Justice League Design *Brainstorming*

[Yodaking]

Bats, I would choose MM for the JL unifying card concept. Being more of a Marvel guy than a DC guy I know my relationship with the JL team in not as in depth as some of you but my impression of his role on the team was as a calming, level headed presence and overall team strategist. He always seemed to be a key to getting everyone to work together, mostly because he had the mental powers to help understand what was driving each individual member and how to get them all on a similar page. His mental fortitude also allowed him to bond more easily with the different personalities of the team and thus work as the glue that kept them together when times got tough. If anyone were to unify the JL via one special power, it should be him IMO.

[IAmBatman]

Good stuff. I'd certainly be on board with it. But I also loved all the Batman 3.0 ideas back in the day, so I'm fairly easy to please.

[japes]

Ok so here are my thoughts for what it's worth. I see the merits of some sort of team card/glyph concept but don't necessarily needing to make additional cards to name all the leaguers. If the core group is in you add around it and don't need all of them. Green arrow for instance doesn't need to have a boosting power as that's not what he brings. I am 50/50 on Martian Manhunter being the lynchpin. One side I don't think of him as the guy I want to have to have to build a JL team but from the other side his telepathic link is something that could link them.

[Arkham]

I honestly don't see it as a big choice to make. The logical answer should and could be potentially all 3. If we want glyphs that have 4-5 covered on a glyph, and we want to cover a good portion of the more prominent members of the Justice league...we're going to at least need 3-4 glyphs as options. With that being the case, perhaps 2 new versions of cards, and then Batman 2 can draft the glyph as well? If we make it a Utility glyph, we open it back up to feesible being possible to cover a lot of ground easily. The idea being if you want people on your team from separate glyph groupings, you get 2 people that can start with them. Or perhaps open it up to where if MM II starts with a JL glyph, he can start with 2 which expands those options. It's make sense since he costs as much as he likely will. Then you draft Batman and you have 15 other people as possibilities to round out your team with.

Just an idea...

[IAmBatman]

I don't think a Utility Glyph is a good idea with this model, just because Batman 2.0 himself is too set in price to allow us to properly balance things.

I think trying to do all the powers needed to bring things together in 2, or a maximum of 3 glyphs, and then having them start on as few as one hub (two at most - after all, Batman 2.0 has three Utility Glyphs, why can't a JL leader have three glyphs for his team members?) is the way to go here. I agree that not every iconic member needs to offer a boost, because they're not all necessarily greatly helpful teammates. Some are just along for the ride. The key is to get enough to encourage you to build around the theme.

[Arkham]

Exactly. We're on the same page, and I hope we can get Yoda in on it because I value his support and vision.

I'd say 3 glyphs at max is right on par. 2 hubs that start with them is certainly doable. I think these are both very fair and reachable goals. Each glyph could have 4-5 character powers being brought in, and we just cover the more interesting of the bunch that could use the chance to be included, as well as the more prominent of course.

[Spidey'tilIDie]

OK, dang you guys are busy! The enthusiasm is inspiring. And tough to keep up with!
For the record, J'onn is the MOST iconic member of the Justice League and I don't have a problem saying that. Let the record show, that neither Bruce or Kal were members of JLA in issue 1 when they formed to fight Starro. In the retcon The Nail series, which as I recall took place before that, they were honorary members after turning down full membership. When all of the big three were being rebooted, J'onn and Arthur were the only two who stayed. The whole idea of J'onn being addicted to oreos started in the JLI era. And finally, only in the New 52 era, when they replaced him with Cyborg, was J'onn not a member. For 50 years (March 1960 - August 2011), J'onn was the one mainstay of the Justice League. He should be the hub of the synergy.

On another note, I have a similar but different idea for the team card. Instead of calling out characters by name, what if you used the previous list you pulled together?
For instance,
Power1
After revealing an Order Marker on a card in your army and moving that figure, you may attack with a different figure in your army. You may only use this power if you have a Champion, Vigilante, and Martian in your Army.

Power2
After revealing an order Marker and making a close combat attack with a figure you control, you may make a ranged attack with one unengaged Unigue Hero that you control. You may only use this power if you have an Amazon, Thanagarian, and an Archer in your army.

etc. etc.

I think you get the point. Thoughts on this direction?

[Arkham]

Thanks for the backup on MM.

As for the call outs to classes and personalities etc. to activate powers. I had thought about combining the 2 ideas, but I'm not entirely sure yet how I feel about it. The fun of having individual members called out, and required to be present for the power to work, is you are not only forced to actually have them, and not another that has the same class/personality, but it can also make the powers more personal and destinct, rather than generic. For example:

Glyph Pool 1:
When you control any of the following figures, the respective figure may use a power listed on this card, as if it is listed on its own card.

