res7less
Jumpkin
It appears I had nothing better to do this evening than to have some thoughts about the Griddle guy in Evergrind City, who always asks about a game of cards, but has no game to offer. So, I started inventing one, but it kind of turned into a board game rather than a card game. It would very likely be too difficult to implement into Secrets of Grindea, but it would also be a shame if I didn't share the cool results.
So, here it goes:
The Setup:
Two players are facing off against each other and have Cards and Abilities that are picked before a game. They start out on Pillar Mountains Zone with 100 HP, 0 Energy Points (max. 100 EP), 50 Gold (no max.) and 0 Attack Damage (no max.?). The field is a 5x5 board where Minions can be placed. The players are facing towards each other and may play Minions if they can pay the Cost. They may also use Abilities if they have the EP to do so. Once a Card is played, a minion spawns in a square of the player’s choice from the first row of the player’s side.
Available Actions each Turn:
Each player may do 1 Card or Ability Action and 1 Basic Action each turn.
Player actions:
Passive: Receives 10 EP.
AND
Passive: Draws a card of current or past Zone.
AND
Passive: Gains 1 Attack Damage.
AND
Use Ability: Casts desired Ability if enough EP.
OR
Play Card: Plays desired Card if enough Gold.
OR
Sell Card: Discards desired Card, receiving half of its Drop Gold and draws a new Card.
AND
(Basic action) Charge: Grants 5 additional EP and allows to play two Cards next turn.
OR
(Basic action) Attack: Attacks target enemies in a 1x3 area for Attack Damage and pushes them back a square.
OR
(Basic action) Defend: Blocks enemies’ Attack in a 1x3 area and pushes them back a square.
Game actions:
Start of game: Each player draws 3 cards of current or past Zone. The player with the lowest Hand Cost begins, while the other player receives 20 EP. If both players have the same Hand Cost, the beginning player is chosen randomly.
Every 5 turns, the zone advances, adding Cards that may be drawn and granting both Players Gold.
Starting Zone: Pillar Mountains
Zone 2: Evergrind Fields: 50 Gold
Zone 3: Pumpkin Woods: 100 Gold
Etc.
Minions:
All minions have a Size, Cost, Attack, HP and Drop. They may also have multiple Skills.
- Cost indicates how much Gold a player needs to pay in order to play the card.
- Attack indicates how much Damage a Minion deals when it attacks.
- HP indicates, how much Damage it may take before dying.
Spawned Minions start moving forward (towards enemy Player) each turn until he either reaches the enemy Player or another minion. If he reaches an enemy Minion, they fight. If he reaches the enemy Player, he has to deal with it. When Minions encounter each other, they simultaneously deal Damage according to their Attack to each other. If a Minion is killed, the enemy Player of the minion’s Owner receives its Drop Gold.
Minion Skills:
Melee: Attacks an enemy Minion or Player when close to it
Flying: Cannot be hit by a Player's Attack Action
Fast: Moves 2 squares each turn
Quick: Acts (moves and attacks) before regular Minions
Weak: Becomes stunned for 1 Turn if attacks enemy Player during his Block Action
Defender: Doesn't move after spawning
Reach: Also hits adjacent squares to the left and right when attacking
Unstoppable: Moves through non-Defender Minions after attacking and receiving Damage
Reckless: May damage friendly Minions
Strong: Is not pushed back from enemy Player's Attack or Defend actions
Ranged: Shoots a missle that hits the first Enemy in line
Elusive: When moving, also moves to an adjacent square to the left or right if it's free
Burrowed: Passes through friendly Minions until an Enemy is blocking the way
Unpredictable: Changes direction of movement every time it encounters a Player
Slow: Cannot move and attack on the same Turn
Vigilant: Also hits adjacent squares to the bottom when attacking
Transform (guardian): Transforms into a Guardian of the Owner's choice
Here are some example Minions (I actually took the game's health value and removed the 0):
Green Slime
Melee
Size: 1x1
Cost: 6 Gold
Attack: 3
Health: 6
Drops: 5 Gold
Rabby
Melee
Size: 1x1
Cost: 10 Gold
Attack: 3
Health: 11
Drops: 9 Gold
Mrs. Bee
Flying, Quick, Fast, Weak
Size: 1x1
Cost: 8 Gold
Attack: 5
Health: 5
Drops: 10 Gold
