[DEFUNCT] SW/LotR Project. Please ignore this but also don't hate me for clutter

[menace64]

The Star Wars Block

01 Star Wars (Click here to view the card list!)

• The first set! Introduces the cultures (Fringe, Imperial, Jedi, Rebellion, Sith, Tatooine) and sets the stage for later developments. Innovations include the Creature deck and Force Rares.

02 A Few Maneuvers (Click here to view the card list!)

• Starships! Just like artifacts were held off from the first set in LotR, starships are an advanced card type that can change the nature of your entire game.

03 The Death Star

• The Death Star finally makes its appearance in the game (since we're pretending that A New Hope just came out). The Sith culture gets starships of its own.

The Empire Block
04 The Empire Strikes Back

• Introducing the Bespin culture! Speeders, Snowtroopers, new creatures and - of course - Imperial Walkers!

00 Star Wars Anthology

• A collection of 18 reprints from the previous block, re-written in the flowing script of Aurebesh, along with booster packs of each of the 3 sets in the block, this anthology is a great introduction to the game for players new and old, and is a sought-after prize for collectors.

05 Hunters and Heroes

• The long-awaited appearance of Yoda and the gang of Vader's bounty hunters, H&H brings new tools and weapons to both sides of your deck! New tools of the Sith make corrupting the Apprentice even easier.

00 Star Wars Box Set: A New Hope

• A limited-edition collector's item, featuring 10 all-new cards, most with images custom-designed by Industrial Light and Magic. This box set brings older cultures up to date and promises to keep the game fresh and exciting.

06 Shadows of the Empire

• Based on the new ("new") and bestselling novel and games of the same name, this set explores the seedy underbelly of the galaxy, showing off such classic characters as Xizor and Dash Rendar.

The Jedi Block
07 Return of the Jedi

• Enter the Ewoks! Don't fall prey to Jabba and his horde of ruffians!

00 Empire Strikes Back Anthology

• A collection of 18 reprints from the previous block, re-written in the flowing script of Aurebesh, along with booster packs of each of the 3 sets in the block, this anthology is a great introduction to the game for players new and old, and is a sought-after prize for collectors.

08 Sentry Moon

• Now the Rebellion takes the fight to the Empire. New subcultures for both the Imperial and Rebellion cultures based around the jungle-world of Endor, along with powerful new cards for all the cultures.

00 Star Wars Box Set: Empire Strikes Back

• A limited-edition collector's item, featuring 10 all-new cards, most with images custom-designed by Industrial Light and Magic. This box set brings older cultures up to date and promises to keep the game fresh and exciting.

09 Reflections

• Introducing Alternate Apprentices! Along with new, rare artifacts and special characters from every culture and across all 3 movies - and with brand-new images designed by Industrial Light and Magic specifically for Star Wars TCG - this is a set you don't want to miss!

10 The Power of the Dark Side

• Emperor Palpatine - at long last - makes his debut, bringing with him a slew of Sith minions and powerful cards! The climatic battle above Endor brings a sense of closure to this game!

00 Return of the Jedi Anthology

• A collection of 18 reprints from the previous block, re-written in the flowing script of Aurebesh, along with booster packs of each of the 3 sets in the block, this anthology is a great introduction to the game for players new and old, and is a sought-after prize for collectors.

11 The True Nature of the Force

• An all-inclusive, commemorative box set featuring 40 premium-level cards found nowhere else in the game, this set hails the end of Star Wars TCG, embracing the favorite aspects of an amazing journey! New versions of favorite characters - along with new cards featuring images designed by Industrial Light and Magic - this set is a must-have for any player or collector!

I've already created cardlists for each of the 9 primary sets, developing mechanics and themes along the way, generally getting a feel for the progression of the game in much the same way as LotR TCG evolved and expanded. I pretended that these sets released as the Star Wars films hit theatres (just like LotR!), so major plot points were saved for expansions, and characters like Yoda and the Emperor missed the base sets entirely.[/list]

[Thranduil]

I'll review anything (eventually)!

Thran

[TheJord]

I have considered toying with the Star Wars TCG/LotR style crossover, but I know you did one on CC so I didn't want to compete.

I have also considered a Harry Potter crossover. Seems viable...

