The market, experience, economy, IP, —these all seem to factor in. But the more I think about it, the more I realize innovation is the real reason. Most such games released today are risk-averse, i.e. they position themselves around the center of the bell curve of originality. They are afraid of trying something truly groundbreaking for reasons, reasons most likely based on fear of market failure but likely others. Which got me thinking further: what would a hierarchy of expandable games based on innovation look like? A college curriculum seemed the natural structure.
And so, without further ado. Here is the University of Friday Nights course offering in the iterative card-gaming department.
TCGs 101
In this course, students will learn the core concepts of what a TCG is and the games which cluster tightest to this conception. This includes:
Deck construction and cards (permanent, semi-permanent, and instant)
Resource gains of one per round and the resulting predictability of the economic ramp. (Early game “What can I play?” as opposed to “What do I want to play?”.)
Deployment of creatures/units into the game space, most often including the temporary deactivation of said cards to prevent their effects from having immediate effect (aka “summoning sickness”).
Turn structure, typically resolved in the tried-and-true method of “mathing out the combat”
Win condition: reducing hit points to zero, or vice versa, racing to a particular point goal
The following games will be discussed:
Magic: The Gathering
Star Wars Unlimited
Battletech
Lorcana
One Piece
Alpha Clash
Pokemon
Riftbound
Rush of Ikorr
The Spoils
Weiss Schwarz
Force of Will
TCGs 201
In this course, students will learn about the simple but effective ways in which game designers played with core TCG concepts to create similar yet different play experiences. These games still fall closer to the center of the bell curve than the edges, but deviate enough through to warrant examination in a separate course. Some alter the resource ramp to be more flexible and/or dynamic, allowing for greater diversity of card play from the outset. Some create multi-use cards, forcing the player to make strategic decisions how a card will be played beyond its innate effects. Some play with the game space, creating zones or creating conditional links between certain cards. And some play with the idea of deck construction itself.
The following innovations will be discussed:
Alternate resource models:
Ashes: Rise of the Pheonixborn (dice)
Digimon (tug-of-war resources)
Yu-Gi-Oh (no resources)
WWE Raw Deal (damage as a resource and indirect catch-up mechanism)
Multiple game zones:
7th Sea (in-game locations and location dependencies)
Vs. (tiered)
Alternate card usage:
Flesh & Blood (multi-use cards → triangle of value)
Upgradeable heroes
Grand Archive
Spycraft
Unique decks
Keyforge
In this course, students will learn about the ideas and innovations that take the TCG concept to the next level. They noticeably expand the TCG design space and fall distinctly off-center of the bell curve, most often for a combination of reasons. The games discussed in the course are:
Grid-based
Summoner Wars
Sorcery
Ivion
Asymmetry
Netrunner/Android Netrunner (including hidden information and bluffing)
Star Wars: The Card Game (win conditions, hidden information, ante-ing)
Area Control
Warhammer Conquest (plus varied win conditions)
Call of Chthulu
Redline (plus location effects)
Altered (plus racing)
Game of Thrones: The Card Game (plus selectable single-round effects)
Politics/Player Voting
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle (including resources doubling as hit points)
TCGs 401
In this course (the highest level TCG course offered here at the University), we examine and discuss into the games which most strongly deviate yet maintain an identifiable relationship to the core TCG model. These games offer complex mechanisms, phase structures, combat, and win conditions, almost always in combination, and therefore will be examined individually (as opposed to the structural methods applied in previous courses). These games demonstrate the sophisticated diversity of what the TCG experience can be.
The following games are in scope of the course:
Doomtown: Reloaded – Fluid win conditions across multiple factors, area control, bluffing and calling bluffs, multi-use cards, variable resources, poker hands, direct and indirect combat,
Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game – Two different types of resources, construction of two different decks, multiple win conditions, incentived moves, cards leaving play on adjustable timers
7th Sea: City of Five Sails – Area control, incentivized moves/increasing rewards, managing two different decks
Star Wars Destiny – Dice rolling, dice resolution, dice manipulation, three economy types (salaried, dice-driven, and card discard), and multiple forms of damage (lightsaber, blaster, grenade, and direct)
Eve: Genesis – varied salary, countdown card effects, area control of areas created by players, upgradeable bases
TCG – Summer Course
In this fun, optional summer course we will be looking at TCG-adjacent games, games which feature many of the design hallmarks of TCGs (including cards) but which lack collectibility, regular release cycles, or some other key feature commonly associated with expandable card games. TCGs, after all, do not exist in a bubble. (Note: course includes sample gameplay, but students will need to supply their own snacks and beer.)
Radlands
Mindbug
Pagan: Fate of Roanoke
X-Wing Miniatures Game
Skytear
Sorcerer
Compile
Nawalli
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