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Author Topic: Interview with Donald X.  (Read 2127229 times)

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schadd

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2950 on: April 13, 2016, 11:09:19 pm »
+12

But how can you be sure of where the dream really ends?
William Poundstone suggests keeping a book of limericks by your bed, and not reading it. If you ever think you're dreaming, go to your bedroom, open the book, and read a limerick. You can't compose a limerick instantly on the spot, but you can recognize one when you read it.

Obv. professional limerick-writers may wish to use a different test.
except how, like, it's a dream so you open up the book and it's scorpions
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LastFootnote

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2951 on: April 14, 2016, 09:31:45 am »
0

But how can you be sure of where the dream really ends?
William Poundstone suggests keeping a book of limericks by your bed, and not reading it. If you ever think you're dreaming, go to your bedroom, open the book, and read a limerick. You can't compose a limerick instantly on the spot, but you can recognize one when you read it.

Obv. professional limerick-writers may wish to use a different test.
except how, like, it's a dream so you open up the book and it's scorpions

Mystery solved!
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Witherweaver

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2952 on: April 14, 2016, 09:47:10 am »
+9

But how can you be sure of where the dream really ends?
William Poundstone suggests keeping a book of limericks by your bed, and not reading it. If you ever think you're dreaming, go to your bedroom, open the book, and read a limerick. You can't compose a limerick instantly on the spot, but you can recognize one when you read it.

Obv. professional limerick-writers may wish to use a different test.
except how, like, it's a dream so you open up the book and it's scorpions

Easy: keep a box of scorpions by your bed.  If you think you're dreaming, go to your bedroom, open the box, and if there are scorpions, get the fuck out of there.
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ednever

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2953 on: April 15, 2016, 12:56:39 pm »
0

Question:
One obvious (to me) trashing element would be something like this:

Card $x
Something something
--------
When trashed this card is worth $y

It seems like a natural add-on for a card in Dark Ages. Like the below the line stuff in Catacombs and Hunting Grounds.

Did you test this and rule it out for some reason. Or did it just not occur to you?

Thanks.

Ed
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schadd

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2954 on: April 15, 2016, 01:04:56 pm »
+1

Question:
One obvious (to me) trashing element would be something like this:

Card $x
Something something
--------
When trashed this card is worth $y

It seems like a natural add-on for a card in Dark Ages. Like the below the line stuff in Catacombs and Hunting Grounds.

Did you test this and rule it out for some reason. Or did it just not occur to you?

Thanks.

Ed
that doesn't play well with knights. well it cost $5 when i trashed it, officer!
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GendoIkari

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2955 on: April 15, 2016, 01:14:44 pm »
0

Question:
One obvious (to me) trashing element would be something like this:

Card $x
Something something
--------
When trashed this card is worth $y

It seems like a natural add-on for a card in Dark Ages. Like the below the line stuff in Catacombs and Hunting Grounds.

Did you test this and rule it out for some reason. Or did it just not occur to you?

Thanks.

Ed
that doesn't play well with knights. well it cost $5 when i trashed it, officer!

Yeah, same problem with Rogue and Warrior.

Also rules unclarity with cost-reducers (if it says it costs $5, but Highway is in play, does it cost $5 or $4?)
« Last Edit: April 15, 2016, 01:15:53 pm by GendoIkari »
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2956 on: April 15, 2016, 05:25:09 pm »
+3

Question:
One obvious (to me) trashing element would be something like this:

Card $x
Something something
--------
When trashed this card is worth $y

It seems like a natural add-on for a card in Dark Ages. Like the below the line stuff in Catacombs and Hunting Grounds.

Did you test this and rule it out for some reason. Or did it just not occur to you?
There is a card ideas forum; this thread is not the place for them. I do not want to see your card ideas. Man.

The way to do that would be to vary the cost after bought; either like Peddler (e.g. cost is $8 but it says "In Buy phases this costs $4") or vice versa (e.g. cost is $2 and it says "in Action phases this costs $6"). There is also just being a "payload" card, not in the Dominion terminology sense but in the uh me the game designer sense, a payload card is one that comes with something and then maybe you don't need the card itself anymore, e.g. Border Village.

I not only thought of it, I did Peddler, and had that mechanic on a Magic card in those tournaments at ManaFest in 1996 (a 2B creature called Sacrificial Beast with "While this is in play it costs 6"). Magic got to it years later with Scornful Egotist (it costs 8 mana but you play it as a morph for 3 and flip it over for U).

Dark Ages itself has Rats; it costs "play a Rats" but is worth $4.
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Hockey Mask

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2957 on: April 16, 2016, 09:59:55 am »
0

Is Rats the most thematic card you've made?
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Witherweaver

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2958 on: April 16, 2016, 12:44:43 pm »
0

Is Rats the most thematic card you've made?

Knights!
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Ankenaut

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2959 on: April 16, 2016, 12:54:13 pm »
+2

Between the time you first think of a new card idea and it makes it into its final form, how many games does it end up getting tested in (ballpark of typical case)?

Do you have a standard set of cards that you initially test new ideas with or does it vary?
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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2960 on: April 16, 2016, 01:00:05 pm »
0

Why do Witch and Sea Hag say "gain a curse card", while other cursing attacks (like Mountebank) just say "gain a curse"?

Also, how did you decide the colors for reaction, duration, victory, curse and treasure cards?
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Eistee

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2961 on: April 16, 2016, 07:21:31 pm »
0

Did you cut out all the cards from your first versions all by yourself? Did you use regular paper; or "thick" paper; or did yo sleeve the cards? Actually, I guess my question boils down to this: What did your first cards look and feel like?
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2962 on: April 16, 2016, 08:05:41 pm »
+12

Is Rats the most thematic card you've made?
I feel like I'm not the one to ask, but I don't think so. Like, it gives you a card when you trash it; what's Ratsy about that?

