Bloodline disciplines, outferior alternative, card text formatting (long post)

**TL:DR** This is about making cards that are more accessible to mixed crypts with bloodlines, which also leads to a discussion of card text formatting. **END TL:DR**

**DISCLAIMER** These suggestions are not necessarily intended for general cards. Certainly this concept can be applied to storyline events, where we can include specialty cards that do not become part of a regular set. **END DISCLAIMER**

This is an investigation into an alternative to including "outferior" disciplines on bloodline discipline cards. It is not intended to replace, but as an addition. The goal is to have more cards that make it easier to have mixed crypts.

Two major themes presented themselves:
1) Getting more options on cards means more text. That means it's better to stick to simpler concepts and change the formatting of text on discipline cards to accomodate.

2) When including card varients, consider that when it comes to the "double-jeopardy" rule of not repeating actions or playing the same modifier or reaction, the varients are considered the same card as the original.


The place to start is that it might be prudent to simply add a bloodline discipline to an existing card as an "outferior" effect:

Aid from Spiritual Bats

Maneuver, with an optional Strike: 1R damage.
Strike: 1R damage, with an optional maneuver.
As above, with an optional press.

Adonai's Rapid Healing
+1 stealth action.
Rescue a vampire from torpor.
Only usable by a vampire in torpor. The acting vampire leaves torpor. If the vampire is blocked, there is no combat. If the blocking minion is a vampire who can commit diablerie, that vampire may diablerize the acting vampire.
As above, and the acting vampire gains 1 blood from the blood bank.

Mythic Shadow Play

1
+1 stealth. This card costs 1 less blood to play.
+1 stealth.
+2 stealth.


Modifications can be in-line text. This is to make cards that are playable by other vampires, but the bloodline gets a little bonus out of it:

Nergal's Enchant Kindred

Bleed with +1 bleed. an additional +1 bleed.
+1 stealth action. Move 2 blood from the blood bank to a younger vampire ( any infernal vampire) in your uncontrolled region.

Spirit of the Scorpion Sting

Strike: hand strike at +1 damage. and prevent 1 ( 2) damage.
As above, and this strike cannot be dodged.


You could also rewrite old cards in a new way. When the superior has the same effect, but numerically different its easy to place the change in line. This makes it possible to include basic and advanced versions of two disciplines on one card with less text than current formatting:

Adonai's Torn Signpost

Only usable before range is determined.
This vampire has a strength of 2 ( 3) for the remainder of combat.
Put this card on this vampire until the end of combat. This represents a melee weapon that deals stength +1 ( +2) damage.

Grotesque Theft of Vitae

Strike: ranged. Steal 1 ( 2) blood.
Strike: 2R ( 3R) damage.


Pre text changes:

Harmoneous Bewitching Oration

Only usable during a referendum. Usable by a vampire with Melpominee other than the acting minion.
The acting vampire gains 2 votes.
The acting vampire gains 4 votes.

Saulot's Restoration
+1 stealth action.
A vampire with Obeah can target another vampire instead.
The acting vampire gains 2 ( 3) blood.


You might offer alternative disciplines for the same effect:

True Pursuit

/ Maneuver.
/ Additional strike.
(intentionally second effect use basic Temporis)

Changeling's Bonding

You cannot play another action modifier to increase this bleed amount. (Only usable during a bleed action.)
/ +1 bleed.
/ +1 stealth and bleed.


You might apply the same effect to multiple cards:

Recursive Horseshoes

Inflict 1 ( 2) unpreventable damage on a ready minion. This minion with Temporis may burn a blood to shuffle this into the card owner's library.

Recursive Majesty

1
Strike: combat ends. and this vampire untaps. This minion with Temporis may burn a blood to shuffle this into the card owner's library.


You could also have different versions of the same card:

Govern the Mythic Unaligned

1
Bleed at +2 bleed.
+1 stealth action. Move 3 blood from the bank to a younger vampire in your uncontrolled region. If this acting minion has Mytherceria the target vampire need not be younger.

