Project Warfare

[wonderboy870]

Project Warfare is a multi pronged expansion to Gwent that I believe would expand the player base and put a huge dent in the net decks issue. I will go through the project step by step below. I would love feedback.

1. A new Journey story debuts. This story tells of the empire sending out its vast army to capture and tame monsters. They send envoys with gold and weapons to the ST faction as well. The NR fearing this buildup send envoys to SK and SY to form an alliance to protect against another southern invasion. The Journey story takes place before the start of the war but quickly begins telling tales of the war.

2. A new warfare mode debuts. Players can build warfare exclusive decks that allow a mix of cards from either of three allied factions. NG, ST, and MO mix and match decks or NR, SK, SY mix and match decks. More importantly, the wins and losses are tracked and the players decide the course of the war. Different bonuses including EXP boosts and kegs (representing reinforcements) are given to the winning side every month.

3. Gwent releases a warfare expansion. The cards are multi factional and can play in any of the applicable decks in classic mode just like some of the new SY cards can be played in other factions presently. One example of a new card is a Pirate ship with a trebuchet, or a NG soldier mounting a monster. The cards are themed for the warfare but function in all other modes. Each card also can have a fun fact about the war on the bottom section of the description page.

4. New puzzles come out periodically. Each puzzle relates to the war in some way. Some could be battles, others troop detachments running into obstacles (terrain, weather, etc...) Puzzles offer whatever rewards the devs are willing to give. They tie into the journey story and help keep things fresh.

5. After a year the vampires shake things up by breaking off and leading Tousiant (probably misspelled that,) faction. They take with them some of MO and SY and now you have a three party war. Additionally you could have ST make peace with NR and SY make peace with NG and both switch sides to keep things fresh.

 

[4RM3D]

I'll pre-face by saying that it is an interesting idea. It reminds me of Thronebreaker. However therein lies the problem. Simply put there are two kinds of players or, at least, one at opposite axes. The first group I would like to call roleplayers, those that like the Witcher, the original Gwent and Thronebreaker. Then the other group are the CCG players, those that come from MtG/HS and seeking a fresh challenge. In truth, they don't have to be mutually exclusive, but they do have their preferences.

Now, what you are suggesting won't resonate with either group. The former wants Thronebreaker 2, the latter doesn't care. Which leads to...

Project Warfare is a multi pronged expansion to Gwent that I believe would expand the player base and put a huge dent in the net decks issue.

Honestly, something like that will not expand the player base and definitely won't fix netdecks. Don't get me wrong. I do like the idea and, with some tweaking, it does have potential. It just won't have the impact you're hoping for. Regardless, always keep in mind to which group of players you want to cater.

PS. Thronebreaker 2 will bring back a lot of old players, temporarily, but still and maybe even some new players.

 

[wonderboy870]

I'll pre-face by saying that it is an interesting idea. It reminds me of Thronebreaker. However therein lies the problem. Simply put there are two kinds of players or, at least, one at opposite axes. The first group I would like to call roleplayers, those that like the Witcher, the original Gwent and Thronebreaker. Then the other group are the CCG players, those that come from MtG/HS and seeking a fresh challenge. In truth, they don't have to be mutually exclusive, but they do have their preferences.

Now, what you are suggesting won't resonate with either group. The former wants Thronebreaker 2, the latter doesn't care. Which leads to...



Honestly, something like that will not expand the player base and definitely won't fix netdecks. Don't get me wrong. I do like the idea and, with some tweaking, it does have potential. It just won't have the impact you're hoping for. Regardless, always keep in mind to which group of players you want to cater.

PS. Thronebreaker 2 will bring back a lot of old players, temporarily, but still and maybe even some new players.

I hear what your saying, but here is why you are wrong.

1. Unlike thronebreaker which is an independent purchase and an independent story with RPG mechanics, warfare is a holistic expansion of the already existing game. It brings in elements of faction challenge, puzzles (was a thing for a while,) journey (the new thing in Gwent,) Arena (mix and match decks,) and classic in the deck building. It is original enough to draw in players who left (would have worked on me,) and thanks to mobile is different enough to draw the attention of people who are curious about Gwent and need a push to jump in.

2. The biggest issue with net decks is that players lose interest in playing ranked because the matches repeat. This mode not only keeps things fresh, but introduces an expansion (or multiple expansions,) with multi faction cards. While it is true that some pros will find complicated and optimal combinations, the sandbox is blown wide open and innovation is encouraged. Meanwhile, when people want a break from ranked they have the entertaining seasonal mode and they have the fresh warfare mode.

3. Thronebreaker 2 if it ever happens will only keep new players interested if the Gwent is much improved from when they left after thronebreaker 1. Right now the game is pretty much the same, with worse balance and a few new keywords. My idea opens up crazy deck building possibilities, makes it impossible to ever truly predict your opponents hand, and ties together the best of all things Gwent.

