|
|
|
Miscellaneous Questions |
|
| Q: |
I'm a big Marvel fan. How are you working to make sure that my favorite character, Quicksilver, is accurately represented in your game? |
|
| A: |
There are many approaches to designing an individual character. Sometimes there's a mechanic we really want to add to the game, so we try to
find a character where that mechanic would make sense. Sometimes we start with the character itself and try to figure out how he/she/it should fit into the game engine. Because
these are pre-existing characters with powers and abilities that comic fans know pretty well, we often start with the flavor of the character and then filter it through the strengths
and weaknesses of whatever team affiliation that character has.
Let's look at Quicksilver as an example. Quicksilver is a pretty one-dimensional character, power-wise--he's all about speed. The question becomes, "How do you represent speed in the
game engine?" Several possibilities come to mind, focusing on different aspects of super-speed, such as avoiding attacks or retreating from combat, coming into play faster (for fewer points),
attacking multiple characters or players at once, and so on. In the end, we decided to represent his super-speed by allowing the player controlling him to pay a cost to ready him. This
allows Quicksilver to attack a second time, which fits right in with the aggressive nature of the Brotherhood team. Of course, clever players will think of other uses for a character
that can ready twice a turn . . .
It's very difficult to capture all the cool powers that some characters have on one small text box. The good news is that the game engine supports multiple versions of characters, so
we can have one Wolverine that focuses on his accelerated healing factor, one that focuses on his combat skill, and one that focuses on his berserker rage. And as for Quicksilver, let's just
say that we like him a lot around here, too--so much so that we decided to do a second version of him that represents his ability to catch opponents off guard. |
|
| Q: |
Will the UDE Professional Trading Card Game (PTCG) Tournament Circuit come to Canada? |
|
| A: |
In 2004, the PTCG Circuit will have two stops, both in the United States. Most of the details on the 2005 circuit are still up in the air. |
|
| Q: |
When will we have access to the basic rules? Will the rulebook be posted online, or will we be forced to buy a starter? Is there anything special in the
starters that isn't in the regular packs, aside from the playmat and rulebook? |
|
| A: |
We will be posting the rulebook online before the game releases. There will also be a flash tutorial and about a month of card previews. The starter
comes with two 40-card decks made up of cards from the Origins set. However, two of the cards in the starter are a foil rare Wolverine and a foil rare Magneto, which
are pretty cool. You won't have to buy a starter, but you'll probably want to. |
|
| Q: |
When can we expect a card list? When the sets come out? And has the set been finalized now, or is there still tweaking to be done? |
|
| A: |
We'll be doing card previews leading up to the release, but we don't want to give away all the secrets. Besides, it's fun to read speculation on the
forums. The Origins set is finalized. We're currently working on the next couple of expansions. |
|
| Q: |
Will there be Inquest/Wizard/Scrye mailaways or exclusive insert cards? If so, when, and any hint on what they'll be? |
|
| A: |
There will be oversized, exclusive insert cards in the gaming magazines. They will most likely be in the April issues, which come out in March. |
|
| Q: |
Are there any plans to include alternate universe characters in Origins or subsequent sets? Will we see Golden Age heroes? Will you include
the original Cap, Sub-Mariner, Human Torch and Toro, and so on? |
|
| A: |
One of the great things about working on the Marvel TCG is the vast library of cool characters we have to choose from to put into the
sets. If they're part of the Marvel Universe, they're fair game. |
|
| Q: |
At events, are there going to be special games where the players only use unopened packs as their decks, and the games will be based on
skill and luck of the draw? |
|
| A: |
One of the coolest things you can do with the Marvel TCG is play Sealed Pack or Draft. Instead of cracking packs just to see what you get,
why not play a whole game with your unopened packs first? For those of you that have never heard of these formats, here's a quick summary:
In Sealed Pack, you and your friends each buy four booster packs. Each player cracks open his or her own packs and, from the 56 total cards, builds a deck of at least 30 cards.
Then you play a normal game of Marvel, or usually a two out of three - game match. The only difference is that you start with 30 cards instead of the usual 60 cards
in a Constructed format.
Draft is another fun format. It usually works best with an even number of players. Each player buys three boosters and sits around a table in a circle. Each player simultaneously
opens one of his or her packs and looks at the contents. Each player chooses one card from the pack and puts it face down in front of him or her, and then passes the remainder
of the pack to the player on his or her left. Each player selects a new card from the second pack, then passes the remainder of that pack to the left. Players continue
selecting (drafting) the cards and passing the packs to the left. When the first pack is finished, players open their second boosters and repeat the process, this time
passing to the right. Then for the third pack, they do it again, passing to the left once more. When the draft is finished, each player will have selected 42 cards total. Then
they'll build 30-card decks to play with.
UDE will support official tournaments in Constructed, Sealed Pack, and Draft formats. |
|
| Q: |
Will the game expand into different timelines? Will we encounter "dead" characters, from Bucky to Colossus and Magik to Red Skull (the non-clone), and so on? |
|
| A: |
The Marvel TCG exists "out of time." While we respect the Universe's 50+ years of continuity, we don't want to limit the available characters to
the current continuity. So yeah, you can expect to see characters that may have "died" in the comics, just as you can expect to see different versions of staple characters at various
points in their careers or from different timelines. |
|
| Q: |
Will the cards be on sale at WizardWorld in Long Beach, California on March 30, 2004, or will there be another game demo? |
|
| A: |
The game won't be for sale, but there could be demos happening. |
|
| Q: |
Will the Vs. System ever expand beyond Marvel and DC (for example, to Image, Cross-Gen, and so on)? |
|
| A: |
Once other companies see the Marvel and DC cards, they'll probably want in on the action, so the answer is . . . Who knows? |
|
| Q: |
Is the game good? |
|
| A: |
If your idea of a good game is one that challenges you in deck design, arrangement of characters in play, and resource management, and has a whole lot of strategy and tactics, then, yeah, this is a good game. |
Top of page |
|
|
©2006 Marvel Characters Inc. Super Hero(es) and Super Villain(s) are Co-Owned
Registered Trademarks,
Licensed by Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
