Guild Wars 2

This is an idea I got recently reading Sea of Sorrows concerning guild content. I apologize if something similar is already suggested, let me know.

I was thinking 20 man (more or less) guild missions as challenging PvE or GvG endgame and prestige for organised guilds, designed as as Naval adventures where guild members serve as a crew of a ship where good coordination is a key to success. Rewards would be anything from loot, skins, achievements and guild bonuses.

Prestige would be gained by guilds by building a ship. Available content would depend on the quality of building, i.e. best ships can do all the missions. The quality would be measured by materials used, type of wood, steel and fabric. Also, the ship could be customized with guild banners, colors, flags, etc.

Missions would work in an instance. For an example, guild officer summons a ship by activating an item, all guild members get on, and activating the item again transfers the ship and crew to an instance/mission/battle of their choice.

Types of PvE missions could be very diverse. From fighting a series of giant sea monsters, each with different mechanics, ship battles versus Orrian navy, boarding, cannoning, or even landing on new lands (Ring of Fire islands?) for some “classic” gameplay.

GvG missions would be ship battles of skill with boarding and cannoning and maybe some islands for scavenger hunts or territory battles.

How does it work? All comments are welcome on this.
Every ship is similar, with bottom deck where the canons are, open deck where the helm and defenses are and several masts. Also, events can happen through the ship.

One guild member mounted at the helm, gaining abilities to steer the ship left and right. Note that only the this member is mounted, all others are free to do events or fight mobs in between doing their jobs.
At least two members per mast are required to operate the sails to speed up or slow down the ship when needed. This is done by clicking the ropes, both at the same time, and waiting the specified activation time.
At the bottom deck, the crew fires the guns by simply clicking on them, but reloading them takes two players activating the cannon at the same time. So, assuming 5 cannons on each side, ten crew members are needed on this deck.
On the top deck there are asuran defense machines that create a small force field on the side of the ship, activated on click and requiring no reload but having long recharge. Assuming 5 on each side, five crew members are needed on this deck.

This is just the essential crew, all others can do events and fight mobs.
The events on the ship could include: putting out fire, plugging holes, pumping water, harpooning, preparing the ship for boarding, etc.

For a better view, or just a short read, imagine this “dumbed down” example for combating a Dead ship:
Enemy Dead ship is in firing range. The pilot steers the ship left and shouts to fire starboard canons. Five members fire and all ten members reload the canons. The ship is then slowed down by closing the sails to make a sharp right turn. The dead ship fires and the crew activates defenses on port side. The mobs start attacking, and everybody must fight. But now port side cannons can fire and the crew must defend the five shooters. Crew on the masts now must find some time to release the sails so they can ram the enemy ship. Flames on the ship, new event that must also be done. Collision! All crew boards the Orrian ship. Great battle against the undead champion captain.

So what do you think? Is it even plausible? What would you change?

I see this is not a popular thread and I’m basically talking to myself, but I did give it a little thought again after some time…
There was a problem with no. of cards per turn but I think I removed it.

And I wanted to share the two turn scenarios below with you.
//note that skill cards would be the mostly used action (instead of standard action like in the scenarios – it was to avoid crowded pictures)
Basically a player has more or less 8 cards per turn: 4 to play as skills and the rest for dodging or planing ahead.

The only undetermined thing is what happens when a player runs out of cards in his deck?
Two options are: he looses or he turns his graveyard over and uses it as his deck.
First one does sound a little lame but if there are ever some perma-tank builds the second one isn’t viable.
What do you think?

Addition idea #1:

Trait cards:

Decks can have skill and trait cards.

They define a passive ability and are attached permanently to a character, and come in three types: Adept, Master and Grandmaster. Every character can hold one of each type of traits and they must be equipped in that order.

Trait cards can be played during your turn, one per character, regardless of movement or other played cards.

Traits example:

Piercing Arrows: Ranger, Master trait, “This characters arrow attacks now hit up to two enemies that are in different positions.”

Etc.