Mobile is like a window, in that it shows people on the outside what they could experience. But people need to see something they like. Something different from most other CCG, something that can occupy them on the bus, during lunch, when the kids are napping. Ranked only gets you so far (especially with net decks,) and seasonal is hit or miss for casual players (many of whom don’t have as many cards as the vets and hardcore players.) This new mode allows substantially more options in deck building from the very beginning. It is the thing that makes people want to walk in the door.

 

[4RM3D]

1. If you can manage to integrate all those aspects, it could become something. However, you still have to think about how players can acquire those new cards because new players do not have many resources and you cannot force them to buy kegs. In Thronebreaker, you naturally got all the cards as you progressed (and found hidden clues and chests).

Furthermore, you still have to keep those two groups (roleplayers and card players) in mind. Some players like to collect cards and play with them, rather than having "temporary" cards in Arena or Puzzle matches. So, if you mix everything up, players are going to dislike certain aspects. Take seasonal, for example, some players hate it, but they can just ignore it because it's a separate mode. Warfare, on the other hand, while being separate, is kinda too big to ignore.

Lastly, you have to look at how the progression is handled. What happens to new players who join later (i.e. too late)? For Journey, they are on the clock and joining too late means they cannot complete the journey, which I really hate. On the opposite side, you have players who rush through Warfare, what is the end game for them?

One last important question, how does the match-up works with so many different "modes" within Warfare? Players need to be matched against each other based on their skill, level and progression. Incidentally, some players just want to chill with a singleplayer mode (e.g. Thronebreaker).

TL;DR: be careful, if you try to please everyone, you'll please no one.

2. Ranked mode needs to be balanced for the competitive scene. Warfare (cards) can't really go crazy here. While most players never reach pro-rank, the competitive scene still carries Gwent. Without it, there is no future. This also means that netdecks will still remain in normal, ranked and even seasonal play.

3. Thronebreaker 2 isn't actually meant to spark interest in Gwent, but it is a bonus. The stand alone purchase should be sufficient in making the game turn a profit.

 

[wonderboy870]

1. If you can manage to integrate all those aspects, it could become something. However, you still have to think about how players can acquire those new cards because new players do not have many resources and you cannot force them to buy kegs. In Thronebreaker, you naturally got all the cards as you progressed (and found hidden clues and chests).

Furthermore, you still have to keep those two groups (roleplayers and card players) in mind. Some players like to collect cards and play with them, rather than having "temporary" cards in Arena or Puzzle matches. So, if you mix everything up, players are going to dislike certain aspects. Take seasonal, for example, some players hate it, but they can just ignore it because it's a separate mode. Warfare, on the other hand, while being separate, is kinda too big to ignore.

Lastly, you have to look at how the progression is handled. What happens to new players who join later (i.e. too late)? For Journey, they are on the clock and joining too late means they cannot complete the journey, which I really hate. On the opposite side, you have players who rush through Warfare, what is the end game for them?

One last important question, how does the match-up works with so many different "modes" within Warfare? Players need to be matched against each other based on their skill, level and progression. Incidentally, some players just want to chill with a singleplayer mode (e.g. Thronebreaker).

TL;DR: be careful, if you try to please everyone, you'll please no one.

2. Ranked mode needs to be balanced for the competitive scene. Warfare (cards) can't really go crazy here. While most players never reach pro-rank, the competitive scene still carries Gwent. Without it, there is no future. This also means that netdecks will still remain in normal, ranked and even seasonal play.

3. Thronebreaker 2 isn't actually meant to spark interest in Gwent, but it is a bonus. The stand alone purchase should be sufficient in making the game turn a profit.

Part of the difficulty in responding is the two minds problem. My mind has specific solutions to your problems. For example, Journey while being a story driven experience would have the gameplay component be weekly rather than monthly or yearly. If ornaments are usedas rewards during some weeks and are missed then they can be available at specific anniversaries of warfare and those who already have them get RP. CDPR on the other hand being the second mind (and the only decision maker,) has to decide what resources they are willing to give away and what strategy they employ to keep the base without giving away the store.

As far as being too big to ignore, I cannot imagine anyone wanting to ignore it. Mix and match decks offer a wonderful amount of freedom and synergy. Players who cannot take full advantage due to lack of resources will grind in classic to be able to build the decks to compete in warfare. If warfare is as popular as I think it would be, you could even have tournaments (real cash buy in and real cash prizes,) with points awarded toward the classic pro competition. It is much harder to get bored with a game that has a ton of variation, and three factions cards being available means a ton of options.

Honestly, I might not be seeing the bigger picture, after all I don’t play other CCGs. But from a player perspective, this is the kind of mode I would need to stay interested long term. Something to shakeup the routine. With enough built in variation to exceed the seasonal experience.

 

[wonderboy870]

Two things to add that I thought of recently.

1. New contracts tied into the warfare system. Some as simple as playing new tags. But some more like achievements, like completed x puzzle in 5 moves or less. Also you could make challenge contracts like won a match without playing a unit (special cards that summon units don’t count against the restrictions.) Contracts that make players try crazy things with specialized decks.

2. You could do specialized warfare events with twitch content providers with added twitch drops. Essentially the goal would be to highlight the unique game mode and get the pros to show off some of the vast possibilities when you combine three factions.