Original Post
This has been a work in progress for a couple of years now and much of it has been changed (and changed again) by inspiration from posts found in these forums. Lately, the skill allocation, tech vs. magic, and how to implement magic threads (a little older, but still a favorite). The general concept of the game places various characters on a planet that has become a combination of both magic and technology due to a complicated past (I currently have 2 different storylines to try and explain it). But basically, there are characters on this planet with different motivations for fighting and you happen to be one of them. Ultimately, the game is strategy-based with an RPG feel as you develop your Avatar. Much of the work is done pre-battle as Resource Piles are constructed to be used in the game (not unlike TCGs such as Magic: The Gathering). What I'm looking for now are general perceptions of the initial game design document. If it's too hard to understand, what concepts I may have taken for granted, etc. Also, any glaring holes in the rules system or potential for abuse would be appreciated. I coded the first iteration in Java using Swing but I'm currently trying my hand at Java 3D to hopefully get a much more interesting look and feel. I've included some screenshots of working examples from the 2D version. This obviously isn't as well formatted as the Word doc I copied it from so let me know if I should organize it differently for readability here. And I have no idea what l33t speak is, so if any of it's in here, I apologize for being too old to know better :-) World of Ea (Working Title) Game Design Objective Defeat your opponent by depleting their life force before they defeat you. Overview The World of Ea is a turn-based strategy board game. A player customizes a character and a resource pile. The player uses these two assets in tandem to defeat their opponent. Game board The game is played on an octagonal game board. Characters start on opposite ends of the board and each character occupies one board location. Some resources that are played throughout the game will occupy an empty board location and some will augment a resource or character that is already occupying a board location. Resources Resources are in-game assets that a character uses in combination with their unique attributes and skills to defeat their opponent. Resources include: -Allies that can be recruited -Items that can be deployed -Magic spells that can be cast -Briberies that can temporarily remove allies from participation in the game -Other objects or events that affect the outcome of the game Some resources are played on the game board. The ones that are not played on the game board are deposited in the lost pile after they resolve. Characters Characters are the means by which players access The World of Ea. All characters start with the core attribute statistics of their chosen race. Core Attributes The core attributes are: -Constitution -Strength -Dexterity -Intelligence -Magic -Charisma Dexterity determines how accurate your Avatar is with spells/weapons and also has some influence on speed and movement. Intelligence can be used to make puzzles easier and opens up the use of Psionics. This gives you some spell-like abilities without the resource point restriction. It also makes mental powers such as mind-control available that can potentially reduce charisma modifiers for recruiting and retaining allies. Characters with a higher intelligence are also more immune to powers that may affect their mental state. Allies that can be recruited and retained depend on the charisma rating. They also require resource points but some allies may have charisma pre-requisites. Weapons and melee damage depend on strength. An Avatar’s constitution determines how much damage it can take as well as resistance to effects such as poison. Magic is strong, but it takes a heavy toll on the user. Its use affects both mental and physical health and over time can be debilitating if wielded haphazardly. The current races are: -Human -Troll -Elf An elf starts out relatively meek. They have very little strength (2) or constitution (2) but higher magic (8), dexterity (7), and intelligence (6). They are also pretty (Charisma – 7) Over time they become very powerful psionics and/or mages but it’s a tough road getting there. Elves also have enhanced vision and begin with a Rune (4:1 Exchange Rate). Humans are of course average across the board and get 5s for everything (5:1 Exchange Rate). Trolls are big and strong but slow and stupid with very little magical ability. They have infrared vision but gain runes at a slower rate (6:1 Exchange Rate) and of course, are ugly but most standards (awwwww). Strength (10), Constitution (10), Dexterity (2), Intelligence (2), Magic (2), Charisma (2) Yes, I realize how cliche these are. But they're cliche because they work, so they'll function as a starting point until someone helps me develop some more denizens for Ea. Other important statistics of each player are: -Level -Experience Points -Skills -Runes -Resource Points Level A character's progress is gauged through experience gained in matches. As a character evolves (increases in level) new skills, arenas, attribute points, and resource points become available to the character. Experience Points Experience Points (EP) are acquired through various in-game actions such as: -Defeating an opponent -Defeating an opponent's ally -Completing an Objective Each character has a pre-defined amount of EP that must be earned before the character advances to the next level. Skills Skills are best categorized as things that the character can inherently do as either passive or active actions. These may include "powers" (Fire Resistance) or learned skills (Detect Trap). Skills are ranked between 0 and 10. A zero indicates that a character has never attempted a skill while a ten indicates perfect mastery of that skill. Skills can be added in two ways: -Automatically through the leveling up process - some races will receive automatic bonuses as they evolve -Repeated use of the related resource in game - constant use of the Detect Trap resource will eventually enable a character to learn this skill Runes Magic in Ea is accessed through Runes. Each spell resource will require some Rune or combination of Runes for it to be cast. If a player has not