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Post by droqen on Oct 9, 2015 10:42:59 GMT -8
Assembling Contraptions — Here are the 'knowns' for Assembling Contraptions: - It is an action creatures take, not players. Think along the lines of attacking or blocking, not outlasting. (inanimate let it be known i continue to disagree with this guideline. how many mechanics even exist that aren't like outlasting? yeesh, this sounds like hell to design)
- Contraptions are an artifact Subtype. Whether it creates or interacts with Contraptions is unknown, but it's more likely to be the former.
- A creature can assemble two Contraptions at once rather than one.
Here is the previous discussion thread for Assembling Contraptions.Use this topic for talking about Assembling Contraptions in general. If you have a concern that you feel warrants a new thread - for example, one that involves multiple mechanics at once, or is particularly noteworthy such as proposing a significantly different version of the mechanic - make a new thread for it. Otherwise, please use this thread. Assembling Contraptions is meant to represent ingenuity and innovation. Mechanically, its goal is to make the players feel like they are creating something new as often as possible - to put it simply, we want a 'replayable' experience that feels different each time. Current discussion is about some possibilities I brought up for assembling contraptions, and specifically, what people think of - making artifacts? Improving artifacts? Combining artifacts? What does it mean to 'assemble'? |
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Post by nichgrayson on Oct 22, 2015 7:03:06 GMT -8
After hearing Maro talk about hedronize, which was almost included in Battle for Zendikar, I thought of an idea for Contraptions. Hedronize was a key action where you roll a die and then create an effect based on the number you rolled. He said packs would have a Hedronize card that spelled out all the effects you could produce. So R&D was considering a mechanic that dumped a lot of text onto a card outside your deck. The spells and creatures that had hedronize wouldn't need to spell out every single effect. That's pretty significant design technology. Something similar could be done for contraptions. Here's a contraption assembler and the token that would go with it.
Scrap Artist (UNCOM)
2R
Creature - Human Rigger
2/2
3, T: Scrap Artist assembles a contraption. (Attach a colorless Contraption artifact token to Scrap Artist.)
Contraption
Token Artifact - Contraption
T, Sacrifice this contraption: Choose 1 through 5. The creature Contraption was attached to gets one of the following effects based on the number chosen:
1 -- This creature gains vigilance until end of turn.
2 -- This creature gains flying until end of turn.
3 -- This creature gains menace until end of turn.
4 -- This creature gains first strike until end of turn.
5 -- This creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
PROS: The creature assembling rather than you assembling makes some sense, since it indicates the contraption will come into play attached to it. Also, this has enough variable effects to feel like a makeshift machine. The effect could be permanent, but selected at random, if you use a 6-sided die to track which effect it has. The contraption would look like this in that case:
Contraption
Token Artifact - Contraption
When Contraption enters the battlefield, choose 1 through 5 at random. The creature Contraption is attached to gets one of the following abilities based on the number chosen:
1 -- This creature has vigilance.
2 -- This creature has flying.
3 -- This creature has menace.
4 -- This creature has first strike.
5 -- This gets +1/+1.
PROS: While all the effects I chose are within the artifact section of the color pie, it felt stretchy that a red Rigger could make a token that sacs to grant it flying ueot. The random choice here makes whatever effect you get seem more in pie. Also, a permanent effect is more fun.
Moving away from the hedronize ideas, we could just make assembling a contraption mean putting a contraption from outside the game onto the battlefield. (Don't focus too much on the similar effect Kaladesh Contraption has to contraptions above. It could do anything, I'm just short-handing.)
Apprentice Rigger (COM)
3R
Creature - Human Rigger
1/1
When Apprentice Rigger enters the battlefield, it assembles a contraption. (Choose a Contraption card you own from outside the game and put it onto the battlefield tapped.)
Kaladesh Contraption (COM)
Artifact - Contraption
(Nonexistent mana costs can't be paid.)
Choose 1 through 5, T, Sacrifice Kaladesh Contraption: Target creature gets one of the following effects based on the number chosen:
1 -- It gains vigilance until end of turn.
2 -- It gains flying until end of turn.
