Balrog, the EUO collectible card game
updated Feb 19, 2019
Click here to see the current list of playable cards in Balrog/EUO !
http://euotopia.com/PatchMe/cards.php?set=a
Intro
This is a collectible trading card game (CCG/TCG) minigame that you play inside EUO! You’ll be able to get cards by buying them, trading them,
The rules are loosely based on hearthstone and the feel is meant to be as if MTG made an EUO expansion set. However, as usual, I’ll be writing all the rules and designing however I feel like. Card lovers on discord already know about this project.
If you want to submit card designs, knock yourself out: requirements for cards are
*You need to be a card enthusiast, and know about either hearthstone, mtg or similar!
*Card design should be complete with artwork
*Artwork must be copyright free, public domain, or have permission from author, or paid for, etc. (all artwork used now (more or less) fits this criteria)
*Card mechanics should be simple/interpretable
*Card should have EUO flavour, but there can be exceptions
This is what the cards (more or less) look like as of release (there have been a lot more cards added since):
How to play
* if you ever have missing cards images - run patch.exe
* Just use the normal client, vers 1.3.33+ (no longer need to play on Alpha)
* Games are played in betting ring(s) which are maps inside Nordhaven, accessible via the south west corner (the little shrine tiles).
How to start a game (part 1)
* Find an opponent
* Go to the betting ring entrances in Nordhaven (SW corner)
* Be in same party as opponent
* Enter the north betting ring, which is an instance version (this is why you need to be in same party as opponent!) – this way multiple games can occur simultaneously, in different instances
* If problems with instance use the south betting ring, which is non-instanced
Getting cards
Inside the betting ring talk to the Umpire and say give. He will give you a starter deck. It's really bad.
You can also buy cards at the card merchants. Commons are 1000gp and Rares are 3xtal coins. Cards also drop and can be found in chests, etc.
How to start a game (part 2)
* you need a deck of cards. All of the cards in your inventory comprise your deck. Put any cards you don’t want in your deck into the bank. Deck rules below.
* decide who is going first (/roll?)
* player going first stands on red mat, other player stands on blue mat
* red player talks to Umpire and says reset. (Reset can be performed at any time)
Interface
Once the game has started, note carefully these following interface actions:
1) Your deck is all cards in your inv, and your hand is shown at the bottom of the screen when you are in the betting ring
2) Blessed cards are the cards in your hand (so when you draw a card from your deck that card becomes blessed – this is done thru the Library NPCs, but could change)
3) You play a card (when it is your turn) by RIGHT clicking it (as it is shown on the bottom of the screen)
4) Most on-field actions are done with RIGHT CLICK!
5) to attack, right click your guy and right click a target
6) Active creature or artifact is indicated with a > in front of its name/status
7) to use an artifact, right click it and then right click something else (see directions on screen)
8) To end your turn pull the lever
9) To reset the game talk to Umpire and say reset
10) you can look at creatures/artifacts on the battle field and see the card detail - ie walk up to it and use the l key !
11) you can also type the card name with square brackets around it to see it - eg say [Fast Rat]
Rules
* it is turn based, and is played inside EUO, in the betting ring.
* each player has a deck of cards, which simply means having cards in their inventory
* each player starts with a random hand of 3 cards, no max hand size
* to play a card, it must be your turn, and you must have enough mana to play it
* You start with 1 mana on turn 1, 2 mana on turn 2, and then +1 mana on every other turn (ie your mana pool goes up by 1 on turns 2,4,6,8 etc)
* each player has a heart(h)stone – with 20hp. The goal is to kill the opponent’s hearthstone
* at the beginning of each players turn, they draw a card and have their mana replenished
* to play a card requires paying some mana, and different cards have different mana costs
* if you play a creature card then that creature is summoned on your side of the battlefield
* if you play a sorcery card, then whatever is written on that card is actioned - eg, do 2 dmg to creature
* artifact cards are like items: they stay on the battlefield and can be used and sometimes reused
* artifact cards on the battlefield can generally only be used once per turn
* traps are just sorceries that don't take effect until a specified event occurs. Only the caster of the trap knows what the trap is until it activates
* a player can instruct their creatures to attack the other player's creatures or the other player directly - each creature can only attack once per turn
* each creature has a damage value and hp (represented by as/hp numbers bottom right of card)
* creatures & artifacts that have a <Z> next to their name have had their turn
* after a player has attacked with all their creatures and used all their mana playing cards, their turn is over. End your turn by pulling the lever.