[sickofpalantirs]

Harry Potter would be cool.  Instead of Ring-bearers you could have Prophecy bearers, and you could have Neville or Harry  .

But to stop Hijacking your thread menace, I would be quite interested in reviewing Star Wars cards again.

[menace64]

Here's the complete cardlist of the first set (aptly named Star Wars). I'll follow-up either tonight or tomorrow with a detailed description of how the cultures should feel. Ask any questions!

The Force (2 Cards):
1. The Force, Bound to All Living Things (Rare)
2. The Force, The Source of Power (Common)

Fringe Culture (40 Cards):
3. Bandolier (Alliance Possession, Uncommon)
4. Boasting (Alliance Event, Common)
5. Boba, Hired Killer (Minion, Rare)
6. Boring Conversation Anyway (Alliance Event, Uncommon)
7. BoShek, Rogue Tech (Companion, Uncommon)
8. Cantina Denizens (Shadow Event, Common)
9. Chewie, First Mate (Companion, Rare)
10. Chewie, Noble Wookiee (Companion, Common)
11. Chewie's Bowcaster (Alliance Possession, Rare)
12. Corellian Pilot (Companion, Common)
13. Dannik, Anzati Assassin (Minion, Rare)
14. Disintegrator Pistol (Shadow Possession, Common)
15. For Any Credit (Shadow Event, Common)
16. Greedo, Bounty Hunter (Minion, Uncommon)
17. Han, Captain of the Falcon (Companion, Common)
18. Han, In It for the Money (Companion, Rare)
19. Han's Heavy Blaster (Alliance Possession, Rare)
20. Hidden Compartments (Alliance Condition, Rare)
21. I'll Bet You Have (Alliance Condition, Common)
22. It's Too Late (Shadow Condition, Common)
23. Jabba, Hutt Crimelord (Minion, Rare)
24. Jabba's Bounty (Shadow Condition, Uncommon)
25. Mercenary's Armor (Shadow Possession, Uncommon)
26. Mos Eisley Cur (Minion, Common)
27. Mos Eisley Hunter (Minion, Rare)
28. Mos Eisley Messenger (Minion, Common)
29. Mos Eisley Robber (Minion, Common)
30. Mos Eisley Savage (Minion, Common)
31. Mos Eisley Scum (Minion, Uncommon)
32. Mos Eisley Spy (Minion, Common)
33. Mos Eisley Villain (Minion, Uncommon)
34. Negotiation (Alliance Condition, Common)
35. A Price On His Head (Shadow Condition, Rare)
36. Quick Shot (Alliance Event, Uncommon)
37. Quite a Mercenary (Shadow Condition, Uncommon)
38. Right Here Waiting (Alliance Event, Common)
39. Scoundrel's Blaster (Alliance Possession, Common)
40. Sorry About the Mess (Alliance Event, Rare)
41. Treadwell Droid (Alliance Follower, Uncommon)
42. Ultimatum (Shadow Condition, Common)
43. A Wonderful Human Being (Alliance Condition, Uncommon)

Imperial Culture (40 Cards):
44. Assault Blaster (Possession, Rare)
45. Code Cylinder (Event, Uncommon)
46. Crossfire (Event, Rare)
47. Counter Assault (Event, Uncommon)
48. A Day Long Remembered (Event, Common)
49. Death Star Detachment (Minion, Uncommon)
50. Death Star Patrol (Minion, Uncommon)
51. Destroyed Homestead (Condition, Rare)
52. Entanglement (Event, Common)
53. Full Scale Alert (Condition, Uncommon)
54. Garindan, Imperial Informant (Minion, Rare)
55. Imperial Besieger (Minion, Common)
56. Imperial Guard (Minion, Common)
57. Imperial Officer (Minion, Uncommon)
58. Imperial Sentry (Event, Common)
59. Imperial Soldier (Minion, Common)
60. Imperial Trooper (Minion, Common)
61. Imperial Vanguard (Minion, Rare)
62. Imperial Warrior (Minion, Uncommon)
63. Interrogation Droid (Follower, Uncommon)
64. Motti, Senior Commander (Minion, Rare)
65. Mouse Droid (Follower, Common)
66. No Escape (Event, Common)
67. Precision Targeting (Event, Uncommon)
68. Pursuit Just Behind (Event, Rare)
69. Scanning Crew (Event, Uncommon)
70. Sinister Agents (Condition, Rare)
71. Slaughtered (Event, Rare)
72. Standard-issue Blaster (Possession, Common)
73. Stormtrooper Armor (Possession, Common)
74. Stormtrooper Brigade (Minion, Uncommon)
75. Stormtrooper Fanatic (Minion, Rare)
76. Stormtrooper Recruit (Minion, Common)
77. Stormtrooper Reinforcements (Event, Uncommon)
78. Stormtrooper Utility Belt (Possession, Common)
79. Tagge, Imperial General (Minion, Uncommon)
80. Tarkin, Fear-monger (Minion, Rare)
81. Tarkin, Grand Moff (Minion, Common)
82. Tracking (Condition, Uncommon)
83. Vader, Agent of the Emperor (Minion, Force Rare)

