[MidnightLich]

All right! The Will of the Collective continues, and now we get into the nitty-gritty of making our broken link. If you aren't familiar with Will of the Collective (WotC), it's a community-based, collaborative design process where you guys work together to make a card. For this installment, the 8th, we're closing a broken link. In previous votes, you decided to make Gagh, a broken link from the Chef Kaga. Since then, we've decided to make an event that is built around the following concept:

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

Now, you guys, gals, and non-binary pals get to submit game text! But before we get to the rules for submission, I want to talk a bit more about events and how to write good, useable game text. I wrote about this a bit in the previous step, but here's some expanded information about what an event looks like in First Edition:

What an event represents - A situation, item, moment in time, or change to environment that isn't well represented by a different card type. For example, events should not represent mobile space vessels (those are ships) or entities that could have stats and attributes (those are personnel). 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. In other words, if you want to put (Immune to Kevin Uxbridge) on an event, it should probably not be an event.

How an event 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. The scope of an event's effect should match where the event is played. For example, an event that plays on a mission should only affect that mission and possibly adjacent missions. Such an event should not have a global effect - those events should play on table.

We have two event templates available: the standard template (3-3), with three lines of lore and three lines of game text; and the extended template (2-4), with just two lines of lore but four lines of game text. I strongly urge you to submit events that fit on the standard (3-3) template. This is not only aesthetically the most pleasing, but it also gives us some wiggle room for any necessary text changes that come from testing and/or a rules team review. The reality is that sometimes, it takes more words to explain something in "1E English" that it does in plain English, and that often adds more words to a card. If we aim for a 3-3 event, but then have to add a line to formally template the card, we can switch to a 2-4 template. But if we start from a 2-4 template and have to add a line, we have to make changes or change the card type. I'd like to avoid that re-litigation, so encourage you to stick to 3-3 submissions.

To help you figure out how much text you have, here are some handy references:

Plays on table. This is about how much text fits on one line.

This is about how much text fits on one line. If you want two lines, you can have about this much. Discard event.

Seeds or plays on table. A standard three line template can have about this much text. Remember, the exact amount of text varies based on the lengths of the letters and words.

Seeds or plays on table. A standard three line template with a point box can have about this much text; it's just a bit more than two lines.

Seeds or plays on your facility. This is an event that has four lines of game text; but remember, it's just a guideline because there are a lot of variables. Icons, like , , or take up different amounts of space.

A four line template, with a point box, gives you a little more space than a standard three line template, but less than a standard four line template. Discard event unless it's Tuesday.

All of the above are just guidelines, but they should help you get close to the limits. But you don't have to fill the space, and you shouldn't add text to fill up the text box. I'd be thrilled to see some one and two line game texts submitted, and they look great on the template. Filling up the box is not a requirement, and it's something we actively avoid doing in modern 1E design. I don't mean it's a bad thing to submit a full game text box, just that you don't have to add words to do it.

If your event is a permanent (it enters play and sticks around), you need to include text that explains where it plays. There are a lot of options, but this might include, but is not limited to:

• Seed one on table.
• Seeds or plays on your facility.
• Plays on your ship.
• Plays (for free if it's Tuesday) on table.

If you have a momentary event, you need to include text about what happens to it when it resolves. Typically, this is "Discard event"; this text is required particularly if you have an event with a point box. Other options might include "Place out-of-play." or "Shuffle into owner's draw deck," but there are really no limits.

Typically, events are formatted in forum text as follows:

Code: Select all

[Evt] EVENT
[Icon1] [Icon2] GAGH [RightIcon1]
Game text goes here. [PointBox]

You don't need to worry about any story-related submissions right now; we'll decide lore and property logo further down the line. (The title will, of course, be Gagh.)

Okay, with all of that out of the way, it's time to open up nominations. They begin now, and will remain open through 12 PM Pacific on Wednesday, November 18th. That gives all of you lovely people two days to come up with your ideas, write them, post them, discuss them, and refine them. I encourage you to riff on each other's ideas, and to go back and edit them after posting if you get feedback.

Because our forum software is limited to fifteen (15) options in each poll, it may be necessary for me to curate the final list. If it becomes necessary to curate submissions, I will do so first by combining those that are very close to one another. Then, I will remove submissions that are furthest away from the brief outline above. After that, I'll prioritize concepts that I think are going to test well and that are not likely to require significant rules rework. In short, curation will largely be based on keeping it simple as we move forward. But don't let that discourage you - submit your ideas!

Additionally, I'm happy to help you guys with your game text itself. My PM box will be open, if you want to run anything by me, I'll do my best to reply promptly and offer my thoughts.

In summary:
- Each of you may submit one (1) piece of game text for our Gagh event.
- Your game text should be no longer than four (4) lines, with strong encouragement from me for it to be no longer than three (3).
- Your game text should fit the concept decided upon by the community (see above).
- Your game text should include any required icons (hidden agenda, countdown, , etc.)
- If a user submits multiple concepts or revisions, only the most recent one will be accepted. It's best to edit your posts with updates rather than repost.
- Submissions are open until NOON Pacific on Wednesday, November 18th.
- Curation may be required if more than fifteen (15) concepts are submitted.

Good luck! I can't wait to see what you guys have in mind and what you come up with!

-crp

[Armus]

EVENT
[Countdown 3] Gagh
Plays on table (for free if playing only ). At any time, discard event to download to hand an event or interrupt with "Klingon" in title or lore.

[karnstein]

Here’s my (edited) nomination:

EVENT
Gagh
Plays on table. Once each turn, you may discard a card from hand to download an Event or Interrupt with “Klingon” or in its title or game text (except a treaty or espionage card).

I think that’s close to the three-line limit. If it needs to be trimmed, I’d recommend removing “title or”.

