New Card: Time Traveler (Seven Seas #27)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

I'm sure I thought of the mechanic for mechanic for a card to disappear if it loses and, instead of going to your Creature Pen or Stronghold, it goes back into the Shield, but not until the Shield's next battle. This, of course, presents the possibility that the Shield will not have a future battle if it is destroyed. Deciding to call the creature with this ability a "Time Traveler" isn't much of a stretch of the imagination. Likewise, it seems like Wanderer is a better fit than Misc. Human or Wizard.

Time Traveler:  External, Vitality: 5, OCB: 1, Medim, Gold, Wanderer, CMP 0, Green bar. 
If Time Traveler loses his primary match-up, he disappears into the future and reappears the next time this Shield goes into combat.
If Shield is destroyed, Time Traveler is destroyed.
(Artwork: Mattingly, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

A thought that hadn't occurred to me before, or if it did, occurred a Very Long Time Ago: You have the opportunity to reinforce your Shield before the Time Traveler returns. This could be a way to sneak an extra 5 points into a Shield. However, you have to be careful not to be over the Vitality limit at the end of the battle.

This is the last of the cards in in the proposed Seven Seas expansion, although there may be one or two others that are very similar to ones that I came up with. It could just be that different people came upon the same inspiration for a card name (particularly if it's a pun), or maybe like minds came up with the same new game mechanic. I know I had my own Gloop card, which was a tribute to Mike Ploog, except that mine actually affected cards with Ploog artwork, similar to Morb's Revenge.

After this, I'll likely start linking to more .sigcards, this time over at the Guardians page.

What's your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Wandering Serpent (Seven Seas #26)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

I don't remember the origin of this card. I found the message from the mailing list on which it originally appeared. However, that was answering someone else's question about cards like Make Juice which create Power Stones. Before that was a discussion about the Non-existent Stiverin card. (Please note: It does NOT exist. You don't need to find one!)

It's a good ability but I couldn't tell you why I applied it to a dragon. The name doesn't ring any bells for me.

Wandering Serpent:  External, Vitality: 6, OCB: 0, Large, Flying, Beer, Dragon, CMP 0, red bar. 
Wandering Serpent gains primary opponent's terrain bonus instead of opponent.
(Artwork: Zug, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

So if the opponent is +3 in Swamps, and the terrain is Swamps, then the Serpent gets the +3, not the opponent. This could backfire since a couple of cards (particularly the homebrew cards) have terrain penalties.

It's been a while, so offhand I couldn't say how unbalancing, if at all, a Vitality 6 dragon might be. I do like the artwork on this one.

What's your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Daffy Drake (Seven Seas #25)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

For those who are unaware, a "drake" is a male duck. On the other hand, the word "drake" comes from draco and, in fantasy, can refer to dragons. So Daffy Drake is a dragon-ized variation of the more familiar Daffy Duck. Once you get past the pun, it's just a generic large, flying, channeling-receiver, with a five-point ranged attack.

Daffy Drake:  External, Vitality: 11, OCB: 0, Babes, Dragon, CMP 0, Green bar. 
5-pt. ranged attack
(Artwork: Sweet, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

It's up to the player to decide whether to yell "Rabbit Season!" when playing, or "Woo Hoo! Woo Hoo! Woo Hoo! Woo Hoo!..." when winning a match-up.

If you think about it, Daffy should be immune to damage. But in that case, he shouldn't count for control of the space because he can't control anything any way. (Note: I'm joking. Both of those suggestions would really be unplayable.)

What's your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Nosferatu (Seven Seas #24)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

I know that Undead are already over-powered, but this seems like a natural choice for a card. I'm sure the name came first before deciding just what sort of ability it should have. Removing creatures totally from combat, instead of only not allowing them to attack, was a different mechanic to play with. I don't know how well it would have worked.

Nosferatu: External, Vitality: 12, OCB: 0, Medium, Babes, Undead, CMP: 1, Green bar. 
Can only channel to vampires
Command: Choose a creature from your opponents combat hand (at random). Remove it and Nosferatu from combat this round. They don’t count towards the control of the space. Each one comes back to its shield at end of combat.
(Artwork: Beauvais, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath) Note: Cath added a lot of bats...

