Magic: The Garnering (of cash)

So in order to be a good game designer you need to immerse yourself in games. How can you design a game if you don't play? Play some of the most popular ones, ask the players why they play and take notes. Conversely talk about their least favorite games. Do they have a problem with the mechanics? The story? Again take notes, but remember that different people have different opinions.

I spent yesterday playing in a sealed Magic tournament my friend was holding. Now I don't play Magic that often because I don't have the funds to support a good deck. These sealed tourneys give me a chance to play with others on an equal playing field.

So needless to say, it was fun. Its easy to see why Magic is such a popular game. Its fast, dynamic and their are a variety of strategies a player can employ when making a deck and using it. I had a great time, after reteaching myself how to play, using my cobbled together deck. If you want to design a CCG then you better play Magic if only to get a handle on what makes a good and popular game.

Now there is a little bump presented by Wizards of the Coast, the company that creates and sells Magic, to aspiring card game designers like myself. This bump takes the form of a patent that Wizards secured regarding collectible card games. That is, they patented most of the rules required to make a successful card game. So, this means paying Wizards of the Coast when you want to start producing your CCG. Now reading over the patent one can see it almost seems a little unfair. Patenting "tapping" or just turning a card, marking it or showing in some way that it is being used to power another card is a bit of overkill. This means that CCG that uses cards to power other cards and shifts in some way is considered tapping and thus an infringement on the patent.

Rough right?

Wizards also charges hefty fees to companies that want to make a CCG, forcing them to buy the patent. The exception to this rule Nintendo who took Wizards to court when they wanted to produce their Poke'mon CCG. Wizards must have realized that they would have lost, as in my opinion that patent is really broad in what it covers, and settled it out of court.

But there is a ray of hope! That is, besides altering your CCG to be utterly different then Magic, which is fine, Wizards offers their patent for a penny for start up companies, their friends and games they see as no threat to the CCG market. I assume that most of us are probably in the first category.

So don't let the Wizards patent get in your way when designing your CCG. Get the ideas down, refine them, playtest them, refine them, playtest and repeat. Worry about the patent if, and when you get to it.