My first thought is the Peasant or Page line. There's a lot of flavor throughout. The Peasant is some kind of Woodcutter or something; the Soldier works better with others fighting on his side; the Fugitive is on the run; the Disciple learns from example; the Teacher teaches cards to be better. And then there's the whole thing together, the guy going through life.
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2963 on: April 16, 2016, 08:13:06 pm »
+4

Between the time you first think of a new card idea and it makes it into its final form, how many games does it end up getting tested in (ballpark of typical case)?
Well it varies hugely with how well the card is working. A card that isn't working but seems promising will get more focus on it, specific games where it's played with. Things that work right away will just show up when they show up.

Also if you are counting everybody then it varies hugely with how many external playtesters I have and how much they end up playing.

Me personally, I will play typically two nights a week, 3-5 games depending on number of players and experience level and AP level and how sloggy the games are. The number of months spent on an expansion has varied a lot; if nothing else is pressing to be worked on afterwards then plays won't trail off though accomplishing things will. For Adventures the work was mainly June-October, but we kept playing for months afterwards and tweaks were made.

And then, the number of cards in the set affects how often each card is seen. Typically 5 new cards are in each game, 5 old cards. But Adventures had Events so the math works out differently for them.

And then of course a card thought of late in the going got played a lot less than an early card that worked out. Dungeon got played a lot more than Raze, because Dungeon was early and Raze was later.

I can't do this math, man. There is the information that you could use to make a guess.

Do you have a standard set of cards that you initially test new ideas with or does it vary?
I play the new cards with the other new cards, and with all the old expansions, with whatever individual other expansion each evening.
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2964 on: April 16, 2016, 08:17:30 pm »
+5

Why do Witch and Sea Hag say "gain a curse card", while other cursing attacks (like Mountebank) just say "gain a curse"?
I did not think "card" was necessary and I like cutting unnecessary words. Ditto for "Silver card" etc.

Also, how did you decide the colors for reaction, duration, victory, curse and treasure cards?
The initial colors depended in part on the colors of paper I had lying around; at the time I printed in black and white on colored paper. I initially made Actions green because I had more green, but when I was going to keep working on the game I shifted Actions to white (most plentiful), Victory to green (lots of green paper; they're land). Attacks were pink (the color of rage), later dropped because there was no functional meaning to "Attack." Treasure was yellow because gold. I had purple paper too so Curse was purple. Reactions were blue because Moat was the original and they have water in them.

Durations originally had no special color. When I added that, I would have made it blue to tie in with Seaside but blue was taken. Orange was unused and vaguely suggests sand.

After that (Shelter, Ruins, Reserve) we are really just looking at, man what colors are left, pick one.
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2965 on: April 16, 2016, 08:24:22 pm »
+4

Did you cut out all the cards from your first versions all by yourself? Did you use regular paper; or "thick" paper; or did yo sleeve the cards? Actually, I guess my question boils down to this: What did your first cards look and feel like?
Yes I control the scissors.

The very first version had thicker colored paper; thin construction paper. Now there is just laser printer paper.

I always sleeved the cards, that's how I make prototypes. A slip of paper in a sleeve with a Magic card behind it. That's what I did then and what I still do.

The first cards had black & white printing on colored paper but are otherwise similar to modern prototype cards. And then for a while my printer had oversaturated colors and now I have undersaturated colors.

You can see images in the outtakes article on the front page, which is also linked to in the Bible subforum. They are actual images used at the beginning and still used today.
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Ankenaut

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2966 on: April 16, 2016, 10:30:40 pm »
+2

Is that you and Jay on the card art for Prince?
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2967 on: April 17, 2016, 03:12:07 am »
+6

Is that you and Jay on the card art for Prince?
No, I look like me and Jay looks like Jay.
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Tables

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2968 on: April 17, 2016, 08:51:50 am »
+1

Is that you and Jay on the card art for Prince?
No, I look like me and Jay looks like Jay.


Erm, got any proof for this claim?
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Ankenaut

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2969 on: April 17, 2016, 12:10:06 pm »
+1

Is that you and Jay on the card art for Prince?
No, I look like me and Jay looks like Jay.


Erm, got any proof for this claim?

Yeah, if there's anyone who defies tautologies, it's Donald X.
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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2970 on: April 19, 2016, 02:08:11 pm »
+1

Donald, may I review your Empires cards for you, since I'm kind of pretty much the leader (besides ol' Palpy) of the greatest Galactic Empire known to man?
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Witherweaver

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2971 on: April 19, 2016, 02:09:06 pm »
+2

Donald, may I review your Empires cards for you, since I'm kind of pretty much the leader (besides ol' Palpy) of the greatest Galactic Empire known to man?

Join me, Donald.  Together we can rule the Empire.
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2972 on: April 19, 2016, 05:02:19 pm »
+7

Donald, may I review your Empires cards for you, since I'm kind of pretty much the leader (besides ol' Palpy) of the greatest Galactic Empire known to man?
Dominion: Empires is more of a Roman thing. Plus I already have everyone signed up for doing previews. You could try to find someone to let you take over their preview though. I'd try Augustus first, then maybe Caligula's horse.
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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2973 on: April 25, 2016, 05:30:24 pm »
0

Why do you have the "(Action, not Action card)" part on Diadem, but not on Conspirator?
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #2974 on: April 25, 2016, 05:38:56 pm »
+2

Why do you have the "(Action, not Action card)" part on Diadem, but not on Conspirator?
It's removing confusion on Diadem. I don't see how it would do that on Conspirator. That isn't the reason exactly - I didn't think of clarifying Conspirator, and did think of clarifying Diadem. But if I'd thought of it for Conspirator, I don't think I would have changed it.
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