Govern the Temporal Unaligned

1
Bleed at +2 bleed.
+1 stealth action. Move 3 blood from the bank to a younger vampire in your uncontrolled region. If this acting minion has Temporis and the target vampire reaches capacity it enters the ready region immediately.

Govern the Fraternal Unaligned
1
Bleed at +2 bleed.
+1 stealth action. Move 3 blood from the bank to a younger vampire in your uncontrolled region. If this acting minion has Sanguinus you may distribute the three blood to any uncontrolled Blood Brothers of the same circle instead.


You can also go in the other direction: make classic bloodlines cards more accessible.

Swiftness of the Great Stag
Press.
/ Maneuver or press.
/ +1 stealth.

Great Falcon's Eye

This vampire burns 1 blood to get +1 intercept.
/ +1 intercept.
/ This reacting vampire attempts to block the current action, ignoring the normal prey, predator or target restrictions for blocking actions.

Mighty Earth Swords

/ Strike: 1R damage.
/ Strike 2R damage.
Strike: 3R damage. A vampire with Potence deals an additional damage with this strike.

Bloody Putrefaction
Strike: combat ends.
/ Strike: 1 damage. Put this card on the opposing minion. The minion with this card has -1 stealth. He or she may choose not to untap as normal and burn this card during his or her untap phase. A minion may have only one Putrefaction.
/ As above, and this minion takes 1 unpreventable damage when he or she strikes in combat or takes an action. The minion with this card may choose not to strike during the Choose Strike step of combat.
(why anyone would mix a crypt with Tanatosis and Quietus, I don't know, but the effect seems like something Quietus might do. The effects might even work for Vicissitude. Necromancy might be the a better choice however.)


Conclusion:
In all cases, I made it that such card variants function just as their original counterpart if used by a vampire with the regular disciplines.

The current model of having "outferior" disciplines forces players to consider which vampires they include in a deck with a bloodline. The changes I suggest flip that around, so that a player can consider including a few bloodlines into a deck with traditional clans and not have their bloodline discipline ignored.

In some examples cards became more powerful because of the bloodline discipline, others had optional similar effects, and others had the same effect with different disciplines.

In the very least, the storyline designers can use these ideas for limited events. Since they are recycling old cards, you don't have to come up with new art (well maybe legally you do, that's a different discussion.)

At the very best, if this becomes a design consideration for the regular sets, it could be used to generate a large amount of content for bloodlines faster than it would be to generate completely new cards.

So in a nutshell:

Inline superior format
example format: : Strike: 1 ( 2) damage

I like this format, it's quite elegant, however it only works for simple cards. With more card text you really need to separate inferior and superior texts. Since this would lead to 2 different formats for the same thing, it would just be confusing.

Inline modifier
example format: : Strike: 1 damage (+1 damage if this minion has )

I see no reason not to do this, in fact, this format is kinda in use already (Mental Maze) except instead of a discipline, it modifies for a clan.

OR Format
example format: or : Strike: 1 damage.

I like this format, except simply use text "or" for absolute clarity.


One could also consider the following: "More than one discipline may be used" as seen in the latest anarch set, for outferior cards.

quick knock-up to see what this would look like on cards using the formatting program I have:





as you can see, It does tend to add a lot of text to the cards.

@self biased:
In the example "Grotesque Theft of Vitae" you should change something so that the (THA 2) is not broken up on separate lines. You could increase the font size, insert a line break, or change it to "steal 1 blood ( 2 blood)." or something similar.

On a graphical card, it is clear that using "or" is more legible than using " / "

I like the idea, but not certain on execution.

From a layout standpoint, simple is better. If what you're suggesting fit in a "draft text" box, it would be clear and clean.
(Side note, I've always said they should print Malk Content or the Dianysion as an 11 cap that can play cards' draft text...)
But draft text is clean.
I 100% agree to add support stuff to cards are already cut into bloodline or weak clan decks.

I don't see a need for new names, and think it should be an outferior. Or a draft text box with a clan symbol and an effect.
I also think that different printing should have different add on, but that may be too much.
But I love the basis, but it needs to be cleaner.