The basics are as follows:
-There are four basic types of units: worker (0 AT/1 DE), soldier (1 AT/1 DE), Leader (1 AT/2 DE), and philosopher (0 AT/2 DE).
-They can be upgraded, but the combat system doesn't rely on this i.e. it needs to be interesting independent of these upgrades.
-I need a surprise element and/or something to shake up combat so it doesn't get dull.
-I am only using cards and clips as components in the game so no dice.
-You must gain some sort of victory point for how well your attack was.
-I would like it so that attacking with one unit (surprise attack) is just as interesting/fulfilling as attacking with a group.
-There is no grid in the game so positioning is not required. Units could be lined up against one another, but there is no "distance" between units.
-The attacker must expend power in order to attack but the defender usually doesn't so the attacker should maybe have an advantage somewhere.
--It is a civilization game so this is one of a few major mechanics so it mustn't be to complex. Just enough so players find it interesting and strategic.
-The combat is more of a micro aspect of the game so the entire game does not revolve around combat.
... I will add an other info to create the context for but I think this is enough to spark some conversation. Let me know what you think!
Thank you.
Comments
a couple examples to look at
Two examples come to mind that may be good "teachers" to look at.
First Kemet has a battle card system in addition to units- each card has a different value of blood (damage) shield (mitigates damage) and strength (actually wins battles). There are 6 battle cards in the base game, 8 in the expansion. So for example, one of the battle does 3 blood, and 1 strength- so you likely won't win a battle, but will do a lot of casualties. This gives attacking (or defending) with one unit a purpose, you might not win that round, but by doing damage you can set yourself up for a win next.
The other game is Game of Thrones the card game. There are 3 "challenges" you can initiate in an attack: Intrigue, Military, and Power. Each turn you can initiate any combination of these in any order- each victory with each challenge give different outcomes- Military kills units/characters, Intrigue causes your opponent to discard cards, and Power gets you victory points. This gives individual units a lot of agency- as you can mount a huge attack with military, and your opponent can decided if they want to lose a lot of units or not, but then you can follow with your 1 intrigue unit, or power unit, or both! and capitalize on the aftermath. (this is a little simplified as I haven't played that much, but hopefully gives the gist of it)
Very Helpful
I did some research and ended up doing something similar to Game of Thrones.