The game is based around a set of cards and would be ideally suited to a phical card game. However, since the cost of producing this would be prohibitive it could be made as an online multiplayer game. The game allows the players to battle each other using armadas of ships and equipment represented by their pre-created decks. The battle takes places in a sector of space described by a set of randomly selected cards distributed at the beginning of the game and shuffled into the player's decks.
The game is aimed at your average Magic/D&D player that hasn't been masisvely interested in computer games in the past. While similar to many trading card games this one takes a new domain (space combat) and the rules and plays system are significantly difference. The balance here is shifted from having the right cards in your deck to having more luck and adaptability to new circumstances. There is also a fair amount of cloak and dagger tactics. This should make it possible for even extremely experienced players to be beaten by a lucky player with an ounce of sense.
Since the game essentially card based the display can be fairly simple. Nice spacey backdrops are a must and the cards in play and in hand must be easily accessible. The target audience means that the game can be developed as a stand alone app - although a web based (webstart?) distribution would be desirable to ease adoption of the play system in workplaces.
Since the game is to played online there must be communications of some sort. Its desirable to have a central server in this case to ensure legal play. A central server also gives the potential to add and charge for new cards and features. Communication must be corporate compatible so http or e-mail based comms would be ideal.
The game itself is based around a set of cards. The details below describe the general card attributes and the specifics of different types of card.
All cards share the same layout although some don't utilise all the features. The card layout is similar to other trading cards games and should be as shown below.
Damage occurs in 4 types. Weapons and shields have either cause or absorb certain amounts of each type of damage. The damage types are:
Playing cards from the player's hand to the table requires the resources cost shown on the card. The planet cards that have been played define how many resources are made available to the player each turn. The resources defined are:
Planet cards begin the game in the playing field deck. At the begining of the game the field deck is shuffled and delt equally between players. Each player then shuffles their field deck cards into their main deck. During the a player's turn they can play a maximum of one planet card onto the table. Once a card has been played it can be used immediately.
Anomaly cards are playing field cards that have special properties or rules. For instance, a particular playing field may have a black hole which causes all units on the table of a certain chronotic defense or lower to be destroyed. Anomaly cards are a place holder for any feature that might want to be added to a playing field deck at a later date.
Spacecraft cards represent the units that can be deployed to attack the opposing player. Any type of unit can be presented by the game is intended to be space craft based. The spacecraft cards in a players deck are selected by the player before hand up to a certain credit limit agreed by the players before hand. To a bring a unit from the player's hand to the table (in-play) the appropriate amount of resources must be available from unused planets under the player's control. Once a spacecraft is deployed (on table, in-play) it can be utilised immediately.
Units and planet can be upgraded using upgrade cards. Planet's have one upgrade slot. Units have 3 upgrade slots. When upgrades are played they are placed under the upgraded card. Upgrades may be played publically (face up) or privately (face down). Playing a card privately prevents the player's opponents from being able to determine what attack/defense values may be available to a unit or planet. Note that some upgrades are only applicable to units or planets.
A weapon upgrade card adds an attack value of particular type of damage. Only the highest value for any given damage is applied during an attack. Attack values do not accumulate. When an attack is made the attack value is declared. If an attack value is question (due to a private upgrade) the upgrade must be made public.
Shield upgrade cards increase a unit or planets defense value for a particular damage type. Upgrades to shields are accumulative. For instance, if a unit's base value for plasma defense is 4 and it has two shield upgrades applied of 1 plasma and 2 plasma shielding its total defense value for shielding can be declared as 7. In addition, a player may choose to declare a lower value and hence not have to make upgrades to shields public before absolutely required.
Scanner upgrades allow detection of private upgrades before attacks. However, a particular scanner upgrade can only detect certain types of upgrades/damage types. Additionally scanner upgrades have a set number of uses before failing and being destroyed. A scanner upgrade can be used at any point in a turn but cannot be used on the turn that its installed.
Drive upgrades allow units to respond to attacks in different manners. For instance, a spacecraft with a jump drive may be able to "dodge" an attack by jumping to a new location. However, drives have a fixed number of uses and often incur other penalities (losing turns of attack for instance).
Before the game starts the players must have built a deck based on an agreed credits cost. The cost of each card in credits must be balanced to ensure that its not possible to fill a deck with super powerful cards.
Each turn the player takes enough cards to increase the number of cards in hand to 6 - a full hand. At this point the player can deem to play any card in their hand (planet, upgrade, anomaly or spacecraft) or to use any card they currently have in player (e.g. attack with a space craft).
Cards can be played assuming there are enough resources available unused this turn on the player's planet cards. There are no resource requirements to play a planet card. Only one planet card can be played a turn. If no move can be made by the player they can choose to throw away all held cards and draw 6 new ones. The 6 cards are thrown away and destroyed. This circumstance should be very unlikely but should it happen puts the player in question at a significant disadvantage.
A spacecraft card in play can be used during a player's turn to attack opponents spacecraft cards that are in play. When attacking a player's spacecraft the attacker must declare what how much and what type of damage they are hoping to inflict. This value can be anything up to value that spacecraft (including upgrades) can inflict. Should it not be obvious how the value is reached the opponent can challenge meaning the attacker must justify the value by exposing any private upgrades that are required. Once the attack damage is agreed the defending opponent must declare what defense value in that particular damage type they are putting forward. This can be anything up to the defense value of the spacecraft (including upgrades). As with the attacker the defense value can be questioned and hence defense upgrades may need to be exposed.
If the opponent has no spacecraft in play the player may choose to attack any planet's they have in play. The player must declare the attack value of their spacecraft (as with attacking spacecraft). However, multiple spacecraft can be combined to attack a single planet. If the combined attack value is higher than the defense value of the planet (including upgrades) the planet is destroyed.
If the opponent has no spacecraft in play the player may choose to attack the opposing player. The player is deemded to have a defense level of 0 so any damage inflicted will damage the opponent. Players are initially given 1000 hit points which are lost at the player is attacked. If the player loses all their attack points that player loses.
If a spacecraft is attacked it may be able to avoid the attack all together if it has an appropriate drive fitted. On declaration of attack (before calculation of attack value) the defending player must declare that they are attempting to avoid the attack and show the drive upgrade in use. Drive upgrades allow the spacecraft to "jump" out of the attack. However, drive upgrades have a speed assocaited with them and should the attacking player have a drive upgrade equal to faster than the defending players upgrade they may choose to use one of their drive uses to follow the defender and continue the attack.
At any time during a player's turn a spacecraft can use its scanner to detect upgrades on other ships. Scanners describe which types of upgrades can be detected and the opponent is required to make public any upgrades matching the scanners capabilities currently in play. A scanner can-not be used on the turn that it deployed. Scanners have a limited number of uses (mostly 1 time hits) before they burn out.
Players must be able to choose to fight any other player registered with the central game server. However, each game server will maintain a competition ladder which players can attempt to conquer and become the supreme commander.