If we went to four lines, I’d add [Countdown 3] and “Does not countdown if your cook is in play.”

[Smiley]

Event
[Countdown 1] Gagh
Plays on your ship, facility or site. Once per turn, your Klingon personnel may report for free where present. Return to hand when discarded if a chef present.

[AllenGould]

[3] Seeds or plays on table. While in play, your Klingons are fed and sated. When countdown expires, your Klingons become hungry.

[Boffo97]

And hangry.

[Hoss-Drone]

Gagh
[Countdown: 4]

Plays on table. While in play, when your card with "Klingon" in the title would be placed in your discard pile, you may place it in your hand or reseed it beneath another mission.

[Faithful Reader]

Plays (for free if it's Happy Hour) on table. Once per game, discard to consider the 's of your cards unused OR Download Chef Kaga.

[BCSWowbagger]

EVENT
[Countdown 3] Gagh
Plays on table (for free if playing only ). At any time, discard event to download to hand an event or interrupt with "Klingon" in title or lore.

Having a hard time beating this -- although does it seem costed a bit high with the countdown? I don't think this necessarily needs to be a "use it or lose it" when it's already a one-off. (I like its one-off-ness.)

[KazonPADD]

EVENT
[Countdown 3] Gagh
Plays on table (for free if playing only ). At any time, discard event to download to hand an event or interrupt with "Klingon" in title or lore.

Having a hard time beating this -- although does it seem costed a bit high with the countdown? I don't think this necessarily needs to be a "use it or lose it" when it's already a one-off. (I like its one-off-ness.)

Frankly I’m having a hard time seeing the point of this. Unless downloaded by Chef Kaga, why stock an event in your deck, costing a card play, just to download a card you could have just stocked an extra copy of instead? If it only works when Kaga downloads it and wouldn’t be used otherwise, it isn’t a good card. Sorry Brian!

[pfti]

EVENT
[Countdown 3] Gagh
Plays on table (for free if playing only ). At any time, discard event to download to hand an event or interrupt with "Klingon" in title or lore.

Having a hard time beating this -- although does it seem costed a bit high with the countdown? I don't think this necessarily needs to be a "use it or lose it" when it's already a one-off. (I like its one-off-ness.)

Frankly I’m having a hard time seeing the point of this. Unless downloaded by Chef Kaga, why stock an event in your deck, costing a card play, just to download a card you could have just stocked an extra copy of instead? If it only works when Kaga downloads it and wouldn’t be used otherwise, it isn’t a good card. Sorry Brian!

This

[jrch5618]

My entry:

EVENT
GAGH
Plays (for free if only playing ) to download any Klingon-related event or interrupt OR to consider all of cards in play unused. Discard event.

So Kaga can cook up any Klingon-related event or interrupt (don't want to go with incidents, those are more play engines) or reset all Klingon icons as a one-shot effect, including his own. I decided a one-shot effect makes more sense. And gives a free play if only playing Klingons - saw that such wording is okay to use. This does combine two different ideas proposed here - but I don't like having a countdown to sit on table - a one-shot event seems to make the most sense.

So he can either reboot special-downloads (a la Voyager Encounter) to work with nouns or to download a verb.

[Armus]

EVENT
[Countdown 3] Gagh
Plays on table (for free if playing only ). At any time, discard event to download to hand an event or interrupt with "Klingon" in title or lore.

Having a hard time beating this -- although does it seem costed a bit high with the countdown? I don't think this necessarily needs to be a "use it or lose it" when it's already a one-off. (I like its one-off-ness.)

Frankly I’m having a hard time seeing the point of this. Unless downloaded by Chef Kaga, why stock an event in your deck, costing a card play, just to download a card you could have just stocked an extra copy of instead? If it only works when Kaga downloads it and wouldn’t be used otherwise, it isn’t a good card. Sorry Brian!

Y'all think in such three dimensional terms....

Do a search for cards with Klingon in title or lore and tell me there isn't potential there, especially if you can download them at any time. If anything it may be a little over-powered.

@James - the countdown is there because nobody wants to eat 3-day old Gagh. In real terms, if you can't find a use for it in 3 turns or less then you're either winning anyway or the game is so far out of reach it isn't going to matter.

[BCSWowbagger]

EVENT
[Countdown 3] Gagh
Plays on table (for free if playing only ). At any time, discard event to download to hand an event or interrupt with "Klingon" in title or lore.

Having a hard time beating this -- although does it seem costed a bit high with the countdown? I don't think this necessarily needs to be a "use it or lose it" when it's already a one-off. (I like its one-off-ness.)

Frankly I’m having a hard time seeing the point of this. Unless downloaded by Chef Kaga, why stock an event in your deck, costing a card play, just to download a card you could have just stocked an extra copy of instead? If it only works when Kaga downloads it and wouldn’t be used otherwise, it isn’t a good card. Sorry Brian!

If you're playing this event at the cost of a card play, I would go so far as to say that you have played this event wrong.

It's a quite good card in all-Klingon decks, and it might be occasionally useful in other decks via the Kaga download. (You could also free-play it with Temporal Almanac.) If you're spending the card play, it's not a good card except in very rare cases -- but, like I said, if you're spending the card play, I think you're playing this event wrong.

[Hoss-Drone]

It's a quite good card in all-Klingon decks, and it might be occasionally useful in other decks via the Kaga download. (You could also free-play it with Temporal Almanac.) If you're spending the card play, it's not a good card except in very rare cases -- but, like I said, if you're spending the card play, I think you're playing this event wrong.

Its still putting extra cards in your deck diluting it to basically do extra steps. Tutors need to grabbing combo pieces or answers. I don't see either in the lost of targets.

I'm not surprised you like it james, you seem to like extra steps in this game.