Deck-building card games - opinions wanted

What's most important for a deck-builder?

Lots of cards, lots of variety, lots of awesome	21.1%	[ 4 ]
Beautiful/cute art. I wants it pretty!	10.5%	[ 2 ]
Simple is sweet. I don't want to have to think too much.	21.1%	[ 4 ]
New, innovative features! Break that mold!	15.8%	[ 3 ]
I like the classics. Tried and true is best. Dominion 4 life!	5.3%	[ 1 ]
Interactivity! I don't want to just collect cards,I want to kick my friends' butts!	10.5%	[ 2 ]
Plot and theme. I want a reason to be building.	15.8%	[ 3 ]
Total Votes:			[ 19 ]

[The Player Character]

Hi there, I'm in the process of building a deck-building card game (with an anime flavor for all you anime fans) and I figured I'd do a little recon cat_whee

I was wondering if you lovely folk of Gaia would share with me your opinions.

What are you favorite deck-building games and why?

What features do you like best in deck-building games? What do you like least?

What features would you like to see added in deck-building? What do you think would maximize fun and enrich your playing experience?

Theme or strategy? Do you prefer a game with a cool/novel theme that you can get into or do you prefer a focus on the mechanics of the game?

In deck-building card games is less cards more? Or is more more? In other words, do you like the options that a large variety of cards would provide or would you prefer small, compact, and simple?

Any other thoughts or opinions would be muchly appreciated. You fine folks may well help to fine-tune the greatest deck-builder in history cat_xd (Well, maybe not, but you'll hopefully at least get a fun new game on the shelves to drag to game night cat_xp )

[The Player Character]

I'm personally a fan of Tanto Cuore and the Marvel deck building game.

With Tanto Cuore I really enjoy the theme and art, as well as the simplicity. It's sexy maids which makes me feel a little like a dirty old Japanese man or stereotypical "otaku" (which I somehow enjoy) and the art is super cute and very pretty. The basic mechanics are simple but unless you're readily familiar with what each card does there can be a little lag as people take the time to read (and re-read) the cards. The simplicity also leads to an almost complete lack of interactivity. One of the expansions includes illness cards you can play on other players and there are a few random cards that affect your 'opponents' but I was never fond of the illnesses for whatever reason.

The Marvel deck-builder is fun because you have a new set of cards to play with each time as the available heroes are chosen randomly from all the heroes. The idea of playing against the game by adding villains is nifty and makes the game much more interactive. Plus, I love Marvel. Cards of a certain type work best with other cards of that type and if you don't get those cards then you can end up with a pretty lame deck. If your fellow players aren't willing to work with you to allow you to get the cards you need then the game can quickly go south and it's very frustrating.

[The Player Character]

.... 6_6

[The Player Character]

Well, at least people are voting...

[Seph Baelzara]

I actually prefer mechanics and the whole feel of how the deck building game works. Whether it be in how each card interacts with each other, how to win, the different strategies inherent in the system, and how well the turns flow.

Also being able to pick it up and learn without having to consult the rule book every 5 minutes is always awesome.

[Yotro]

Ascension has been my favorite for quite a while. Good art, but latest expansion is a little weird.

[The Player Character]

Thanks for the responses guys =D

[Kaim Arouet]

Recently we've been playing the DC deckbuilding game. I like having a superhero avatar that helps guide your deck building choices.

[Angelic Clover]

I think the important element of a tcg is "power creeping" [not even sure if that's the term]

sure a long playing veteran should have an advantage, but new players shouldn't have to break the bank i.e buy cards from a bunch of different places to be able to obtain the same level of skill.

[Liquidor]

Angelic Clover

I think the important element of a tcg is "power creeping" [not even sure if that's the term]

Power creep is a term but I think he's talking more like a LCG, Living Card Game. Put simply, a box with all the cards you are ever going to need and expansions for later dates that enhance play. All self contained.

The most important part of any deck building game is simplicity. Something I think Marvel Legendary does badly. I feel unfocused / tracking too many things for every player.

[LiaThistle]

Angelic Clover

Liquidor

No, not an LCG. Deckbuilders are games where you have a fixed set of cards, and you "buy" additional cards for your deck with some in game currency, hence "deckbuilder." All cards you can buy with the currency are included in the original box, minus any game expansions.

Some deckbuilders use a draft mechanic to determine which cards are available to players for buying, some use more of a Magic draft, others have a fixed set and you just take one when your turn comes around.

[Puritan Witch Hunter]

I like Tanto Cuore, though I tend to play Dominion more, due to the former's theme not being for everyone...like my parents. Tanto Cuore is basically just Dominion with a maid theme and a couple of tweaks, though the ability to thin your deck by chambering cards is a nice touch. I've heard they're playtesting another expansion, which is good, as the major thing Dominion has over Tanto Cuore is card variety.

Those are the two deckbuilders I've played most. I've also played the Marvel Legendary one, and my thoughts on it are similar to Liquidor's. We were using Marvel heroclix figures to keep track of which enemy came out on who's turn the last time I played. It seemed to work well enough, but it is very easy to lose track of things in that game.

I own Kanzume Goddess, and I really like the idea of a team vs team deckbuilder, but I ended up feeling like the game dragged on too much. Maybe the full complement of 3 vs 3 was too much for it to handle. It might run better at four players. I've also yet to try it in free for all mode. It works similar to Ascension in the way new cards come up, with the cardpool shuffled together instead of piles of the same card, so players don't know what's coming up, and that is an interesting mechanic. Also, the theme of the Greek Pantheon fighting the Norse Pantheon is a cool one, and the artwork is well done, if a little racy.

I've also played Thunderstone a few times, and I don't really care for it. I can't point to a specific thing that turns me off, I just feel very meh when playing.

I supported the Barbarossa kickstarter campaign, and look forward to that game. Anime and WWII? Sign me up! XD

In short: Anime art style is nice, but solid mechanics are important. I like card variety, but if the game is solid enough, it isn't a huge issue. Theme is reasonably important to me, but once again, solid mechanics are more important, otherwise the theme is wasted.

[The Player Character]

Wow, so many responses since I last logged on. Thanks so much for the input guys!
Lia, and to an extent Liquidor, are both correct. All the necessary cards would be included in the game (except expansions). It is important to me though to make any game accessible to new players and not easily dominated by vets. From my experience with card games this is hard to do. The vets will always know the best combos to make the most powerful deck.

[Hanlon the Wakener]

I recently started playing a deck-building game called "Warmachine: High Command".

It's slightly different from other deck building games in that you already 'know' what cards you're going to end up with at the end, to an extent. There is still the element of purchasing cards for points which is the mainstay of the genre, but there is only a limited 'pool' of cards for you to choose from, based on the 'colors' of your deck that you pick at the start of the game. You already have all of the cards that you need from the get go. It's just a matter of 'buying' their points over the duration, or winning the points via taking over 'location' cards through simple battle.

Another thing I like about it: there is a set time limit. Unlike the DC deck builder I played a couple months ago (that went on for four-plus hours), this game only lasts for a maximum of 10 - 15 turns, depending on when the 'last turn' card is drawn.