Jedi Culture (30 Cards):
84. Affect Mind (Event, Rare)
85. Alter (Event, Common)
86. Attunement (Condition, Uncommon)
87. A Bad Feeling (Event, Common)
88. The Circle of Destiny (Event, Rare)
89. Cleaving Blow (Event, Common)
90. Deep in Thought (Condition, Uncommon)
91. Early Training (Event, Common)
92. Gift of the Mentor (Event, Rare)
93. Guardian (Condition, Uncommon)
94. Knight's Robes (Possession, Uncommon)
95. Krayt Dragon Howl (Event, Common)
96. Let Go (Event, Uncommon)
97. Moment of Respite (Condition, Rare)
98. A More Civilized Age (Condition, Rare)
99. Mysterious Wizard (Event, Common)
100. Noble Sacrifice (Event, Common)
101. Obi-Wan, Aged Mentor (Companion, Rare)
102. Obi-Wan, Old Ben (Companion, Common)
103. Obi-Wan's Lightsaber (Artifact, Rare)
104. Obi-Wan's Wisdom (Condition, Uncommon)
105. Old Fossil (Event, Rare)
106. Parry (Event, Uncommon)
107. Sense (Condition, Common)
108. Stand Against Darkness (Event, Common)
109. A Strong Influence (Event, Common)
110. This One's Not Worth the Trouble (Condition, Common)
111. Training Remote (Follower, Rare)
112. Trust Me (Condition, Common)
113. Use the Force, Luke (Event, Uncommon)

Rebellion Culture (37 Cards):
114. Anakin's Lightsaber (Artifact, Rare)
115. Artoo, Astromech Droid (Follower, Uncommon)
116. Artoo, Overweight Glob of Grease (Follower, Rare)
117. Biggs, Friend of Luke (Companion, Common)
118. Charming to the Last (Verb, Common)
119. Chewie, Idealistic Fighter (Companion, Force Rare)
120. Deft Words (Verb, Uncommon)
121. A Diplomatic Mission (Condition, Common)
122. Escape Pod (Verb, Uncommon)
123. Extraordinary Resilience (Event, Common)
124. Fearless (Verb, Rare)
125. The Force is Strong With This One (Verb, Uncommon)
126. Greatest Need (Event, Rare)
127. Here to Rescue You (Verb, Common)
128. Hidden Base (Verb, Rare)
129. Honor and Heroism (Event, Common)
130. Leia, Freedom Fighter (Companion, Common)
131. Leia, Imperial Senator (Companion, Rare)
132. Leia's Blaster (Possession, Uncommon)
133. Luke, Attuned to the Force (Companion, Uncommon)
134. Luke, Student of Kenobi (Companion, Rare)
135. Manipulator Arm (Possession, Uncommon)
136. Narrow Escape (Event, Common)
137. Our Lot in Life (Event, Rare)
138. Our Most Desperate Hour (Verb, Uncommon)
139. Rebel Blaster (Possession, Common)
140. Rebel Guard (Companion, Uncommon)
141. Rebel Trooper (Companion, Common)
142. Rebel's Hope (Event, Common)
143. Resourcefulness (Condition, Common)
144. Revolution (Verb, Rare)
145. Stolen Armor (Possession, Uncommon)
146. Strength of Spirit (Event, Common)
147. Taken Captive (Verb, Rare)
148. Threepio, Mindless Philosopher (Follower, Rare)
149. Threepio, Protocol Droid (Follower, Common)
150. Trooper's Helmet (Possession, Rare)

