Yeah but in MTG the types were on the card already for the most part. All WOTC did was make the template look a little more pretty. I really do like the idea believe it or not. I'm just a pessimist and think that it's too late to do it.

Actually, the went back and added additional creature types to many of their cards. It had nothing to do with the card border template, but more to do with the direction they went during the Legions Block when they were focusing on creature types.

Isn't this some of the same group claiming that the game is already too complex? So now you want to add more text and another mechanic? :ermm:

Quoted for truth.

We're not adding anything that isn't already on a bunch of cards, and we're suggesting it as a method to simplify the game by adding a set of universal reference points.

More text does not necessarily mean more complex... and again... it's not another mechanic.

It can be argued that it simplifies things because it gives the game system more structure. It helps players automatically identify what type of card it is without actually having to read the full game text. That is optimistic of course but hey... isnt't that what people are asking for more around here?

I see what you're driving at but I guess I disagree with the outcome.

One of the daunting things about the character cards is the amount of information on them. Adding something (and yes you would be adding something because these are only on a handful of MXM cards) seems counterproductive. It's another place to look and another place to reference from PTs and Locations therefore it "feels" like another game mechanic.

I don't think the mutant trait was a terrific idea to begin with so maybe I am not a good judge.

It also opens up new design avenues on UDE's part, which is never a bad thing.

The optimism is appreciated, erick. :classic:

Whoah... chdb and erick on the same page... Bizarro World.

As I've thought more about Class/Traits... I've realized that there may be no need to add more than the trinity since you can loosely fit almost any superpower into those 3 categories.

My concern is how do you define power level because comic books are full of non-super powered characters. It hit me that Classes can fulfill that role because a Human - Physical would definitely be weaker than a Mutant - Physical. At the same time, it could be used to distinguish different approaches for each trait. I'm sure Metahuman - Mental would have something to do with mind powers whereas Human - Mental would have to do with intelligence like Professor X vs. Batman.

And maybe you don't NEED to have multi-Traits at first. You can represent various versions of Superman such as a Physical one that focuses on combat and an Energy one that uses heat vision for life endurance burn.

To that effect, what mechanics would you lump into each trait?

Physical
1. Combat oriented
2. High ATK/DEF
3. Mutliple stun?

Energy
1. Out of combat mechanics
2. Endurance loss or gain
3. Exhaustion
4. Recursion?

Mental
1. Control
2. Card searh/draw/filter
3. Recursion?
4. Card (hand/row) manipulation

What do you guys think?

You got me there. Thanks for the sunshine Erick. :grin:

I think the three traits are adaptable to the current character base... no need to get too crazy with it (although I do like the mock-ups you guys did on the previous pages). The exception to the rule would be the "non-powered" characters that are in the game (Sue Dibney comes to mind), but for design purposes, they could be "blank trait" characters.

Also, I don't think that Mutant-Physical trumps Human-Physical in terms of power. As far as game design goes, it should simply be a "tag line" on the characters that MAY be utilized. The character's powers should still be reflected with their card's printed ability.

The Trait breakdown you did above looks to be a good summary of MXM Trait design. I do feel, using MTG as an example again, that there is plenty of room for "cross-trait" references (like a Magician, who would most likely be Mental, that has the power to shoot, say, laser beams...which would normally fall under Energy.. they could be Mental-Energy tagged).

(In Reference to Erick's post)

The problem with that is most of the Trait-related cards in the X-Men expansion do not specify that the character be a Mutant. So you'd still have weirdness like Batman being able to use Mind Control (which is not to say that weirdness doesn't already exist, what with Iceman and Cyclops being able to use Magnetic Force).

Non-powered characters could probably have a Class but no Trait.

Man, Fridays make me miss such amazing threads. These are all great ideas; if I come up with any additional stuff, I'll post it sometime this weekend.

That's a good point. So there is a need for other Traits?

Why would Batman be Mental?

Mental = Mental Power, not just Really Smart - at least the way I interpret it.