I have to go through my original notes to see if I counted Nosferatu as a Vampire or not. It would make sense that it is, but it would also make the text box even longer.

If there's one thing wrong that sticks out is it your opponent only has one creature, then this is an automatic win for the Nosferatu holder. I'm not sure I like that.

What's your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Floral Princess (Seven Seas #23)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

I'm sure that I came up with the ability before I came up with a name for this one. I was probably thinking that Nymphs could be a theme deck in itself instead of a sub-theme supporting another class.

Floral Princess: External, Vitality: 7, OCB: 1, Medium, Gold, Nymph, CMP 3, Red bar. 
Can channel to Nymphs only, even Nymphs that cannot normally receive channeling.
(Artwork: Fields, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Thierry)

After you have multiple Nymphs, you need a card that channels to them.

What's your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Mystic Nymph (Seven Seas #22)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

I like how this card turned out. I don't remember what spurred the name "Mystic Nymph" or if I came up with the ability first. I know that it had nothing to do with Mystic Seaport because I haven't been there since the 80s.

Mystic Nymph: External, Vitality: 5, OCB: 1, Medium, Gold, Nymph, CMP: 0, Red bar. 
+3 Vitality on any Location Terrain
(Artwork: Fields, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Thierry)

Obviously, this won't do much good without the expansions that added Location Terrain cards. Even then, how likely are they to show up? Still, it would fit in with a Nymph deck, or a, say, Knight/Nymph combo deck.

What's your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Fallen Angel (Seven Seas #21)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

While I believe that Demons & Devils are over-represented (although not as much as Undead, thanks to Necropolis Park), and that Angels are underrepresented, I wouldn't let something like that stop me from suggesting a card idea that I like. 

And it didn't stop the folks behind Seven Seas from coming up with three different images for the Fallen Angel card.

Of the three, the second one is my favorite, but she doesn't look "fallen". The third doesn't look much like an Angel. The first is nice, but he(?) seems more like some kind of spectre or spirit. Plus, the downward held sword reminds me a little of images of  Michael the Archangel, who is usually portrayed striking down in that manner. 

Fallen Angel: Elemental, Vitality: 4, OCB: 1, Medium, Gold, Devil, CMP: 0 Red bar. 
Immune to Angels
(Artwork: Royo (2nd image)/Caldwell(3rd image), Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

(If anyone knows who painted the first image, please leave a comment.)

Immune to Angels, but not immune to fire. Also, she (or he) doesn't fly. Clipped wings, I guess.

What's your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Li'l Devil (Seven Seas #20)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

What's a good name for a little devil? Why, Li'l Devil, of course! I'm sure that's something I was called a bit when I was younger. There isn't anything unique about the card. Basically, it has stats that goes with its name. I like the image. It makes me smile for some reason.

Li'L Devil: Elemental, Vitality: 2, OCB: 0, Medium, Gold, Devil, CMP: 0 Red bar. 
Immune to fire
(Artwork: Caldwell, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

Small enough that you can pack a few of them in a Shield, but they are vulnerable to non-Fire AOE attacks.

What's your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Tree Giant (Seven Seas #19 -- sort of)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

This post has THREE cards in it. The first is my original .sigcard. The second is a card that I was credited with, because it was derived from my card. The third, I'm not credited with at all, but it's still derived from my original card. So I can claim some credit for all of these cards. Change my mind.

Tree Giant Mortal, Vitality 12, OCB 3, Large, Giant, CMP 0, red bar.
5-point ranged attack that can be used in the Woods and only in the Woods. +3 in the Woods.

Note that my card was a Giant and a Mortal. Also if it says that it can be used in the Woods, the rule on the card trumps the rule book. There isn't any need to point out that it breaks the rule. If I remember correctly, it was modeled on the Rock Giants -- really big, and throwers of rocks.

