Fortune Cards: you likey?

[KidSnide]

I'll admit it: I haven't tried fortune cards, but I still have no interest in using them.

First, 4e is fiddly enough without them. It doesn't need additional detail to keep it interesting. In fact, if I were to change anything about 4e, I would decrease the level of detail. As it is, players have to keep track of a bunch of small modifiers that are cumulatively important but don't matter that much individually. (GMs have it worse!) I would rather have a smaller number of modifiers that mattered more. Adding a new mechanic with a new set of small situational modifiers makes this problem worse, not better.

Second, fortune cards are a funky mechanic because the players are controlling circumstance in the world other than their characters' actions. Like martial daily powers (or Come and Get It), the players are making tactical use of circumstances of the game that they can control but their characters can't. I don't have a problem with that when it's awesome (see Come and Get It) or it is a major part of game balance (see most martial daily powers). But this isn't a design objective -- it is a design conceit that can be forgiven if the value is high.

For fortune cards, the whole point seems to be to add a collection of minor, non-character-based, situational modifiers. Why would you want that?

-KS

 

[cpendlet]

I have some interest in trying them out but can't justify making everyone get some when we are having plunty of fun playing without them.

 

[MrMyth]

Hmm, so we had like 1 post saying they like the cards as is? And then various house rules, including as a DM reward (which I can totally see)?

What's especially interesting is that the entire core concept of the cards were to provide a readily purchaseable item for players - since they don't usually invest in the various books and accessories (minis/dungeon tiles) that DMs do.

And yet, despite that, the only real purpose folks can see for this are as DM tools.

I think that Fortune Cards are going to be a pretty big failure overall. Basically, without them being built into the system (which I hardly want to see happen), they are too optional to really be useful for players. Next to no one likes the default approach for them, which is designed for maximum card usage and, thus, maximum effect on the balance of the game.

As such, it isn't worthwhile for players to invest in them when their use might be forbidden outright, or change from game to game. DMs might invest in a few packs (or even a set), but once they've got enough cards to use however they like, they are basically done.

No one is going to buy them as WotC wants them to be bought - as an accessory that is continuously purchased by gamers looking to have an edge. That could change when we get the 'extra hardcore' campaign supposedly coming along this year as an alternative to encounters, I suppose.

But in general, the game just doesn't have the competitive atmosphere the cards are designed for.

 

[Mengu]

We've used them in one of our LFR groups, and I don't like them. I keep forgetting to flip a card, take my turn, then realize oh I had this junk I've been meaning to get rid of. And I'm not the only one. I have enough cards to make a decent deck, but still I'd rather play without them, which in another LFR group we've been ignoring them completely. There never even was a discussion to use them, and I'm quite glad for the absence of cards in that group.

In home games, we don't use them. One of our DM's made an April 1st joke about using them, but no one fell for it. So, yeah, they're clearly a joke, at least to our group.

As for using them outside the box, like with some house rules, or as reward points for bringing snacks, etc., I don't feel like I need cards for that.

 

[Goonalan]

Never gonna use them- surely, for some players, they're just going to stop describing the cool things their PCs do and instead be content with laying down a series of cards- attack power, magic item power card, action point card followed by 2nd attack power card & fortune card- full house.

Do we still need the dice I ask myself.

As above I could see them being used as a DM reward for cool play but... for all the reasons given above, and the fact that if I want to give out DM rewards I can probably do that without having to buy the WOTC 4e Fortune Card (Official Deck) TM, I could just- like tell the player.

But maybe I'm just not feeling the love.

 

[Vicar In A Tutu]

The replies here just confirm what I suspected: That the fortune cards cannot be a success, that few players buy them (mostly DMs), that no one likes the rules for using them and that everyone dislikes the random packaging. That's why I was so surprised to learn that two more sets are in the pipeline for the future. (Another gripe I have with the cards: there is only art on the rare cards, common and uncommon cards don't have artwork. This really reduces the collectability of the cards, IMHO.)

 

[Aegeri]

In fairness, I think Wizards made it mandatory to use them in encounters or something stupid like this. So while we might all hate them, anyone playing encounters is forced to use them and hence buy them. Or at least have access to them in some manner.

 

[Kelvor Ravenstar]

Wizards did not make Fortune Cards mandatory for Encounters, but they are highly encouraged. Store owners aren't supposed to require a buy-in for play at Encounters, but I wouldn't be surprised if some unscrupulous folk out there are using Fortune Cards as a requirement for play.
In order to get any benefits out of the renown points system (which you receive for good attendance at Encounters), you have to use the cards. So when you reach 20, 40, or 60 renown points you get an exclusive rare Fortune Card for your deck, but if you don't have a deck to put it in, you can't really use it. In previous seasons renown rewards were thicker cardstock cards about 2.5" by 6", and you could choose one of these that you had earned in the current or the previous seasons. So that was a benefit to coming back season-to-season. I have heard that these cards were expensive to produce, and that using Fortune Cards was much more cost-efficient for the program.

Use of the fortune cards started off fairly strong at my store for this season of Encounters, but hardly anyone is using them anymore. Players seem to have trouble remembering that they can only discard and get new cards at the beginning of their turn, and most players haven't built decks to get the full benefits out of the cards for their character. Lots of players don't use the cards anymore, a few have the older Renown cards instead, and one or two have a deck.

Frankly, I'd be more of a fan of these cards if DM's used them too. I run one of the two tables of Encounters at our local FLGS, and I often wish I had a little extra edge to make things interesting for the players within the rules. Encounters (except for Dark Sun) tend to alternate between encounters that are too hard, and too easy in my opinion (and the too easy show up more often).

 

[TerraDave]

The only thing I can think of that got such a negative reaction here is the online CB.

Though, as that is a major tool for a lot of people, it kicked up a lot of drama.

This, this just looks like a flop.

 

[Matt James]

In fairness, I think Wizards made it mandatory to use them in encounters or something stupid like this. So while we might all hate them, anyone playing encounters is forced to use them and hence buy them. Or at least have access to them in some manner.

Not true. They (of course) encourage their use, but it was never mandatory. That is some horrible rumor that I keep seeing pop up.