Perpetual Design

I don't work in the CCG industry. I probably live so far away from the industry that I doubt I'll ever have a chance to work in it full time. I have however been involved with Custom Cards expansions for quite a while now... and for quite a number of games and I guess that gives me a unique perspective on it. Also, and perhaps more important, I consider CCG (custom) card design a hobby and as such have read up enough on it to know how things are done "professionally" in the real world. And, I guess, that is one advantage I have over most other people.

Few people know that most companies are at least 2 expansions ahead in terms of expansions, with the exception of games like Magic perhaps, who tend to be an entire block ahead most of the time. That is something that is being emulated on the engine which as of today, there are three expansions still within playtesting - one nearing its end while another has just started - and I'm already ahead with the images for the next expansion after those two. It means that sets begin their life 2 expansions ahead of the current one and thus it provides a good chance to see the development of the cards as the expansions progresses, especially in a game like MND where cards do not cycle out with a new set/expansion/edition/block.

That tends to be tiring at times. While the players are playing with cards from the current set, I'm already at least 2 expansion ahead, detailing the themes, the looks, the names, the number of cards, etc. for that expansion. It is no wonder I can never enjoy the cards because I know their inadequacies even before they are "play legal" and what has been done to improve it in the next expansion, etc. Thus the cards get "old" for me and hence the reason why I'm taking a hiatus.

However, a forced hiatus doesn't mean things are sunshines and roses. My mind is still on the "lookout" for things I can use for the custom cards. Damn me and my stupid devotion. Exodus Flight is on hold though and every expansion after that, and I'm glad that it's on hold because I have a great promo expansion to go along with that. It's tentatively entitled A Cure for all Seasons, which is a bit wordy for an expansion, even a promo expansion, but it promises to take a different direction, artwise at least. It's still being based on artwork by a regular MND artist and will probably offer nothing special mechanics wise, but that remains to be seen.

The other thing that a forced hiatus has been doing is driving a number of people (i.e. Christoph and Daniel - you'll have to guess their screen names!) slightly... well, crazy. Having tasted the power of desiging cards for Twilight War, they, like Gollum and the One Ring, seemed to have gone ... well, not power crazy, but design crazy, itching for every opportunity to design cards for everything and anything. They haven't exihibited symptoms of MPD yet or started speaking with a sybillant inflection, but I think they are close to it.

One of the advantages of designing cards for Twilight War was that I got to veto each and every card created. Comments might be as simple as "Too boring" or "Too complex" to a whole article about why the card design isn't what I'm looking for (it's never "wrong", but it can definately be unsuitable). It's not easy to "hit the nail on the head" for the first time and I remember the days when I got pages and pages of proposed card text and ideas only to have each and every one of them rejected with a valid reason. I'll list three of the most common reasons below.

The first reason was regional identity. Quite a few people forget that each region has a character and that the card should reflect the character of the region. Cald does direct energy removal, Orothe has the relic thing and Paradwyn has the starting energy thing. Crossing regional boundaries, although not unusual, is difficult for a first time card designer, and I do have first hand experience there.

The second reason was that the ideas presented lacked support for a regional subtheme, whether that subtheme be creature type, mechanic (e.g. burrow, weave, illusion) or card type (e.g. recurring, jungle stalker). Anyone can create generic cards, but to actually create cards that have a unique feel to it is difficult. One test I use is to read the text without even checking to see the name or region the card comes from and then to guess the reason. If I can't do it correctly, then something is wrong with the design.

The third reason is that the card do not conform with the existing cultural references that are within the game. Not many people will notice that Bograth Magi have subtitles that are more than just the "Bograth Magi" norm that would be expected of it. Also, a Transformer card (i.e. a card that deals with the effect Transform), for example, has quotes/flavour text from The Transformer Movie. These are little things, but nevertheless they have a significance in the overall card design (although it does not very often affect gameplay).

Forcing someone to rework on a card based on the comments seems to be something relished and when they get the cards to about 90% done, I can easily tweak the final design to get it balanced and within my expectations for a custom card in a set that I design. It is perhaps this "teamwork" - where I give their card design special attention - is what has been driving some people (especially those 2 persons) to seek more opportunities to debase themselves to request for more design responsibilities on more cards.

Sadly, I'm on hiatus though. Exodus Flight's text is contentious and is tied into the RPG game so besides tweaks, I doubt it can be majorly redesigned. The closure of the monthly Double Jeopardy Promo Contest did not help as well, as there are no more cards to design on the Custom Card Forum. So I guess there isn't much that is going on from my end to cater for these people (especially the 2 mentioned above) who seemed to have caught the MND card design disease.

My reprise has always been "Get me the artwork, and I'll let you design as many cards as you want based on those" So far, besides the now defunct Magi-Project members, Stephan and Darius, I haven't got anything from anyone. Which I guess is fine for me. I'm on hiatus after all! But one do has to keep in mind though, that getting images is way way harder than actually designing a card.

So where do the MND custom cards go from here? Well, the hiatus doesn't cover Twilight War, which is still work in progress, nor does it cover Double Jeoapardy, which will be what I'm working on after that. It also doesn't cover the expansions already in playtesting Tainted Glimpses, of which there is a playtesting tournament this month, or its poorer sibling Keeper's Quest Promo, both of which should hopefully be Engine tournament legal before summer.

Also, keep an eye out on the Custom Card forums... and expect an announcement in April...