IP-Based Card Game Systems Design
Role: Systems Design / CCG Mechanics / PvE Encounter Design
Focus: Reactive play permissions, class identity mapping, and encounter progression systems
Role: Studio-style systems design case study
OVERVIEW
This project explores structured, expressive systems in collectible card game design, with an emphasis on gameplay clarity and player identity. It reimagines the Hearthstone framework through a DC Universe lens, incorporating mechanics inspired by other established card game systems.
REACTIVE PLAY PERMISSIONS DESIGN
This system introduces reactive play permissions in collectible card game design, enabling out-of-turn responses through resource-gated actions. It extends a Hearthstone-style framework by introducing explicit reactive permissions, replacing implicit timing with defined response structures. This creates strategic tension around resource commitment, where players must balance board development against holding resources for reactive counterplay.
Turn flow highlighting decision points where reactive windows can be triggered.
Response flow outlining options when reactive windows become available.
CLASS MAPPING
Class assignments are based on how each character’s abilities translate into gameplay systems. This ensures each character’s narrative identity is expressed through a distinct mechanical role within the set.
Death Knight: Mongul
Demon Hunter: Reverse Flash (Eobard Thawne)
Druid: Poison Ivy
Hunter: Zod
Mage: Zatanna
Paladin: Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
Priest: Martian Manhunter
Rogue: Batman
Shaman: Vixen
Warlock: John Constantine
Warrior: Bane
CARD SET
Zatanna’s Mage set emphasizes spell sequencing, Golem generation, and controlled resource recursion. Through interactions between Golems, spell scaling, and resource loops, the set supports both proactive board development and reactive control strategies, reinforcing a flexible spell-control identity rooted in long-term sequencing.
Core
Support
Support cards reinforce spell access, board stability, and resource generation, enabling Zatanna’s recursive payoff systems through both consistency and battlefield presence.
Resource & Consistency
Board & Tempo
Payoff
Key System Synergies
• Golem generation supports recursive spell loops through sacrifice-based resource conversion
• Historical Golem destruction tracking converts long-term setup into explosive payoff turns
• Reactive spell acquisition expands sequencing flexibility while reinforcing control identity
Vixen: Beast Resurrection Control
Vixen’s Shaman package emphasizes Beast resurrection, swarm reinforcement, and death-trigger scaling, expanding the project’s class identity framework beyond Mage while preserving systemic cohesion.
PvE ADVENTURE PROGRESSION
This PvE adventure uses DC’s magical characters and antagonists to structure a progression of increasingly complex encounters centered on class identity, reactive systems, and escalating strategic demands.
Adventure Structure
• Encounter 1: Introductory battle focused on foundational mechanics, controlled trades, and light board development
• Encounter 2: Increased board pressure through disruptive reactive effects, emphasizing sequencing adaptation and resource constraints
• Encounter 3: Multi-phase encounter featuring corrupted heroes, shifting from defensive control to offensive pressure through escalating strategic demands
• Final Boss: Klarion and Teekl’s dual-state encounter, centered on evolving immunity conditions, conditional vulnerabilities, and adaptive damage routing
Klarion serves as the final encounter due to his mechanical distinctiveness, recognizable thematic role, and suitability for a climactic multi-state boss design.
Klarion & Teekl Boss Encounter Design
The final boss encounter introduces a dual-state system in which Teekl’s presence dynamically alters Klarion’s defensive properties and vulnerability thresholds. Players must identify Teekl’s behavioral cycle, manage pacing, and strategically choose between multiple pressure routes to maximize damage efficiency.
State-based boss system where Klarion’s defenses and vulnerability windows shift based on Teekl’s presence.
Teekl Attack! functions as a disruptive pressure tool within Klarion’s dual-state encounter, forcing players to continuously adapt their strategy rather than overcommitting to a single damage route. The card destabilizes player pacing, reinforces state volatility, and prevents static optimization of encounter patterns.
CONSTRAINTS & TRADEOFFS
Reactive play permissions vs resource commitment
Allowing players to act during an opponent’s turn introduces dynamic counterplay, but is constrained by limited Mana availability. This creates tension between committing resources to develop board state or conserving them for reactive responses, reinforcing strategic pacing and opportunity cost in turn planning.
Determinism vs swing outcomes
The set balances high-variance effects with controlled conditional scaling. Golem Wave introduces unpredictable outcomes where Overkill depends on excess damage from a random target, though this can be influenced through board setup. In contrast, tracking-based effects provide more stable value over time. This creates tension between immediate uncertainty and cumulative payoff, reinforcing timing, pacing, and strategic planning.
Immediate comprehension vs systemic depth
Zatanna’s Mage set distributes power across interacting deck-level systems, where value emerges through sequencing rather than single-card evaluation. This increases strategic depth while shifting understanding toward system familiarity over immediate comprehension.