Addition idea #2:

Downed state:

When a character reaches 0hp it goes to downed state. Turn character card over to indicate this. Also remove any conditions from it when this happens.

When this happens you can, on your turn, forfeit action with one other character to attempt to heal the downed character. If the heal is successful the downed character rallies at the beginning of your next turn with half hp (?).

While a character is downed it can’t move or play any cards. It has only the default ranged attack skill.

If a downed character receives 3 or more damage in one turn while it is downed it dies and is sent to graveyard.

Now for some examples…

Character examples:

Ash Blazeborn: Charr, Warrior, 10hp, Greatsword, Hammer

Norngolian: Norn, Ranger, 9hp, Shortbow, Greatsword

Messmeress: Sylvari, Mesmer, 7hp, Sword/Pistol, Staff

Etc.
Characters are simple.

Skills example:

Staggering Blow: Warrior, Hammer, Melee, “Do 2 damage and knockback target character”
Knockback: Move target character into another position.

Serpent’s Strike: Ranger, Sword, Melee, “Do a dodge roll, inflict 2 damage and poison your target”
Poison: Poisoned character can’t use heal skills in his next turn, at the end of that turn it takes 1 damage and is no longer poisoned.
Dodge rolls done through skills don’t require discarding a card.

Hornet Sting: Ranger, Sword, Melee, “Do 2 damage and dodge roll.”

Monarch’s Leap: Ranger, Sword, Ranged, “Dodge roll into melee range, do 2 damage and cripple target. Use only if used hornet sting with this character last turn”
Cripple: Target character is crippled until the end of owner’s turn, he can’t move.

Fireball: Elementalist, Staff, Ranged, “Target a position and all enemies in that position take 2 damage.”

Call to Arms: Warrior, Warhorn, PBAoE, “Ally characters in the same position as the caster are granted vigor. Enemy characters in that position are weakened.”
Vigor: For every one of your character affected by vigor draw a card.
Weakness: Target character is weakened until the end of owners next turn. Each time they would take damage, they take 1 additional damage.

Glyph of Lesser Elementals: Elementalist, No weapon needed, Summon, “Summon an ally with default attack skills and 3hp.”
Summon: Place this card as a character in the same position as the caster. It can attack on the turn it is summoned. At the end of your next turn move it to the graveyard

Mark of Blood: Necromancer, Staff, Permanent AoE, "Target a position. Every enemy that is affected starts bleeding, every ally that is affected has regeneration.
Permanent AoE: Place this card at your permanent AoE slot (in the same position as the target position), it affects all character that are in that position or who enter that position during it’s duration.
Bleed: Character bleeds until the end of it’s owner turn. It takes 1 damage at the end of each players turn. (total 2 damage)
Regeneration: Character regenerates until the end of owner’s next turn. It heals 1 damage at the end of each players turn. (total 3 hp healed)

Prayer to Kormir: Human, No weapon needed, Utility, “Remove three conditions from character that uses this skill.”

Ether Feast: Mesmer, No weapon needed, Heal, “Heal 2 damage. Heal 1 additional damage for every active illusion”

Healing Breeze: Guardian, No weapon needed, Heal, “Heal 3 damage. Heal 1 damage from one ally in another position.”

Etc.
So you see, a lot of diversity, a lot of possibilities.

What are your thoughts about the game, ideas, questions? Do you like it, or what would you change?
Do you have any ideas for skill or character cards?

Post any and all!

Ok, This is a revised idea about Guild Wars 2 Trading Card Game,
although it’s more about playing than trading.

I was not active in this section so I don’t know if there are other TCG ideas, similar or not.
If you know of something similar please post a link.

So… to the game:

In short, you control a team of four characters. There is limited movement, strategic dodge rolls, a lot of unique skills, conditions and boons. Very similar and true to the real Guild Wars 2 gameplay.

Note that numbers stated in the text below are not final.

The playground:

It consists of each players side. Each side has any number of character slots, designated space for permanent AoEs, deck and graveyard.

Types of cards:

There are two types of cards, characters and skills.

