Proposal: Advanced Library Cards for New Set

Non-existant user wrote:

7) And, as an icing on the cake, there would be ZERO copyright problems, because you're not actually recreating anything that is copyrighted.

That is obviously wrong. If it was true, then CCG publishers for other games would never have had to come up with a whole thesaurus of synonyms for the word "tap". After all, they were not trying to print fake MtG cards, ere they? The copyright issues remain exactly the same, except that you have nothing to sell so it is easier to stay under the radar.

half of this forum doesn't understand copyrights at all.

the tapping mechanic is covered by a patent. you can't copyright a word or concept.

It is already difficult in VTES to see what is going on on the other side of the table. With cards that LOOK the same but do something entirely different ... Could be annoying.

Not much different than it is now - "sorry what does that card do exactly again" is already a much heard phrase even with the most experienced players. Also, you'd just play the cards like they are now "I Govern virtual that vampire for 2 damage". In Star Wars this is really no issue and the "problem" you describe there is there as well.

I can picture the glue over text box. But how do you address card title and disciplines, blood cost and requirements?

You don't, really. The thing is, if you want to create a celerity combat card that costs a blood, then just make it the virtual card of an existing celerity card that requires a blood. That's how it's done in Star Wars with the Force costs as well. of course you'll run out of cards eventually, but they haven't yet in Star Wars and VTES has a lote more cards to work with. For characters they just use a slightly bigger slip of paper that denotes strength and health if it differs from the original card.

I see the problem with crypt cards, but just handle those like advanced vampires are handled.

Availability. No matter which card we chose it will be unfair for someone. Either because he threw away his twisting the knives or a multitude of other reasons. A brand new PDF set is really great in terms of availability.

For some people the retention of card rarity and availability is an important aspect of the hobby. I'd be the first to say that VTES has always been closer to a CG than a CCG, but in the end it's still a trading card game and losing the trading aspect may in the long run have its cost.

With PDFs, the original cards could (and likely will) -given time- be close to worthless because of replacing existing cards and power creep. I understand the current 35 cards are there to fill a hole but how many holes are there to plug? There was already a lot of power creep in both crypt and library cards in KoT and HttB and making anything new will have to be at least as good to be used. Or fill a super obscure niche, but again - how many niches are there to fill.

It does have the same sleeving issues as the PDF set. Not that I care but it has been an argument.

Of course. And thus moot.

It is a very technical solution. Some people would find it irritating when there are two RPG related effects, one of them being true to the source material but weak but the other strong and completely irrelevant regarding source material.

It's technical, sure. But it circumvents copyrights and keeps the game a trading card game. If those are your goals, which I believe should be the case it's the most elegant solution I've seen yet.

Here's a downloads page of the Star Wars Player's commitee, the master pdf file is huge, though.
Technically, in SW several different types of v-cards exist:
1) minor change: only the textbox is changed.
2) medium change: textbox and some (or all) of the attributes (i.e. power, cost, defensive nuber...) are changed
3) major change: the original card becomes only the artwork of a completely new card, i.e. interrupt becomes a character, in V:tes this would mean transforming e.g. Surprise influence into an action card.
4) new card: in some instances, completely new cards were created - e.g. Galen Marek of the Expanded SW universe has a new card. But this is the last resort.

Thanks Johannes, this attention is more than I'd hoped for. Yet I am realistic.