An MtG Tabletop RPG
The Kitchen Table forum
Posted on Dec. 6, 2014, 1:43 p.m. by Jay
I'm sure this comes as no surprise to you, but I like to play Magic. I also like to play other games. I've been a Dungeon Master for 5 years, I'm Game Master in the local Assassin/KAOS group, and I've on occasion created a handful of my own tabletop RPG games (usually loosely based on D&D rules, but changed to be easier to pick up and play (along with my own personal changes, of course)).
I've been kicking around an idea for an MtG-based RPG for a while now, and figured I would post my ideas here for now and see if anybody has any thoughts.
To start off, I have 1 of each of the 5 DotP starter decks. Each of these is a 40-card deck that's frankly pretty ass. Perfect! I would find 5 players (not including myself) and each would choose a deck. I doubt there would be any squabbling, but if there is I don't believe it would be hard to settle.
Each player receives that deck as his/her "character" so to speak, and can come up with their backstory accordingly or just be the Planeswalker associated with the deck (i.e., Liliana for the black deck).
Now, like most tabletops, they would require a quest. So, for explanation's sake, let's say the players are introduced to a questline that begins with them finding and killing a Lich below the city (I won't get into extravagant details, but there's ample room to do so in a real game).
Here is a discrepancy I can't decide upon: Should players have an actual grid map and character pieces, as in most games, or just have their environment described to them? A like of stats makes me lean towards the latter, however removing the 3D aspect of the game makes it difficult to find full immersion.
Whichever method is decided upon, the characters continue through the city sewers until stumbling upon, say, some rats. Combat would behave somewhat like Horde Magic, and here is how I imagine your average non-boss battle to be run.
The enemy deck has 10 cards per level (so the level 1 Rat(s) have 10 cards) made up of approximately 80% relevant token (1/1 Black Rat) and 20% other cards, fairly balanced and flavorful (for our Rats, let's say there's a Duress and a Bile Blight). For each player, the enemy can reveal a card from the top of its deck at the start of its turn and cast it for free (or put it into play if it's a token). Against our 5 players, it would reveal up to the top 5 cards and play them. The enemy deck dies when ALL of it's cards are in the Graveyard or exiled.
This template could obviously be applied to all sorts of enemies; perhaps at the end of the game your players face a level 20 horde of 4/4 flying angels.
Anyway, once the first battle begins the players bring out their decks like they would at the start of any game (hand of 7, mulligans, etc.). Once they've won, however, they don't clean up. They keep their boards untouched, and continue as they are in the next battle they reach. A player dies and is out of the game if all of they're cards are in the graveyard/exile OR if they hit 0 life.
If the players take a Short Rest, like in D&D, they can recover some; I'm thinking they can gain 5 life and return a card from their Graveyard to their hand. A Long Rest would allow them to completely reset their game and continue on from their turn 1 upon finding a new fight.
Now let's say our 5 players make it through the sewers and find the Lich. Here's where the Game Master really gets to have fun. Important enemies such as bosses, NPCs, and so forth get real decks. Most will probably be at least 40 cards, and at a high level perhaps many more. When creating these decks be sure to keep card strength in mind so you don't blow out the team. Also, feel free to take on the role of the Lich; speaking incantations and taunting the players is sure to make it more interesting.
The Lich is accompanied by a Level 1 Zombie deck, and the two will take their turns at the same time. If the Lich is defeated, the Zombie deck will die also. If the Zombie deck dies first, in 2 turns it will be resurrected if the Lich is still alive.
Once the players defeat the Lich, they all Level Up. In this game, the level-up system is pretty simple: each player opens a pack. It can be any pack they provide (sealed), and they can now use the cards from it for the rest of the campaign, adding them to their deck as they see fit. If a player won't provide his/her own pack, just craft one yourself out of junk and assure them that they can't get a strong/chase card out of it because you aren't giving away good cards.
At the end of a mission, you can also dish out loot. I believe the most fun and flavorful way to do so is to give them cards out of the Lich's deck: let's say he used a Staff of Nin, an Empty the Pits, and an Army of the Damned in his deck. Give these to the players to hand around as they see fit.