Character cards are a base of every deck and do not need to be drawn, they are rather set before the game. Each represents one character with defined race, profession, first and second weapon set and hit points.

Skill cards have defined profession or race required, weapon needed (if any) and what it does.

There will be examples of both character and skill cards at the end.

Set up:

Each player starts with a deck of 60 skill cards and four character cards.

Each player then sets his characters on the character slots in his side of the field.
One players sets his characters straight (Position 1).
Other player sets his characters sideways (Position 2).

Order of the characters in slots is irrelevant.

They each draw 4 cards as a starting hand.
After deciding who plays first they alternate turns and play their cards as explained below.

Your turn:

At the beginning of your turn draw one card for each of your live characters.

Every one of your characters can either move (change position), use one skill or dodge roll and use one skill.

Using a skill:

To use a skill a player must play a card.
He can discard any card to do a default skill or he can play a skill card.

Every character card has two default skills: attack with either weapon set.
Note that characters can have two ranged and two melee sets as well as one ranged and one melee. But they will always have different weapons in each set.

Ranged attacks:
If a character has a ranged weapon set it can target any enemy character for 1 damage.

Melee attacks:
If character has melee weapon set it can target enemy character that is in the same position for 2 damage.

Rather than using it’s default skills you can play one skill card if it meets the requirements: profession/race, weapons, etc.
Those skills can be from simple damage, different effects (knockback, knockdown, poison, etc.), AoEs, permanent AoEs…

As the game progresses characters will change their position and that affects skill range:
Characters in the same position are in melee range (they can use any skills against each other) and characters and characters in different position are not (they can only use ranged skills against each other).

Moving:

Change your character’s position.

Important for getting into melee range (or avoiding it), getting out of AoEs, etc.
There are skills that are more useful when your team is all in one position and others that benefit from diverse positioning.

Dodge roll:

Discard one card from your hand to move one of your characters, and you can still use a skill with that character during the same turn. Negate any damage or new effects until the end of turn (at the end of turn apply effects from permanent AoEs in the position the character ended in). This does not negate the effects of already applied conditions.

Note that you need to move to benefit from the negate effect.

Opponent’s turn:

You can’t use any skills during this time, you can only dodge roll for the negate effect.

Dodge roll:

At any time during your opponent’s turn you can discard one card from your hand to move one of your characters.
Negate any damage or effects until the end of turn.

This action is instant, so you can do it in response to opponent’s attack.

Victory conditions:

The goal of the game is to defeat all enemy characters.

Used skills and discarded cards go to the graveyard. Defeated characters are removed from play.

That’s all the rules.
Simple, right? Yes, but I think it offers a great deal of playstiles, especially with good skill texts.

Read the examples below to get a better picture of the game and then comment with any questions and thoughts.

I know all current survival skills have a nice little survival story behind them. It’s not about that, so I’ll just quote myself:

…You know the basic mechanic of every skill within each skill group.
Survival skills lack that…

As for Entangle, how can you not imagine it like a trap?
The Ranger empowers the soil beneath him with magic, magic seeds or whatever:
“If foes step on this ground entangle them with powerful vines.”

I know that right now you cast it. The only change, mechanically, would be that once you cast it would wait for opponents to come before doing it’s effect.
But, as I said before, it’s not about changing the mechanics. It was, in the case where survival skills get the theme of speed and movement, to put it in the next best skills group.

HTech.8016:

The survival skills do have an identity, apart from Sharpening Stone. Although even there, you could argue fighting with a dull blade won’t exactly increase your chances of survival. As far as moving Entangle from Survival over to Traps… Entangle just isn’t a trap-skill. There is no special trigger for the enemy, they just get entangled right away. It would only make Traps lose their identity.

I guess we just have a different view on Survival skills.

As Entangle goes, I disagree. It roots all foes around the ranger. It would change nothing if it would be moved to traps. It’s still laid at your feet. And it would get better traits for improvement.
Traps would’t loose identity because entangle is just a type of natural trap. Instead of jumping at the ground to cast it, it would be set.

