Development Log: The Vortex #26 - More of The Noise

Here are eight more Devotees of the Noise:

Although I've previously referenced "nomadic" cards like Walkers, the actual card Nomads here changes the scope of the term slightly.  These Nomads can walk between life and the afterlife freely, and I tried to show that in their special rules.  It's a little bit of a stretch, so I may change their name in the future.

Sewerlife is a Red-Text card, like many other cards, so players must keep it in mind during Crusades, even if it is not directly engaged.

The Noisemaker is meant to be a ship that is so loud (take it to mean the way Hawaiian shirts are loud) that it cannot hide anything.

Addicts suggests not drugs (although I suppose the placeholder art does), but rather an addiction to Crusading.

I think for the most part the other cards are self-explanatory, or you can easily suss out my intentions with them.

Next log will be the last eight Red cards in the set.

Development Log: The Vortex #25 - The Noise

Finally, we have Red's Devotees.  Red's sect is called The Noise, and is based in violence, hence its primary stat is straight battle, which is the crossed swords to the right of the card.

For most cards, and really, even for The Noise, battle should be a last resort when the enemy is too tough to convert.  Normally no points are awarded for killing other players' devotees, but because Red would be at a major disadvantage there, Red gets half a point for every non-red dead devotee at the end of the game.  Because it's only half a point, it should not be a primary means of conversion for Red, but it can be useful.

Having Red play also means that other players will have to change their strategy.  If players previously were flippant about murdering pesky cards, they now have to be much more cautious about it, because they would give Red points.

Storywise, The Noise is a bit more suicidal and war-like than other sects.  It would be nice to convert others in this life, but they care far more about the afterlife, and think that simply killing a person is equal to converting by another means, because, after all, they reason, in the afterlife you'll discover they were right rather quickly.

Because they are a sect based in violence, their cards reflect the disturbing nature of the game even more than Yellow's cards.  Most cards, as you can see above, show ghoulish and supernatural images in their placeholder art.

Their biggest enemy is Green, for calm reason and debate is the opposite of a sword to the gut.

Next log we'll get into more Red cards.

Development Log: The Vortex #24 - Last of Emptiness

Here are the last eight cards of Emptiness, Blue's Devotees.

The last of these cards generally follow the theme, with the exception of The Unimaginable, which follows the rule that there is always one exception to the theme.

Witch Doctor negates Frenzies, so it weakens a card without directly acting offensively.

Respectators was designed with the terms "Respect" and "Spectator" put together.  So if you think about them as spectators in any sport, from Roman Gladiators to modern boxing matches or football games, they will not jump in the fight, but their presence has an effect on the morale of those they cheer for (namely other Blue cards).

Dustchildren is of a similar nature to the nomads like Walkers.

Naomi has a calming effect on the Crusades.  I imagine her as being some kind of exotic and magical priestess or princess, so the placeholder art is good enough, I suppose.

The placeholder art for Dripping, however, is fairly irrelevant to the card.  I think of dripping bodily fluids, like sweat, blood, saliva, or the slime of a slug, so it would be a creature that might look like an alien rabid dog, perhaps.  Such a creature would be unable to use logic, hence its extra rule.

Next Development Log, we move on to Red cards.

Back Again

Well, back again.  I think I'll be keeping the Tuesday/Thursday posting schedule for now.

I've changed the look of the blog as well as the look of my Portfolio Site because I've gotten a few complaints that dark backgrounds and light text is a headache.  I like it better that way, but I certainly don't want to make people ill who visit my sites!

On this blog, I've also gotten rid of Deconstructions.  They're still there if you look back far enough, but I've simply hidden the tab that was on the top of the page.  I've just decided to do that because it's a feature that I lost interest in and haven't posted one in a long time.  I may resurrect it, but if I do, it'll probably be in a different format.

As for what's ahead: I'll finish off the Vortex cards, and post January Engine updates as it goes.  I also have quite a few games to review, including 11 DS games, since a DS recently came into my possession.  Only problem with it is that the sound is busted, so hopefully sound does not play a major role in the games I have.

If you want to see anything special, leave a comment.

Break Time Again

I'll be gone for the next couple of weeks and won't be able to update my blog. Next time I'll update should be the Tuesday, August 21st.

Until then, enjoying some non-game fun.

When I get back, I'll finish up the Vortex cards posts, as well as another Dev Log or two on the status of the January Engine.  I am also considering other projects, but when I get back I'll make my decision on them.

Development Log: The Vortex #23 - More Emptiness

The next eight cards of Emptiness:

Pirateship is Blue because Yellow controls the seas, as it were, with Medical Frigate and Cargo Vessel.  This helps to further cement the idea that Blue and Yellow are enemies; Blue is like the rebellion and Yellow is like the empire in Star Wars.

Adding to the meek theme is cards like The Awoken, Slowpokes, Tearmen, Seedling, and (of course) Meek.

Seedling offers a compliment to Starving, so a player who has both in play refills his hand normally.

Optomites should show that Devotees of Emptiness have strong wills, which helps them survive through Solidity's reign.

I can't say I'm thrilled with the placeholder art for these eight; although they mostly express what I'm getting at, they don't give off the macabre sci-fi look that previous cards have.  Meh, that's placeholders.

Next will be the last eight Devotees of Emptiness.