Main Area and Open Discussion > Living Room
Designing Collectible Card Games: How do rarity and booster packs work?
wraith808:
I back kickstarters habitually- more to help worthy causes rather than for the product. As such, I backed the White Box (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jefftidball/the-white-box-a-game-design-workshop-in-a-box). It has some interesting views on the collectibility aspect as used in games. You might look at picking it up. I haven't looked through it, so I can't say for sure it will be useful. I just thought about it when I received an update from them. The essays within are from industry veterans. There is a chapter on B
A short excerpt from the chapter What to Do When You are Worried About Your Game Being Balanced that seems fair use, and might give insight as to whether you want to purchase it or not:
(Not a) Balance Option: Collectible Components
One way some designers try to craft balance is with collectible components.
Mechanically these systems are usually the same as the point or slot systems
discussed above, with added monetary costs. Where they aren’t, they generally
allow players to substitute as much real-world money (or, perhaps, time) as they
want for skill at gameplay.
This highlights the key issue with collectability — it’s a marketing and sales
tactic, not a game design element. While it may well sell more product, from
a design perspective, the sides still need to be balanced apart from rarity,
because if you use rarity as a measure of power, someone can always go buy
or collect as much of a given game element as they can afford, and if this gives
them an unstoppable advantage in play, your game breaks. In collectible games,
having more components should give you more options, not a better chance to
win.
Regardless, adding collectible components makes producing your game a
nightmare. Best to skip it.
--- End quote ---
Deozaan:
There is a chapter on B-wraith808 (December 15, 2017, 04:26 PM)
--- End quote ---
Did you intend to write more there? Maybe just "Balance"?
I don't really care about the box (pips and cards, etc.), but I may be interested in the book. Any idea where I can get a (digital) copy of it? I'm not finding anything on the Kickstarter that leads me to a place I can get it.
The Atlas Games website says the digital version is sold by Gameplaywright, but I can't find The White Box Essays on Gameplaywright's site.
wraith808:
There is a chapter on B-wraith808 (December 15, 2017, 04:26 PM)
--- End quote ---
Did you intend to write more there? Maybe just "Balance"?
-Deozaan (December 18, 2017, 01:19 AM)
--- End quote ---
I was going to write out a summary on the chapter that I took the excerpt from, then realized quoting that would probably be fair use.
I don't really care about the box (pips and cards, etc.), but I may be interested in the book. Any idea where I can get a (digital) copy of it? I'm not finding anything on the Kickstarter that leads me to a place I can get it.
The Atlas Games website says the digital version is sold by Gameplaywright, but I can't find The White Box Essays on Gameplaywright's site.
-Deozaan (December 18, 2017, 01:19 AM)
--- End quote ---
I sent them off a message on backerkit, as it appears that their backer kit is closed, to see about the answer to that question. I'll let you know what I hear back.
The link on the site to it is http://gameplaywright.net/whitebox/
wraith808:
I received a reply from them.
There are three options for the digital editions of The White Box Essays:
DriveThruRPG (all formats)
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?keywords=the+white+box+essays&x=0&y=0&author=&artist=&pfrom=&pto=
Warehouse 23 (all formats)
http://www.warehouse23.com/products?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keywords=the+white+box+essays&x=0&y=0
Amazon (Kindle only):
https://www.amazon.com/White-Box-Essays-Jeremy-Holcomb-ebook/dp/B077VYMGX2/
Deozaan:
Cool. Thanks! :Thmbsup:
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version