[H66] Considering the Implement Swap from Dice to Playing Cards

I could use some input on this, folks.

On the homeward commute yesterday, I began considering the idea of using Playing cards, instead of dice, as the core tangible resolution mechanic. This thought process all started as I was trying to work out some ideas for the All-Out Pack Warfare rules. I was initially thinking it could be a system in which two players face off over a row of seven “fields” or spaces on the table. Each member of the pack would play a card in a field of their choice, showing their effort in that field of the battle. Cards would get played, revealed, and matched in an order currently undefined, wht the results of those matches would score the fields and ultimately declare a victor in the battle. A quick game of strategy to determine the tides of an entire battle. Future product tie-ins, as well, but that’s thinking much further down the line.

This got me thinking: why use dice at all, then? How about just do the entire thing in cards?

Re-working the cards ideas a bit, the variables could be modified as follows:

• Pack Rank: Determines # of cards in your set hand
• Alignment Scale Position: Determines maximum # of cards you can play at once during relevant conflicts (scaled from 3 at the lowest to 9 at the highest)
• Ki Pool: Spend tokens to add cards to your hand before playing
• Grabs: Evoke a Grab to play more cards from your existing hand.

Cards are still played in sets of either 3 cards or 7 cards. Ranks are added and used to beat targets, card combos multiply scores or add to them somehow. Possibly even anime-esque levels of power escalation and exponential growth. I can see a well-played seven-card set totally destroying a mountainside, that kind of thing.

This gives me a whole new idea for implementing the Risk Investment theme of the Broad Scenes. To re-cap, what I’m calling “Broad Scenes” function primarily as storytelling and narrative exploration scenes. It is in the Broad Scenes that the stakes are set for future Action Scenes. While exploring Broad Scenes, characters can pursue side goals and missions to attempt to Up the Stakes for action scenes, such as persuading the town guard to fight for your cause, or convincing the mistress to reveal your enemy’s secret weakness.

Previously, I had figured these could give extra dice if established before a conflict, at the risk of higher stakes for loss. Instead, I’m conceptualizing a way for players to find these side goals, work them, and then invest face-down cards into them for future use. Say, work the mistress over, and then place one or more cards face down on the side for her, which can then be re-drawn into your hand as bonus cards later, should you work her into an actual conflict.