Behind the Curtain: Which Witch? This Witch.

One of the unique aspects of a trading card game (to be abbreviated TCG from here on out), is that they attempt to tell a story through a marriage of gameplay, design, and art. While other mediums share this concept of marriage (most notably video games), what sets a TCG apart is that the space in which to convey this story is limited. While lore articles will exist, for the most part a player's perception of the story will be filtered through the lens of an object that is 2.5x3.5 inches. That small space is immensely restrictive; but restrictions need not be feared. Restricting the space we have to tell a story means we need to make the most out of every, pardon the pun, inch.

Knowing and understanding this, I set out to create six characters that I hope will leave an impression on everyone: the six witches (immensely powerful entities that are the embodiment of their respective domains. As important to the plot as they are to explaining the ways a paper TCG expresses its, often larger-than-life, creativity on such a small platform. By dissecting and applying the three principals (gameplay, design, and art) to the six witches, you will hopefully gain insight into why these characters will be featured so prominently in Legion.

-GAMEPLAY-

Gameplay is arguably the most important aspect of not just TCGs, but games in general. In order to attract players and hold onto them the gameplay needs to be nuanced, enjoyable, and thoughtful. To use a ubiquitous example: Monopoly has existed on the market for as long as it has because something about the gameplay keeps attracting people to it. Gameplay also informs the way people perceive any given card; if it serves the type of gameplay that is the most attractive to the player, then that card will be remembered fondly and easily recognized. It is for this reason that I set out to develop the witches in such a way that everything about them feels powerful. More-so than other plot important cards, the witches needed to feel like game enders while still being fair (a topic for another article). Whether or not they achieved this goal is still to be seen, but from their inception I have given each of them abilities that do things no other card does; as well as hit-points and attack values that are substantial. They are meant to be these godlike entities and one of the hallmarks of a god is an exceptionally large power-level. 

-DESIGN-

One of the core concepts in game design is that gameplay should inform design and design should inform gameplay; but what is design? In the simplest terms, design is the wording, abilities, typing of the card, and representing its role in the world. Gameplay is the definition of these elements (for instance: this card will cost this exact amount. This card will have this many hit-points, and this much attack power). An ideal card is one that blends the design and the gameplay into a seamless object. With this in mind, I set out to design the witches in such a way that even before their gameplay was considered you felt like they were going to be important. Since each of the six witches is meant to embody their respective domains, it was important to design them to highlight that. One of the ways this was achieved was making sure that their abilities best represented what that domain's ideologies. To use the example of Irradia (whom I hope you became artistically familiar with on Wednesday), her abilities are designed to convey the idea of aggression. Something that the Atomic domain embodies more than anything else.

Another way that the design of the witches expresses their important is that all six are typed as "Epic Grunt - Witch". In gameplay terms, this means that you can only play one copy on the battlefield at any given time. This helps tip the gameplay towards the fair end of the spectrum, but it also intuitively tells the player that this card is significant. As humans we often remember unique things the most. By using a simple four letter word, designers are able to tap into this to emphasize what has been deemed important. Even the choice of word feeds into this. Epic is a word that holds universal recognition; every culture has had them and they all convey heroism, legendary deeds, and grand adventures. Epic is the perfect descriptor for beings as plot important as the witches.

-ART-

Shifting beyond gameplay and design, the last principal is art. More than words, art is the connection between idea and player; if a card is important to the plot, and the witches certainly are, than their art has to express that. As you'll see over the coming weeks, each witch has their face covered by a mask. The reasoning behind this is that by covering, exaggerating, or removing an expressive feature you create a disconnect between the piece and the observer. For the witches, we wanted them to feel alien--to feel almost unknowable. Masks are a great way to do this, as they hide our most expressive feature: the face. Masks also carry symbolic baggage and this has been exploited on each witch to help convey what their role is.

Composition is another important piece in the artistic puzzle, and we've made sure that each of the witch's have been depicted in a posture, lighting, and form that both relates to, and expresses, their role in the plot. Even beyond the plot, their composition conveys their relation to their domain. While they embody their domain's ideologies, some may not feel particularly connected to the cultures surrounding them. Lastly, their composition has been chosen to elaborate on their connection to one another. While all will be revealed in time, what I can say in this article is that there is a duality among the witches.

Being a physical card game means we are limited in the actual size of our product, but that doesn't mean that we can't try to tell interesting stories or convey interesting ideas. As we reveal more and more about them, I hope that you have a better understanding of the decisions that went into each of the six witches.