SW/LotR Design - The Mandalorian Culture.

[menace64]

Let me say that I'm so thrilled to finally get down to working in this culture (which is represented with the symbol). Weeks ago I was just puttering around on a few Mandalorian cards when their core mechanic hit me, and immediately card ideas were falling out of my ears like golden leaves off of autumn trees.

As always, I will begin with one of the most basic minions available within the culture:

Mandalorian Warrior
Minion • Human
Strength 10
Vitality 2
Site Number 5
At the start of each skirmish involving this minion, you may play a skirmish event from your discard pile.
"'We're breaking out on the Outer Rim – and more. The real Mandalorian Wars have begun.'"

Hold your tongues, my brethren! Check this out:

Great Honor
Event • Skirmish
Make a minion strength -2. If that minion wins the skirmish, draw up to 2 cards.
"'You can't rule Mandalorians. You just make sensible suggestions they want to follow. And since when have Mandalorians needed to be told what makes sense?'"

Starting to see something wonderfully evil? In case you haven't spotted it (I'm sure you have), I'll explain how this culture functions. Each minion is more-or-less able to win the majority of its skirmishes without much help. Mandalorians are a warrior-race, after all, and they are born and raised to fight anything in the galaxy. But keywords like damage +1 and fierce hardly ever show up in this culture (so far, I've written 1 card with a damage bonus). Plus, more than a few actions require a -1 or -2 (or more!) strength penalty. All Mandalorians want to do is win. Tying or winning by 1 strength is enough for them.

Because, when they walk away victorious...

•Leave None Alive
Condition • Support Area
To play, exert a minion.
Each time a minion wins a skirmish, make another minion strength +2 until the end of its skirmish.
Regroup: Discard a minion to make the Light Side player wound a companion.
"'We razed entire worlds trying to provoke the Republic into fighting us.'"

If all of the -1 and -2 penalties still get you to win the skirmish, you can pump up another Mandalorian. And if you do even *better* than just winning, you can lay down some hurt with leftover minions in the regroup phase.

I think this culture is going to be a lot of fun designing. Very unlike LotR minions. Kind of backwards.

[MR. Lurtzy]

Let me say that I'm so thrilled to finally get down to working in this culture (which is represented with the symbol). Weeks ago I was just puttering around on a few Mandalorian cards when their core mechanic hit me, and immediately card ideas were falling out of my ears like golden leaves off of autumn trees.

As always, I will begin with one of the most basic minions available within the culture:

Mandalorian Warrior
Minion • Human
Strength 10
Vitality 2
Site Number 5
At the start of each skirmish involving this minion, you may play a skirmish event from your discard pile.
I like it
Hold your tongues, my brethren! Check this out:

Great Honor
Event • Skirmish
Make a minion strength -2. If that minion wins the skirmish, draw up to 2 cards.
Very interesting, nicely done.
Starting to see something wonderfully evil? In case you haven't spotted it (I'm sure you have), I'll explain how this culture functions. Each minion is more-or-less able to win the majority of its skirmishes without much help. Mandalorians are a warrior-race, after all, and they are born and raised to fight anything in the galaxy. But keywords like damage +1 and fierce hardly ever show up in this culture (so far, I've written 1 card with a damage bonus). Plus, more than a few actions require a -1 or -2 (or more!) strength penalty. All Mandalorians want to do is win. Tying or winning by 1 strength is enough for them.

Because, when they walk away victorious...

•Leave None Alive
Condition • Support Area
To play, exert a minion.
Each time a minion wins a skirmish, make another minion strength +2 until the end of its skirmish.
Regroup: Discard a minion to make the Light Side player wound a companion.
The cost should be raised to .
If all of the -1 and -2 penalties still get you to win the skirmish, you can pump up another Mandalorian. And if you do even *better* than just winning, you can lay down some hurt with leftover minions in the regroup phase.

I think this culture is going to be a lot of fun designing. Very unlike LotR minions. Kind of backwards.

I'm liking this culture, keep it up.

