#540461
So I'm always trying to brew up new formats, and am often willing to take inspiration from other games (such as the Winston Draft event I ran last year). Lately I've been thinking about adapting Magic: the Gathering's Commander format into 2E. (In Star Trek though, I'd call it something like Fleet Commander.)
If you're unaware, Commander is a multiplayer format where each player has a doubled starting life total, a 100-card deck with no duplicate cards, and a legendary creature designated as the commander. The commander begins play outside the game and can be played on your turn without having to draw into it. If the commander dies, it leaves the game again and can be replayed later (though it becomes more expensive each time it is cast).
I'm not prepared to do multiplayer 2E (plus Lackey isn't equipped for it) but I wondered if this format would be interesting enough to try as a one-on-one 2E format.
Here are the rules I have so far. I'm considering many additional rules as well as tweaks to these, but wanted to get something down as a framework.
* When deckbuilding, select a unique personnel of cost 4 or higher as your fleet commander.
* Your draw deck must be exactly 100 cards (including your fleet commander), with no duplicate cards.
* You may have a maximum of one headquarters mission. If you have a headquarters, your fleet commander and all personnel in your deck must be able to play there.
* Your dilemma pile must have no duplicate cards. (I haven't decided if this should have a specific deck size.)
* At the start of the game, your fleet commander is not shuffled into your deck but instead placed outside the game (Magic calls this "the command zone.")
* During your Play and Draw Cards step, if your fleet commander is in your command zone, you may play them as if they were in your hand.
* If you would lose command of your fleet commander, you may instead return them to the command zone. They can be played again on a later turn, but for each time you play your fleet commander from the command zone beyond the first, they are an additional cost +1.
That's what I have so far. I'm considering additional bonuses (such as "Draw two cards if your fleet commander helps solve a mission") or even restrictions (such as "each of your non-headquarters missions must require at least one skill your fleet commander has") in order to make the fleet commander feel more important.
So the big questions here are:
1. How "breakable" is this format? Am I overlooking something overpowered?
and
2. Is this format interesting enough to pursue, or is it just another "restrictive deckbuilding challenge"?
If you're unaware, Commander is a multiplayer format where each player has a doubled starting life total, a 100-card deck with no duplicate cards, and a legendary creature designated as the commander. The commander begins play outside the game and can be played on your turn without having to draw into it. If the commander dies, it leaves the game again and can be replayed later (though it becomes more expensive each time it is cast).
I'm not prepared to do multiplayer 2E (plus Lackey isn't equipped for it) but I wondered if this format would be interesting enough to try as a one-on-one 2E format.
Here are the rules I have so far. I'm considering many additional rules as well as tweaks to these, but wanted to get something down as a framework.
* When deckbuilding, select a unique personnel of cost 4 or higher as your fleet commander.
* Your draw deck must be exactly 100 cards (including your fleet commander), with no duplicate cards.
* You may have a maximum of one headquarters mission. If you have a headquarters, your fleet commander and all personnel in your deck must be able to play there.
* Your dilemma pile must have no duplicate cards. (I haven't decided if this should have a specific deck size.)
* At the start of the game, your fleet commander is not shuffled into your deck but instead placed outside the game (Magic calls this "the command zone.")
* During your Play and Draw Cards step, if your fleet commander is in your command zone, you may play them as if they were in your hand.
* If you would lose command of your fleet commander, you may instead return them to the command zone. They can be played again on a later turn, but for each time you play your fleet commander from the command zone beyond the first, they are an additional cost +1.
That's what I have so far. I'm considering additional bonuses (such as "Draw two cards if your fleet commander helps solve a mission") or even restrictions (such as "each of your non-headquarters missions must require at least one skill your fleet commander has") in order to make the fleet commander feel more important.
So the big questions here are:
1. How "breakable" is this format? Am I overlooking something overpowered?
and
2. Is this format interesting enough to pursue, or is it just another "restrictive deckbuilding challenge"?
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TrekCC's Gunslinger
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facebook.com/TrekCC
twitter.com/TrekCC
youtube.com/ContinuingCommittee
TrekCC's Gunslinger
& Mad Scientist of Limited Events