Sith Culture (29 Cards):
151. Alternative Form of Persuasion (Event, Common)
152. Backstabber, Black Squadron Ace (Minion, Common)
153. Black Squadron Pilot (Minion, Rare)
154. Closing In (Event, Common)
155. Come With Me (Event, Uncommon)
156. Dark Collaboration (Condition, Common)
157. Dark Curse, Black Squadron Ace (Minion, Rare)
158. Dark Fury (Event, Common)
159. Dark Hours (Verb, Uncommon)
160. The Emperor's Will (Event, Uncommon)
161. Face Him Alone (Event, Rare)
162. I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing (Verb, Common)
163. In the Dark Jedi's Wake (Verb, Rare)
164. Mauler, Black Squadron Ace (Minion, Uncommon)
165. Mind Probe (Event, Rare)
166. Not Easily Destroyed (Condition, Uncommon)
167. Relentless (Verb, Common)
168. Sith Armor (Artifact, Rare)
169. Sith Power (Event, Common)
170. Sith Strangle (Event, Rare)
171. Tarkin, Aligned to Evil (Minion, Uncommon)
172. Terror (Event, Uncommon)
173. Trapped and Alone (Condition, Uncommon)
174. A Tremor in the Force (Condition, Uncommon)
175. Vader, Devoted to the Force (Minion, Common)
176. Vader, Sith Warrior (Minion, Rare)
177. Vader's Obsession (Verb, Rare)
178. Weapon of the Sith (Artifact, Rare)
179. You Are Weak (Condition, Rare)

Tatooine Culture (44 Cards):
180. Ambushed (Shadow Verb, Rare)
181. Artoo, Quirky and Troublesome (Companion, Common)
182. Bantha (Shadow Possession, Rare)
183. Beru, Guardian of Luke (Companion, Common)
184. Blue Milk (Alliance Event, Common)
185. Crash Site Memorial (Alliance Condition, Rare)
186. Desert Poncho (Alliance Possession, Common)
187. Droid Caller (Shadow Possession, Common)
188. Droid Detector (Shadow Possession, Uncommon)
189. Droid Junkheap (Shadow Condition, Rare)
190. Gaderffi Stick (Shadow Possession, Common)
191. A Hard Life (Alliance Event, Uncommon)
192. Hiding Their Numbers (Shadow Event, Common)
193. Hunting Rifle (Alliance Possession, Common)
194. Hydroponics Droid (Alliance Follower, Common)
195. Jawa Deceiver (Minion, Uncommon)
196. Jawa Ion Gun (Shadow Possession, Common)
197. Jawa Leader (Minion, Common)
198. Jawa Shaman (Minion, Rare)
199. Jawa Thief (Minion, Common)
200. Jawa Trader (Minion, Common)
201. Jawa Warden (Minion, Rare)
202. Landspeeder (Alliance Possession, Rare)
203. Luke, Young Farmhand (Companion, Common)
204. Macrobinoculars (Alliance Possession, Uncommon)
205. Nebit, Tribal Leader (Minion, Rare)
206. On the Edge (Alliance Event, Common)
207. Owen, Guardian of Luke (Companion, Common)
208. Power Droid (Alliance Follower, Uncommon)
209. Restraining Bolt (Shadow Possession, Common)
210. Sandcrawler (Shadow Possession, Uncommon)
211. Threepio, Just an Interpreter (Companion, Uncommon)
212. Tusken Chieftain (Minion, Rare)
213. Tusken Follower (Minion, Rare)
214. Tusken Marksman (Minion, Common)
215. Tusken Nomad (Minion, Uncommon)
216. Tusken Raiders (Minion, Common)
217. Tusken Rifle (Shadow Possession, Rare)
218. Tusken Sharpshooter (Minion, Rare)
219. Tusken Slayer (Minion, Rare)
220. Tusken Vagabond (Minion, Uncommon)
221. Tusken Warrior (Minion, Common)
222. Vaporator (Alliance Possession, Uncommon)
223. Wuher, Gruff Bartender (Companion, Rare)