3 -- It gains menace until end of turn.
4 -- it gains first strike until end of turn.
5 -- It gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
PROS: Contraption is an artifact subtype, so this method, unlike the token method, lets us make different Contraptions to choose from. It doesn't have to be named Contraption. That's nice. I made it be uncastable so players wouldn't try to put them into their deck and we could make Common, Uncommon and Rare contraptions without flattening their power level. Like how Conspiracies could vary in power level.
CON: There's no reason the creature is assembling a contraption here rather than the player.
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Post by Inanimate on Oct 22, 2015 8:12:52 GMT -8
Mm, I've considered the second idea myself. I like it, but the problem is that it has no connection to the creature. If we could find a way to connect it it would work well. As it is, not so sure it'll work.
The first Contraption idea is a lot like the modifier-Contraptions I proposed in the comments. Again, I like it obviously. Your 'until end of turn' bonuses are a good way to riff on it and I approve of that. I don't like the random bonuses - the problem with Hedronize is that it was too random, and this would have the same problems.
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Post by jaytreat on Oct 27, 2015 17:47:37 GMT -8
To assemble a contraption, cast a permanent card you own from outside the game. It is an artifact in addition to its other types.
Goblin Innovator {2}{R}
Creature-Goblin (cmn)
When ~ ETB, you may assemble a red contraption. (Cast a red permanent card you own from outside the game. It is an artifact in addition to its other types.
)
2/2
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Post by pasteur on Oct 27, 2015 18:13:15 GMT -8
Are we still paying mana costs? This makes it like red's chandra-draw, not "show and tell for artifact progenitus", right?
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Post by jaytreat on Oct 28, 2015 12:16:14 GMT -8
The ability to get _any_ permanent from your sideboard is crazy strong, so paying the cost for it—combined with having to pay the cost for the assembler—is the only thing making that vaguely balanced.
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Post by Inanimate on Nov 3, 2015 10:06:38 GMT -8
I don't quite like the flavor - though I get what it represents, making a mechanical replica of an existing thing - and it still lacks an actual connection to the creature, unfortunately. It's a very simple idea though, so hopefully we can build up from it to something that makes more sense. Also, Contraption is an actual artifact subtype.
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Post by jaytreat on Nov 3, 2015 19:03:02 GMT -8
It's notably _not_ an existing thing within the fiction. We're not copying a permanent or something in the graveyard, we're going outside the game. It is an existing card (except now it's an artifact) and that's not quite as awesome and generating something brand new, but if that proves unfeasible, this still satisfies the flavor. (Which is not a reason not to pursue the more novel solution, just a back-up option.)
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Post by radicaljackal on Nov 4, 2015 8:34:17 GMT -8
Pulling cards from outside the game is a lot like a tutor. This is something we don't want to do a lot of because it creates repetitive gameplay and it is something that red is supposed to be bad at. Red can be creative but its creativity should not always be according to plan (Unless the plan is always aggressive creatures and explosions).
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Post by jaytreat on Nov 4, 2015 10:19:57 GMT -8
Goblin Improviser {1}{R}
Creature-Goblin (unc)
When ~ ETB, randomly select a card you own from outside the game. You may play that card this turn.
1/2
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Post by radicaljackal on Nov 4, 2015 14:00:49 GMT -8
That could be fun, but now casual players have to make a full sideboard to play this card. Some will like that but could be seen as a hassle in playgroups that don't sideboard. Is this significantly more fun than "Exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a non-land card, you may play that card this turn"
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Post by jaytreat on Nov 5, 2015 7:49:24 GMT -8
It might be.
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AlexC
New Member
Posts: 16 
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Post by AlexC on Nov 17, 2015 5:49:47 GMT -8
Goblin Improviser {1}{R} Creature-Goblin (unc) When ~ ETB, randomly select a card you own from outside the game. You may play that card this turn. 1/2 LOL! "Okay, I'll roll d%. On 1-4, we'll roll within my Modern rares binder; 5-10, my older rares binder; 6-30, my uncommons; 31-50, my other decks; and on 51-100 we're getting out my commons boxes..." |
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