We have traps, spirits, signets and shouts. And while they are not all viable and could use work they all have their identity. You know the basic mechanic of every skill within each skill group.
Survival skills lack that, and they seem like a bunch of random skill.

I would like them to have a real survival identity. That could be done through movement and speed.

Retain Quickening Zephyr and Lightning Reflexes, but remove Muddy Terrain and Sharpening Stone.
Instead of them add something like:
Vine swing – You swing on an imaginary vine to your target. Knocks down fleeing foes.
Camouflage – Gain stealth.

This way, we would have (1) increase skill speed, (2) retreat, (3) charge and (4) short undetected movement.
Besides the better skills we would give an identity to Survival skills.

And lastly, move Entangle to traps. It would retain its function but it would be triggered by enemies. It would also benefit from trap traits like longer condition duration and being potentially ground targeted.

Thoughts?

Main concern about Ranger Spirits right now is their durability.
So, rather than increasing their HP or toughness, and making them potentially indestructible and OP, why not giving:

Permanent Stealth to Spirits

They would only break stealth when they begin casting their skill, and it would be reapplied after it’s cast.

As I hear, Spirits are very useful in large groups. In that situation there are so many AoEs and stray attacks that giving Spirits stealth won’t mean much, and it won’t make them OP.

The Problem is more apparent in small groups and when soloing. By giving Spirits Stealth they would become more viable while retaining their balance. They could still be killed with AoEs and attacks but it would require luck or keeping track where they are cast. And by making them visible while using skill they could still be targeted and interupted.

I would like to see a change that would make spirits stealthed by deafult.
Appearing only for a second whenever they proc or use skill, so enemies can know where they are. They could still be killed by AoE or when in line of fire.

This way, durability should not be buffed. They would be just as easy to kill as they are now, but it would require keen eye or luck. And skilled rangers would think more about positioning them.

Also, all spirit traits remain viable.

Ok, first to say, I am pleased with the ranger. It’s my main and I enjoy it. Using pets for semi-tanking while throwing traps and positioning to utilize shortbow.
It’s not perfect, but this is not an thread about that.

This is a idea about a profession mechanic that the ranger could have used during development but can now evolve to fit some new profession. If something similar was written, I am not aware of that, and please bring it up.
It’s not about changing the ranger, it’s about hearing thoughts.

Alternative Pet Mechanic – Spirit bond

The Ranger connects so strongly to his pet that they share life force.
The pet has no health of its own, there is only one health orb, but he gets his own boons and conditions.

By default the Ranger is normal and the Pet is ethereal, ghostly.
He is still controlled by AI, and goes around dealing damage and using skills.
But! He is immune to damage (and heals). Tho he can still be disabled (knock down, stun, slow etc.) and buffed (fury, might, etc.), nothing done to him can lower (or raise) the Ranger’s health bar.
Ranger can normally be damaged, get conditions and boons.

Mechanic Skill button: F1 – Spirit Swap
Hitting F1 swaps spirits, so your pet becomes fleshy and the Ranger ethereal and ghostly.
The Ranger is now immune to damage (and healing) but not disables (and boons).
Nothing done to him can now change the health bar.
The pet, on the other hand, can be normally damaged and everything done to him normally changes the health bar.
It would come with a decent cooldown.

Mechanic Skill button: F2 – Pet Skill
This remains unchanged.

Other buttons would now be unnecessary, since the pet has no health of its own. So no passive/aggressive and change pet.
Lock Target and Return are under consideration.

There you go. Thoughts?
I believe this would create more interesting situations in PvP, and it would require reading enemy actions and being ahead of situation for Swap, even in PvE.

But, as the Ranger is probably set in stone, this could fit a profession like the Chronomancer, where his “pet” would be a time-shifted version of itself.

My Norn traper.
I usually run with shortbow/greatsword with two bears at my side (polar is my favorite).

Magister Norngolian

I like it, fist name sounds like it would sound cool in a deep norn voice (tho at first look I read Rodman)

My ranger goes by the name Norngolian!