The video titled "The Advantages and Disadvantages of the TCG Genre - Featuring Legacy's Allure" is published by tcgAcademia. It delves into the complexities of the trading card game (TCG) genre, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the model. The video uses Legacy's Allure, a card game that recently wrapped up its Kickstarter, as a case study to illustrate these points.
The creator begins by defining a TCG, which is a game that offers semi-random access to cards primarily distributed through booster packs. Each booster pack contains an assortment of cards from a specific expansion at varying rarities. This distribution model leads to players having different card pools to build their decks, which eventually encourages trading among players. The first game to build around this model was Magic: The Gathering, and many games have since followed suit.
However, the creator points out that there are significant disadvantages to the TCG model. One of the main drawbacks is the conflict of interest between the consumer and the publisher. Consumers generally want to create a competitively viable deck and maintain it with minimal upkeep and occasional upgrades, while publishers prefer constant upgrades. To manage this disconnect, TCGs often resort to format rotation or power creep. Both methods ensure constant player buy-in, but they also make the game significantly expensive for players.
Another challenge with the TCG model is the need for a certain minimum size for each set to preserve the ratio of common to rare cards. This requirement leads to high upfront costs for the publisher, which in turn necessitates a high volume of sales to sustain the game. Consequently, most TCGs release four to six main line expansions per year to maintain player interest and investment.
The video also discusses the difficulty of balancing TCGs due to the regular release schedule, massive pre-existing card pool, and extensive deck customization options. The pressure to create high rarity cards that feel rare further complicates the balancing act. Despite these challenges, the creator acknowledges that moving away from TCG distribution can offer better balance and less cost to both the publisher and the player.
Using Legacy's Allure as an example, the creator demonstrates how a game can benefit from a non-random distribution of cards. This model reduces the amount of money players need to invest and allows more design freedom for the game. The creator also mentions that this model could allow for the release of fewer new cards or a more relaxed schedule.
Despite its disadvantages, the TCG model has several advantages. The depth of different card designs and the regular release schedule offer players a vast range of strategies and individual cards to choose from. This variety allows expressive players to demonstrate their personality through their card choices and competitive players to optimize their deck's power and performance.
Another advantage of TCGs is the sense of ownership players feel towards their decks and collections. This emotional connection is crucial for building player investment in the game. Moreover, the financial investment required by TCGs encourages game stores to provide ongoing support for the game, such as play space and dedicated game nights.
Finally, the creator points out that the TCG model forces designers to continually create new archetypes and strategies, leading to the exploration of previously unconsidered design space. This exploration can result in better refinement of the initial game concept.
In conclusion, the creator encourages game designers to carefully consider their gameplay goals and whether the TCG model is the best way to achieve them. While TCGs offer a lot of freedom, they also have limitations, and sometimes it might be easier to realize game design goals outside of a TCG framework.