Creature Deck (12 Cards):
224. Dark Waters (Condition, Common)
225. Dianoga (Creature, Rare)
226. Greater Dragon Bones (Condition, Uncommon)
227. Jerba (Creature, Uncommon)
228. Krayt Dragon (Creature, Force Rare)
229. Scurrier (Creature, Common)
230. Sunsdown (Condition, Common)
231. Tentacle (Event, Common)
232. Wild Bantha (Creature, Uncommon)
233. Wild Dewback (Creature, Uncommon)
234. Wild Ronto (Creature, Uncommon)
235. Womp Rat (Creature, Common)

Adventure Deck (33 Cards):
236. Anchorhead (Common)
237. Cantina (Uncommon)
238. Cell Block 1138 (Uncommon)
239. Conference Room (Common)
240. Control Core (Common)
241. Control Room (Common)
242. Death Star War Room (Uncommon)
243. Dense Jungle (Common)
244. Docking Bay 94 (Common)
245. Docking Bay 327 (Common)
246. Dune Sea (Common)
247. Empty Hallway (Uncommon)
248. Falcon's Cabin (Common)
249. Falcon's Cockpit (Uncommon)
250. Grand Audience Chamber (Uncommon)
251. Imperial Cell (Common)
252. Jawa Camp (Common)
253. Jawa Canyon (Uncommon)
254. Jundland Wastes (Common)
255. Krayt Dragon Pass (Uncommon)
256. Lars' Moisturefarm (Common)
257. Massassi Ruins (Common)
258. Mos Eisley Alley (Common)
259. Mos Eisley Avenue (Common)
260. Obi-Wan's Hut (Uncommon)
261. Obi-Wan's Living Room (Common)
262. Scrap-pile (Common)
263. Staging Area (Common)
264. Tatooine Spaceport (Common)
265. Trading Route (Common)
266. Trash Compactor (Uncommon)
267. Tusken Canyon (Common)
268. Yavin War Room (Uncommon)

3 Force Rares
70 Rares
80 Uncommons
115 Commons

One thing I'd like to point out right away is that last bit, my breakdown of card rarities. Fellowship of the Ring (and the other two big base sets for LotR) was 365 cards, and a whole third of that was rares. Personally, I hated that. It meant more boxes. So I tweaked the allotments to fit a slimmer collection - now, with only 70 rares in a base set, it's easier to collect and play, but the 'Force Rares' still keep an element of difficulty for those out for the hard road. Having only 3 in a base set, Force rares aren't even guaranteed in a box, making them extremely hard to find.

So, like I said before, if you'd like to contribute to this project, feel free to throw out your ideas or even - if you're so inclined - write up a few cards pulled from the cardlist!

[menace64]

First, a few necessary terminology changes:
Ring-bearer becomes Apprentice.
The One Ring is The Force.
Burdens are now temptations.
Fellowship is now Alliance.
Archery Phase is now the Crossfire Phase.
Twilight token is now Credit.

Currently, the only new unloaded keywords are Force-skill, which replaces Spell, and bounty, which is akin to Search or Weather. I'm also using Knight. All of the original loaded keywords return, and I might bring in the newer ones along with a few we come with that make sense. Get creative!

The Creature Deck
I'm open to suggestions and whatever ideas you have. This is a whole-new approach to how non-sentient beings are brought into this game (previously I had a Creature culture, and it was dumb). Now, all of your creature cards form an entirely new side-deck which would sit, inactive, next to your adventure deck until...

...You come across a site with the Wild keyword. Wild X, actually, and the X represents how many cards you can draw from your Creature deck at the start of your shadow phase. Those drawn cards form a secondary hand (the creature hand), and you can play any of those cards as you would from your primary hand. There are a few notes here, though:

• Cards in the Creature Deck have no credit cost, and are neither Alliance nor Shadow. If you begin your shadow phase at a site with Wild X you can draw the top X cards of your Creature Deck, playing any of those cards immediately and/or saving some (like Creature Deck events) for later in the turn.
• If you opt to draw cards from the Creature Deck, you cannot play minions at that site! You may still play other shadow cards - paying their credit costs as you would normally - but the presence of a creature keeps your sentient fellas from getting involved! Note that any other Shadow players are not inhibited by your decision, and they may play minions even if you go for creatures.
• Once in play, a creature may be targeted as a minion or character (unless specifically noted otherwise), and the Alliance player may direct his or her crossfire total towards creatures instead of an individual Shadow player.
• Any discarded/killed creature cards go directly (and face-up) to the bottom of the Creature Deck. At the start of the regroup phase, any creature cards in play cycle in the same fashion back into the Creature Deck, along with any creature cards still in your hand. When the top card of the Creature Deck is face-up (meaning all cards have cycled through), simply turn the deck over and reshuffle.
• Any unique Creature Deck card is unique for the deck, meaning you can only have 1 of it in said deck. You only get 1 Krayt Dragon!
• I want a size-restriction on the Creature Deck, but I haven't really decided on a number yet. Of course you just couldn't have a maximum set like 20, because then you could just run 1 Krayt Dragon and keep him coming out every site! So I'd probably go with the rule of 'If you have a Creature Deck, you must have exactly X cards in that deck' but haven't decided what X would be.

I know that seems pretty wordy, but almost all of that is fairly intuitive, and once you get the gist of it all you can apply common sense to almost the entire thing. What do you think? Hmmm... do you think this could work in LotR, too?

Cultural Identity
Fringe (Alliance)
Han and Chewie are the lead-off companions in this culture. As a culture, it has lower resistance and almost no consideration of temptations or The Force. It excels at keeping your deck in repair (mainly through discard control - saving cards from entering the discard pile, retrieving cards, recycling back into the draw deck, etc.), and the culture prefers taking actions during the Crossfire phase. It likes Credits, which means that its cards are on the higher end of the costing curve. Strong, independently-minded companions (think Boromir) make this a tough culture to tackle in a direct fight.

Fringe (Shadow)
This culture focuses initially on Mos Eisley, but as the game progresses it will include all of the bounty hunters, Xizor and Black Sun, along with Jabba's little empire. Everything about this culture is invested in Credit costs (increasing the cost of things already in play and spotting expensive Alliance cards to reap great bonuses). Bounty cards increase the twilight cost of borne companions, and when that companion leaves play nets the bounty's owner fantastic rewards. This culture has very-limited access to temptations/The Force, almost no presence in the Regroup phase, but absolutely loves the Maneuver phase.

Imperial
Site control. Site replacement. Site destruction... the Empire is all about controlling the galaxy, which in this game is represented by the adventure path. Given more interest in temptations and The Force than Fringe, it's still not as good as the Sith culture at corrupting an Apprentice but has a few tricks of its own. This culture cares most about the Shadow and Crossfire phases, and after a few sets it will have its Imperial boots in just about every shadow mechanic.

Jedi
The Jedi culture is very-nearly a direct grafting of how the culture behaved in the opening block of Lord of the Rings. This culture is the catch-all, being proficient in all mechanics, yet limited by its sole companion: Obi-Wan. It won't see another companion until the fifth set, so until that time it will be limited to a support function. That being said, this culture is best at increasing resistance, removing temptations, and saving other companions from unfortunate ends.

Rebellion
For the majority of the game's life, this culture is the only one where you might find the Apprentice (Luke), so - naturally - there's a lot of focus on temptations and The Force, along with tricks to keep the Apprentice alive. Being a culture of rebels and insurgents, it operates fluidly in any phase, and can even cause opponents trouble during the Shadow phase! Companions in this culture have, for the most part, higher resistance than other cultures.

Sith
The ultimate power in corruption, almost everything about this culture, initially, revolves around forcing the Apprentice to fight and punishing him at every other turn. In fact, this culture has a few ways to coerce individual companions into contest with its own big-hitter, Darth Vader, who - for most of the game - is its only strong minion. Like Gollum, Vader has several ways of getting back into play, and always has his eye on the resistance of companions. If you hadn't guessed yet, this culture adores the Assignment phase.

Tatooine (Alliance)
This culture feels a lot like the culture, in that it relies heavily on support cards, healing companions and cancelling skirmishes. Add in elements of cycling and a fantastic image of this culture begins to emerge: strength in the Alliance phase, bringing out cards swiftly, and doing its best to outright-ignore minions wherever possible. It also has an Apprentice Luke, along with a lot of droids and 'harvest' cards. Lots of possessions.

Tatooine (Shadow)
Split into two distinct sub-cultures, this culture truly shines once a balance has been struck between Jawas, who can flood the pool through various tricks involving droids, and Tuskens, higher-cost minions with a lot of love for creatures and a devastating ability to show up when nobody's paying attention. This culture is strongest in the Regroup phase, but has tricks to play throughout the turn. Again, lots of possessions!

