So, this isn't an actual game, yet. It's an art project in the form of a trading
card game, and part of the fun is figuring out the rules by reading the cards.
I've tried to come up with a coherent set of rules that these cards follow, but
quite frankly, I've been prioritizing flavor and evocativeness; if I were to
make this into an actual game, I'd probably have to change a lot.

All that said! Here are some helpful tips:
LNHers are Heroes.
Conflicts are Interactions.
Characters with a 0 Voice can't bring, show, or match that Voice.
The default Scale is Human.
Blowing this Popsicle Stand counts as Blowing the Scene.

Hope you enjoy!

Drew Nilium

On 9/10/23 23:17, Drew Nilium wrote:
> So, this isn't an actual game, yet. It's an art project in the form of a
> trading card game, and part of the fun is figuring out the rules by
> reading the cards. I've tried to come up with a coherent set of rules
> that these cards follow, but quite frankly, I've been prioritizing
> flavor and evocativeness; if I were to make this into an actual game,
> I'd probably have to change a lot.
>
> All that said! Here are some helpful tips:
> LNHers are Heroes.
> Conflicts are Interactions.
> Characters with a 0 Voice can't bring, show, or match that Voice.
> The default Scale is Human.
> Blowing this Popsicle Stand counts as Blowing the Scene.
>
> Hope you enjoy!
>
> Drew Nilium

Do you have any artists?

--
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On 9/11/23 1:10 AM, candycanearter07 wrote:
<snip>
> Do you have any artists?

Nope! Maybe if and when this becomes some kind of actual game. X>

Drew "focused on the fun text right now" Nilium

On 9/11/23 23:42, Drew Nilium wrote:
> On 9/10/23 23:17, Drew Nilium wrote:
>> So, this isn't an actual game, yet. It's an art project in the form of
>> a trading card game, and part of the fun is figuring out the rules by
>> reading the cards. I've tried to come up with a coherent set of rules
>> that these cards follow, but quite frankly, I've been prioritizing
>> flavor and evocativeness; if I were to make this into an actual game,
>> I'd probably have to change a lot.
>>
>> All that said! Here are some helpful tips:
>> LNHers are Heroes.
>> Conflicts are Interactions.
>> Characters with a 0 Voice can't bring, show, or match that Voice.
>> The default Scale is Human.
>> Blowing this Popsicle Stand counts as Blowing the Scene.
>>
>> Hope you enjoy!
>>
>> Drew Nilium
>
> Do you have any artists?
>
I'll be honest, my newsreader is bugging out so I can't read the reply.
I could do some art for it though.

(Sorry for replying so late, I was trying a bunch of stuff to fix it)
--
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On 2023-09-10 21:17, Drew Nilium wrote:
> So, this isn't an actual game, yet. It's an art project in the form of a
> trading card game, and part of the fun is figuring out the rules by
> reading the cards. I've tried to come up with a coherent set of rules
> that these cards follow, but quite frankly, I've been prioritizing
> flavor and evocativeness; if I were to make this into an actual game,
> I'd probably have to change a lot.

In the 1990s I came up with a functioning card game for my own
characters: Omniverse the Card Game. Early solitaire playtesting had
stuff like monsters getting sent to Hell, then catching a ride out on a
passing spaceship, while the Happy Bears got recruited for a crusade.

About five years ago I revisited the game, and put in a "House Player"
for solitaire play. That playtest came down to Total Conversion
(representing the Playtester, if I remember correctly) vs. Evil Wyatt
Ferguson (House Player) during an omniversal merge. That confrontation
was equalized when Evil Wyatt drew a Solar Flare Cannon card.
Fortunately he was evil, so he could use it, and House Player rules said
he had to. Unfortunately, the cannon tends to blow up the entire Earth
if anything goes wrong - and it did. With all the Earths having merged,
*everything* blew up and the player characters all ended up in Limbo.
Game victory went to a couple of devil priests from a dystopian world,
because they had at least escaped their world. 8{D>

.... Anyway, here in the modern age, if you ever come up with rules for
your game, you could probably hold a Zoom meeting and find some real
playtesters. 8{D>

> All that said! Here are some helpful tips:
> LNHers are Heroes.
> Conflicts are Interactions.
> Characters with a 0 Voice can't bring, show, or match that Voice.
> The default Scale is Human.
> Blowing this Popsicle Stand counts as Blowing the Scene.
>
> Hope you enjoy!
>
> Drew Nilium

--
-- (signed) Scott Eiler 8{D> ------ http://www.eilertech.com/ -------

"Your Royal Highness, instead of devoting yourself exclusively
to Minerva, should, instead, rather offer sacrifice at the altars
of Bacchus, Orpheus, Venus, and Morpheus."

