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Card Based RPGs?

ToothyToothy Registered User regular
edited March 2008 in Critical Failures
Ok, I like to make games in my off time, but that is more of a mental exercise to prevent me from losing my brain. I read Tycho's rant the other day about the Onyxia Raid deck for the WoW TCG. Has anyone else here tried it?

What do you guys think about a card-based role-playing game? Dungeons and Dragons new edition could certainly use cards for the character's powers, and I've seen games where cards could be used for spells, skills, etc. instead of notes and books.

What about a game designed to be played wholely with cards? The GM could have a deck, and the players would build their characters through decks. What do you guys think of the approach WoW's Raid decks took? Do you think random cards would be a detriment to play? Would it be interesting to have decks dedicated to all the different "spheres" of these games? (Combat, social combat a la Exalted, etc.)

Can anyone think of how an adventure would play out if released as a deck? How hard would it be to get the right pacing and interactivity involved that you could get with a standard-style module? Are there any reasons you wouldn't like an RPG based around this? If the game used cards in a non-collectible format, would that increase your possible enjoyment of the game?

I hope you guys can put together some thoughtful answers because I'm really interested to see what you have to say.

Toothy on

Posts

  • TheLawinatorTheLawinator Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    What about Munchkin?

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  • fadingathedgesfadingathedges Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I want to say there is an old west zombie game that uses aces and kings and standard cards to determine outcomes in place of rolling dice. I sortof just saw a minute of it at a con once, seemed like a neat RPG... Quick & the Dead maybe? I'm sure someone here has seen/played/knows more about it than me.

    fadingathedges on
  • ToothyToothy Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I haven't played Munchkin, but the system seemed kind of a lark. I'm trying to figure out if you could get some classic role-playing action out of a card-based system. A whole campaign, adventures, etc. Goals not as clear cut as kill/defeat the dude to your left.

    Toothy on
  • Rear Admiral ChocoRear Admiral Choco I wanna be an owl, Jerry! Owl York CityRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I want to say there is an old west zombie game that uses aces and kings and standard cards to determine outcomes in place of rolling dice. I sortof just saw a minute of it at a con once, seemed like a neat RPG... Quick & the Dead maybe? I'm sure someone here has seen/played/knows more about it than me.

    Deadlands, I'm pretty sure. I haven't played it, but I'd like to.

    Rear Admiral Choco on
  • Fred CheeseFred Cheese __BANNED USERS regular
    edited March 2008
    The SAGA card system was used for both Marvel and Dragonlance at one time. Also TORG used a card system but I think that was for rewards and altering outcomes in addition to standard dice rolls.

    Fred Cheese on
  • fadingathedgesfadingathedges Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Deadlands sounds right... though if there isn't a western zombie game called Quick and the Dead yet. /copyright.



    PS god damn you I want fried cheese so bad right now.

    fadingathedges on
  • FrostMistFrostMist NorwayRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Deadlands Classic is sweet - tho it needs quite a few dice, atleast if you want combat to float a bit more than what it does (5 sets should be enough) You'll make your character based on what cards you pulled up, clubs giving 1 die, diamonds 2 dice, hearts 3 dice and spades giving 4 dice. Then you have the different dice you get, where duces are D4's and can never be discarded, 3-8 are d6's, 9-jack are d8's, Queen and king would be d10's and aces are d12's. Ofcourse if you're lucky enough to pull a joker, that will count as d12's as well and you pull another card to see what suit it is. (also you get a draw on a fun table) Then you need quite alot of poker chips as well, 50 white, 25 red and 10 blue chips as well as around 5 of a different collor (to act as legendary chips) Initiative is also done with a deck of cards - and it works just great!

    I got my Players guide as a free PDF download off Peginc some time ago, not sure if it is still offered.

    Anyway - what I ment to say is that Deadlands is one of the best games out there, and it is def. worth checking out, even tho there are no more books comming out, there is no shortage on information and such. With 45 books out there, you will find all the info you ever need!

    Also - there was a CCG game called Doomtown, which is in the same setting - set in the small town of Gomorra - and you got a book about gomorra for the RPG if you want to play in the city all your doomtown adventures are going down in :)

    FrostMist on
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  • PMAversPMAvers Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Now, for a *completely* card-based RPG, what you want is Everway.

    PMAvers on
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  • robotsunshinerobotsunshine regular
    edited March 2008
    Primetime Adventures uses cards as a mechanic, but isn't completely card based. But goddamned if it isn't probably the most fun you'll ever have in a tabletop.

    Dust Devils is also good stuff, I hear (haven't tried it yet), using light poker mechanics and no dice at all, for a sort of wild-west saloon feel.

    robotsunshine on
  • MoonbeamsMoonbeams Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I thought this thread was going to be about Lost Kingdoms

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  • Andy KAndy K Pastor of Muppets Cary NCRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Castle Falkenstein is far out of print, but it uses playing cards entirely for resolution.

    The Japanese-born RPG Tokyo Nova also uses playing cards for resolution, as well as a Tarot-based system for setting scenes.

    Yeah, as mentioned Dust Devils uses playing cards, too. It's one of my go-to games; I've played the hell out of it in the past few years (half the time I use it for westerns, the other half I use it for samurai-themed games).

    -Andy

    Andy K on
  • MoSiAcMoSiAc Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    There are a few arcade games where I live that use decks as a major part of the game. Many of them are RPG's or tactical battle games. You buy a starter deck from one machine, then play money into the arcade machine and plug in your deck. Either your character has abilities and spells and what not in the deck, or your deck is built and will control your army.

    At the end of the game I guess so it doesn't feel so much like you have spent a ton of money on nothing you usually get a booster pack from the arcade machine and can keep going.

    The Rpg ones also give you a character card, so you can save your character data for when you want to play again. Cool, but very expensive, and supposedly you can play the card game without the arcade machine as extra incenetive but I've actually never seen anyone do that.

    MoSiAc on
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  • selderaneselderane Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Dragon Storm is another completely card-based RPG.

    selderane on
  • jabrams007jabrams007 Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Anyone ever try Anima: Shadow of Omega put out by Fantasy Flight Games? It looks pretty cool and is completely card based. Here's a link:

    http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/anima_games_cardgame_products.html

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    jabrams007 on
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