already acquired the Rune needed, they will not be able to cast the spell. Once a Rune is acquired it is always active. There are a total of 25 Runes that can be acquired. Resource Points Resource Points (RP) are used to play resources. Each Resource has an RP cost that must be paid to play it. A character generates a set amount of RPs at the beginning of their turn. The RPs available to use are referred to as the RP Pool. Characters can earn additional RPs by evolving, playing Resources that enhance RP generation, or trade RPs in for Runes (see Character Customization). All players start with 8 Resource Points (except elves, which get 5). Resource points can be traded for Runes at the race’s exchange rate (4 for elf, 5 for human, 6 for troll) Creating a Character Creating a character consists of 3 steps: 1. Choose a name 2. Choose a race 3. (Optional) “Exchange” Resource Points for Runes Character Customization As characters progress, they are assigned additional Attribute Points (AP) that can be used to enhance their character’s core attributes. Increased core attributes can unlock resources that were previously unavailable. Characters also receive additional Resource Points (RP) that allow the character to play more or better resources each turn. RPs can also be “exchanged” for Runes at a character’s “exchange rate”. The exchange rate for a character is determined by their race. For example, elves have an exchange rate of 4 to 1. This means that any elf character can permanently remove 4 RPs in exchange for 1 Rune. Character Customization Screen 
Constructing a Resource Pile Resource Piles are exactly 60 Resources. Multiple copies of a Resource may be used. Gameplay Starting the game -A player is randomly chosen to go first -If playing a match, the loser of the previous game goes first -Each player starts with 7 Resources in their Resource Pool The Turn Each turn consists of the following phases: -Refresh -Main --Deploy --Combat ---Declare an Attack ---Declare Attacker(s) ---Declare Target(s) ---Assign Damage --Move -Cleanup The Refresh Phase refreshes the character’s Resource Point Pool. Any unused RPs from the previous turn do not carry over. The Cleanup Phase is where any “End of turn” affects are triggered and the player has the option of drawing more Resources from the Resource Pile. Each Resource drawn costs 1 RP. The Main Phase is broken into three sub phases that can occur in any order any number of times: -Deploy -Combat -Move The Deploy Sub Phase is when any Resource can legally be played. See Combat. See Movement. Players can only deploy, combat, and move on their turn. Deployment How to play a Resource Each Resource has an RP cost associated with it. This is the number of RPs that must be expended from the RP Pool before the Resource can be played. For example, if a Sword has an RP of 1, it requires one Resource Point to be expended before it can be played. Some Resources may also have other prerequisites that must be met before they can be played. An example would be a Resource that included the text “Can only be played by Elves”. This Resource would only be able to be played by an Elf Character. Resources can only be played if all conditions are met. Resource Types -Character --Avatar – Player specific character -Spell -Item -Instant All Resources have the following characteristics: -Name -Type/Subtype -Game Text -RP Cost Characters also have Attack, Defense, and Bribery attributes. Spells also have a Rune Cost. Some Resources are unique. Only one of these Resources may be in play for each player at a time. If one player already has one in play, the new Resource will be played as a ‘Doppleganger’. Examples of various Resources 
Troll Man Character - Avatar Attack - 10 Defense - 10 
Emmatai Character - Ally Attack - 3 Defense - 4 (Can be bribed by gold) Pay 5 life: Emmatai may perform one additional attack this turn. 
Fireblast Spell - Instant Target Character is dealt LD4 Fire Damage and LD4 Electrical Damage. Combat Declare an Attack The active player announces an attack Declare Attacker(s) The active player chooses attacker(s) Declare Target(s) The active player chooses all targets to be attacked by the attacker(s) declared in the last step. Melee - can only attack characters in adjoining spaces Ranged - can attack up to the maximum range of the attack. Must have a clear line of site Assign Damage Assign damage, duh A Character assigned damage "remembers" damage dealt to it in subsequent turns. So if a 2/2 Character is dealt 1 damage, they will be a 2/1 until further damage is assigned or they are healed. Characters cannot gain more life than their starting defense value. Movement 1 All characters can move a total of one space by default 2 A character cannot move into or through any space that is already occupied 3 Unless otherwise stated, moveable Resources can only be moved to adjacent board locations at the cost of 1 RP. Bribery Many Characters have an icon that represents a particular vice that Character has (Beer, Babes, and/or Gold). At anytime, an opponent’s Character can be removed from participating in the turn by bribing them with the appropriate Bribery Resource. Gameplay Screen (Early Prototype) 
Glossary Active Player - The player currently taking their turn. Avatar - The physical representation of the player’s Character. The Avatar occupies one space on the game board. Character - Any Resource or avatar that is played on the board. Game board - The collection of octagonal pieces that all of the Characters move and fight on. Lost Pile - Where all depleted Resources are put. Player - The human that controls their Avatar. Resource - Anything the Player’s Avatar uses to win the game. Resource Pile - The collection of Resources that an avatar can potentially pull from. Think of this as a deck of cards. Resource Point - Used to pay the RP Cost of Resources. Resource Point Pool - The number of currently available Resource Points that an Avatar can use. Resource Pool - The collection of Resources that an Avatar currently has at their disposal. Think of this as the cards in your hand. Terrain - Each space on the game board is covered by mountains, water, etc. These different environments provide bonuses and penalties to some Characters. Token - How each Resource is physically represented as a real-world object so that it may be conceptually manipulated.