Here are the two "inspired" cards:

Thorn Tree Elemental, Vitality: 12, OCB: 3, Beer CMP: 0 Red bar, none.
5 pt. ranged attack that can be used only in the Woods (This overrides Woods ranged attacks restrictions)
+ 5 vs Flying Creature
(Artwork: Post, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Thierry)

The page calls the Thorn Tree "Pricking Sloe-Tree", whatever that is.
The card is an Element (it's a tree) instead of a Giant. The stats are basically the same, except for the bribery icon. And instead of a terrain bonus, it now has a bonus vs flying, which is actually pretty useful. However, with an ability like that, I wouldn't want to waste it as a ranged-attack. Also, this ability isn't restricted to Woods terrain.

The Second one:

Old Willow Elemental, Vitality 4, OCB 3, Beer, Gold, Element, CMP 0, Green bar,
8-pt Ranged attack (can be used also in the Woods). When used as a ranged attack Old Willow is beaten as well. (Artwork: Hildebrandt, Text: Thierry, Design: Thierry)

Again, an Element with a ranged attack that can be used in Woods terrain, but if you use it, it's beaten. So it's a 4 that stacks as a 7 that gives 8 points, but gets beat when used. Seems like a waste to me. Also odd: why would this big old tree be a Vitality of 4? I guess it's ready to fall, and it's special attack is that it will take a bullet for you, so to speak.

Okay, I've snarked and complained enough. What's your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Lava Lord (Seven Seas #18)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

Sometimes I used a series of .sigcards to fill a theme. Or I just posted a listed of theme-related cards. In this case, it was filling in some Elemental Lords to rule over the Elements.

This card was adapted to work with new cards that would exist in a Seven Seas expansion. Obviously, my original text didn't mention Volcanic Islands. This is fine. I have no problem with that.

Lava Lord Elemental, Vitality 9, OCB 1, Medium, Babes, Elemental Lord, CMP 0, red bar.
+5 Vitality in Mountains, -5 Vitality in Rivers and Lakes.
+10 Vitality in Volcanic Island, -10 Vitality in Seven Seas.
(Artwork: Fields, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath), extra text added by Thierry

It's an interesting image. The spillover from the hand nearly obliterates the creature name. Good thing it's short!

I'm asking your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Huge Axeman (Seven Seas #17)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

The first X-Men film came in 2000, and that's when Hugh Jackman came onto the scene (or at least, that's when I became aware of him). And "Huge Axeman" is a play on his name. (Were I to play this card, I would annoying say "Ackman" every time.)

This times in to Guardians with puns on O-Men, and Woolverine.

Huge Axeman Mortal, Vitality 8, OCB 5, Medium, Beer, Knight, CMP 0, red bar.
Text: Might is right.
(Artwork: Zug, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

I got nothing else to add. Fierce in a Knight deck, I'd guess.

I'm asking your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: George, the Dragonslayer (Sever Seas #16)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

Unlike Bodyguard Bob, this card does sound like something I would come up with. Also, note that I didn't call it "Dragonslayer George".

I actually had two .sigcards named "George", with the other being George, Overlord of the Jungle, which, of course, was a goof.

George, the Dragonslayer Mortal, Vitality 10, OCB 4, Medium, Beer, Knight, CMP 0, red bar.
Immune to fear. Destroys Dragons.
(Artwork: Stawicki, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

The card is a reference to St. George and the Dragon. And while I might be a reluctant to have a "saint" bribable by Beer, the card is not the saint of legend. It needs to work into the mechanics of the game. It's good balance, I think.

I'm asking your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Bodyguard Bob (Seven Seas #15)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

This card is an oddity. I do not remember it. I don't remember writing it, nor do I recall seeing it on the Seven Seas page (even though it was there). The name doesn't sound like something I came up with, and I don't remember anything of the sort. There's nothing in my files. I even searched on the ability to cancel a ranged attack in case the name of the creature was changed for some reason.

It's possible that I did suggest it somewhere without it appearing on the mailing list. I don't know.

Bodyguard Bob Mortal, Vitality 7, OCB 0, large, Gold, Beer, Babes, Knight, CMP 0, red bar.
Ranged attack: Cancel a ranged attack. Discard Bodyguard Bob when used as a ranged attack.
(Artwork: Brom, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

A couple things that seem off about this: I don't know how I'd feel about making a Vitality 7 card a ranged attack. And it would have to be a massive attack for me not only to waste 7 points on a ranged attack, but to discard the card afterward.