- Advice to Prince Duarte of Portugal. From "The golden age of
Prince Henry the Navigator", by Joaquim Pedro Oliveira Martins.
Coming soon to Project Gutenberg.

On 9/13/23 3:08 PM, Scott Eiler wrote:
<snip>
> In the 1990s I came up with a functioning card game for my own characters:
> Omniverse the Card Game.  Early solitaire playtesting had stuff like monsters
> getting sent to Hell, then catching a ride out on a passing spaceship, while the
> Happy Bears got recruited for a crusade.

:D Love it

> About five years ago I revisited the game, and put in a "House Player" for
> solitaire play.  That playtest came down to Total Conversion (representing the
> Playtester, if I remember correctly) vs. Evil Wyatt Ferguson (House Player)
> during an omniversal merge.  That confrontation was equalized when Evil Wyatt
> drew a Solar Flare Cannon card. Fortunately he was evil, so he could use it, and
> House Player rules said he had to.  Unfortunately, the cannon tends to blow up
> the entire Earth if anything goes wrong - and it did.  With all the Earths
> having merged, *everything* blew up and the player characters all ended up in
> Limbo. Game victory went to a couple of devil priests from a dystopian world,
> because they had at least escaped their world.  8{D>
Now that's what I call quality marriage of mechanics and flavor. n.n

> ... Anyway, here in the modern age, if you ever come up with rules for your
> game, you could probably hold a Zoom meeting and find some real playtesters.  8{D>

Hell yeah n.n

Drew "absolutely ridiculous" Nilium

On 2023-09-13 20:19, Drew Nilium wrote:
> On 9/13/23 3:08 PM, Scott Eiler wrote:
> <snip>
>> About five years ago I revisited the game, and put in a "House Player"
>> for solitaire play.  That playtest came down to Total Conversion
>> (representing the Playtester, if I remember correctly) vs. Evil Wyatt
>> Ferguson (House Player) during an omniversal merge.  That
>> confrontation was equalized when Evil Wyatt drew a Solar Flare Cannon
>> card. Fortunately he was evil, so he could use it, and House Player
>> rules said he had to.  Unfortunately, the cannon tends to blow up the
>> entire Earth if anything goes wrong - and it did.  With all the Earths
>> having merged, *everything* blew up and the player characters all
>> ended up in Limbo. Game victory went to a couple of devil priests from
>> a dystopian world, because they had at least escaped their world.  8{D>
>
> Now that's what I call quality marriage of mechanics and flavor. n.n

Why thank you. 8{D>

I cracked open the game last night, replaced its Freemason faction with
Powernauts so as to make the game more exciting, and started another
playtest. So far, the game has been a feud between an old set of
"Strange Invader" aliens from an obscure 1990s story of mine, and an
absolutely unpublished villain* - mostly taking place on the Powernauts'
earth. Guest stars abound... This could actually become an interesting
Powernaut comic of the post-2015 era.

* As this villain, imagine a guy in the future who buys a replica
Captain America shield of Russian manufacture at a Florida swap meet,
then gets cursed by a devil and caught in a cosmic ray storm at the
Nexus of Realities. I'll seriously have to put this guy in fiction
sometime, if I can only avoid Marvel hating me for swiping so many of
their concepts then. 8{D>

--
-- (signed) Scott Eiler 8{D> ------ http://www.eilertech.com/ -------

"Your Royal Highness, instead of devoting yourself exclusively
to Minerva, should, instead, rather offer sacrifice at the altars
of Bacchus, Orpheus, Venus, and Morpheus."

