An option for Print on Demand

I offer this suggestion:

In a traditionally printed card game we are limited to a linear progression of card development. In a game such as V:tES, card sets are not retired. When designing new cards, we must take into account every card that has preceded it.

Unfortunately, this is additively more difficult with each set.

Print-on-demand offers an opportunity for parallel development. Each player who constructs a deck is limited to a pool of cards. Right now, that pool of cards, are cards that are currently in print.

We already have deckbuilding rules for crypt cards (the grouping system.) Why not allow for different crypt deckbuilding rules?

We can leave the current set of library cards "as is." That is, there are no changes to deckbuilding if you are using only previously printed cards.

With each new set, we could create a set of new cards combined with cards selected from previous sets to consist of a library "group." Already we see many basic cards printed across multiple sets.

If VEKN continues in the tradition of designing 30 cards per set, we could set up a system where we have 30 new cards for each Camarilla, Sabbat and Independent and/or Bloodlines and/or Laibon and/or Imbued. (whatever works out mathematically.) Every grouping of sets could have a unified theme, with a selection of "base set" cards to go along with them.

This would affect the design process insomuch as the designers would be able to:
A) take fewer cards into account when designing new cards
B) there would be additional time spent deciding on which cards to include from previous sets with a new set

How it would affect players:
A) It would be a deckbuilding barrier for sure. Players with an extensive collection would have difficulty building a library of cards "legal" when mixing previously printed cards with Print-on-Demand cards.
B) It would encourage players to buy reprints of cards Print-on-Demand cards with the same "grouping" symbol.

There are many possibilities. I want to know what else is possible. What is feasible?

direwolf wrote:

There are many possibilities. I want to know what else is possible. What is feasible?

Print-on-demand relies on not relaying out material every time you print it.
Changing set symbols or border colors adds a lot of time, which takes away from the printer's potential profit. Print-on-demand isn't going to be generating tons of extra cash, so it is unlikely to be embraced by team that is currently printing the White Wolf books. (My impression from speaking to him at Camarilla conventions)

I don't currently believe that the playable list of cards is so huge that play-testing new sets is overwhelming so long as enough play groups are involved and motivated.

direwolf, I just can't see any reason to do this. Maybe it's possible ; it's also possible to change every card name so that VtES became a game about shepherd instead of vampires. Both seem equaly useful from what you say.

Adonai wrote:

I don't currently believe that the playable list of cards is so huge that play-testing new sets is overwhelming so long as enough play groups are involved and motivated.

That's fair. I would say the main demand on playtesters this time has been the degree of testign required i.e. tes

To be brutally honest, I think that while the playtesting process has taken a fair amount of time, I suspect that a little structural change to the playtesting and the announcement of sets.

As a playtester, we've been very deliberate in trying to find the 'breaking points' of the cards. That's taken a lot of time. Plus, as someone organising a group... it can unfortunately drop off people's radars in favour of keeping playgroups running smoothly and growing.