Also, I'm not a fan of the artwork selected for this card. It's great, and I like Brom. But it's a minotaur, which could be a creature in its own right, or an entire class of them. If such were created, it would make this one more confusing, unless it was retrofitted.

I'm asking your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New card: Sand Witch (Seven Seas #14)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

First off, I hope to find a larger size image of this card. It's not on Phil's site. Oddly, it's not on the CD-ROM that I received years ago from JC Prunet. (Yes, I dug that out of a closet.) So I only have the small image. Maybe I can create my own, if I find this image. It won't look as good.

The Sand Witch is obviously a very bad pun, which makes it perfect for Guardians.

Update:Thank you to Yves-Arnaud Jouret for supplying a larger version of this image!

Sand Witch Mortal, Vitality 6, OCB 0, Medium, Gold, Wizard, CMP 3, green bar.
Can only channel to creatures on Dry Heaps terrain.
(Artwork: Whelan, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

Since it was a joke, I didn't think about the playability of the card, specifically whether or not it should be able to channel to creatures that otherwise cannot accept channeling. Would that make it overpowered? Does the way it is written now make it underpowered?

I'm asking your opinion. Feel free to respond in the comments.

New Card: Priest (Seven Seas #13)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

One of my longstanding complaints is that Angels are underpowered (and underrepresented) compared to Demons and Devils. Another is that Undead are overpowered since the release of Necropolis Park. Perhaps that could've been addressed in future releases, and perhaps not.

The Priest character was designed against to be useful about "My Regular Opponent"'s Undead deck.

Priest Mortal, Vitality 8, OCB 0, Medium, Gold, Wizard, CMP 0, green bar.
Command: 8 pt. AOE that only affects Undead. Priest counts as Cleric
(Artwork: Maitz, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

Cleric is a subset of Wizard, and whatever affects one should affect the other.

Yes, I made it an 8-pt AOE, and it only stacks as an 8. But it's useless against non-Undead, so that's a limitation. Plus, it's a bit of an expensive Command card to play. I didn't bother with a Stacking penalty because it would render the card mostly useless unless the player has a Petrified Heart, which negates the penalty anyway.

I wasn't exactly thrilled by the selection of artwork. Not that it's bad, but it's not what I would've picked for this card.

New Card: Gn'unchkins Gnome (Seven Seas #12)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

Occasionally, my .sigcards had a theme that I spread across several posts in the Yahoo mailing list. One of those themes was The Wizard of Oz, and a couple of these cards found their way into Seven Seas. There's nothing in particular about them that screams "gnome" other than the Munchkins were small. I like this bonus as it plays well later in the game, unless a lot of special cards get dropped, or if you're forced to play face down terrain cards.

Gn'unchkins Gnome Mortal, Vitality 3, OCB 1, Small, Gold, Bug/Knight, CMP 0, green bar.
+2 Vitality on any face-up basic terrain type in the disputed land area.
(Artwork: Parkinson, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Thierry)

I kept the "Gn'" prefix, as seems to be customary.

New Card: Warrior Ants (Seven Seas #11)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

Another Bug card, this one was designed to be a Knight as well. The Vitality bonus was probably because it seemed to be a good effect.

Warrior Ants Mortal, Vitality 4, OCB 2, Small, Gold, Bug/Knight, CMP 0, red bar.
+2 Vitality vs. medium-sized Creatures.
(Artwork: Whelan, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

Ants are a natural creature to be exploited for the game. I wouldn't want to build a deck around them. I definitely wouldn't want to build an expansion around them, either, but having a few in each new expansion could've been good.

By the way, since I haven't mentioned it in a while, comments are welcome on this blog.

New Card: Itsy Bitsy Spider (Seven Seas #10)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

This card may have started as a joke. But since so many actual Guardians cards are jokes, too, this one actually fits in pretty well. They have a stacking "bonus" because of their text box penalty. But if they die, your Shield may have to discard a creature to keep under the limit.

