ATCG
Gameplay
1. Design Rationale
I have been a Hearthstone fan for more than 8 years by indulging in various decks, combos of cards and the thrill when you see yourself high up in the ranking across the whole server. I am also a casual fan of TCG (Trading Card Game) given my exposure to PTCG (Pokemon), as well as loads of football trading cards, in which the collection of rare cards, rather than technical card gameplay, matters much as there is always a community where you would probably enjoy trading your cards with others.
Having finished the series Arcane, it came to my attention that every character has his/her unique skill and background. So why not make them into a card game that I have been craving for a long time as a Hearthstone player? And here comes the genesis of ATCG–Each card in ATCG has a tight connection to the series in terms of properties, with upscaled graphic variations seen in some of the cards to make it “tradable”. We aim to create an ATCG sub-community of the Arcane series.
2. Documentation
Given the context of the Arcane series, I divided all cards into 5 categories: Champion, Event, Equipment, Spell, and General Resource. When designing those Champion cards, it is conspicuous that each character in the series has their own unique characteristic/skill that could be linked to a unique description. Jinx, one of the main characters, for instance, is a maniac inventor who creates a lot of small gadgets, including a slot machine limb for Sevika (another Zaun character). She is also a marvellous and aggressive intruder. She also has a sister called Vi, and the series is narrated around their kinship as well.
As a result, I decided to give Jinx the title Mischievous Inventor, which involves a slot machine-like skill: roll the dice and trigger different effects. I also designed a synergy effect when Vi and Jinx are present at the same time since they would fight back to back when confronting a common enemy. I gave an attack of 8 and a defense of 5 to Jinx since Jinx is physically inferior in the series while having a strong desire to attack. Indices on the right indicate the balance of skill (surely we don’t want an unbalanced and broken champion in the game). Green means Strong, Yellow means Balanced, Red means Weak. Each deployable card should result in Yellow in the end.
Event card is a bit different from Champion card. It is to be drawn once per 2 turn, causing neutral and equal effect to both sides. I chose Confrontation on the Bridge as one of the events as it is a place in the series where conflicts between Zaun and Piltover are symbolised. The bridge (which is called the Bridge of Progress) connects 2 regions.
Likewise, the description of the event also resembles the concept behind it. It deploys 1 Champion from Zaun and 1 Champion from Piltover to make them confront each other, tensing the battlefield.
Equipment card, as a card that is deployable and counts as 1 action, is applied by the same level of balance as that of Champion card. I’ll take Monkey Bomb as an example. Monkey Bomb is a grenade made by Jinx in the series. It is where the jinx of Jinx actually starts and it has been iterated throughout the Arcane series to emphasise the jinx. It looks amicable from the look but contains massive power that is surprisingly contrasting.
So that’s why I gave it a mere 3 of Attack and 2 of Durability (in Equipment card, durability means the number of times that you can use it, it is not the same as Defense in Champion card) to make it seem “harmless”. However, when you look at its skills, you may find that it is unexpectedly powerful. It also has a synergy when equipped on Jinx, its master (theoretically a chance of ⅛ to blow your enemies up).
The designs of Spell cards also serve as an echo with the Arcane series. When Silco (the lord of Zaun after Vander dies) decides to manufacture Shimmer in Zaun city, it becomes a purple abyss with the diffusion of Shimmer everywhere. I called it “Chemical Surge”.
Compared to other cards, the mechanic of Spell card is more ranged, causing effects to a group of units. Chemical Surge also includes the mechanic of dice-rolling, which fits the randomness and chaos of Zaun. No matter if you roll an odd or even number, it will largely boost your troop, like how Shimmer does in the series as a biochemical booster.
Last but not least, here comes the 2 resource cards for Zaun and Piltover: Shimmer and Hextech. Shimmer, as mentioned before, is the powerful biochemical booster that is to be injected into the body. Hextech is a power that originates from rune that strengthens utilities and weapons. Although these 2 are both strong power-ups, they signify the contrast between chaos and order. Shimmer is the most important resource in Zaun, while Hextech is the most important resource in Piltover.
Consequently, I entitled Shimmer and Hextech both decisive factors when it comes to the win or loss of the game. Interestingly you can also utilise them to strengthen your faction, not just something like “health”. So there is a trade-off between “use them to gain immediate benefits” and “keep them to stay out of danger”.
