Post by SevenSpirits on Feb 13, 2005 1:25:13 GMT 1
It has been suggested by numerous people that the event card decks be expanded with a small number of supplemental cards, either by addition, replacement, or optional replacement (limited deckbuilding). While I agree that new card effects are a must for the expansion, I'm not sure that more event cards is the way to go. This is because when I add an expansion element (like a card) to a game, I don't want to have to play multiple games until said card even comes up in the deck. (For the main game this variety is good rather than bad, because you want variation.)
My idea involves a new type of card, which I would really prefer to call Strategy Card, but will call "Power Card" for now because the former name is already in use.
Each side is provided with a number of Power Cards (PCs), and secretly selects a subset of these before the game starts. The cards selected are placed face down in front of the player. Throughout the game, these PCs may be turned face up and played by paying a cost or fulfilling a requirement stated on the card. Examples of costs/requirements could include spending an action die, using an elven ring, discarding an event card, conquering the Shire, moving an Elven army into a Shadow nation region, etc. You could even have one that could be turned face up instead of playing a combat card. There are a huge number of possibilities, many more than for event cards because those always require an action die (and thus must always be played as an action).
Once the PC has been turned face up, it might have an immediate effect, or (more likely) it will stay on the table and have a permanent effect. For example, a card might allow Rohan units to be moved twice by the same army die. PCs could also be used to introduce new miniatures into the game, such as Shelob or the ents.
PCs would give players a choice of strategies they would like to pursue, instead of forcing players to adopt whichever strategy their cards and the situation dictate. They would allow for a wide variety of different games. Unlike Event cards, they would be guaranteed to influence every game in which they were included. They could have a wide range of effects, unlike new event cards which would have to be balanced with the old ones. Power Cards would be a very flexible way to add additional text cards to the game.
My idea involves a new type of card, which I would really prefer to call Strategy Card, but will call "Power Card" for now because the former name is already in use.
Each side is provided with a number of Power Cards (PCs), and secretly selects a subset of these before the game starts. The cards selected are placed face down in front of the player. Throughout the game, these PCs may be turned face up and played by paying a cost or fulfilling a requirement stated on the card. Examples of costs/requirements could include spending an action die, using an elven ring, discarding an event card, conquering the Shire, moving an Elven army into a Shadow nation region, etc. You could even have one that could be turned face up instead of playing a combat card. There are a huge number of possibilities, many more than for event cards because those always require an action die (and thus must always be played as an action).
Once the PC has been turned face up, it might have an immediate effect, or (more likely) it will stay on the table and have a permanent effect. For example, a card might allow Rohan units to be moved twice by the same army die. PCs could also be used to introduce new miniatures into the game, such as Shelob or the ents.
PCs would give players a choice of strategies they would like to pursue, instead of forcing players to adopt whichever strategy their cards and the situation dictate. They would allow for a wide variety of different games. Unlike Event cards, they would be guaranteed to influence every game in which they were included. They could have a wide range of effects, unlike new event cards which would have to be balanced with the old ones. Power Cards would be a very flexible way to add additional text cards to the game.