Itsy Bitsy Spider Mortal, Vitality 3/1, OCB 0, Small, Bug, CMP 0, red bar.
-3 Vitality in Rivers and Lakes, unless its primary matchup opponent has a fire-based attack
(Artwork: Ploog, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

Unpacking the card text: down came the rain and washed the spider out, out came the sun and dried up all the rain. The bug is effectively Vitality 0 in Rivers & Lakes, unless it comes up against a fire-based creature. Unfortunately, it will still, most likely, lose to that creature given it's low Vitality. It might be useful for secondary attacks, but not in Rivers & Lakes.

Side note: I like the artwork on this one. It really fits in with existing cards.

New Card: Milk Lady Brown / Closing the Barn Door (Seven Seas #9)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

This card nearly caused a rift between me and Phil. He created the card to be a female companion to Farmer Brown. I had created a Spell with the same ability. Now it was possible that we just came up with similar ideas, but I pointed out that the text of this card was exactly the text from my card suggestion on the mailing list. Anyway, he split the credit. Honestly, I think it's too expensive for a command card, and I think a Spell would have been better. The argument for the creature card is that it's reusable.

Milk Lady Brown Mortal, Vitality 5/9, OCB 0, Medium, Misc. Human, CMP 0, red bar.
C: None of your Barnyard Animals may be bribed or sent back to the Creature Pen during combat. (This overrides any Spell that says they can be).
(Artwork: Rust, Text: from the Spell "Closing the Barn Door" of C.J. Burke, Design: Cath) Sorry, but we don't have her phone number (Philbarfly) one joke with JC ...pretty girl !!! argghhh (Thierry)

BONUS: My Original Spell:

Closing the Barn Door, Spell, Up 1
Play during the Movement Phase before turning any Shields. For the rest of the turn, none of your Barnyard Animals may be bribed or sent back to the Creature Pen (this overrides any Spell that says they can be).

A Barnyard Animal deck could be fun ... once. But they seem hard to win with, and easy to counter. They are more of a nuisance. I wouldn't mind a little help for them.

New Card: Eagle (Seven Seas #8)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

I don't remember the exact inspiration for this card. I actually checked the old mailing list messages, and even there it states that it isn't connected to the response I gave, but I have a couple of good .sigcards lying around.

Eagle Mortal, Vitality 6/8, OCB 2, Large, Flying, Animal/Knight, CMP 0, red bar.
+4 in Mountains, +3 when defending strongholds (these are cumulative and in addition to other stronghold bonuses).
(Artwork: Cabral, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

My original text file states that the Eagle is an Animal, not a Knight. I don't know when that addition was made, or if I made note of it at the time.

Inspired by the emblem of the U.S. as much as any reference to The Hobbit.

New Card: Crash of Rhinos (Seven Seas #7)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

This name of this card was likely inspired by the Magic: the Gathering card of the same name. Yes, a group of rhinos is called a "Crash", which I learned during an Ice Age pre-release sealed deck tournament. (The only one I ever participated in.) This card, however, was probably inspired by a need to add more Animals, even if the artwork is humanoid.

Crash of Rhinos Mortal, Vitality 12, OCB 3, Large, Animal, CMP 0, red bar.
+3 Vitality when Shield is attacking, -3 Vitality when Shield is defending.
(Artwork: Zug, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

The Off-color bonus tells you that Rhinos don't care about Elementals much. They could be worth 18 against Elementals before other modifiers.

New Card: Magic Rabbit (Seven Seas #6)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

I don't remember what prompted this. I'd have to check if the text was modified because I could imagine creating a card to give a bonus to Wizards. On the other hand, my usual opponent back in the day had a very effective Fairy deck, which needed no help at all. Actually, this card might hurt, because it was a command card, and there are better Fairy (or Small creature) command cards.

It could be that the text was changed because of the Artwork that was used.

Magic Rabbit Mortal, Vitality 1, Small, Animal, CMP 0, red bar.
C: All your Fairy and Wizards are +1 Vitality.
(Artwork: Whelan, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

Okay, I found my original file. Fairies didn't get a bonus, so it was an artwork thing.

What do you think? Just Wizards? Or Wizards and fairies?

New Card: Stairway to Heaven (Seven Seas #5)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

One of my complaints about the original set, one of my pet peeves, is that Angels get their wings clipped compared to the Demons and Devils. And the expansions didn't really help the imbalance much.