* game ends when hearthstone has 0 hp!
Combat:
Each creature has a damage value and hp value. Eg a cow might do 1 dmg and have 1 hp, as indicated by 1/1 on the card, while an orc might do 2 dmg and have 2 hp. In a fight between cow and orc, orc does 2 dmg to cow killing it. Cow does 1 dmg to orc reducing its hp to 1 permanently (unless healed somehow!)
Creature features/abilities:
Haste: When a creature is summoned it usually can’t do anything (eg attack) the turn it was summoned as indicated by <Z>. A creature with haste does not have this drawback and can be used immediately
First strike: During combat creatures do damage to each other. An attacking creature with first strike does its damage first and if the other creature dies, that other creature does not get a chance to do its damage, and the attacking creature comes away unscathed. First strike is only used by an attacking creature; a defender with first strike does not utilise it.
Vampiric: Any damage dealt by this creature will be applied as HP to your hearthstone. Hearthstone can go over its starting HP!
Flying: Normally a creature must attack other creatures before attacking the hearthstone. A flying creature can attack the hearthstone if none of the opponent creatures have flying!
Taunt: A creature with taunt must be attacked before other creatures without taunt.
Trample: An attacker with trample that kills its opponent applies the excess damage to the hearthstone. Eg a creature with dmg 6 attacks a creature with hp 1. assuming the target died, 5 damage will apply to the hearthstone.
Vigilance: A creature with vigilance becomes awake at the start of every turn.
Stealth: A creature with stealth is not obliged to attach non sleeping opponent's creatures (except those with taunt, it still must attack taunters).
Backstab: A creature with backstab does 2x dmg when attacking (but not defending).
Regeneration: A creature with regeneration regains 1hp at the beginning of each player's turn.
Custom abilities: some cards have custom abilities, such as ‘ETB (when enters the battlefield)’ or 'when dies'.
Deck building/requirements
There are 2 deck constraints:
i) Must have exactly 30 cards in your deck (ie your inventory)
ii) Must have no more than 3 copies of each card
A good place to store unwanted cards is in the bank, of course.
How the deck / hand / library works
As stated, the mechanics of the deck/hand/library work as such
* Your deck is the cards in your inv when you start/reset the game
* Copies of all these cards are placed randomly into the library NPC
* When you draw a card comes from the top of your library npc’s inventory, is blessed, and replaces the nonblessed version in your inv
* Theoretically, you cannot lose cards if server crashes, etc, because you never not have the cards in your inv. This also opens up possibility of duping cards
* You can’t drop cards in betting ring, thus can’t dupe
* You can’t leave the ring: if you do, you are disq and the game ends.
Design caveats/notes
* I reserve the right to errata cards or ban them or make strictly better versions at any time
* Art is more or less final
* This is 90% server side scripted in LUA and I’m probably going to post the source, so people can dissect it, figure out how to break it, help add stuff, etc
* If anyone wants to contrib complete card designs or artwork see top of post
* I am considering lanes/board position as an alternative game style, but low priority. no reason why can't have multiple formats!
* I am considering different mana colours, like MTG, but def hard work
* I am also considering deck building theme constraints, like Hearthstone uses classes, but again, more work and not req atm
I also like how creature cards have reflection in actual monsters in game. Will definitely look at it this evening.