[DáinIronfoot]

I'm liking what I see, too. I agree that Leave None Alive should be costlier, though...perhaps even .

[Thranduil]

My only worry is that you could have very splashable high-strength minions - what's to stop you simply not using your abilities to reduce your minion's strengths?

Thranduil

[sickofpalantirs]

Mandalorian Warrior
Minion • Human
Strength 10
Vitality 2
Site Number 5
At the start of each skirmish involving this minion, you may play a skirmish event from your discard pile.
"'We're breaking out on the Outer Rim – and more. The real Mandalorian Wars have begun.'"
maybe take on into hand/ and up cost into 4 IMSO


Great Honor
Event • Skirmish
Make a minion strength -2. If that minion wins the skirmish, draw up to 2 cards.
"'You can't rule Mandalorians. You just make sensible suggestions they want to follow. And since when have Mandalorians needed to be told what makes sense?'"
fine


•Leave None Alive
Condition • Support Area
To play, exert a minion.
Each time a minion wins a skirmish, make another minion strength +2 until the end of its skirmish.
Regroup: Discard a minion to make the Light Side player wound a companion.
"'Anyone who put up a fight – or wouldn't fight – was crushed. We razed entire worlds trying to provoke the Republic into fighting us.'"

fine.

[menace64]

My only worry is that you could have very splashable high-strength minions - what's to stop you simply not using your abilities to reduce your minion's strengths?

I think the same argument was brought up against Siege Troop upon its release into the card pool. It takes more than above-average strength to make a minion a serious threat on its own. The splash issue is precisely why Mandalorians don't appear often with damage bonuses or the fierce keyword. Sure, they are minion-for-minion above the curve, but the text on Mandalorian minions deal exclusively in-culture. I don't think decks could splash these guys very easily.

As for why a player would bother using effects that lower strength, I go back to my initial point: A minion with slightly-higher strength won't normally get the Dark Side player a win. It takes multiple wounds and post-victory effects to break an alliance apart.

Here are a few more cards:

Razed
Event • Skirmish
Make a minion strength -3. If that minion wins the skirmish, discard a Light Side condition.
"'Anyone who put up a fight – or wouldn't fight – was crushed.'"

One of the only condition removal cards Mandalorians have. In fact, this might be the *only* card they've got. If you think you can win the skirmish with 3 less strength, play Razed and you get to ditch a condition.

No Mercy for the Weak
Condition • Support Area
Each time a minion overwhelms a companion in a skirmish, add a token here.
Regroup: Shuffle X cards from your discard pile into your draw deck, where X is the number of tokens here. Discard this condition.
"'...their 'resistance' was laughable. We cut through their defenses like vibroblades through cloth.'"

It's not supposed to be a great card. And it isn't. But not every card in a culture can be super-awesome-useful all the time, and in the right deck, this card can net you a few extra cards.

Mandalorian Rocket-mount
Possession
Bearer must be a minion. Limit 1 per bearer.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish, the Light Side player must wound a companion.
"A warrior is more than his armor."

Simple and straight-to-the-point. I was hoping to give this one a class, but neither hand weapon nor ranged weapon quite fit the bill. Ranged weapons are blasters and hand weapons are lightsabers. Since you can wield blasters and a back-mounted rocket, I see no sense in making both ranged. Maybe just limiting to 1 per bearer will work best.

[Thranduil]

Looks good, except that I wouldn't use the Rocket-mount - Shadow possessions need to be very good for their cost before anyone would pack them into decks. Could cost or have another bonus.

Thranduil

[sickofpalantirs]

*points up at thran*

[MR. Lurtzy]

All of them look good, but for the last one, does I think a ranged weapon for rocket mount would fit.

[MR. Lurtzy]

So, is that the entire mando culture?

[menace64]

No, sorry, I've just been really busy with work this week (and it's only going to get worse, as I'm starting a second job on Sunday). Really tired and my brain just isn't feeling creative.

[sickofpalantirs]

totally understand...but I'm back when you are ready