This sounds almost like LEGO Pick A Brick. Even at their scale, every one of those orders is hand-picked and hand-packed.
The very broken LCG model
This sounds almost like LEGO Pick A Brick. Even at their scale, every one of those orders is hand-picked and hand-packed.
Even with a model similar to the new VS system, consider the hours needed--especially getting sufficient playtesters to explore styles, combinations. Can you organize an army? Hit the conventions? Fund tournaments?
You may wish to reach out to the https://www.exodus-cards.com/ for insight and advice as they are the closest thing I know of to a model that's at least functioning (at what level, I have no idea, but they haven't vanished) without a big company behind them.
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/more/living-card-games/
LCG’s are not broken.
It’s offers you more diverse and extended game play onto the game world.
When I and my co - founder of Twin Eagle Graphics Independent Game Studio have talked about the format for Dymino Monsters we looked at all of the options available to add to the game.
At first years before (2004) I was going to have Dymino Monsters as a CCG. Because you can collect the cards to play the game etc. The game was never even touching the TCG format. At one time during the games infancy, the format was pretty much a mixed format.
But it was not satisfying to me nor the game. Then in 2011-2012 I heard about Fantasy Flight Games and they had a new format. LCG.
I truly liked the idea of having 80 cards for the core deck. Dymino Monsters game: Check.
I how ever did not like reading the rules to the game where you have 4 cards of the same type to do 1 effect. This is what I remember reading back in 2011-2012. Don’t judge me.
I didn’t like this rule. It stumped me. 4 cards of the same artwork to do 1 effect during gameplay???
I still how ever liked the new term. So I have adopted the term for Dymino Monsters. I also kept the 80 card format, but I am allowing all cards to be used as a solo effect or up to 9 card effects in the weapon skill techniques set. This game or it’s effects does not use same card combinations for 1 effect.
Here is another link to support half of my statement in the header.
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2014/11/5/a-new-stage-of-growth/
In the beginning of design, I have decided not to have the commons , rares , super rares ,
all of that type of element in Dymino Monsters. The mechanic to and for Dymino Monsters is so well balanced.
Back to the LCG term.
During the years of using the LCG term, I couldn’t use it due to Fantasy Flight Games branding so I changed it to fit my game as a rebranding the term. I have come up with the Novel Customizable Card Game. But then found out that even though you can customize the chapter decks by combining any of the many chapter decks available in the game. So this became a Novel Deck Construction Game.
Stormy
Once again, the LCG format is not broken.
Well, your word “broken” sounds like “expensive” to me. But what it ISN’T is gambling. M:tg is gambling, and LCG replaces that with certainty. It probably doesn’t make it cheaper on average, but it removes luck from the purchase.
Not sure why that merits a registered trademark, but there you have it.
My understanding is that WotC started it by trying to trademark the term Collectible Card Game.
The mechanism/system/distribution method is not protected, only the term, allowing FFG to uniquely identify this as their range of games with this common distribution method. Trademarking the name of their range seems fair -- it's not as if people were using the term beforehand, or can't find alternatives.
The mechanism/system/distribution method is not protected, only the term, allowing FFG to uniquely identify this as their range of games with this common distribution method. Trademarking the name of their range seems fair -- it's not as if people were using the term beforehand, or can't find alternatives.
Makes sense.
Does a dealer need to buy a large case of a lcg expansion? Or small numbers like a board game?
In my "I'm probably not actually going to make a game with this many cards" musings, I came up with the idea of selling pre-made decks, that could also choose to mix-and-match into your own deck.
A KS would probably sell a pack of 6 such decks, and then an expansion could be a single deck or a pair, or a deck that wasn't a prefab playable deck but fleshed out a new mechanic.
Don't think that falls into any of the above categories, but so be it :)
That is a quote that I want to point out and that might be a bit off topic. In all those years, It seems that all your game projects and ideas lean towards a form of CCG/TCG/LCG. Or something designed to be expanded.
Now the problem is that those games are one of the most complex games to design, due to their unlimited space growth. And I think you are constantly shooting your self in the foot by thinking about expandability while trying to design a game.
My suggestion is that if you want to make a good solid game, you have to move away from the expandable game. Just make a good game and forget about expansions. Focus only on game design, and if your game is so popular that people demand more, then now either make expansion, or a second game with a similar or different theme and a few mechanic twist. ( Ex: A civ game on earth, or a "civ" game in space)
But try to make a self contained closed blanced game. It will be much more solid than an open game and will be much easier to design.
Now the problem is that those games are one of the most complex games to design, due to their unlimited space growth. And I think you are constantly shooting your self in the foot by thinking about expandability while trying to design a game.