- Advice to Prince Duarte of Portugal. From "The golden age of
Prince Henry the Navigator", by Joaquim Pedro Oliveira Martins.
Coming soon to Project Gutenberg.

On 9/14/23 8:24 PM, Scott Eiler wrote:
<snip>
> I cracked open the game last night, replaced its Freemason faction with
> Powernauts so as to make the game more exciting, and started another playtest.
> So far, the game has been a feud between an old set of "Strange Invader" aliens
> from an obscure 1990s story of mine, and an absolutely unpublished villain* -
> mostly taking place on the Powernauts' earth.  Guest stars abound...  This could
> actually become an interesting Powernaut comic of the post-2015 era.

Oooooooh, there you go. :D

> * As this villain, imagine a guy in the future who buys a replica Captain
> America shield of Russian manufacture at a Florida swap meet, then gets cursed
> by a devil and caught in a cosmic ray storm at the Nexus of Realities.  I'll
> seriously have to put this guy in fiction sometime, if I can only avoid Marvel
> hating me for swiping so many of their concepts then.  8{D>

Yesssss, absolutely :3

Drew "sounds powerful" Nilium

On Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 9:17:35 PM UTC-7, Drew Nilium wrote:
> So, this isn't an actual game, yet. It's an art project in the form of a trading
> card game, and part of the fun is figuring out the rules by reading the cards.
> I've tried to come up with a coherent set of rules that these cards follow, but
> quite frankly, I've been prioritizing flavor and evocativeness; if I were to
> make this into an actual game, I'd probably have to change a lot.
>
> All that said! Here are some helpful tips:
> LNHers are Heroes.
> Conflicts are Interactions.
> Characters with a 0 Voice can't bring, show, or match that Voice.
> The default Scale is Human.
> Blowing this Popsicle Stand counts as Blowing the Scene.
>
> Hope you enjoy!
>
> Drew Nilium

Hmm. Do remember another card game from way back.

(Checking the archives)

Ah! Here it is:

From: barnejd@wkuvx1.wku.edu (Jeff Barnes)
Newsgroups: alt.comics.lnh,rec.arts.comics.creative
Subject: LNH Storycards Trading Card Game v0.2
Date: 10 May 96 11:08:22 CDT

LNH STORYCARDS
Version 0.2
By Jeff Barnes (barnejd@wkuvx1.wku.edu)

=========================================================================
RULES:

The LNH Storycards game is a fast-paced game of plot twists, location
changes, surprise attacks, and revelations galore! You take on the role
of a newbie, trying to gain acceptance into the Legion of Net.Heroes --
while trying to keep your opponent from doing the same.

Playing the Game

Before the game, you must choose an Origin card to put in play. The
Origin card will limit your options in Powers and Equipment somewhat,
but will allow you access to others that those with other Origins can't
use. For example, Bricks only can use Pow! Smash! Bop!, while only
Mentalists may make Mind Wipes.

You begin at 10 cards. The maximum number of cards you may have is
equal to your Prestige. Each turn, you may place a maximum of one card
from your hand into play; note that some cards may allow you to exceed
this maximum. For every point of damage you receive, your Prestige (and
thus the number of cards you may have at the end of your turn) is reduced
by one.

At the end of your turn, you calculate all damage done since your
last turn. It is at this point that you take that damage. Damage may
be prevented at any time before the end of your turn. If this reduces
your Prestige below the number of cards you have in your hand, you must
choose and discard the difference to your used pile. If your Prestige
is greater than the number of cards in your hand, you may draw until
you reach your maximum.

Cards may be either permanent or temporary. Permanent cards remain
in play after they are played until they are removed by some other card
or effect. Temporary cards are placed in the lost pile after their
effect takes place. In addition, many permanents can be "used" for other
effects at their controller's option; turn these cards upside down to
signify that they cannot be used again until the beginning of their
controller's next turn (at which time they are reset). A permanent may
not be used again for its effect until after the beginning of its
controller's next turn. No one may look at the face of cards which are
placed face down on the table.

One last note: there is no "last in, first out" rule in LNH
Storycards. The first card played or used is the first card played or
used. Period.

