Deck Building
The one-sentence "definition" that should be in italics.
This pattern is a still a stub.
Note: This pattern follows the distinction made in BoardGameGeek that Deck Building refers to constructions of decks during gameplay. See Pre-Customized Decks for constructions of decks before gameplay.
Contents
Examples
A Few Acres of Snow, Dominion, and Thunderstone are all games with Deck Building as a core mechanic. So is Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game but this show that Deck Building games can be co-operative. A Study in Emerald provides an team-based example even if players initially do not know which other players are on their team while Airborne Commander shows that Deck Building games can be solitaire games.
Anti-Examples
Magic: The Gathering and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Deck-Building Game have players build their decks before gameplay begins, so these games use the pattern Pre-Customized Decks rather than Deck Building.
Using the pattern
Deck Building is used in games to let players have agency on which Cards should be in Decks. Players typically use this to affect the Randomness of their potential Hands by getting Cards that increase their chances of Combos and Gameplay Engines. Most games using Deck Building have new Cards put in Discard Piles, which create a form of Cooldown for new Cards.
Players' Deck Building is typically helped by Strategic Knowledge, so the possibility of having this (about Cards and their Combos) in a game is likely to affect this pattern. Bag Building can be an alternative to Deck Building if not the design possibilities of Cards (compared to Tokens) are need. Pre-Customized Decks is another alternative where players build their decks before gameplay begins.
Consequences
Deck Building modulates how Decks are constructed by letting individual Cards be added to them over time.
Game Element Insertion is a common consequence of using Deck Building in a game since the Cards introduce into Decks by Deck Building are typically not in play before this happens. However, this is not a strong case of Game Element Insertion as the Cards typically already play a role as Limited Resources before being part of a Deck.
Can Instantiate
Abstract Player Construct Development, Complex Gameplay, Construction, Extra-Game Actions, Freedom of Choice, Gain Competence, Game Element Insertion, Gameplay Mastery, Stimulated Planning, Strategic Planning
Relations
Can Instantiate
Abstract Player Construct Development, Complex Gameplay, Construction, Extra-Game Actions, Freedom of Choice, Gain Competence, Game Element Insertion, Gameplay Mastery, Stimulated Planning, Strategic Planning
with Discard Piles
Can Modulate
Combos, Decks, Discard Piles, Gameplay Engines, Hands, Randomness
Can Be Instantiated By
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Can Be Modulated By
Possible Closure Effects
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Potentially Conflicting With
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History
New pattern created in this wiki.
References
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Acknowledgements
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