As a result, I've come up with a few ideas to make an Angel deck somewhat workable. (In real life, I've only used Angels to support Knights, who actually can stand on their own against certain decks.)

Stairway to Heaven Spell, Up 12
Play during Draw & Organise Phase, return up to 10 Vitality of Angels from your discard pile to your Storage Hand. Costs 1 Power stone to use.
(Artwork: Warren, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Thierry)

Honestly, the card isn't that good because 10 points isn't all that much. You'll be lucky to get two Angels back because of their size. Had I thought about it, the text should've had "Or One Angel of any Vitality" added to it.

Thoughts? Would that be better? Should it have been 12 or 14 points, especially since you're spending a stone?

Side note: Reading through the other Seven Seas cards, I saw that there's one called "Balder's Gate", which is essentially the same card, but for Knights. I wonder if they copied my idea, or if we were both inspired by something else. I don't remember.

New Card: Run Away! (Seven Seas #4)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

This card might've started as a joke, but the text seems serious enough to me now.

Run Away! Spell, Up 6
Play on one of your own creatures in a primary match-up before any ranged attacks or any other Spells are cast (but after any Bribery attempts). Your creature flees to your Creature Pen.
(Artwork: Den, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

The effect is bribing your own Creature if you think it will likely lose. You have to allow for Bribery first -- although if someone bribes your Creature, then you don't need to cast it. You could try to Bribe your opponent first, also. Failing that, it's a way to save your creature, but it must be done before ranged attacks start.

I would rule that it would NOT save a Creature from Destruction. In my games, "Destroys" takes immediate effect right after Bribery. While this is like Bribery, it is a Spell, so the Destruction happens first.

The only retroactive Spell card in the game is "Dispel Magic". No other Spell interrupts earlier Spells or effects.

New Card: Pony Express (Seven Seas #3)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

I made a comment on the previous card about increasing movement. I look at the next card, and it's a Spell that increases movement!

The limitation of Pony Express is that it requires the Shield to have a Horse, and the Horses must be discarded -- so it would be silly, and wasteful, to have more than one.

Pony Express Spell, Up 2,
Play before turning a Shield. Non-flying shield may move one extra space as long as the Shield has at least one Horse. Discard all Horses after moving. All other movement restrictions apply.
(Artwork: Whelan, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

The only possible "abuse" I see of this, and people are free to argue, is if the Horse has an Amulet of Flying. This could make it conceivable that there could be a First-Turn Guardian Kill. It would take an amazing stroke of luck to pull off though. You would have to have this Spell, a Horse, an Amulet of Flying, a Shield, and large flying creatures with some way to kill the opponent's Guardian. This assumes that you don't have to fight any creatures defending the Stronghold first.

Were this to happen against me, I'd likely be equal parts impressed and ticked off. But I would also say, shuffle 'em up, and let's go again.

New Card: Battering Ram (Seven Seas #2)

Years ago, many of my "sigcards" from the Yahoo Mailing List for Guardians CCG were incorporated into the fan-made expansion set Seven Seas. I have started to import my homebrew cards to this blog in case Phil, the Bar Fly's website ever goes away.

The second card, another Hand Magic Item, was Battering Ram. Note: usually, there wasn't any particular reason for the Up number on the card.

Battering Ram Hand Magic Item, Up 9,
Play as a command card. When your Shield is attacking, Battering Ram has a 2-pt AOE for each space moved. Does not affect flying creatures.
(Artwork: Sweet, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

Basically, it was either a 2-pt or a 4-pt AOE, unless there's a card that allows three-space movement. (If I created a homebrew card that allows three space movement, it wouldn't be allowed to fly, and it wouldn't be allowed to attack a Guardian on the same turn. I might even give the Shield a negative modifier for battle.)

Addendum: Okay, so I typed and scheduled this post and then looked for the next card -- which actually allows extra movement, with restrictions. It's possible that it could be abused, but not too likely, I think.

New Card: Elixir of Energy (Seven Seas #1)

Years ago, there was a Yahoo Mailing List for the Guardians CCG. I was a regular contributor, and I had a tendency to sign off each of my emails with a homebrew card, some serious, some silly (and unplayable), but usually related to whatever the discussion was about.