Bloomo
Melee, Defender, Reach
Size: 1x2
Cost: 25 Gold
Attack: 10
Health: 22
Drops: 20 Gold
Boar
Melee, Unstoppable, Reckless, Strong
Size: 2x2
Cost: 30 Gold
Attack: 6
Health: 40
Drops: 40 Gold
Jumpkin
Melee, Unstoppable
Size: 1x1
Cost: 18 Gold
Attack: 6
Health: 9
Drops: 22 Gold
Lantern Jack
Ranged, Flying, Elusive, Defender
Size: 1x1
Cost: 14 Gold
Attack: 5
Health: 10
Drops: 12 Gold
Scarecrow
Melee, Strong
Size: 2x1
Cost: 30 Gold
Attack: 7
Health: 35
Drops: 20 Gold
Halloweed
Melee, Fast, Burrowed, Reach, Strong
Size: 1x2
Cost: 60 Gold
Attack: 10
Health: 65
Drops: 80 Gold
Ghosty
Melee, Flying, Elusive, Quick, Unstoppable
Size: 1x1
Cost: 20 Gold
Attack: 8
Health: 9
Drops: 25 Gold
Wisp
Ranged, Flying, Elusive, Fast, Unpredictable
Size: 1x1
Cost: 25 Gold
Attack: 10
Health: 30
Drops: 30 Gold
Pecko
Flying, Slow, Vigilant, Strong
Size: 2x2
Cost: 80 Gold
Attack: 11
Health: 100
Drops: 90 Gold
Guardian
Flying, Defender, Transform
Size: 1x1
Cost: 20 Gold
Attack: 0
Health: 50
Drops: 30 Gold
Blue Guardian
Effect: Next minion played, receives an immunity shield that persists as long as the Blue Guardian lives.
Purple Guardian
Effect: Creates a 2x2 field that prevents enemy minions from passing as long as the Purple Guardian lives.
Green Guardian
Effect: Creates a Green Guardian clone on target square in a line or row with the first Green Guardian. A tether between the two Green Guardians forms, that deals 5 Damage to enemy minions that pass through for as long as both Green Guardians live. The Clone drops no Gold when killed.
Brawler Bot
Melee, Flying, Fast, Quick, Unstoppable
Size: 1x1
Cost: 50 Gold
Attack: 12
Health: 45
Drops: 75 Gold
Player Abilities:
When having enough EP, Players may chose to use an Ability instead of playing or selling a Card. The great thing is that the Skills are actually translatable to that system.
Piercing Dash
Cost: 5 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to all Enemies in target 1x5 area.
Blade Flurry
Cost: 15 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to the first Enemy in three random 1x5 areas.
Spirit Slash
Cost: 10 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to all enemy Minions in target 3x3 area.
Heroic Slam
Cost: 15 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to all enemy Minions in target 3x4 area, starting in first row.
Whirlslash
Cost: 30 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to all enemy Minions in target 4x4 area for 2 turns. Can’t use Basic actions while Whirlslash is active.
Berserker Style
Cost: All available EP
Effect: Next Attack Action deals Attack Damage + consumed EP to targets.
Fireball
Cost: 20 EP
Effect: Ranged attack that deals double Attack Damage to first Enemy hit.
Flame Thrower
Cost: 15 EP each turn
Effect: Deals double Attack Damage in target 2x4 area to all Enemies until cancelled, starting in first row. Can’t use Basic actions while Flame Thrower is active.
Frosty Friend
Cost: All available EP
Effect: Summons a minion.
Size: 2x2
Melee, Guardian, Reach
Attack: Attack Damage
Health: Consumed EP * 2
Ice Nova
Cost: 15 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage and Freezes all enemy Minions in a 3x3 area for one Turn. Frozen Minions become Slow.
Earth Spike
Cost: 30 EP
Effect: Deals quadruple Attack Damage to all enemy Minions in a 2x2 area and stuns them for one Turn.
Insect Swarm
Cost: 25 EP
Effect: Creates a zone in a 3x3 area for 3 turns, where enemy Minions receive Attack Damage each turn.
Chain Lightning
Cost: 15 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage * Random 2-5 to 5 random Enemies.
Static Touch
Cost: 10 EP
Effect: Creates a damaging field around a friendly Minion, which deals Attack Damage to Enemies that attack it.
The game basically consists of a main mechanic: Turning Gold into Damage. Minions that are likely to reach the Enemy Player and deal Damage, usually have higher Drop Gold than their Cost was, which allows the Players to recover from heavy damage by establishing board control. Minions that are more defensive, grant the enemy less Gold than they were worth, but aren't likely to reach the enemy Player to deal Damage, but they give the owner time to accumulate EP to influence the Battlefield. There are different strategies to that game and one would need to test out if it really works.