My suggestion is that if you want to make a good solid game, you have to move away from the expandable game. Just make a good game and forget about expansions. Focus only on game design, and if your game is so popular that people demand more, then now either make expansion, or a second game with a similar or different theme and a few mechanic twist. ( Ex: A civ game on earth, or a "civ" game in space)
But try to make a self contained closed blanced game. It will be much more solid than an open game and will be much easier to design.
^ +++ This. ^
I don't want to be pessimistic, but I think you plan too large. You sound like you want to make a triple A video game while not having made even an app yet. Or like if you are working for a big company announcing a new series of games, while not having a single game in your catalog. You seem more interested about managing releases and products than designing games.
I strongly reiterate the idea of designing a single self contained game. At least to see the whole process from head to tail. Don't tell me you don't have any non-expandable game ideas. Most game designers always have a few dozen ideas on the back of their mind. Dress up a list of ideas and select one game to finish. I strongly suggest going 4S: simple, small, short, Social, as it will allow you publishing the game faster.
Another thing, Players are less likely to buy expandable products from an unknown company. It's a bit like open source software, if there is not an healthy community behind to maintain the software, it's not recommended to use such software in enterprise. So In order to sell expandable games, you need to already be trusted and that means having already released so far many good and solid games people like.
Take a look at the history of fantasy flight, they did not start doing business, by making a huge line of product, they started with 1 game: Twilight Imperium. It worked and they gained funding to do other games. Eventually, they designed campaign setting containing multiple games ( Runebound, Android, etc ). And now today, they are planning large series of games. So in the end, it took around 20 years to be able to reach that state of reputation.
You are trying to achieve that level of success immediately. You have to be realistic. I also have great dreams of designing many cool games with various campaign settings like FFG are doing it (it will not happen). But I understand that if I want to build a cathedral, I'll have to build it stone by stone. So have to set myself realistic milestone and move from stone to stone. If I ever reach the end of the track, fine for me, else well I hope the voyage would have been fun.
Good luck in what ever path you chose to follow.
Yes, but you are afraid to have people disagree with you.
-Super
Just to let you know that I do stand on what I believe in.
Also, please stop putting other game companies down for their work.
You do this constantly. That’s very rude. We are a gaming community to encourage and uplift creativity. There are many companies out in the world way before you and I were ever born and you hack these companies down saying their understanding of building or creating or designing is nothing and you are better than they are?
We as a community are trying to understand where your coming from and the last 25+ posters have shared their valued points on the very broken of a LCG format and you go off track by talking about your game in the last few posts?
Please explain why you think that FLGS don’t like fixed boosters and why they have to get more customers to buy the expansion boxes and worry about the LCG core boxes or booster boxes?
Please explain why you think a customer only looks at a LCG game and think it’s broken and or won’t buy the game because the customer only wants 5 cards out of the box to play? Who thinks this way? I don’t. An LCG is an option to buy all of the cards of the game and not have to run and gun for a rarity of a card. Most people don’t have the luxury to just look for the rarity etc of cards. Most LCG core box games don’t cost $45.
Let’s talk about LCG formats for a moment.
It’s not that difficult to create a LCG format. You just have to figure out a way. I have done it. Been working on my Dymino Monsters game v2.0 since 2004. V1.0 was in 1999-2000.
The information is all there in the forums. If my game sells, it sales. If not, I am and will still be pleased. Because I knew I can accomplish that large of a game design. That game and the rest of my 27 other games to. Never published. I create or design games to have fun and to tell stories. I know I won’t get rich off my games and that is also fine by me.
LCG is not broken. Nor just an acronym to sell Boosters. You find them broken for what ever reason and that is okay.
Creator of Dymino Monsters: Novel Deck Construction Card Game
Jesse F.
Stormyknight1976
Also, please stop putting other game companies down for their work.
You do this constantly. That’s very rude. We are a gaming community to encourage and uplift creativity. There are many companies out in the world way before you and I were ever born and you hack these companies down saying their understanding of building or creating or designing is nothing and you are better than they are?
We as a community are trying to understand where your coming from and the last 25+ posters have shared their valued points on the very broken of a LCG format and you go off track by talking about your game in the last few posts?
Please explain why you think that FLGS don’t like fixed boosters and why they have to get more customers to buy the expansion boxes and worry about the LCG core boxes or booster boxes?
Please explain why you think a customer only looks at a LCG game and think it’s broken and or won’t buy the game because the customer only wants 5 cards out of the box to play? Who thinks this way? I don’t. An LCG is an option to buy all of the cards of the game and not have to run and gun for a rarity of a card. Most people don’t have the luxury to just look for the rarity etc of cards. Most LCG core box games don’t cost $45.
Let’s talk about LCG formats for a moment.
