Gaming about Gaming

RPG Blog II's if If RPGs Were More Like Pro Sports… Reminded me of a discussion some friends and I were having: Why not go all the way for a CCG?

A friend of mine and his wife had an idea for a Gamer Card game. The object of the game is to have fun. You get it by having "Player" and "GMs" that contribute fun in points.

In the Card Game, Players try to recruit, steal, or convert people into players or GMs. These Character cards are used to run campaigns and adventures. Characters, Campaign and Situations allow certain other cards to be played. Playable action cards are made up of many gamer situations as well as system that will allow for in jokes (blank template card).

Theres dice rules and sub rules representing game systems and home brews. WOTC DnD, Old School gaming, WOD, FUDGE etc. will be represented in a way that they allow for the odd outcomes that usually result from their games.

Game ends after a "Game Year" and players tally the fun, stories, "take home lessons" and inspiration they get.

Playable cards would be like: Escalate Argument, Joke Gone too far, In-Joke (all new players get -1 reaction, all old players get +1 reaction), Moves because of Job, Has a Family, Needs time with Better Half, Nanny, GMing with dependents, Burn Out, Game Compulsion (-1 to social life, character obsesses to the point of being unable to balance other relationships) etc.

Ideally, players make personalized cards of friends and each other through a character creation system that is not joy-killing overtly powerful. Everyone puts their cards online to download and print so they end up "playing" a game all the way in another state or country. Old gaming buddies who moved away, retired, etc can be in the deck to relive old times.

Epic cards can be in the form of Gynax and Anerson, or Local Legends, Web Comic Characters etc.