable (6 in total are planned)
• It might seem to be a little complicated at first
• I have tried to combine the elements of card games I love and I am sure you will notice it
• Core set is 110 cards but my initial playtesting showed it should suffice

Rulebook:
http://1drv.ms/1CoQdHp

If there will be an interest in creating a mod to Lackey platform - I will consider it

Disclamer, I don't own the ARTs. Hope nobody gets offended

[Kalin]

Very interesting. Some first impressions:

• I'm having trouble figuring out how "Condition" cards differ from "Strategy" cards.
• I don't understand Fate at all.
• It seems like it would be difficult to show which characters are at a location, especially if they each have multiple cards attached.

I don't like your "Open" actions; I think having both players trying to play cards and make decisions at the same time will cause needless complexity and confusion and make it really hard to make an online version of your game. Reactions are fine, especially if both players know that a reaction is in play and what will trigger it. Then when it triggers, the owner of the reaction becomes the active player long enough to make any decisions needed to resolve the reaction, then the original player becomes active again. The important thing (to me) is that only one player is making choices at any time.

Since each player has exactly one faction card and one starting location, and these are put into play before the game starts, neither card is ever shuffled into the deck. Right? So why not combine the two cards into a double-sized card to keep them together?

Also, I'm worried about games being decided based on who draws their faction upgrade card first. What if instead of having a card for that, the upgrade costs/conditions are printed on the faction card? Then when the conditions are met and costs paid, the player can flip the faction card over to reveal the upgraded version printed on the back. If you combine this with my previous idea, you can have upgraded starting locations too.

[Koziu]

First of all - thx for the review
I will try to answer your doubts and questions in order they appeared.

Condition vs Strategy.
Condition is a card which can be played on table and its effect is pernament / can be reused. For example (see rulebook) "The Bounty". Its Limited ability allows you to attach it to a character. Now traits of condition are affecting the character as long as the condition is attached to him.
On the other hand Strategy card gives its effect once and after resolving it is placed either in Used / Lost pile or is removed from the game.
So if I would compare the two in terms of MtG I would say that condition is a condition and strategy is like sorcery. Reactions are more or less like instants.

Fate: It is a number which is used when one player needs to generate a "random" number. You simply reveal the top card of your Deck and show the value. Then card is put into Used pile. It is a rule of thumb that more powerfull cards have lower fate values making your deck weaker when it comes to drawing fate. It is also used during battle resolution when you have characters with sufficient tactics ability to increase damage dealt to enemy forces (by drawing fate).
Some cards also might have ability saying something like this:
Limited, target an enemy character and draw a fate: Do something nasty to him if fate > his defense.
In the example above, first you must choose the target of an action (say defense=3), now you draw a fate. If it happens to be above 3 -> something nasty is happening

As for the number of characters at a location. Tests I have made shows that in fact it is not that big of an issue. Only once I had a game where all 8 locations were deployed. Situation when more than 4 or more characters of one player are at a single location is very rare. Control victory condition prevents players from concentrating all forces on a single location.

Open actions does not allow players to do things simlutaniously. All actions are played back and fourth. Open designator is only to show that the action can be used also in an opponents limited phase. Some actions require such possibility. For example an action that gives a character Swift ability.

I am a little confused by your description of reactions being fine as both players see them and now what will trigger them. I think you might get that part wrong.
Strategies with reaction gametext are played from hand - playing an reaction to an opponent action is just the opposite to what you said. Reactions are designed to interrupt / supprise your opponent.

Faction cards.
I don't want to make them double sided cards to enable player the option to choose his "basic" strategy as well as his "advanced / endgame" strategy. However since that might not be clear: Advanced Faction Card is not shuffled into deck before game starts. It is placed face down on the table when the game starts.
As for combining starting location and faction card - I am agains such weird abbominations like double sized cards. Not to mention that some faction cards require commitment to use their ability - something not to practical when that card would be incorporated with location.

[Kalin]

Thanks for the reply.

My main concern about Conditions and Strategies was that the cards look the same.

After I made my post, I discovered the TVTropes article on making CCGs, and that explained what you were doing with Fate. It also had a description of Attrition, and wow, do you really want something that insanely complicated?

I am a little confused by your description of reactions being fine as both players see them and now what will trigger them. I think you might get that part wrong.
Strategies with reaction gametext are played from hand - playing an reaction to an opponent action is just the opposite to what you said. Reactions are designed to interrupt / supprise your opponent.

I'm just trying to keep the basic game mechanics as simple as possible. I'm used to playing my games online, and these sorts of surprises are really hard to do well. Have you played Hearthstone or CardHunter?

[Koziu]

Main reason why Conditions and Strategies are quite similar in look is that I have made the templates myself and I do not consider myself an artist. They do however differ by the keywords bar

As for the complexity level of the game... I agree it is quite high. But I really wanted to incorporate such elements (random number on cards - "Fate" - I hate throwing a dice or anything like that, moreover you have some influence on the "randomness" of your deck during deckbuilding) into the game.

The Strategy / Interrupt mechanism is present in most of the card games I have ever played and really I don't think it is complicated at all. MtG for example is full of sorcery / instant spells. L5R uses the same mechanism - Strategy cards, which some of them are in fact reactions.
I find this solution clean - Strategy card which defines the moment you can play it. Either as a reaction or "normal" action. No additional card type is required.

I agree that the battle mechanism is complicated. Maybe to complicated - something I might work on in second release.