Constructing a Resource Pile Resource Piles are exactly 60 Resources. Multiple copies of a Resource may be used. Gameplay Starting the game -A player is randomly chosen to go first -If playing a match, the loser of the previous game goes first -Each player starts with 7 Resources in their Resource Pool The Turn Each turn consists of the following phases: -Refresh -Main --Deploy --Combat ---Declare an Attack ---Declare Attacker(s) ---Declare Target(s) ---Assign Damage --Move -Cleanup The Refresh Phase refreshes the character’s Resource Point Pool. Any unused RPs from the previous turn do not carry over. The Cleanup Phase is where any “End of turn” affects are triggered and the player has the option of drawing more Resources from the Resource Pile. Each Resource drawn costs 1 RP. The Main Phase is broken into three sub phases that can occur in any order any number of times: -Deploy -Combat -Move The Deploy Sub Phase is when any Resource can legally be played. See Combat. See Movement. Players can only deploy, combat, and move on their turn. Deployment How to play a Resource Each Resource has an RP cost associated with it. This is the number of RPs that must be expended from the RP Pool before the Resource can be played. For example, if a Sword has an RP of 1, it requires one Resource Point to be expended before it can be played. Some Resources may also have other prerequisites that must be met before they can be played. An example would be a Resource that included the text “Can only be played by Elves”. This Resource would only be able to be played by an Elf Character. Resources can only be played if all conditions are met. Resource Types -Character --Avatar – Player specific character -Spell -Item -Instant All Resources have the following characteristics: -Name -Type/Subtype -Game Text -RP Cost Characters also have Attack, Defense, and Bribery attributes. Spells also have a Rune Cost. Some Resources are unique. Only one of these Resources may be in play for each player at a time. If one player already has one in play, the new Resource will be played as a ‘Doppleganger’. Examples of various Resources Troll Man Character - Avatar Attack - 10 Defense - 10 Emmatai Character - Ally Attack - 3 Defense - 4 (Can be bribed by gold) Pay 5 life: Emmatai may perform one additional attack this turn. Fireblast Spell - Instant Target Character is dealt LD4 Fire Damage and LD4 Electrical Damage. Combat Declare an Attack The active player announces an attack Declare Attacker(s) The active player chooses attacker(s) Declare Target(s) The active player chooses all targets to be attacked by the attacker(s) declared in the last step. Melee - can only attack characters in adjoining spaces Ranged - can attack up to the maximum range of the attack. Must have a clear line of site Assign Damage Assign damage, duh A Character assigned damage "remembers" damage dealt to it in subsequent turns. So if a 2/2 Character is dealt 1 damage, they will be a 2/1 until further damage is assigned or they are healed. Characters cannot gain more life than their starting defense value. Movement 1 All characters can move a total of one space by default 2 A character cannot move into or through any space that is already occupied 3 Unless otherwise stated, moveable Resources can only be moved to adjacent board locations at the cost of 1 RP. Bribery Many Characters have an icon that represents a particular vice that Character has (Beer, Babes, and/or Gold). At anytime, an opponent’s Character can be removed from participating in the turn by bribing them with the appropriate Bribery Resource. Gameplay Screen (Early Prototype) Glossary Active Player - The player currently taking their turn. Avatar - The physical representation of the player’s Character. The Avatar occupies one space on the game board. Character - Any Resource or avatar that is played on the board. Game board - The collection of octagonal pieces that all of the Characters move and fight on. Lost Pile - Where all depleted Resources are put. Player - The human that controls their Avatar. Resource - Anything the Player’s Avatar uses to win the game. Resource Pile - The collection of Resources that an avatar can potentially pull from. Think of this as a deck of cards. Resource Point - Used to pay the RP Cost of Resources. Resource Point Pool - The number of currently available Resource Points that an Avatar can use. Resource Pool - The collection of Resources that an Avatar currently has at their disposal. Think of this as the cards in your hand. Terrain - Each space on the game board is covered by mountains, water, etc. These different environments provide bonuses and penalties to some Characters. Token - How each Resource is physically represented as a real-world object so that it may be conceptually manipulated.
