Business models of T/CCG´s

Some T/CCG stuff to think about

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/363660/page/1

A discussion about the “lower” rating of CCG´s vs the game dominion on Boardgame geeks.

Some might argue it is due to CCG´s not really being boardgames at all (so can be said of dominion), and others say it’s the business model that earns it such a low(er) rating. A very good read.
It surely got me thinking about the business model I would implement in Wuxia Pian. I haven’t really thought about it, since I expect Wuxia Pian not leaving the indie game stages, but you’ll never know :P

If Wuxia Pian were to be sold for real, I would create a business model similar to that of the Corunea RCG, just fixed cards, with fixed expansions (in fact, just like Dominion, but more customizable). In fact, if the game ever gets THAT far, I prefer to hire some programming studio to bring the game online with a subscription based fee (low one, like 3-5 $ a month for a fixed # of cards, own choice).

Like, you pay a fixed fee of 4 $/Month. For that, you get to pick (insert random number here) 34 cards from a possible 1000 to add to your collection. You decide which cards to add, so if a certain Meta is being played, you can make sure you are harnessed against it next month.. or something like this. No rarities at all, I guess I am also one of the old bittered CCG players fed up with the business models of most CCG´s, which ultimately brought it down..

From there I got a link to a list about how CCG´s are made to create addiction, also a very good read:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/16427

Which made me even think more about Wuxia Pian. I designed Wuxia Pian with the normal (old) business model of CCg´s. Packs, starters, rarity, you name it. I am now slowly, but steadily changing that into a fixed out of the box play. You buy Wuxia Pian and get 2 ready to play decks. There will be like 3 or 4 different 2-player decks. Or one big box with 5 decks to use.. Don’t know, haven’t´ really though about it yet.

Maybe a bit like Dominion, but with “some” customization in it. I am still in the “get the game to work” phase, and haven’t really thought about stuff like: how many cards in the game, expansions, boosters and such. I only know I do not want to see any rarity (save for maybe a few promo cards (alternate art)).

I guess I’ll have to cross this big bridge when the game is operational and the meat (cards) is ready to go on the BBQ…

Gems

You know, every once in a while, you surf the internet and come across a little gem in a sea of garbage and money making schemes..

Yesterday I was searching the internet again for some good articles about game design (esp. card game design), when I stumbled upon some weird but cool looking ccg´s from Singapore (non-manga garbage).. from there I found a small card game from France, called a role card game:

CORUNEA (http://www.corunea.com/)

What an eye opener.. This is what a great card game should look like. I immediately ordered a starter pack. It is a bit pricey, but the quality is superb. If you take a look around the forums, you see all sorts of cries about: this is what WOW tcg should be, and great, no more diving for power rares and mystic rares to get your net deck up to shape.. NO RARITY. let me repeat this again: no rarity! This means fair trades, easier collecting, and best of all, cheaper!

The art look fantastic, and I cannot wait do dive into the game.. Hopefully my wife will understand..

to see all of the cards from the first "set" of Corunea, go here:

http://www.coruneaforum.com/en/viewtopic.php?t=268

I only found one or 2 more gems like this during my entire card flopping life: Starchamber (http://www.starchamber.net/) and maybe Vampire ccg.. card games that do NOT make your wallet glow bright red with friction..

I think the downfall of most modern ccg´s is indeed the money grab they represent. I can understand it from a business point of view, and I am amazed that Magic still manages to keep it up on the same road.. They even introduced a higher level of rarity in their booster packs, and people seem to like it.. just like yu-gi-yo has.. I am amazed that seasoned players still fork over a lot of cash to get those 80$ super rares they "need" for their decks..

Decipher, or should I say, New decipher also jumped off the bandwagon and are proposing a completely new way of distributing their card for their new game: fightklub. I sincerely hope they manage to get on top again with this model. It sure sounds less painful for our wallets.

SO, how long does the French mail takes to reach Barcelona, spain..c´mon!