Archetypes in card game design
If done right, archetypes can make a card game really fun, but if done wrong, the card game just doesn't feel right to play. Here is an update on how archetypes will play a role in the Bazaar, even though it is a deckbuilding game.
I’ve been brainstorming more for the chef or merchant class toward their own mechanics and archetypes, where merchant could have bribery or heroism, deciding whether to hire mercenaries or heroes to do their bidding for justice, or blackmailing/bribing thugs, bounty hunters and monsters to do their bidding as servants. With that mechanics could be toward stealing the opponents cards off the board, protecting it forcing them to wait further turns to buy it making them decide to cycle it through the shop, or is it worth waiting an extra turn or 2 to buy a card for their deck, as well as putting a tax on in where they pay extra, but 1 or 2 gold gets added to the opponents deck if they buy it. There’s also the decision toward which play style you prefer (per player) to include certain limiting factors toward the neutral zone (Jungle monsters) can’t entirely remember what it’s called but it can place barricades or add the option to get a hunting license (allowing the enemy to poach the jungle monster for their cards) and rectify their decision through is it worth paying extra, waiting an extra turn, or should I just play a different style this game.
As for the chef, clearly there’s different styles that are obvious (Dessert, drinks, Food, Special Meals) but delving deeper into the thought of it, you can go for these bigger eloquent idea’s (like a $5 hamburger from local burger joint compared a gourmet meal from a 5-star restaurant) where the chef can sacrifice early ingredients or gold to buy or sell out for stronger or immediate affects toward either board state, or health total (friendly or enemy) or even through slaughtering jungle monsters to cook, sell, or stall toward a bigger objective for their win condition. There’s so much more going through my head that I can’t quite get down into words, and with a bigger problem of making everything “balanced” enough to be able to play against any other archetype or play style without just destroying or losing instantly because of the way that the deck plays out
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