Winning the Game:

In order to win the game, you must reduce your opponent to zero
Prestige. This can be done through direct means to his Prestige from any
number of sources. Note that if either player runs out of cards, they
lose half their prestige (rounded up) and must discard down to their
Prestige immediately; they then shuffle their lost pile and it becomes
their new deck.

A player may make a DIRECT ATTACK on another player. This may only
be done if either that player made a direct attack on you on their last
turn or a card effect allows you to make a direct attack on them. Direct
attacks are, oddly enough, cards with the words "Direct Attack" on them.

Some cards allow you to do damage to your opponent. These generally
do not count as direct attacks. Others cause loss of Prestige, which is
different from damage to Prestige in that it is taken immediately and
cannot be prevented, though Prestige may still be regained as normal.

Deck Building:

The minimum number of cards you may have in your deck is fifty. There
is no maximum.

You may have a maximum of six of any card in your deck unless stated
otherwise on the card (lim: x). For example, you may have six of any type
of Misunderstanding, or six Villain Attacks (with a maximum of three VA:
Team).

Types of Cards:

ORIGIN CARDS are usually played before the game, though you may place
them in your play deck (these will usually be played along with Retcon:
Convoluted Origin). They set the range of Powers and Equipment that you
may play. All players must have at least one Origin in play before the
game. They are considered permanent.

POWER CARDS give you certain advantages over your opponent or allow
you to do damage to them directly. For example, Super-Speed allows you to
play an additional card each turn so long as it stays in play (though you
do lose a point of Prestige each turn). Some power cards are permanent;
some are temporary.

PLOT CARDS are permanents that represent changes in the flow or pace
of the game. For example, Location: Coastal City prevents Villain cards
from being played while in play. Note that you may only have one of any
type of Plot (Location, Crossover, Villain, etc.) in play at a time; if
a Plot of a type already in play is played, discard the Plot already in
play to its controller's lost pile.

PLOT TWIST CARDS are temporaries that introduce an effect, usually
only until the end of your turn or the beginning of your opponent's turn.

CATASTROPHE CARDS are cards that can have an incredible effect on the
game's pace and flow. For example, Editorial Interference may prevent
plot twist cards from being played while it is in play. They tend to have
wide-reaching effects on whole classes of cards. They can be either
temporary or permanent. Because of their power, you are limited to a
maximum of six Catastrophe cards per deck.

=========================================================================CARD LIST
* Indicates new or revised entry since last revision
| Indicates still under construction or experimental
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

ORIGIN CARDS
* Origin: Brick
Direct attacks from you do +1 damage. If you have one card in your
deck, you may lose two Prestige to reshuffle your lost pile into
your deck.

* Origin: Cosmic Crusader
You may lose 1 Prestige to nullify a card as it is being played or
lose 2 Prestige to remove target permanent from play.

Origin: Hodge-Podge

* Origin: Martial Artist
If you play a direct attack this turn, you may play another direct
attack.

* Origin: Mentalist
You may skip your turn and lose 1 Prestige to avoid damage from any
one direct attack made upon you during your opponent's last turn.
Direct attacks upon you do +1 damage.

* Origin: Mystic
You may have up to five Power cards not normally allowed to you in
your deck. You may not have more than one of any card title of
these five. Lose 1 Prestige when you play any of these cards. You
may not have more than six of any card title in your deck.

POWER CARDS

Claw Attack (p)
LIMIT: Martial Artist (6), Hodge-Podge (3)
Flip a coin. If it comes up in your favor, target player takes 3
damage, plus one damage for each Super-Strength you have in play.
Your opponent may attack you this turn. Direct attack.

* Danger Sense (t)
LIMIT: Cosmic Crusader (6), Mystic (3), Mentalist (3)
Flip a coin. If it comes up in your favor, avoid damage from one
source since your last turn.

Energy Blast (t)
LIMIT: Cosmic Crusader (6), Hodge-Podge (6)
Flip a coin; if it comes up in your favor, target Hero is destroyed
OR target player takes 2 damage. Attack damage gains no bonuses for
Super-Strength. Direct attack for purposes of allowing your opponent
to attack only.