Back around 2002, some of the Guardians players online decided that they wanted to create the proposed Seven Seas expansion, which never got past the naming stage. (There was a name for an expansion, and that's it.)

As this progressed, many of the cards I suggested on the list were made into cards, and they were better at it than I am.

For those who want to see them all right now, the rules and cards can be found at Phil, the Bar Fly's website.

On the off chance that his site ever disappears, I'm going to import some of my cards over here, now that there are people actually visiting this site.

Elixir of Energy Hand Magic Item, Up 12,
Play after any primary matchup is resolved. Turn any face-up channeler face down again. This card may not be removed from the discard pile. (Artwork: Giancola, Text: C.J. Burke, Design: Cath)

I originally made a comment about Champs, the Wonder Dog, which is why this card couldn't be removed from the discard pile. It might have made more sense to say, "after playing, remove this card from the game".

New Card: Naiad

I saw this posted as a Writing Prompt, and I got a thousand-word story out of it. I also thought that it would look nice on a card. But what kind? A creature or a Spell?

I went with creature, and made it a variant of the Water Nymph. It's not a Selkie, as it's wearing clothes, not a seal skin. It's not a Siren, because you wouldn't find one walking the beach. Even Mermaid didn't seem to fit. Then I remembered Naiads, which are similar to Dryads, only with water, not wood. That would do. (I stumbled across another name ... but I didn't bookmark the link or write it down, so ... it's gone.)

The stats are similar to Water Nymphs, and there aren't any crazy new abilities. Just an old-style card with nice artwork.

I could not find the creator for this image. I'm seem it copied to many boards, but have no idea who made it or when. If anyone knows, I'll happily update this card and give proper credit.
Update: I saw a repost that says the original artist is Foo Midori, @foomidori on Twitter.

Naiad, External, Vitality 6, OCB 1, M, Nymph, Gold, green bar. +2 Vitality in Rivers & Lakes.

I see now that I wrote "+2" instead of "+2 Vitality", which is game-standard language. I'll fix that at some point.

I have nothing else to add. Any comments?

New Card: Shield Maiden

I saw a Shield Maiden posted, and knew that I had a new Knight card. It was just a matter of deciding what protection she gives.
First thing though, I saw this image by Daniel Comerci, which was posted three years ago (either 2017 or late 2016). Had I search, I would have found many suitable images, but I saw this one first, and I liked it. I did have a problem with its width -- I literally could not zoom out any farther to get the rest of her shield or the top of her spear without black bars appearing on the sides.

Shield Maiden, Mortal, Vitality 4/6, OCB 0, M, Knight, red bar. +3 Vitality to the next Knight you play. If your next primary attacker is a Knight, it gets +5 instead.

I couldn't decide if she should be a 3/5 or a 4/6. Five and sixes are good for Knight shields. I thought 3/6 was too much of a stacking penalty, considering that she doesn't have the traditional Knight off-color bonus (which is roughly half their Vitality).

Her ability applies only to other Knights (which could even be another Shield Maiden) but you don't have to play the Knight as the next card, so there's a little unpredictability. Also, the +5 only applies if it's a primary match-up, not as a secondary attacker.

And, of course, even though I didn't write it on the card, the bonus only applies for this combat. You don't get the +5 in your next battle.

New Card: Skeletal Lawman

I saw this image, and I didn't think "Sheriff of an Undead Town". Instead, I thought "Even in death, I'm still the Law!"

Same disclaimers as my other homebrew cards

Reminder: the lightning bolt symbol was just handy. I don't have a new or theme for any imaginary expansion sets. However, if anyone has a recommendation for a set name, feel free to leave it in the comments. I'll likely wait until I find an image that looks like a Stronghold.

The original image is Western by Roman Chaliy, 2017.

Comments are welcome.

Creature: Skeletal Lawman

Skeletal Lawman, External, Vitality 3/5, OCB 0, M, Undead, green bar.
3 pt. ranged attack; 5 pt. ranged attack if the primary attacker is a Misc. Human.

I saw this picture and I wanted to use it. Western-themed. What if instead of being a ranged attack for Undead, it was a Lawman who was still dedicated to his job?