And here's a screenshot of how it could look like:
Well, that was a fun evening
So, here it goes:
The Setup:
Two players are facing off against each other and have Cards and Abilities that are picked before a game. They start out on Pillar Mountains Zone with 100 HP, 0 Energy Points (max. 100 EP), 50 Gold (no max.) and 0 Attack Damage (no max.?). The field is a 5x5 board where Minions can be placed. The players are facing towards each other and may play Minions if they can pay the Cost. They may also use Abilities if they have the EP to do so. Once a Card is played, a minion spawns in a square of the player’s choice from the first row of the player’s side.
Available Actions each Turn:
Each player may do 1 Card or Ability Action and 1 Basic Action each turn.
Player actions:
Passive: Receives 10 EP.
AND
Passive: Draws a card of current or past Zone.
AND
Passive: Gains 1 Attack Damage.
AND
Use Ability: Casts desired Ability if enough EP.
OR
Play Card: Plays desired Card if enough Gold.
OR
Sell Card: Discards desired Card, receiving half of its Drop Gold and draws a new Card.
AND
(Basic action) Charge: Grants 5 additional EP and allows to play two Cards next turn.
OR
(Basic action) Attack: Attacks target enemies in a 1x3 area for Attack Damage and pushes them back a square.
OR
(Basic action) Defend: Blocks enemies’ Attack in a 1x3 area and pushes them back a square.
Game actions:
Start of game: Each player draws 3 cards of current or past Zone. The player with the lowest Hand Cost begins, while the other player receives 20 EP. If both players have the same Hand Cost, the beginning player is chosen randomly.
Every 5 turns, the zone advances, adding Cards that may be drawn and granting both Players Gold.
Starting Zone: Pillar Mountains
Zone 2: Evergrind Fields: 50 Gold
Zone 3: Pumpkin Woods: 100 Gold
Etc.
Minions:
All minions have a Size, Cost, Attack, HP and Drop. They may also have multiple Skills.
- Cost indicates how much Gold a player needs to pay in order to play the card.
- Attack indicates how much Damage a Minion deals when it attacks.
- HP indicates, how much Damage it may take before dying.
Spawned Minions start moving forward (towards enemy Player) each turn until he either reaches the enemy Player or another minion. If he reaches an enemy Minion, they fight. If he reaches the enemy Player, he has to deal with it. When Minions encounter each other, they simultaneously deal Damage according to their Attack to each other. If a Minion is killed, the enemy Player of the minion’s Owner receives its Drop Gold.
Minion Skills:
Melee: Attacks an enemy Minion or Player when close to it
Flying: Cannot be hit by a Player's Attack Action
Fast: Moves 2 squares each turn
Quick: Acts (moves and attacks) before regular Minions
Weak: Becomes stunned for 1 Turn if attacks enemy Player during his Block Action
Defender: Doesn't move after spawning
Reach: Also hits adjacent squares to the left and right when attacking
Unstoppable: Moves through non-Defender Minions after attacking and receiving Damage
Reckless: May damage friendly Minions
Strong: Is not pushed back from enemy Player's Attack or Defend actions
Ranged: Shoots a missle that hits the first Enemy in line
Elusive: When moving, also moves to an adjacent square to the left or right if it's free
Burrowed: Passes through friendly Minions until an Enemy is blocking the way
Unpredictable: Changes direction of movement every time it encounters a Player
Slow: Cannot move and attack on the same Turn
Vigilant: Also hits adjacent squares to the bottom when attacking
Transform (guardian): Transforms into a Guardian of the Owner's choice
Here are some example Minions (I actually took the game's health value and removed the 0):
Green Slime
Melee
Size: 1x1
Cost: 6 Gold
Attack: 3
Health: 6
Drops: 5 Gold
Rabby
Melee
Size: 1x1
Cost: 10 Gold
Attack: 3
Health: 11
Drops: 9 Gold
Mrs. Bee
Flying, Quick, Fast, Weak
Size: 1x1
Cost: 8 Gold
Attack: 5
Health: 5
Drops: 10 Gold
Bloomo
Melee, Defender, Reach
Size: 1x2
Cost: 25 Gold
Attack: 10
Health: 22
Drops: 20 Gold
Boar
Melee, Unstoppable, Reckless, Strong
Size: 2x2
Cost: 30 Gold
Attack: 6
Health: 40
Drops: 40 Gold
Jumpkin