Gimme some feedback! I want to make this into something good!

[azogsbane]

Sounds awesome! Very well thought out. I like the separate creature deck idea a lot. But you made it sound like not every deck would have one. Is there any drawback to having one? I feel like there needs to be or else everyone would use one and with the limited number of different creature cards to choose from, that could get dull after a while.

[menace64]

A Creature deck is not required, but I've already illustrated the drawback: You can't play minions, and unless you're facing an extraordinarily weak Alliance, creatures alone won't win you the game. Let's go through a few scenarios.

• The Alliance moves to Trash Compactor, a site with Wild 3. You, the Shadow player, draw 3 cards from your Creature Deck at the start of your Shadow phase. You draw 2 creatures and a condition, and you play all three immediately for free. Now you can't play any minions that you may have in your hand since you've got a creature in play. At the start of the regroup phase, not only do those creature disappear, but so does the condition, and suddenly the Alliance player has little keeping him from moving again. You cycle your draw deck less and potentially miss out on drawing the perfect card you need. The Creature Deck does not set up, it cannot plan ahead - it's not sentient, and it just isn't as reliable as your draw deck.
• Same situation as before, but now it's a multiplayer game (4 players, let's say). You draw 3 Creature cards and get the same cards as before; you drop 2 creatures and the condition. The next Shadow player does the same thing, but comes up short and ends up playing no creatures, having drawn 3 Creature Deck events (which he could end up using to boost your creatures, but maybe not!). The final Shadow player either has no Creature deck or chooses not to draw anything, and goes instead with his primary hand and drops a few stormtroopers. The Crossfire phase comes around and the Alliance player targets Creatures - suddenly all of your creatures die and you've got nothing to show for it, and even that second Shadow player who drew events is up the creek with nothing to do.
• But that can work out so much better. What if all three Shadow players draw 3 Creature Deck cards apiece, and they're all creatures? It would be a stampede, certainly, but every one of those Shadow players would be sacrificing a turn to set up their respective draw decks, and any experienced player would tell you how important cycling is!

There are 8 different creatures in the base set, and each additional set adds 1 or more, along with various support cards to encourage diversity. And if that isn't enough, the randomness/unreliability of the Creature Deck (along with the fact that one of those creatures is the Krayt Dragon, a Force Rare) ensures a generally-unique feel to how creatures unfold throughout the game.

Very well thought out.

This better be! I've been working on this for, uh, like the last four years. It's a pet of mine at this point. Thanks for your interest!

[Sabrien Reed]

What an amazing project.  Is the plan to make it work with GCCG?

[menace64]

What an amazing project.  Is the plan to make it work with GCCG?

Hadn't considered it, but honestly that would be the most gratifying thing ever.

[sickofpalantirs]

Ok, why is a card type "verb?" otherwise, awesome.

[menace64]

Ah, sorry, I meant to elaborate on that. 'Verb' is just a stand-in for 'Event or Condition,' since the card itself hasn't been designed but will obviously become one of those two types. Decipher did that years ago for SWCCG, and it was just a design habit that I picked up on!

Anyways, last night after a few rounds of drinks downtown I came home and decided that the time for actual card design had finally come, so I sat down and wrote up the most-basic cards for each culture: strength pumps. These form the basis of how any given culture generally operates, and from here a clearer picture will emerge as to how the finished product will look.

EDIT: Keep in mind that this is the first set of a brand-new game. There is no power creep! The two strongest minions in Star Wars are Boba and Vader, and their power levels will be similar to Lurtz, Servant of Isengard and The Witch-king, Lord of Angmar. Most of the cards in this set are going to be simple and entry-easy, fueled more by basic cultural identities and flavor than intricate strategy. In FotR, Goblins swarmed, Uruks hit hard, Orcs wounded, and Nazgul were fierce. Pretty basic stuff!

Fringe (Alliance)
Right Here Waiting [Fringe]
Event * Skirmish
Make a [Fringe] companion strength +2 (and damage +1 if skirmishing a [Fringe] minion).
1C38

Like I pointed out earlier, Fringe companions will always have difficulty keeping the credit pool small, and even their simple strength enhancers will be a risk often-undertaken. Almost nothing comes free to them.

