Hello Heroes! Whilst Genfanad is down for maintenance (and, eventually, the closed beta), we wanted to give you guys a better picture of the upcoming 'The Contest of Gimmicks' update. You can expect to see frequent blog posts of this sort - discussing the systems and design decisions of the update.
This post will contain a brief introduction of the mechanics of The Contest of Gimmicks, from our lead designer, Cory.
An Introduction
To start with, Genfanad's The Contest of Gimmicks takes inspiration from all sorts of TCG titles- big and small. It's a fast-paced and combo-based system that layers card effects in a way that keeps things moving without sacrificing accessibility.
We're using an energy system- meaning that players will be trying to make strong decisions within a single turn, but with the ability to place cards with longer durations to create more long-term combos. Similarly, by giving either yourself, an ally, or an enemy status effects, the player will be able to create combos in order to string their turns together into a strong, long-term play. If a player happens to be really smart with their plays, they'll be able to render weaker monsters helpless as they're combo'd into oblivion.
We've recieved a lot of questions about this - so we'll discuss this further below. Genfanad's The Contest of Gimmicks also incorporates all of the important MMO elements that Genfanad has always had. If you're a high-level forger, those skills will still translate into combat value, since weapons and armor are just as necessary as ever- perhaps even more so.
The Specifics
The Contest of Gimmicks incorporates equipment by providing the player with two decks: an Ability Deck, which the player is able to customize down to each individual card, and an Equipment Deck, which is automatically filled with set numbers and types of cards based on the equipment the player is wearing. For example, an HQ Bronze Shortsword populates your Equipment Deck with different cards than an LQ Iron Warhammer or a Pine Longbow.
The equipment that a player chooses has a major impact on their playstyle. If a player chooses hefty, two-handed weapons, they'll be able to deal massive damage with powerful weapon attacks, but they may leave the player vulnerable to counter-attacks. Alternatively, a Sword & Shield may give the player an advantage in survivability whilst leaving some of room for aggression- or, if a player is so inclined, they can try to keep their distance whilst taking out enemies from range.
When the game starts, the player will draw a hand - which will always consist of some Equipment and some Ability cards - and will be given a set amount of Energy. Together, the number of cards in the player's hand and their energy serve as the main limitations of their turn, encouraging tactical and thoughtful play. Since the player can play as many cards as they desire in a single turn - as long as they have the and the energy to play them - how the deck is built has a significant impact on how versatile or powerful the players turns will be.
Combat encounters range from a single, weak enemy, which a player will likely have little issue dispatching effortlessly, to massive boss fights who have access to a full deck of cards. Since your resources don't reset after each fight, you'll have to be judicious with your resources to maximize the value of each trip.
How much a player is willing to invest in power versus longevity is another important consideration. After a card is played, it's discarded, which triggers that card's "Discard Action." Most of the player's cards are recoverable either immediately after playing them or after the current encounter concludes. More powerful cards, however, may not replenish until the player visits a specific location (e.g. The Bank), and some cards may not be recovered at all once they've been played.
Wrapping Up
To conclude, the system we imagine is one in which the player will have to balance power and longevity, maximizing their use of smart deckbuilding, tactical play, and strategic use of resources in order to maximize their effectiveness in the field. For those who would rather avoid all the hassle, though, options are available- they can opt to use simpler deck, focusing their efforts on easy, effective combos that empower their never-ending font of Equipment cards.
Equipment is important. Powerful consumables are invaluable. World and monster information serve you well. But now, tactical and strategic play are also tools at the players disposal to tackle Genfanad's challenges.
That's all for this week- we hope this has given you a better idea of what The Contest of Gimmicks will look like!
Make sure to Wishlist us on Steam, Follow us on Twitter, and Join the Discord if you haven't already so you can stay up to date on the game! Thanks very much folks!