It's been a while since I have posted any news about "Monster Keep". I have been so involved with "Tradewars - Homeworld", that I really did not have time to ponder much about this game.
What's NEW? Right?!?
Well I have decided to change the game BACK into a Card Game. I think I should stick to the things I do best (Cards & Card Games) and re-purpose that Pokemon Draw(tm) game which I submitted here (a couple days ago).
Anyways I think it is better as it's OWN game because I can EASILY (Well not so easy - but it's at least DO-ABLE) define a RPS-9... And so instead of Pokemons, you would have "Monsters". Of course I decided to KEEP the Lords of the Keep, and am adding "interesting" abilities to the monsters.
For example:
A> If you LOVE rolling dice and the random probabilities that go with them, you can choose to infuse your deck with "Chaos" Monsters!
B> If you HATE rolling dice and dislike anything random, you can choose to infuse your deck with "Order" Monsters.
Okay so you get how A> Monsters play out: dice rolling. But what about B> Monsters, you ask??? You earn tokens for FOOD, TREASURE and BATTLE. Using a combination of tokens you can use "Monster" Abilities. See "Order" means you get what you pay for! Very deep strategy - insert here! :)
I am going to post another Forum thread to know what kind of "Abilities" some of my other "species" (instead of classes - but it's the same deal...) might be able to have...
That's all for now good folks!
Comments
Saving throws and Attack phases
The first aspect I'd like to mention is that I will be "borrowing" AD&D's Saving Throw mechanic. As such, a Saving Throw is a check done with a 1d20 and if the check is successful, that Monster evades the "adverse" status.
The next point I wanted to bring up is "Attack phases". Each Monster will do battle if coaxed to do so... So you can "bribe" a Monster to battle some more IF he is still interested. Bribing is simple, it means a Monster will attack normally (Basic Attack) and if you want him to attack AGAIN, you need to pay a token (Food/Treasure/Battle). And there is a maximum each Monster will engage in battle for you.
I will need to balance out the number of attacks - to be something like 6 maximum basic attacks. This is for very weak creatures, that have a lower level. They can attack multiple times if bribed and can do some serious damage (even weaker creatures have their own game strategy...)
One other noteworthy item
Originally the RPS-9 was going to IGNORE battles with the same class. Like "Earth" vs "Earth" = no conflict. But for Monster Keep and the desire to have more dueling action, same species (or class) use Duel Attack. Therefore both Monsters will do battle against each other.
It won't be specified anywhere - just a rule. Same Monster species = Duel Attack!
Simple enough, no?!
"Crystal Heroes" is DEAD!
Originally this RPS-9 was supposed to be used by "Crystal Heroes". It won't.
I designed a prototype - and found that the game SUCKED even with the Legacy mechanic adding some fun about writing on your opponent's cards.
The game was to be real honest, boring!
That's what I find with many games dealing with DUELS, they sound good in the idea stage, but usually don't have enough MEAT to make it past early playtesting on my own.
I really HOPE that this NEW version of "Monster Keep" will have enough flavor to overcome that difficulty. I've re-factored the RPS-9, added Saving Throws (for those RPG fans) and even got a little bit of Bluffing going on in the game also.
For now I think it has POTENTIAL. Over the Christmas Holidays, I will make a prototype and test out this "Game Idea".
In 2016, I will be able to tell you folks if the IDEA is actually entertaining enough to make it as a GAME!
Cheers everyone!
So it's a multiplayer combat
So it's a multiplayer combat game?
I have had a dice building combat game in the works for awhile but no RPS system and obviously more RNG than your game so I'll be interested to see how this game idea pans out.
Lots of failures in this genre
Yes but it's something small, like a "mini" game that lasts for maybe 30 minutes or so.
I'll let you know - BUT my failure rate for DUEL games is pretty HIGH. So far I have attempted several games with dueling and all have failed miserably (playtesting test results). "Rain of Fire" has had four (4) versions and they have all been total failures... "Crystal Heroes" was also a total failure, the game was boring, even though it had a Legacy mechanic.
Be certain over the Holidays - I will get some playtesting done.
I'm trying not to be too pessimistic - but with my rate of failure for this genre of game - don't be surprised if I come back saying the game is not good...
Different types of mechanics
My attitude is: if you want a good DUEL game - throw a bunch of mechanics at it and see what stick! :P
That's all that I seem to have managed to incorporate. But it looks pretty good so far! I can't wait to do some basic play tests.
I will do them soon enough... during the Christmas holidays!
I'll be certain to let you all know if there is any possibility of this being a REAL game or not.
Cheers!
Game FORMAT
The plan is for this to be a "mini"-in-between game that can last up to 30 minutes. As such having a deck of only 15 cards seems reasonable. The problem I see with this is game format.
I know all about the pitfalls of CCGs and trying to go down that lonely road. Believe me I know - I've already made that mistake.
At the same time at 17 card booster would be just perfect for this format of game. At $10.00 a booster - yeah it would be pricier than your average CCG booster - but it would allow you to play a game with only 1 booster. What CCG/TCG can do that? None. Exactly.
If I get 500 backers at $10.00 = $5,000. Not bad. But my problem is scaling. How do I go from 1 booster @ $10.00 to 6 boosters @ $60.00??? How do I price my rewards tiers to account for MORE booster IF possible? Not sure I can do this using the KS model. I might need to consider a P500 model.
Does anyone know of a platform for P500 pre-ordering???
If I get 500 orders for Booster #1, I make it. If I get 500 orders for Booster #2, I make it, etc...