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EDIT:  Decided that this project was a wee bit too ambitious for a month-ish long endeavor.  Going to tuck it away for now and find something else to do for this.  If a mod wanders by, you can delete this.  Thanks!


Two to four (perhaps more) players duke it out in an online card game version of a roguelike dungeon.  Expect influences like Nethack, Magic the Gathering, and Munchkin.

• Each player controls a party of four adventurers chosen by them.  Will have the expected classics, and others.  Each adventurer will have some direct influence on how your game plays out so party composition will be both unique and strategic.
• Lots of fun loot.  Maybe even some random generation here that you can't normally do in paper games.
• I'd like to see diplomacy come into play so in-game trading will be allowed.  Bribe, beg, borrow and steal your way to victory.
• The game will is a frantic up and down race to a party level of 10 at which point you can encounter the dungeon boss.  If you beat him, you win the round.

Will be using C#/XNA/Player.IO.

Will probably (read, definitely) need an artist for cool looking cards and stuff!

More to come.

This sounds very neat! I always like me a good card-game, and a good rogue-like! Can't wait to see how you work this!

Made a (bad) mockup (with borrowed assets) of how the game may be generally laid out.

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9640361/mockup.png)

The first draft of gameplay:

• Players create their party by choosing four adventures.  Each adventurer comes with a set of passive bonuses that will affect you at all times (ie, more experience gained, extra exploration, faster regen, more health, more items, etc)  Each adventurer also comes with 10 ability cards, unique to them, that will be added to your ability deck.  Each player starts the game in the same location on the map and with 5 ability cards from their randomized ability deck.
• During each player's turn before they do anything else they will have the chance to play any abilities from their hand that may affect their turn if they wish.
• If a player plays an ability or choose not to then they must draw a card from the exploration deck.  This will move them in a random direction.  If they discover a new room they will reveal a room card that determines the properties of the room for the rest of the game.  Then a random event card is revealed.
• Event cards cover most of the action in the game.  They encompass combat with monsters, traps, treasure chests, magic effects, etc.
• Combat details are still being worked out!
• Event and monster cards can have XP values attached to them.  Completing the event/defeating the monster(s) grants the XP on the card to the party.  XP levels you granting you a new ability card in hand.
• Upon reaching level 10 you are able to encounter the dungeon boss.  If you defeat it, you win!

This will continue to be fleshed out... any feedback?

Why a random direction?

The rest sounds nice, except... how do the players interact?

Mostly because I wanted to maintain a map with some persistence, but at the same time invoke the feeling of drawing random room cards off the top of the deck.  I don't think I want new rooms discovered every turn.  I'll have to see. :)


Ya I completely failed to address that, sorry.  Player interaction will happen primarily through adventurer abilities, diplomacy, bargaining, and loot trading.  For instance the rogue adventurer will be able to lay traps that will trigger on the target player's next explore phase.  Casters will have the ability to curse and/or buff other parties.  Certain powerful spells like resurrection will be quite rare, and so their use can be bartered away from the owner's hand.

Then what about letting the player decide the direction, which could either mean that
a) he enters an already visible room or
b) he draws a random room card?
Persistent map check, the feeling of drawing random room cards check - and additionally one more choice for the player. That's a rather common mechanic among board game dungeon crawlers.

How about a Munchkin-esque "play nasty cards during the other players turn" mechanic?