The limiting factor is that the bonus if only for Misc. Humans, and not for all Mortals. There are a lot of Misc. Humans out there, but no so many where this would be unbalanced.

New Card: Napping Fairy

Without mentioning the source of the artwork that inspired some of these cards, I have identified the ones that, in my opinion, look like they belong on Guardians cards. When this is exhausted, I may have to find another source, or just start trolling Deviant Art.

Same disclaimers as my other homebrew cards

Reminder: the lightning bolt symbol was just handy. I don't have a new or theme for any imaginary expansion sets. However, if anyone has a recommendation for a set name, feel free to leave it in the comments. I'll likely wait until I find an image that looks like a Stronghold.

The original image is Fairy and Bees by Sandara, 2019.

Comments are welcome.

Creature: Napping Fairy

Napping Fairy, Elemental, Vitality 3, OCB 1, S, F, Fairy, green bar.
-2 in primary attacks, +2 as a secondary attacker

I wanted to work in the idea that the fairy was asleep and shouldn't be disturbed. Originally, I wanted to force it to be a secondary attacker "if possible" -- but then what happens if it isn't possible? And how do you know in advance?

The possible wording got so crazy that I gave up and decided that it should have a bonus and a penalty. The penalty can be ameliorated a little if it goes against an External. Plus, it can receive channeling.

The other concern was the name. I started with Sleeping Fairy, but there is already an unrelated Sleeping Spirit. Then I wanted something alliterative like Sleeping Spirit, but nothing came to mind, and searches of synonyms didn't help. So "Napping" it is.

New Card: Asylum

Some free time, so I worked on a couple more cards.

Full disclosure: it's been a while since I've been able to play, so it's hard to gauge the ability of the card, whether it's useful or not. It could be mean in combination with other cards. Or maybe not.

Again, the lightning bolt symbol was just handy. I don't have a new or theme for any imaginary expansion sets.

The original image is Asylum by Sandara, 2012.

Comments are welcome.

Spell: Asylum

Asylum, Spell, Up 14. Play during primary match-ups. remove 1 Creature with Vitality 5 or less from play. It becomes Unchallenged in melee, but can be attacked by secondary attackers.

I don't have any game card notes, except that I liked the picture when I saw it, and tried to think what effect might go well with the name "Asylum".

New Card: Death's Library

I've been wanting to do another card since I posted the first one. I just haven't had the time with so many other things to worry about.

Full disclosure: it's been a while since I've been able to play, so it's hard to gauge the ability of the card, whether it's useful or not. It could be mean in combination with other cards. Or maybe not.

Again, the lightning bolt symbol was just handy. I don't have a new or theme for any imaginary expansion sets.

The original image is Death's Library by La-Chapeliere-Folle, 2016.

Comments are welcome.

Spell: Death's Library

Death's Library, Spell, Up 28. Choose up to 2 Creature & 2 Spell cards from your discard pile. Reveal & Shuffle them into your deck. For each card you took, remove the top card of your Deck from the game.

If you take 2 cards from your discard, then you remove the top two cards from the game. You shouldn't look at them. You shouldn't know what is gone.

The cards need to be revealed that you are taking only Creature and Spell cards, and not going over the limit. No Artifacts.

New Card: Lady Bard

I was looking at an image that was meant to be a Writing Prompt. Instead it prompted me to create a new Guardians card, something that I haven't done in many years.

My apologies if I made any mistakes on the formatting. It's been a while. I couldn't even find templates online anymore. I worked with what I found.

The lightning bolt symbol was just handy. I don't have a new or theme for any imaginary expansion sets.

The original image is Medieval Idol by Namgwon Lee. I don't know the year for the image.

Comments are welcome.

Mortal: Lady Bard

Lady Bard: Mortal, Vitality 4, M, Misc. Human, Gold, red bar.
C: Choose one option when played
1: All Mortals bribable by Beer are +4.
2: All Mortals defeated by a primary opponent with a lower Vitality are returned to the Shield after Combat.

Note that it says "defeated", so "bribed" or "destroyed" cards are not affected. And they come back after the winner has been declared for the battle.