Flight (p)
LIMIT: Cosmic Crusader (6), Mystic (6), Hodge-Podge (6)
You may play a Location in addition to the normal number of cards
you are allowed to play.

* Glitch (t)
LIMIT: Mystic (6), Hodge-Podge (6)
Target tech Equipment card is damaged. It may not be used again
until repaired; if it is damaged again, remove it from play.

Healing Factor (p)
LIMIT: Martial Artist (2), Cosmic Crusader (1), Brick (1),
Hodge-Podge (1)
So long as Healing Factor is in play, gain one Prestige for each turn
you do not play a card, up to your maximum.

On 2023-09-17 14:01, Arthur Spitzer wrote:
> LNH STORYCARDS
> Version 0.2
> By Jeff Barnes (barnejd@wkuvx1.wku.edu)
>
> ==========================================================================
>
> RULES:
>
> The LNH Storycards game is a fast-paced game of plot twists, location
> changes, surprise attacks, and revelations galore! You take on the role
> of a newbie, trying to gain acceptance into the Legion of Net.Heroes --
> while trying to keep your opponent from doing the same.
>
>
> Playing the Game
>
> Before the game, you must choose an Origin card to put in play. The
> Origin card will limit your options in Powers and Equipment somewhat,
> but will allow you access to others that those with other Origins can't
> use. For example, Bricks only can use Pow! Smash! Bop!, while only
> Mentalists may make Mind Wipes.

<snip>

.... This game seems well thought out, and great fun. Was it ever
playtested?

My own game has rules written down, but they only describe some of the
cards. The card details go on the cards themselves. If I wanted to go
professional with it, I'd have to make some room for art, because you
probably want to know what the "Red Vigil" character looks like. Even
professionally manufactured playing cards might have a problem fitting
that in with all the card details. Still, I've sent away for some
full-sized blank cards. (I've been using old business cards all this
time. Remember the 1990s, when engineers used to get business cards?)

--
-- (signed) Scott Eiler 8{D> ------ http://www.eilertech.com/ -------

"Your Royal Highness, instead of devoting yourself exclusively
to Minerva, should, instead, rather offer sacrifice at the altars
of Bacchus, Orpheus, Venus, and Morpheus."

- Advice to Prince Duarte of Portugal. From "The golden age of
Prince Henry the Navigator", by Joaquim Pedro Oliveira Martins.
Coming soon to Project Gutenberg.

On 9/17/23 5:01 PM, Arthur Spitzer wrote:
<snip>
> Hmm. Do remember another card game from way back.
>
> (Checking the archives)
>
> Ah! Here it is:
>
> From: barnejd@wkuvx1.wku.edu (Jeff Barnes)
> Newsgroups: alt.comics.lnh,rec.arts.comics.creative
> Subject: LNH Storycards Trading Card Game v0.2
> Date: 10 May 96 11:08:22 CDT
>
> LNH STORYCARDS
> Version 0.2
> By Jeff Barnes (barnejd@wkuvx1.wku.edu)

YESSSSSS. :D I'm gonna be honest, I ran into this in the archives back in the
90s and it's stuck ever since, it's probably a big reason I started doing this
project.

Drew "made an entry for it on the LNH Wiki before I checked RACC, gonna throw
this repost on there" Nilium

On 9/17/23 8:10 PM, Scott Eiler wrote:
<snip>> ... This game seems well thought out, and great fun.  Was it ever
playtested?

Looking back on Google Groups, the only posts on RACC *or* alt.comics.lnh about
it are this one and the 0.1 version. So it's hard to say. X>;

> My own game has rules written down, but they only describe some of the cards.
> The card details go on the cards themselves.  If I wanted to go professional
> with it, I'd have to make some room for art, because you probably want to know
> what the "Red Vigil" character looks like.  Even professionally manufactured
> playing cards might have a problem fitting that in with all the card details.

I definitely feel that with how much text I've been putting on these. X> There's
a lot that would be shrunk down from words into icons.

> Still, I've sent away for some full-sized blank cards.  (I've been using old
> business cards all this time.  Remember the 1990s, when engineers used to get
> business cards?)

Drew "amazing" Nilium