tcg rules

[Vandivier]

i think the goal is:

1. it should be simpler than simple battle mode (a classic rpg or jrpg-like mode)
2. it should showcase art
3. it should showcase the lore of the game world

thinking about the tcgs i know, maybe or yu gi oh is the simplest fun systems? i think the tapping system makes magic more complicated.

so we will be similar to yu gi oh with a few differences:

1. no arbitrary point goal; in our game you win by being the only player with battlers on the field for a full round (end of your own turn to start of your own turn)
2. multiplayer! more than two players can play in a single game (recommended 2-8)
3. deck size 1-99 (why limit at 99? two reasons: 1) at 100, then any particular card only makes a difference of 1% roughly speaking, so there isn't a significant difference in the deck by adding a card. this is approximately the same situation for a deck of 99 cards, but the two-digit limit allows lower integer length storage and basically fewer significant digits in the calculation.
4. no card slot limit; you can play up to your entire deck at once (there is a deck size limit though)
5. simpler card kinds: there are just battlers and items
6. more elegant duplicate card rule: every card identifies whether duplicates are allowed or not - basically, stereotyped battlers and items can have dups but not uniques, rares, and heroics
7. no arbitrary deck size minimum...you can play with a single card if you want to - the dark paladin did after all! lower barrier to entry. you can get started with a single card or a card pack if you want, you don't need to spend on a whole deck
8. simpler sacrifice system: cards themselves will specify evolution conditions. there is no special sacrifice ruleset
9. simpler magic and trap system: battlers cast spells and lay traps; there are no special spell or trap cards

[Vandivier]

turn order, draw, deploy, battle. that's it. simple turn order resolution.

battle doesn't necessarily mean attack. it means each of your battlers can make a move (attack, defend, flee, use item, or use ability... a la jrpg)

All players draw 3d6 cards to start the game. rolling three-of-a-kind grants an extra card and straight 6s grants two extra cards for a total of 21. You do not claim the three-of-a-kind bonus if you roll straight 1s, and if you roll straight 1s you immediately go last. if all or no player rolls straight 1s, roll to determine turn order, with the highest roll going first and rolls continuing until all ties are broken.

all you need to play this game is a six-sided die and a card deck! you can see there is a significant advantage to having a deck of 21 or more cards, but that's not required.

if your deck runs out of cards you simply skip the draw phase. some card effects will allow you to return discarded cards into the deck, but it doesn't happen automatically. it's possible for a game to end in a tie.

[Vandivier]

data model stuff: a user has many UserCustomDecks and many UserGameCards

the UserCustomDeck is a list of UserGameCards w name+id and it can also include standard deck cards

[Vandivier]

dumb AI approaches...these can be split into various user stories

1. discard all items during setup (bc we aren't going to use them) then only play deploy and attack or defend
2. play random possible move (including use item, wait, and flee)
3. never wait or flee (randomly do anything else)
4. "almost smart" -> heal if possible and helpful, else sometimes equip if possible, else randomly attack or defend

attack rules: if attacker power exceeds defender power then defender is hit. Usually, one hit kills the defender, although some cards have effects that let them take more hits

if the defender played defend last round then they cannot be hit unless their guard is broken. an attacker breaks guard if their power is double or higher compared to the defender power

[Vandivier]

cards can also have tags, so they can reference arc and chapter through a tag they also have optional description text

[Vandivier]

Some standard deck combos:

1. Herbalist (don't call me a Gardner!) once per round a plant is not sent to the graveyard but is shuffled into the deck. Can draw a plant once per turn.
2. Healing herbs (1 pt; health is 2 and greater is 3)
3. Antidote
4. Alchemist (can craft potions and apply poison to weapon)
5. Nice Clothes (it can be turned into disguise by a craftsman)
6. Really good makeup: turn one character into another of same race and gender
7. Craftsman: can make stuff. Lots of sub cards eg "craftsman specializing in makeup" who can create makeup from colorful berries
8. Colorful berries: eat them and they may heal you, hurt you, or give you an extra move (1d6/2 respectively)
9. Poison potion: grants poison on N enemy unit (1 damage each end of round, starting end of next round)
10. Weapon smith 11: armor smith
11. Merchant Jessie saved (before being saved: provokes bandits)
12. Merchant Jessie saved (after being saved: allows you to trade a common or uncommon item for another)
13. Merchant of alias or w/e (1d6 difficulty 4 to pull rare item each turn, else pull common)
14. Old merchant: each round you can shuffle a discarded common item into your deck. Can also play reveal identity to become a unique old merchant of the same race
15. Really good disguise: character becomes any other character from hand
16. Really really really good disguise: character becomes any other character from deck or hand