How do you create a resource system for a card game that isn't a copy of mtg's mana system...

How do you create a resource system for a card game that isn't a copy of mtg's mana system, or auto-scaling like Force of Will's?

Neither of those things are very original.

Everybody starts with a resource pool. A unit of resource, once spent, is spent forever. However, you can invest resources, effectively removing them from your pool for a number of turns and getting more resources when the investment matures.

Name their predecessors, then.

Iteration is the engine of all creation.

Another option is that your cards are your mana pool, you temporarily exile parts of your deck to play cards this turn then you add a lot of mechanics which let you look at the deck or place cards in certain positions. Now you have to carefully plan your plays because you could exile part of that key combo in the mana cost.

>How do you create a resource system for a card game that isn't a copy of mtg's mana system, or auto-scaling like Force of Will's?
Arm wrestling.
You want to play a card? Gotta win arm wrestling against the other dude.

You don't.

When you try alternate resource systems, you end up with non-concrete garbage like yu-gi-oh.

I've always thought that a card game wherein each card was free to play but didn't take effect for some number of turns would be interesting.

Duel masters had a nice system. Similar to magic, but rather than lands any one card in your hand could be played as a mana source at the start of your turn.

Nah bro, Yugioh gets it. TCGs have stupid arbitrary resource systems, when the only resource system you really need is the cards themselves.

Pokemon TCG's resources are different from both of these. You attach energy to individual characters so your resources aren't universal.

V:TES starts with a resource pool that also acts as your health.

In 7th Sea your dudes are your resources, and you have to tap them so you can buy stuff which means they can't do other things.

Warlord CCG had no resources but instead had a rank system. A dude must enter play in a rank equal to their level, so if you can't make the rank you can't put them into play. Items had level requirements, which you could meet with dude's level + rank.

Lots of interesting ideas out there for sure

That's really no different than the Hearthstone system where you're basically guaranteed resources every turn

Its really not
It costs a card for each land drop
You have to decide which card is best to sacrifice if any
And it was a zone which could be interacted with heavily

I could (maybe) appreciate a resource-less system like Yugioh, but vanilla 5+ stars and vanilla rituals would need to cease existing.

Force of will doesn't Auto Scale

Your mana and unit/spell cards are in separate decks. So it's a choice between drawing a new unit card or getting more mana for the ones you already have.

Anyhow have you considered the ability to sacrifice your unit cards for resources like Call of Culthul Card Game does?

Shared resource pool between you and your opponent.

Agreeing with old mate Duel Masters. Game wasn't great, but the resource system was neat as. Lots of interesting decisions.

It's different. It also ensures there is no dead cards in hand, which is the beauty part of it. Also it's heavy on decision tree.

> Need to use cards from the deck as a mana source.
> Some cards need 10 plus mana
> Some even need 20+
> Then theres this.
> How the fuck do drag a game on for forty turns without playing most off your deck?

The Spoils does this too, but some cards can be flipped back up and used as normal if you pay a cost.

What am I even looking at?

That card is a psychic creature, which means its mana cost is irrelevant for the purpose of summoning it. The same goes for this, except it's a forbidden creature instead.

SWCCG had an interesting system ("force") based on counting with your deck itself. At the beginning of your turn, you move a number of cards from the top to a separate pile, and move them back to the bottom of your deck as you pay for actions. Anything you don't use stays for next turn.

Race for the Galaxy has "your hand is used to pay for stuff you play".

Chaotic didnt have a mana system per say

you just have a 20 card Attack Deck with a 30 (or was it 20?) cost limit. some attacks cost up to 5, while many cost 0.

of course creature wise, you HAD to bring the best creatures. the game doesn't punish you from taking the biggest ubermensch lineup. plus the power creep was too much, resulting in uncommon guys having 3 elements, several passives, and great stats all around (which used to be limited to only the ultra rares back then)

Just use Netrunner's sytem, it works perfectly.

That's accumulating resource + refreshing resource one, right?

The basic resource is Credits, which are universal. Credits can be earned either by clicking for them or through card effects. Most card based credit effects are conditional, the most common being requiring a credit threshold(the most common credit gaining card, for example, requires you to spend 5 credits to gain 9). Credits stay around until you spend them or your opponent interacts with them.

The beauty of the system is that there's always a chance to earn more credits, even if you lack card based effects. Clicking is obviously the most inefficient method to gain credits, but it always gives you an option to increase your pool.

Clicks are the refreshing resource, I guess, though they're just the actions you can take per turn. That's more about versatility, though click management is certainly a skill to be developed.

Alteil and the HoMM online games have an auto generating resource (you get X mana every turn), that you then need to distribute between "colors". For example, In Alteil you start the game with 5 mana, you need to put 2 into red before you can play red creatures of level 2 or lower. The creatures themselves still cost mana equal to their level. The color level stays the same, so next turn when you get 2 mana you can play a lvl 2 creature again, or save mana for a lvl 3 next turn, etc.

In HoMM it's a bit different, the mana cost is variable and is on top of the needed "skill" for summoning a creature.