• Aquaman I: Add 1 to the roll of Hand of the Waterbearer when rolling for an adjacent figure.
• Example 2
• Example 3
• Example 4

That's just an example of course, but it shows how personal the power could actually be. I'm actually thinking maybe a bunch of once per game powers could be effective here, that way they can be powerful, but only relied upon once per character that is in the Army that can use them. It'd also speak to the idea that they bring out the best of each other, and themselves, when working together. The stakes are high, so perhaps their power is pushed to its limits, but it's once per game. Idk, just an idea. Keeping it as is without the restriction can work too.

[Spidey'tilIDie]

Well, to offer a bit of creative fodder, here is the role that I believe each of the big 7 (plus some extra) play in the JL inner machinations.

Superman - inspiration
Manhunter - mental and emotional tether
Batman - Contingency plan
Wonder Woman - pacifist that can fight
Flash - reconnaissance and evac
GL - precise scalpel or giant blunt instrument; interstellar knowledge
Aquaman - wildcard, sometimes pompous, others awkward socially, usually friendly
Zatanna - Magic user
Cyborg - tech version of Zatanna, took the place of Steel
Atom - Inventive scientist
Hawkman - knowledge of ancient civilizations, battle ferocity
Harkgirl - battle instincts and calming influence on Hawkman
Booster Gold and Beetle - goofoffs that want to fit in and deep down want to be remembered
Black Canary - voice of reason amongst a lot of type A personalities
Plastic Man - comedy relief and trickster
Green Arrow - He is the liberal minded man to Hal's conservative view point also precise scalpel and blunt instrument

[Arkham]

It definitely helps. That's exactly the type of stuff we're hoping to touch upon. With 3 glyphs, 5 members featured on each, we can get 15 of the most prominent members on there. Beyond that, we just want to include interesting power enhancements, supports, and synergy offered between all of it. So a good mix will be needed on each glyph, and as a whole, to really add something unique to all of this. It's a unique approach, but we don't want to just stop there. This whole idea in general is uncharted territory, and I feel, is something special. It's the ultimate way to have 15 members contributing to a synergy, and benefiting by playing together, which is exactly what we were trying to do before with MM 2, Cyborg 2, and Batman 2. I loved those designs and the direction we had, but I see the benefit of this, which is it could ultimately tie in directly more units.

I'm definitely excited to brainstorm the powers that could be enhanced, or offered, by taking this direction. We could boost a power already on their card, or represent something the character isn't already representing on his/her card that they could, and offer an array of synergy throughout.

[Yodaking]

That is an interesting concept Spidey. Having different team benefits that only can be used when you have 3 different classes or personalities in play. That would certainly encourage you to play the different JL members together while still leaving a little flexibility to use non-JL cards with the same class or personality. It would also give you different benefits based on which members you decide to run with in any certain game, so you could run Green Lantern, Flash, & WW in one game then Hawkgirl, Superman, & Green Arrow in the next. They would both be JL teams but each one would play a bit differently since they would earn a different bonus.

[Arkham]

Originally Posted by Yodaking

That is an interesting concept Spidey. Having different team benefits that only can be used when you have 3 different classes or personalities in play. That would certainly encourage you to play the different JL members together while still leaving a little flexibility to use non-JL cards with the same class or personality. It would also give you different benefits based on which members you decide to run with in any certain game, so you could run Green Lantern, Flash, & WW in one game then Hawkgirl, Superman, & Green Arrow in the next. They would both be JL teams but each one would play a bit differently since they would earn a different bonus.

That's my big hang up. I just feel there's 2 things at play there that don't offer the same love, range, and variety as the direction of call outs to specific units.

Issue #1 is that when dealing with specific classes, personalities, and races, you still leave that door open for unthematic builds. Which isn't the biggest deal, but it makes it feel less personal. With the system of listing 3 and only activating if you have those 3, it limits within the Justice League itself, which figures can be paired with which. I'm not completely against it, I like it, I'm just not so sure it's the better way to go.

Issue #2 is that the powers aren't going to be as personal. I feel like when you force 3 people to be present for something to trigger, that's 3 people aiding for 1 power to happen, instead of 3 people bringing 3 unique personal powers to the table, as with the direction we're envisioning.

If the Justice League is several members offering their services, and aiding one another in their individual unique ways, forming a better team because of it, why not have each member directly represent that synergy in their own specific way?

If I had to take 15 members, and form unique and personal specific powers/bonuses/synergy/support they are gaining or offering by working within the group, there's a hell of a lot to draw from there. So much so that it is quite exciting.