[MidnightLich]

Your will marches us forward, as we continue Will of the Collective VIII. In this community-driven card design process, each of you lovely men, women, and non-binary friends work together to make a card - from start to finish. In this edition of WotC, we're closing a broken link. So far, you've decided to make Gagh, and after a tie and a nail-biter of a run-off, we've decided on a card concept:

A card that provides rapid, situational access to a range of situational Klingon-themed cards, reinforcing the affiliation's flavor.

The next step in our process is to choose the card type. I've chosen to pick the card type first, before accepting nominations for game text, for two major reasons. First of all, it will let me better plan out the timing required for the remainder of the process. After all, we don't need to allocate time for lore if we're going with an incident or objective. Secondly, it will help inform the types of game text you submit. Any time we can narrow down a blank canvas into something else, that makes the final product better. It's entirely possible that we could have started with game text, and then picked a card type to match. I personally think that's a little more difficult and it's easier to do it the way we are, by narrowing down a card type first and then submitting game text options. So that's why it was decided to be done this way.

Now, 1E has a lot of card types, and I don't think all of them apply to this situation. I've curated the list of card types down to a few options that I think will work well and give good options for us moving forward. For each of them, I'm going to give you some information about what the card type does and why I think it might be a good fit. Fair warning - I get wordy when talking about design theory, so I've hidden the text below each card type. Click the (Show) text to read if you wish to.

Here are the options:

Equipment

What it represents - An equipment represents something portable and useable on a personnel scale - kits, tricorders, books, toys, etc. Things you can hold in your hand and use, and that can be carried from place to place. (We would not make something like Grapper or Plasmadyne Relay as equipment any more.)

How it should function - Equipment, because it should work on a personnel level, should always affect some number of personnel present. The scale and targets can vary, either granting everyone of a type present a bonus like Tricorder or an ability to a single personnel like Classic Communicator. But it should always affect personnel present.

Why it might fit - We haven't really done food as equipment before, but it absolutely could fit into the card type. While it might be a bit odd to imagine picking up a pile of Gagh and taking it on an Away Team mission, it's not wrong.

Standards and limitations - Equipment should, in the vast majority of cases, be no more than three (3) lines of game text with no more than three (3) lines of lore. It is possible, with rare and carefully considered exception, to have a 4-2 option.

Event

What it represents - A representation of a situation, item, moment in time, or change to environment that isn't well represented by a different card type. Large objects or equipment that is ship based fits here, as might friendly creatures, local scenery, or cultural events. Events can be permanent (plays on table or a location) or momentary (plays to do something then discards), but should almost always be destructible.

How it should function - Events can do almost any in-game function not specifically reserved for another card type. They might grant a bonus to your personnel at a location, a penalty to opponent's personnel aboard ship, or provide a temporary boost. These are great cards to represent game mechanics that don't cleanly fit elsewhere, like card drawing.

Why it might fit - Events are one of the most versatile card types because they represent such a wide swath of creative and mechanical spaces. It would be weirder not to have this as an option.

Standards and limitations - Events should, in the vast majority of cases, be no more than three (3) lines of game text with no more than three (3) lines of lore. It is possible, with rare and carefully considered exception, to have a 4-2 option.

Incident

What it represents - These are very similar to events, representing much the same things (see above).

How it should function - There are two main reasons to choose an incident over an event: the amount of game text needed, and the desire to make the card indestructible. Cards that are required to make a deck function, something like a or , should be an incident always. While players generally dislike event destruction, it makes for better game play, so don't rule out events in most cases.

Why it might fit - Incidents, like events, are one of the most versatile card types because they represent such a wide swath of creative and mechanical spaces. But beware the temptation of "more space" - more lines doesn't make a better card.

Standards and limitations - Incidents have no lore, but can have up to seven (7) lines of game text.

Interrupt

What it represents - Much like an event, interrupts are typically representations of situations, items, moment in times, or changes to environment that isn't well represented by a different card type. However, the primary difference is duration of effect; an interrupt should never be permanent. It should be "fire-and-forget" or, if it lingers, have a limited duration like a countdown. Suspenseful situations that aren't dilemmas and temporary effects (Smoke Bomb) make great interrupts.

How it should function - Interrupts are another card type with wide design and creative space, and are mostly defined by their duration. If you're granting an attribute bonus for a turn, it should probably be an interrupt. If surprise is a factor, or the mechanics require looser timing, interrupts make sense. If you want the card to be playable on an opponent's turn, it should usually be an interrupt.

Why it might fit - Like events, interrupts are one of the most versatile card types because they represent so much.

Standards and limitations - Interrupts should, in the vast majority of cases, be no more than three (3) lines of game text with no more than three (3) lines of lore.

Objective

What it represents - A goal, quest, or series of tasks that must be completed in order to achieve a reward. Spiritually, they are closest to missions but without the requirement of a specific spaceline location.

