worries about the big change

I think a lot of people here are simply looking too far into this. What I see happening is that they will strip down most of the champs (the ones that need it) to their core, much like the example of the ferren pouncer on the first page. It's not like they are going to strip away core abilities so they every champ has block and dodge, ir no champs have unique abilities... There are just some abilities (or more than some) on certain given champ that are either redundant, and unnecessary complexity or allow for too much play in roles that the champ shouldn't be designed for.


I think you shouldn't look at this upcoming change as a simplification, but rather a streamline to more defined roles for all champs.

 

If that is indeed the case, and it comes with a max amount of abilities a champ can have, then we are looking at a whole new Pox to play - and I like it.

 

I’ve read the topic and lots of subjects have passed by. I will summarize the whole thing to get a clearer view on the matter. First of all, the only reason I like POX and what makes it different from other TCG is the complexity. With complexity I mean it’s not like chess where every unit has ‘a’ determined ability. Pox is determined as well in what a rune can do or not and of course you still need to calculate, but there so many factors to keep in mind which makes it harder/complex/interesting. So complexity for me is about all those factors that influence your strategy/decisions in the game.

Now let’s take a closer look, what makes this game more or less complex? Yes indeed, abilities are what make this game more complex/difficult.

So now, what are the main problems about these abilities?

1. Too many ability’s on (certain) runes:
Because of this new players have a disadvantage, they have to read/understand and react according and yeah it takes time to read/understand (in game).

2. Powerful ability’s:
Yes it has been said by few others, some abilities are just too powerful (like ferren focus as example). Now is it that powerful? To me it starts getting powerful when you play it as a theme. On the other hand it brings uniqueness into that specific race, which I like. Another thing that makes this ability (ferren focus as example) powerful is that it consists of more other abilities. So to me it doesn’t really count as 1 ability anymore, but as X abilities in 1 ability.

3. Unused ability’s
While there are many abilities on runes, some of them just useless or almost never used (may it be passive or active). Also some abilities are almost the same. I would say integrate those into 1 ability that does the same and ones that are really not used removed (this has been discussed in other threats).


What results of changes may lead to:

- More accessible for new players
- Maybe less interesting for older players
- More balanced game / more predictable
- Less reading/thinking during game (for the newer players)
- Maybe disappearing of unique ability’s
- If (key) abilities are removed it might mean that 30 slots won’t be enough to cover/deal with certain situations.

 

In my personal opinion I think that we shouldn't remove thinking from Pox Nora to benefit new players but rather shift it away from memorization. Thinking in Pox Nora should be analyzing and choosing the optimal path through a decision tree (pardon my CS speak). Basically, determine the best possible way to play your turn given the state of the board, your collective "resources", and what information you have about your opponent's "collective resources". Finding the optimal path is a process that comes naturally to anyone.

 

I love complexity, I love levelling my runes, I love powerful abilities and combo's......

I still think that Pox champs need to be simplified and a few skills need to be removed. I'm looking forward to what the Owls come up with and I'm hoping that the game will come out stronger. I think complexity creep had gone a bit too far under Sony

 

The simple fact that you all take notice to the things we discuss is enough to keep hope alive. Thank you for the information, and I can't wait to see how things are going to get shaken up from the revamp.

(But if you touch my Coragh....)