TCG RPGs & A System to Bind Them...Anyone have one?

[JBPuffin]

Before continuing, read the Yu-Gi-Oh folder. You read it? Good. Now, here's what I'm thinking.

The last time I built a mini-system to do something similar, the PCs didn't have specific cards, just a deck archetype and two skills for dueling, one for following the rules as written, and one for...well, pulling a Yugi and saying "Screw the rules, I'm the Pharaoh". I did this in an older version of Fate, and Deck Type was basically an Aspect you could buy more check boxes and use more times as the game progressed.

I want to rebuild this type of game, but this time I'm wondering if instead of Yu-Gi-Oh, I could just make a poorly-defined simulationist trading card game that's basically written-down Calvinball. Even better, to have the players duel things out with index card copies of their decks.

So, to recap: I want a ruleset, or some help tinkering with Fate Core, that will let me play an inconsistent trading card game where the card's stats are thrown out the window in favor of both Rule of Cool and External Consistency. What's out there besides FATE that could have this be a main feature, and still simulate the characters themselves doing stuff?

[Grod_The_Giant]

For Fate, I'd try to come up with a list of "attributes" for your deck, represented as skills. Things like Power, Defense, Trickery, Recovery, stuff like that. (Hell, maybe just grab the approaches from Fate Accelerated Edition). When you make a BS move that relies on a powerful monster, attack with Power. When you set up some convoluted combo, Create and Advantage using Trickery. Stuff like that. You could then attach a few Aspects to each deck, say a High Concept ("all-out Dragon offensive") and a Trouble ("slow to set up"), to help the decks feel distinct.

I'd also consider having your Deck as a separate skill ladder from your normal one, especially if you wanted a lot of non-dueling action.

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A Calvinball-style TCG mechanic would be a lot harder to model with actual cards. You'd need to start with a full set of normal cards, then mix in "rules" cards that change how the game is played.

[JBPuffin]

There's solution nubmer one; off to build. Thanks Grod!

My main line for a "Calvinball card game" was from the original text of Maiki, the Magical Mist. A card game where there were some basic rules - Creatures, Spells, Equipment, maybe power levels or some such - but the special abilities are non-mechanical and were resolved with what amounts to debate, with more talent at arguing made you a better player AS WELL as some cards just being blatantly better (the pinnacle being 5 cards, one of each "effect type" [magic, blessings, martial arts, genetics and mind powers] being literal wild cards). Synergy between your cards, however, is by far more important (Computer-Managed Robot + Ghost in the Machine =...); original thought was characters get a certain amount of cards and would define "relationships" between them, but that's kind of weirdly subjective, even for this kind of thing.

[Grod_The_Giant]

There's solution nubmer one; off to build. Thanks Grod!

No problem. Post it on the homebrew forum when you're done; I'd love to see how it turns out.

My main line for a "Calvinball card game" was from the original text of Maiki, the Magical Mist. A card game where there were some basic rules - Creatures, Spells, Equipment, maybe power levels or some such - but the special abilities are non-mechanical and were resolved with what amounts to debate, with more talent at arguing made you a better player AS WELL as some cards just being blatantly better (the pinnacle being 5 cards, one of each "effect type" [magic, blessings, martial arts, genetics and mind powers] being literal wild cards). Synergy between your cards, however, is by far more important (Computer-Managed Robot + Ghost in the Machine =...); original thought was characters get a certain amount of cards and would define "relationships" between them, but that's kind of weirdly subjective, even for this kind of thing.

Ehh, I don't think games that resolve by debate are a good idea. Especially something as competitive as a card game.