How it should function - An objective should set the player with a task - do this thing, or this series of things. It should provide any permissions or resources required for the player to Do the Thing. Once the Thing is Done, it should offer the player that Did the Thing a reward.

Why it might fit - Objectives have some strict limitations on what they can do, mechanically, but anything that can be framed as a "challenge" or "test" has the potential to make a great objective.

Standards and limitations - Objectives have no lore, but can have up to seven (7) lines of game text.

These are the options I feel will make a fun and interesting rest of the challenge: Equipment, Event, Incident, Interrupt, or Objective. I have my own thoughts an opinions on which card types fit, but I have tried to exclude them from my writeups above. This choice is yours, so make it the way you want to! (If you're curious why another card type wasn't on here, feel free to ask in a reply or a PM.)

Voting will be open until this poll closes around 2:00 PM Pacific on Sunday, November 15. Remember, we're doing approval voting, so vote for every option you approve of and would like to work on. The card type with the most votes wins, although if there is a tie, we'll go to a traditional run-off.

Let's pick a card type!

-crp

[JeBuS]

I don't have a strong feeling for which it should be, but I do have a strong feeling that it should not be an Interrupt. That's way too situational.

I chose Incident, but I could be convinced for any of the others.

[BCSWowbagger]

I don't have a strong feeling for which it should be, but I do have a strong feeling that it should not be an Interrupt. That's way too situational.

I chose Incident, but I could be convinced for any of the others.

Huh, I had precisely the opposite instinct, and voted Interrupt. I'll try and think more about why later, but I think what it comes down to is that Interrupts sort of are their own cost (you have to draw them, this is a solid cost), plus I don't want more engine clutter on the table giving me global powers my opponent and I have to remember. As I understand Gagh's concept, it's going to be a card that specifically grabs situational cards for you, so it seems alright that the card draws and plays like a situational card itself. And I guess I want the game to care more about the cards I draw, just in general.

If I'm outvoted there (and that's very possible), I'd at least advise voting Event over Incident. I always start a card as an Event, then expand to an Incident only if absolutely necessary for space and/or nullification protection. The reason for that is very simple: Events have both lore and space constraints, both of which lead to better, simpler-to-understand, staple cards.

Incidents have seven lines and no lore, and -- let me tell ya -- the temptation to fill that space just because you have it is nearly overwhelming. Since you're not constrained to follow any particular lore, either, that space can get filled by all sorts of weird crap. This gives you just enough rope to hang yourself with. Fear Incidents.

[GooeyChewie]

I voted Event. I could be convinced Interrupt. Incident and Object seem like overkill. Equipment feels wrong to me. You put gagh on a plate; you don't carry it around like a sidearm or tricorder.

[WeyounsLastClone]

I still hope for some kind of 'food' classification, and think that would be best served by an Event. Could see equipment, but Chewie makes a good point.

[pfti]

I don't have a strong feeling for which it should be, but I do have a strong feeling that it should not be an Interrupt. That's way too situational.

In a weird world, we agree. I don't know what this is. But it is not an interrupt. It should not be ephemral.

[jrch5618]

I voted for equipment and event - either one represents a durable object - carrying it with you (perhaps in cute little white to-go containers) for snacktime could work well, and could become more powerful for it'd have to interact directly with the spaceline.

Events could work too for something more... location-abstract.

[Pazuzu]

I voted Interrupt or Event since this will give us lore text which I thinkt is necessary for a thematic card.

@Charlie: could we introduce subtypes? For example Event - Food

[jadziadax8]

Oh, you mean like adding a Keyword to a card? *ducks*

[KazonPADD]

Oh, you mean like adding a Keyword to a card? *ducks*

Back in your 2E box! Back I tell thee!

[jadziadax8]

Lol!

I think you forgot to add some “Fie!” And “Spawn of Satan” to that post.

[AllenGould]

I don't have a strong feeling for which it should be, but I do have a strong feeling that it should not be an Interrupt. That's way too situational.

That does imply you're expecting this to be downloadable or seedable.

[geraldkw]

Oh, you mean like adding a Keyword to a card? *ducks*

I am 1000000% behind converting all the lore references to keywords in 1E!

[BCSWowbagger]

I don't have a strong feeling for which it should be, but I do have a strong feeling that it should not be an Interrupt. That's way too situational.

That does imply you're expecting this to be downloadable or seedable.

It could play for free, or at reduced cost (e.g. use your normal card play on this BUT you can report one personnel with it).

We often see 1E as a binary where everything is either free or uses your entire card play, and it's true that we don't have 2E's very precise costing, but there's plenty of tools at our disposal to make events playable at something-less-than full price.

[Hoss-Drone]

I voted objective because i'm being salty about it not being the probe card.


In all seriousness though, just looking at Gagh it would sure seem like "choke down klingon worms" is an objective, not an event. (would set the right precedent for tube grubs too )