It’s not that difficult to create a LCG format. You just have to figure out a way. I have done it. Been working on my Dymino Monsters game v2.0 since 2004. V1.0 was in 1999-2000.
The information is all there in the forums. If my game sells, it sales. If not, I am and will still be pleased. Because I knew I can accomplish that large of a game design. That game and the rest of my 27 other games to. Never published. I create or design games to have fun and to tell stories. I know I won’t get rich off my games and that is also fine by me.
LCG is not broken. Nor just an acronym to sell Boosters. You find them broken for what ever reason and that is okay.
Creator of Dymino Monsters: Novel Deck Construction Card Game
Jesse F.
Stormyknight1976
+500 XP
Also, please stop putting other game companies down for their work.
You do this constantly. That’s very rude. We are a gaming community to encourage and uplift creativity. There are many companies out in the world way before you and I were ever born and you hack these companies down saying their understanding of building or creating or designing is nothing and you are better than they are?
We as a community are trying to understand where your coming from and the last 25+ posters have shared their valued points on the very broken of a LCG format and you go off track by talking about your game in the last few posts?
Please explain why you think that FLGS don’t like fixed boosters and why they have to get more customers to buy the expansion boxes and worry about the LCG core boxes or booster boxes?
Please explain why you think a customer only looks at a LCG game and think it’s broken and or won’t buy the game because the customer only wants 5 cards out of the box to play? Who thinks this way? I don’t. An LCG is an option to buy all of the cards of the game and not have to run and gun for a rarity of a card. Most people don’t have the luxury to just look for the rarity etc of cards. Most LCG core box games don’t cost $45.
Let’s talk about LCG formats for a moment.
It’s not that difficult to create a LCG format. You just have to figure out a way. I have done it. Been working on my Dymino Monsters game v2.0 since 2004. V1.0 was in 1999-2000.
The information is all there in the forums. If my game sells, it sales. If not, I am and will still be pleased. Because I knew I can accomplish that large of a game design. That game and the rest of my 27 other games to. Never published. I create or design games to have fun and to tell stories. I know I won’t get rich off my games and that is also fine by me.
LCG is not broken. Nor just an acronym to sell Boosters. You find them broken for what ever reason and that is okay.
Creator of Dymino Monsters: Novel Deck Construction Card Game
Jesse F.
Stormyknight1976
+500 XP
Also, please stop putting other game companies down for their work.
You do this constantly. That’s very rude. We are a gaming community to encourage and uplift creativity. There are many companies out in the world way before you and I were ever born and you hack these companies down saying their understanding of building or creating or designing is nothing and you are better than they are?
We as a community are trying to understand where your coming from and the last 25+ posters have shared their valued points on the very broken of a LCG format and you go off track by talking about your game in the last few posts?
Please explain why you think that FLGS don’t like fixed boosters and why they have to get more customers to buy the expansion boxes and worry about the LCG core boxes or booster boxes?
Please explain why you think a customer only looks at a LCG game and think it’s broken and or won’t buy the game because the customer only wants 5 cards out of the box to play? Who thinks this way? I don’t. An LCG is an option to buy all of the cards of the game and not have to run and gun for a rarity of a card. Most people don’t have the luxury to just look for the rarity etc of cards. Most LCG core box games don’t cost $45.
Let’s talk about LCG formats for a moment.
It’s not that difficult to create a LCG format. You just have to figure out a way. I have done it. Been working on my Dymino Monsters game v2.0 since 2004. V1.0 was in 1999-2000.
The information is all there in the forums. If my game sells, it sales. If not, I am and will still be pleased. Because I knew I can accomplish that large of a game design. That game and the rest of my 27 other games to. Never published. I create or design games to have fun and to tell stories. I know I won’t get rich off my games and that is also fine by me.
LCG is not broken. Nor just an acronym to sell Boosters. You find them broken for what ever reason and that is okay.
Creator of Dymino Monsters: Novel Deck Construction Card Game
Jesse F.
Stormyknight1976
+500 XP
I’m wondering if most people know ahead of time that there are 5 cards out of the 150 that they want, and exactly what they are. Or do they need to buy the big pack just to learn that..?
Heh
The POD gives you the cards "unsorted" and it is your job to assess your inventory when you get the batch of cards.
And because it's POD, you can make smaller, more costly, print runs for cards that are popular and more valuable for players. I think that's how to generate "collectability" (or rarity) in terms of demand.
Obviously some groups of cards will cost more money than others too. Like take "Nobles". They are the "work-horses" of the game's engine. They are obviously more expensive than say most "Equipment" cards (for example).
I have a universal numbering system with 12 alphanumeric codes. Those are the SKUs for each card and easy to read on the card itself.
But generally speaking, because batches are unsorted, it is preferable to go with smaller batches because of the need to "re-sort" a box of cards.