Skip to Content
 

Need theme for a card game

7 replies [Last post]
Impudent Mortal
Impudent Mortal's picture
Offline
Joined: 08/10/2012

My partner suggested an idea for a weird little mechanic in a brainstorming session for another project but we rejected it. I wanted to come back to it for something else, and the start of a card game was born.

Funny thing is, I got really far with the mechanic without ever applying a theme so we have this abstract skeleton of a game without any story or reasoning behind it whatsoever. What we need is to hear ideas for themes that could fit the mechanic.

The game revolves around 4 players laying down cards from their hand that modify a test roll that is taken at the completion of the round. The result of the test roll determines which if any players pick up the trick (or part of it), with the object being to NOT pick up cards. Scoring will take place with certain cards and card sequences counting against the player holding them, with the possibility of some cards being neutral or even beneficial.

The players aren't really in conflict with each other directly and can play cooperatively or not so the theme needs to reflect this. The players are sort of "against an unseen mutual enemy", but gain or lose as a result of their own strategic choices. The extent to which they gain or lose depends on the play of others.

If you've got an idea for a theme that might fit something like this, I'd love to hear it with the exception of zombies, post-apoc, orks, and anything else over-done. I'm open-minded to anything else as long as it's not nutty for the sake of excessive nuttiness. Or maybe not; I guess I am willing to listen to crazy.

Tob

Dralius
Dralius's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/26/2008
You have a central location

You have a central location that everyone pays into and that everyone tries to get something out of.

You could many things with just that.

Taxes: Everyone pays and everyone wants something back for their money.

Lottery: Pay into a pool in hopes of winning big.

Stone Soup: Everyone pitches in to make soup for the entire Village. If you’re not familiar with the story look it up.

Orangebeard
Offline
Joined: 10/13/2011
a few ideas

I thought this sounded like a game where players were trying to get as close as possible to a threshold without crossing over; with that in minde...

1) Mischevious children trying to not get caught playing pranks or mis-behaving
2) If the cards represented tasks or chores, it could be people trying to dodge work
3) Some kind of crazy sale where most of the stuff is garbage, but every so often there is a true treasure or collection in the lot

TLEberle
Offline
Joined: 08/10/2008
Forbidden Cthulu Island?

Forbidden Cthulu Island?

MarkKreitler
MarkKreitler's picture
Offline
Joined: 11/12/2008
Couple thoughts...

Mutiny! -- players suffer under the yoke of a cruel captain. Can they overthrow him? More importantly -- if they do, who will become the *new* captain?

Coup! or Rebellion! -- same as above, but it's politicians instead of pirates (as if there was a difference...).

Survive -- players are a group of travelers lost in the wilderness, trying to get back to civilization.

Just a few ideas off the top of the head...

emanoelmelo
emanoelmelo's picture
Offline
Joined: 09/28/2009
I loved 2 and 3, specially 2

Orangebeard wrote:
I thought this sounded like a game where players were trying to get as close as possible to a threshold without crossing over; with that in minde...

1) Mischevious children trying to not get caught playing pranks or mis-behaving
2) If the cards represented tasks or chores, it could be people trying to dodge work
3) Some kind of crazy sale where most of the stuff is garbage, but every so often there is a true treasure or collection in the lot

I loved 2 and 3, specially 2 - it was just what I had in mind too - it's fun and satirical.

agentsauce
agentsauce's picture
Offline
Joined: 08/13/2012
Cultism!

Sacrifice cultists to elder gods!! It's perfect!

Impudent Mortal
Impudent Mortal's picture
Offline
Joined: 08/10/2012
Hmmm, very interesting

The ideas of Coup/Mutiny and Forbidden Cthulu Island/Cult Sacrifice are right up my alley. We've just done a pirate theme game (http://kck.st/PVN3yi) so I might lean toward the Coup variant, and the whole Elder Gods theme is very similar to something I had in the back of my head. I like the children/pranks idea too; might have to use that for something else!

One theme I have been considering is demon summoning. Players are differently aligned conjurors try to bring up demons of their own alignment while trying to keep down non-aligned demons of other players. Scoring would be contingent on which player gets stuck with the cards; "don't call up anything you can't put back down".

Are there a lot of demon summoning games out there? Does this seem like a viable marketable theme?

Syndicate content


forum | by Dr. Radut