I know the subject line seems a little heavy, but I felt the need to ask. As a formerly avid (and presently occasional) Magic player, I have always (ALWAYS) been terribly frustrated by the turn-over from set to set (previous sets being both phased out of tournament play and the current set mechanics and/or metagame CRUSHING the previous set). This is, admittedly, extremely effective at turning over packs (and generating money in the primary and secondary markets related to the game), but leaves those with a more casual interest playing with a hand tied behind their back. I believe that this will become particularly relevant as the PvP becomes a component, less so with the current SP focus. With that said, here is my battery of questions with interspersed commentary: Will purchasing/earning adventure modules provide users with unique cards? (Like rarity/foils in Magic, usually a good way to make micro-transaction sales, though I don't have any concrete numbers on Duels of the Planeswalkers [foil-conversions and all]) Has there been any consideration given to the idea of treating the adventures like the LCGs (Game of Thrones, Warhammer: Invasion) from Fantasy Flight? (This to me is a double-edged sword as it effectively levels the playing field up front but largely comes down to those who are willing to invest the time/money [potentially creating the very "Wallet Warrior" issue in the first place, but I digress]) Will there be anything along the lines of an in-game economy (you mention MMO-like features)? (EVE: Online or WoW-like auctions for cards, though not nearly as complex, of course. While there is almost always a risk of farmers becoming a problem, it generates an effective way of getting to people to play especially if there is some part of the game that "grinds".) What are your design inspirations (if you care to share them)? Dominion? Ascension? D&D? Everything? (I ask because I am terrible game design nerd with a massive collection of games everything from Ticket to Ride to Streets of Stalingrad and I constantly pulling stuff apart to figure out what sorts of internal systems and concepts make up my games. How people construct games absolutely fascinates me! ) Sorry if this was a bit rambling or if anything was covered already (I tried to make sure to read everything on the forum before posting). Thanks again!
You can see the design pays homage to the original D&D ( Blue Box ) in the use of single colour and fonts of the 'Scenarios' in the "TV ad" and on the site. Looking at the date of that box - 1977 - makes me feel very, very old, as I still have the copy I bought that year. I'm willing to bet there's a micro transaction model for 'Scenarios' and / or unlocking classes somewhere in the mix, either that or our warriors will be carrying adverts on their shields.
I can't really answer all these questions yet I'm afraid as we're still working out a lot of the details about exactly how the loot system and store will work. Once we have some more certainty on this we'll definitely let you guys know as soon as possible. We do want to put trading into the game, just like in an MMORPG though. In terms of design influences, there are so many it's hard to separate them all out. I try to learn or take inspiration from everything I play. I'd like to throw these two names out there though since some people might not be familiar with them: The original Chainmail rule-set that preceded D&D. It's all about tactical fantasy combat and maneuvering little guys around on a map. Makes "Red box" and "Blue box" D&D look modern! The old PC Magic game "Shandalar". It had a system for winning cards by defeating monsters that hasn't been seen again in a computer game that I'm aware of.
Oh cmon! Why is there no SWAT 4 influence - We need to be able to taser old ladies and paintball innocent bystanders!! (Although I'm not sure how much you worked on SWAT 4)
I've heard of that from somewhere in the dark, musty "beforetimes." Hmm. What Muppet characters are older than Statler and Waldorf? I recently stayed in a Waldorf-Astoria. That counts for something. That totally counts. ( . . . They're secretly influenced by Division 9. Shh!)
