Weekly Wednesday

[LeperColony]

It is! Though it was one where non-Traveller obligations had delayed me. This week, rather than post another art asset (we only intend to have around six completed cards for the Kickstarter, and I don't want to show them all too early!), I'd like to detail one of the types of cards that will appear in the game.

Concept: Crew

In the Traveller Card Game, players assume the role of the Captain of a small (sub 1000 dtons) vessel. And, of course, every Captain needs a crew.

In our game, Crew are a category of permanent that provide abilities and Crew Skills to aid the player in overcoming obstacles and completing Contracts.

Abilities are generally short-term, activated effects. For instance, they may allow you to draw more cards, or affect opposing crew.

Crew Skills represent learned proficiencies useful (or necessary) to a small merchant Captain. In the Traveller Card Game, Crew Skills come in two levels; Trained and Expert. Because card games necessarily involve more abstraction than RPGs, we have reduced the universe of skills available to ten.

Crew Skill: Traveller RPG skills represented (not exhaustive)

Admin: Administration, Bureaucracy, Law, etc

Combat: Includes guns, small arms, martial arts, Battle Dress, etc

Jack-of-all-Trades: Allows the crew to simulate having any skill, but at reduced functionality.

Mechanical: Machinist, Mechanic, Electrician, etc

Medical: Physical and mental health disciplines

Psionic: Telekinesis, Telepathy, Teleportation, etc

Science: Hard sciences, social sciences, humanities, etc

Social: Barter, Carousing, Leadership, Steward, etc

Starship Operations: Pilot, Gunnery, Screens etc

Underworld: Forgery, Stealth, Streetwise, etc

 

[flykiller]

can players bid for each other's crew cards? "whatever he's paying you, I'll pay double"?

it seems you intend a much broader skillset than I had envisioned for my own version. if they're all applicable this will be one doozy of a game.

 

[LeperColony]

can players bid for each other's crew cards? "whatever he's paying you, I'll pay double"?

While there are cards that allow you to interact with opposing crews, there's no default mechanic to bid or steal away crew or other assets.

Each Captain has their own ship with their own Crew. That's not to say there may not be ways to influence or, either permanently or temporarily sway your opponent's shipmates.

 

[LeperColony]

Key:

1. Name: Card name. Right now names are just meaningless placeholders.
2. Indicates the card is an action A!, and that the Crew has to Exert (E) to play the Heroic.
3. Traits: Traits are descriptors that lack any inherent function, but may be referenced by other cards. For instance, there is a Noble trait, and there may be cards that specifically affect cards with that trait.
4. Trained Ability: What the Heroic does at the Trained level.
5. Expert Ability: What the Heroic does at the Expert level.
6. Cost: Cost to play the card.
7. Expense Value (EV): How much cost the card will cover, when it is played to resolve a Cost rather than as a Heroic Ability.

Since we talked a little about Crew, I figured this was a perfect chance to follow up with a card type connected to skills: Heroic Actions.

Heroic Actions are abilities available to Crew with the require skill. Each heroic has two effects, one for the Trained level and another for Expert. Sometimes the Expert level is simply an improved version of the Trained effect. Other times, it will be an entirely different ability. A Trained Crew can only play the Trained level, but an Expert Crew can choose between either level.

I've included an image of a playtest Heroic Action card. You'll note our playtest cards don't have any art assets, or even templating. Template design is actually underway currently. Many of the elements on the cards currently represented by text (for instance, the Crew Skill Medical) will, in the final version, have a pictorial/icon display instead.

 

[flykiller]

you'll have wounding and healing, but not bidding? surely it would fit. after all the best game involves beating not just the system, but the other players.

 

[LeperColony]

you'll have wounding and healing, but not bidding? surely it would fit. after all the best game involves beating not just the system, but the other players.

There are many ways to interact with opponents, but bidding just isn't one of them. Not that such a system would be entirely without merit, but in adapting the RPG to a card game format, it's just something we decided not to do.

One of the significant influences on our game, Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, has a "bidding" mechanic called contesting. There are things to like about it, and things to dislike, but ultimately we decided we didn't think something like that was the direction we wanted to go.

 

[LeperColony]

Project Update:

So while we are not ready, at this point, to announce firm dates, I wanted to provide a glimpse into our progress.

Our original goal was for a late 2016 or early 2017 Kickstarter, and I can report that we are currently on track to meet those goals.

We have a number of requirements before we can proceed to crowdfunding, and these are, in almost all cases, either already achieved or currently in progress. Art is both our greatest expense and the largest variable in our timeline, and all the cards we're doing pre-launch have either been commissioned or completed.

Our exact pledge levels are still TBD, but we expect something similar to:

1) Nominal Support: These are the $1 or $5 rewards most campaigns include. In case you're wondering why people might pledge at these amounts, aside from wanting to help out, is to receive backer-only updates and for the ability to purchase add ons.

2) Basic Support: We intend two levels of basic support. A cheaper level for a single ship deck, and another level for a two-player Starter Set. This will come with two decks, a rule book, and tokens.

3) Premium Support: For those with a little more to spend, we intend to have some premium levels with items like Collector's Edition Starter Sets and design-a-card and/or vanity art cards.

 

[LeperColony]

For this week, a sample Ship Upgrade art asset. One thing we hope this image shows is our view of the Traveller universe as a "lived in" setting, where, on the scale of the card game (small free trader Captains), things tend to be a little worn around the edges.

 

[Saber Wilko]

Playtester networking?

First off, I like that art. The "lived in" ethos really conveys the Traveller feel.

As a recent addition to the list of playtesters, I wanted to ask if there was a way for playtesters to network? If not, maybe there should be?

Maybe a Google Hangouts group or something?

 

[LeperColony]

Maybe a Google Hangouts group or something?

Good idea. Check your email!

 

[LeperColony]

This will be our last weekly Wednesday update!

We're still on track for our initial launch goals, so we'll probably have an announcement with an official date in two or three weeks.

Part of our campaign will include Memorial Promos, in honor of our Absent Friends. We aren't sure yet exactly how many we'll have, but we've done the art for a few of them already.

I've included one of them in this post. Shouldn't be too hard to identify the friend in question.