Melee, Unstoppable
Size: 1x1
Cost: 18 Gold
Attack: 6
Health: 9
Drops: 22 Gold
Lantern Jack
Ranged, Flying, Elusive, Defender
Size: 1x1
Cost: 14 Gold
Attack: 5
Health: 10
Drops: 12 Gold
Scarecrow
Melee, Strong
Size: 2x1
Cost: 30 Gold
Attack: 7
Health: 35
Drops: 20 Gold
Halloweed
Melee, Fast, Burrowed, Reach, Strong
Size: 1x2
Cost: 60 Gold
Attack: 10
Health: 65
Drops: 80 Gold
Ghosty
Melee, Flying, Elusive, Quick, Unstoppable
Size: 1x1
Cost: 20 Gold
Attack: 8
Health: 9
Drops: 25 Gold
Wisp
Ranged, Flying, Elusive, Fast, Unpredictable
Size: 1x1
Cost: 25 Gold
Attack: 10
Health: 30
Drops: 30 Gold
Pecko
Flying, Slow, Vigilant, Strong
Size: 2x2
Cost: 80 Gold
Attack: 11
Health: 100
Drops: 90 Gold
Guardian
Flying, Defender, Transform
Size: 1x1
Cost: 20 Gold
Attack: 0
Health: 50
Drops: 30 Gold
Blue Guardian
Effect: Next minion played, receives an immunity shield that persists as long as the Blue Guardian lives.
Purple Guardian
Effect: Creates a 2x2 field that prevents enemy minions from passing as long as the Purple Guardian lives.
Green Guardian
Effect: Creates a Green Guardian clone on target square in a line or row with the first Green Guardian. A tether between the two Green Guardians forms, that deals 5 Damage to enemy minions that pass through for as long as both Green Guardians live. The Clone drops no Gold when killed.
Brawler Bot
Melee, Flying, Fast, Quick, Unstoppable
Size: 1x1
Cost: 50 Gold
Attack: 12
Health: 45
Drops: 75 Gold
Player Abilities:
When having enough EP, Players may chose to use an Ability instead of playing or selling a Card. The great thing is that the Skills are actually translatable to that system.
Piercing Dash
Cost: 5 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to all Enemies in target 1x5 area.
Blade Flurry
Cost: 15 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to the first Enemy in three random 1x5 areas.
Spirit Slash
Cost: 10 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to all enemy Minions in target 3x3 area.
Heroic Slam
Cost: 15 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to all enemy Minions in target 3x4 area, starting in first row.
Whirlslash
Cost: 30 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage to all enemy Minions in target 4x4 area for 2 turns. Can’t use Basic actions while Whirlslash is active.
Berserker Style
Cost: All available EP
Effect: Next Attack Action deals Attack Damage + consumed EP to targets.
Fireball
Cost: 20 EP
Effect: Ranged attack that deals double Attack Damage to first Enemy hit.
Flame Thrower
Cost: 15 EP each turn
Effect: Deals double Attack Damage in target 2x4 area to all Enemies until cancelled, starting in first row. Can’t use Basic actions while Flame Thrower is active.
Frosty Friend
Cost: All available EP
Effect: Summons a minion.
Size: 2x2
Melee, Guardian, Reach
Attack: Attack Damage
Health: Consumed EP * 2
Ice Nova
Cost: 15 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage and Freezes all enemy Minions in a 3x3 area for one Turn. Frozen Minions become Slow.
Earth Spike
Cost: 30 EP
Effect: Deals quadruple Attack Damage to all enemy Minions in a 2x2 area and stuns them for one Turn.
Insect Swarm
Cost: 25 EP
Effect: Creates a zone in a 3x3 area for 3 turns, where enemy Minions receive Attack Damage each turn.
Chain Lightning
Cost: 15 EP
Effect: Deals Attack Damage * Random 2-5 to 5 random Enemies.
Static Touch
Cost: 10 EP
Effect: Creates a damaging field around a friendly Minion, which deals Attack Damage to Enemies that attack it.
The game basically consists of a main mechanic: Turning Gold into Damage. Minions that are likely to reach the Enemy Player and deal Damage, usually have higher Drop Gold than their Cost was, which allows the Players to recover from heavy damage by establishing board control. Minions that are more defensive, grant the enemy less Gold than they were worth, but aren't likely to reach the enemy Player to deal Damage, but they give the owner time to accumulate EP to influence the Battlefield. There are different strategies to that game and one would need to test out if it really works.
And here's a screenshot of how it could look like:
Well, that was a fun evening
Last edited: