Image Card Game Basic Rules

Today I'll be posing a game idea I"m still currently working on so that I can get feedback and so later those that care too can look at how the idea has changed over time.

The game I'll be talking about today is a card game that I haven't actually given an actual name too and have been merely calling the Image card game for placeholder purposes. The basic premise of this card game is that you and your opponent are fighting each other using imaginary avatars in a mental/imaginary battle. So it's kind of like Magic the Gathering in concept except with less actual magic but with more leeway for me to ignore standard physical limitations.

A rough version of the basic play mat.

To start play each player will need a Player card, a deck and at least some dice and tokens. To determine who goes first have one player flip a coin and the other call heads or tails. If they guess right they can choose to go first or second. Players can choose to use a different method of choosing who goes first such as rolling dice or playing rock paper scissors, as long as they both agree to use that method.

Once play has started each player places their player card on their field with the player going first setting their player card down first and then each player draws 5 cards. After that play goes back and forth using the following Phases.

Upkeep Phase - Untap all of your tapped cards and draw one card from your deck.

Main Phase 1 - You can play cards from your hand as a figment or you can pay their energy cost to play them onto the field. You can also move any creature or player cards on your field one space unless they are currently tapped or have just been played to the field. Note: Each creature and player card can only be moved once per turn and you can only play one figment card per turn.

Battle Phase - You can tap any of your creatures or your Player to attack. Attacking will be covered later though.

Main Phase 2 - Acts like Main Phase 1

End Phase - This is where you pass your turn to the other player.

Now I'll cover some of the rules that are not really covered in the above

Attacking - When you attack with a creature or player where they can attack depends on their position. If they are in the front row they can attack either the front or back row however if there is a creature,item or player in the front row on the enemy side you cannot attack past them (unless you have an ability that says otherwise) If your attacking creature or player is in your back row it can only attack the enemies front row and only if there is no item, creature or player in front of them.

Defending - When attacked if the attacked item,creature or player is not tapped it can defend against the attack. When defending the attacking creature does damage to the defender first then the defender deals damage back to the attacker if its still alive.

Playing Figments - Any card in your hand can be played as a figment. Figments go in your figment zone and when tapped give you one energy that matches the cards type. Figments can be used the moment they are placed in the figment zone.

Realizing Figments - You can bring a card in your figment zone onto the field slowly by putting them into the realize zone. You cannot move a figment into the realize zone if it doesn't have a energy cost, is currently tapped or was played that turn. while that figment is in the realize zone it cannot be tapped for energy and you must pay 1 energy of its type each turn in till you pay off its full energy cost (so a 6 total cost card would take 6 turns to realize)

Disorientation - Creatures cannot move or attack on the first turn they are played unless they have an ability that says otherwise.

Moving - Each creature and player card can move one space to the left, right, up or down on either of your main phases but can only do so once per turn.

I think I'll stop there for today but tomorrow I'll see about covering the card types.