Next, give them some Gold. The ratio of the currency is up to you, but let's say each player got 5 Gold from this quest. Upon returning to their adventuring hub, they could go down to a blacksmith to buy equipment cards (obviously a Sword of Light and Shadow would cost thousands of Gold and a Bonesplitter might only cost a few), various dealers of other spells, or a wealthy landowner to sell them extra Forests, plains, etc.
If you don't want to be giving away good cards over the course of the campaign but want to include higher-power gameplay, consider only allowing players to buy cards out of their own binder OR giving them the card in a sleeve with a sticker on it or something so everyone remembers it's yours. This ultimately depends on how much you trust the players I suppose.
Something important I forgot to mention earlier: death. If a player dies, they sit out until the current quest is over or until the next Long Rest. If every player dies, they start back at the beginning of the quest or the last Long Rest.
So yea, those are the basics as I see them right now and I'm hoping to get some guys together and try this game out sometime soon. Any suggestions from you guys? Anything I need to clarify? Anybody want to try this with their friends? Let me know!
Thanks
-Jay
CharlesMandore says... #3
This sounds rather neat, and I've been lookin for something like this for a while. How would the "rest system" work exactly? Would bosses have an EDH feel to them with a deck having a commander of sorts?
December 6, 2014 3:02 p.m.
CharlesMandore says... #4
That kind of level to spell system would quickly become overpowered in high level decks. A level eight deck on turn three having cast twenty-four spells? No.
December 6, 2014 3:06 p.m.
Have you played Dungeons and Dragons before? Basically, if the players have a moment and are safe they can pause and let some abilities they expended replenish and potentially spend healing surges to regain health. Something like that could be implemented, or just a rule of thumb like 3 life and a card.
Long rests are when they are at a campsite or somesuch and characters sleep/eat/meditate etc. to become fully renewed for adventure the next day.
December 6, 2014 3:14 p.m.
blackmarker90 says... #7
Shoot me an email at [email protected] so we can talk and get some details and rules etc ironed out.
December 6, 2014 6:16 p.m.
biggestmtgnerd says... #9
I say the back story is that you have to kill vraska. Then you can make the assisting horde deck made of her assassin tokens. Or you can go against Marit Lage, with Marit Lage tokens in the assisting horde deck, and card that benefit from death triggers so that the legendary part isn't a drawback
December 7, 2014 6:30 a.m.
Wolfsbane706 says... #12
I'll admit to skimming, but this looks interesting. I'll read the rules and set up more in-depth later.
December 8, 2014 1:54 p.m.
I would certainly avoid the grid if you already have deck management to devote brainpower to. Your character could be like a vanguard card, affecting how many cards in hand, life totals, etc. You could create different "classes" that would focus on improving or handicapping a particular aspect of the game. The encounter decks from Theros block and horde-type set-ups should be all you need for encounters. Maybe add Archenemy deck cards for big bosses.
December 9, 2014 10:55 a.m.
I'm against the character/class/vanguard thing. I thought about it, but it detracts too much from the MTG that way and is REALLY tough to balance.
Aldo, theros only had 3 decks so I'd want to make more.
December 9, 2014 3:31 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #15
A few years ago, a podcast I help host about casual Magic did an April Fool's day episode where we pretended the game was always an RPG and we recorded us playing a quick adventure.
Sadly, the other host who came up with the system has never gotten around to sharing his notes so I don't know all the details, but listening to the episode will give you a good feel for it. It's very strongly driven by narrative descriptions about what's going on, but the numbers do play a significant part in the action. Maybe it will give you an idea or two about how to handle some of the elements of your game that are still being worked out.
MollyMab says... #2
A neat concept. A cross between pen and paper and horde magic. However, can I make a suggestion. Level equal how many casts they get per turn. So a level 1 makes a 1/1 rat each turn. A level 2 can make 2 etc
December 6, 2014 2:59 p.m.