Fringe (Shadow)
For Any Credit [Fringe]
Event * Skirmish
Make a [Fringe] minion strength +X, where X is the credit cost of a companion it is skirmishing.
1C15

Made up mostly of bounty hunters, grifters, and hustlers, this shadow culture thrives on bagging the biggest prize, and the opening set illustrates this attraction to expensive quarries through manipulation of credit costs (a similar mechanic to Ring-bound Rangers and their initial interest in site numbers). This event is free-to-play, but will only offer big payoffs after you've got your strategy established.

Imperial
Entanglement [Imperial]
Event * Skirmish
Make an [Imperial] minion strength +2 (or +4 if you control a site).
1C52

I totally robbed Burn Every Village for this one, since the Imperial culture will have almost as much invested in site control as Dunland did.

Jedi
Mysterious Wizard [Jedi]
Event * Skirmish
Make Obi-Wan strength +2 (or +4 if you cannot spot 5 temptations).
1C99

And here again all I did was graft an already-existing card (this time, even keeping the same name!) into the right culture, and since Obi-Wan cares as much for the Apprentice's well-being as Gandalf did for Frodo's, the card's text makes perfect sense.

Rebellion
Honor and Heroism [Rebellion]
Event * Skirmish
Make a [Rebellion] companion bearing a weapon strength +3.
1C129

A Rebel can't fight a war without weapons, and this simple fact will likely permeate the culture. Most Rebellion cards will be on the cheaper side of the costing-curve, but they'll have more spotting requirements than, say, Fringe, since the Rebels must always stay armed and prepped to fight against a galactic power.

Sith
Dark Fury [Sith]
Event * Skirmish
Exert a [Sith] minion to make that minion strength +3.
1C158

Bred For Battle returns! Using that card's ability makes perfect sense for this culture, as you'll come to see - the Sith exert for a lot of things, as they draw on emotions and the Force to empower themselves.

Tatooine (Alliance)
On the Edge [Tatooine]
Event * Skirmish
Make a minion skirmishing your [Tatooine] companion strength -2.
1C206

Tatooine companions are not natural fighters, relying instead on the harshness of their world to help bring down their foes. These companions spend their lives working for every ounce of precious water, and any enemy that meets them in that arena will be in for some hurt.

Tatooine (Shadow)
Hiding Their Numbers [Tatooine]
Event * Skirmish
Make your Tusken strength +2. If it wins the skirmish, add .
1C192

Imagine the pains you can cause an Alliance if you have a few of these tucked away in your hand. Tuskens love a good ambush, and with how many credits they can get into the pool before a regroup phase, they'll often leave the Alliance player wondering how dangerous it would be to move again.

[azogsbane]

What if all three Shadow players draw 3 Creature Deck cards apiece, and they're all creatures? It would be a stampede, certainly, but every one of those Shadow players would be sacrificing a turn to set up their respective draw decks, and any experienced player would tell you how important cycling is![/li][/list]

I quite understand the importance of cycling. But I still think that I would use a creature deck with any deck as using the cards would be purely optional. When you draw from your creature deck, they enter a different separate "creature hand", correct? In that case, having those cards to draw only provides you with more options, it doesn't limit you in any way unless you actually play them. So I would want a creature deck available in any deck, just in case the situation was one in which I would want to play them. You can weigh the benefits and drawbacks of playing creatures versus playing minions minions from your regular deck when the situation arises. Again, it just gives you more options, which is always helpful.

Here's something you could do to deter this mentality: Impose a mild penalty on all the sites that have the keyword Wild X, such as "when you play this site, you must discard the top three cards of your drawdeck." Or you could make it the rule that if you even *draw* cards from your creature deck you cannot play any minions that shadow phase.

[menace64]

Or you could make it the rule that if you even *draw* cards from your creature deck you cannot play any minions that shadow phase.

That's precisely what came to mind right as I read your first paragraph, and unless there are any objections I think it would work perfectly!

[menace64]

Before I get to posting cards, I'd like to reiterate that any of you are welcome to come up with your own ideas, preferably within the bounds of what I've already given for cultural identities but not necessarily. I have a lot already worked up, yet I'd like this to be a collaborative project!