AH LCG核心机制分析:回合流程

2021-01-01

本章节部分无太多可分析内容,仅仅罗列顺序和简单分析

剧本前准备流程

Choose investigators. Each player chooses a different investigator, and places that investigator’s card in his or her play area.

Take trauma damage/horror. In campaign play, each player places damage equal to his or her physical trauma, and horror equal to his or her mental trauma, on his or her investigator card.

Choose one of those investigators to be the lead investigator for this game.

Assemble and shuffle the investigator decks.

Assemble token pool. Place the damage, horror, clue/doom, and resource tokens within easy reach of all players.

Assemble the chaos bag. Place the chaos tokens indicated by the campaign setup instructions into the bag, and return the other chaos tokens to the game box.

  • In campaign mode, use the chaos bag as it was composed upon completion of the previous scenario.

Collect starting resources. Each investigator gains 5 resources from the token pool.

Draw opening hands. Each player draws 5 cards. Each player, in player order, may mulligan once at this time.

  • Each weakness card drawn during this step is ignored, set aside (without resolving it), and replaced by drawing another card from the deck. Upon completion of this step, shuffle each of these weakness cards back into its owner’s deck.

Read the scenario introduction in the campaign guide.

Perform the scenario setup instructions indicated by the campaign guide. This includes gathering the encounter sets listed in the setup instructions in the campaign guide, placing locations, placing investigator mini cards at the location each investigator begins play at, setting aside any listed cards, and shuffling remaining encounter cards together to form the encounter deck.

Set agenda deck. Assemble the agenda deck in sequential order, with the art side faceup, so that “agenda 1a” is on top. Read the story text on agenda 1a.

Set act deck. Assemble the act deck in sequential order, with the art side faceup, so that “act 1a” is on top. Read the story text on act 1a.

Place the scenario reference card next to the agenda deck.

单回合流程

–ROUND BEGINS–

Mythos Phase

(Skip on Turn 1)

Add 1 Doom to Agenda

  • If Doom Threshold reached → Discard all Doom Tokens → Advance Agenda

  • If Scenario is Resolved and Ends, read # section in campaign guide

Each Investigator draws 1 Encounter card

  • Spawn any Enemy Cards

  • Resolve any Treachery Cards

  • If Surge → Draw another Encounter

TRIGGER

Investigation Phase

For each Investigator in any Order

Take 3 Actions

  • Investiage location : Test Int. vs Shroud Value -> Discover 1 Clue from Location

  • Move to connected location: If new, reveal location, add Clue Value clue tokens

  • Draw 1 Card: If Weakness / Basic Weakness, execute Revelation

  • Gain 1 Resource

  • Play asset / event: if Asset, check slot limits (can discard assests) If Event, resolve effect then discard

  • Activate: Resolve [→] costed Ability on a card

  • Fight: Test Combat vs. Enemy (Fight) -> Deal 1 dmg + modifiers

  • Engage: Place Enemy in Investigator Threat Area

  • Evade: Test Agility vs Enemy (Evade) -> *Exhaust Enemy, Break Engagement

Flip Investigator to used side

TRIGGER

Enemy Phase

For each Hunter Enemy (Any Order): Move Enemy one location toward nearest Investigator and engage if in same location

TRIGGER

For each Engaged Investigator (Any Order) For each Ready Enemy (Any Order)

  • Deal Damage and Horror to Investigator

  • Exhaust Enemy

TRIGGER

Upkeep Phase

TRIGGER

Reset each Investigator

Ready each Exhausted Card -> Non-Engaged Enemies Engage local Investigators

For each Engaged Investigator (Any Order)

  • Draw 1 Card and Gain 1 Resource

  • Check Hand Size (limit is 8) and discard extra cards

–ROUND ENDS–

剧本前准备流程分析

鉴于大量内容无分析必要,因此只针对其中涉及的两个机制进行分析探讨

首席调查员

在游戏中,首席调查员有如下三个作用:

  • 当出现多种处理方案都被规则允许时,由首席调查员决定如何处理。
  • 当需要按照顺序执行特定效果时,从首席调查员开始以顺时针执行。
  • 部分效果直接指定首席调查员。

换句话说,从机制的角度上来说,首席调查员负责两件事:

  • 所有合作游戏中,打破争议点的存在。即避免玩家争执不下难以做出决定时,通过游戏机制使得一名玩家有最终决定权。
  • 指定特定效果的接收者。若玩家是多周目进行游戏,就需要针对剧本特定效果针对性地选择谁来当首席调查员。

首席调查员在每个关卡(scenario)开始时都可以修改,因此玩家可以针对性地基于关卡特点来决定谁来当首席调查员。当有首席调查员在关卡中死亡后,将由另一位玩家成为首席调查员,保证关卡中必然存在一位首席调查员。

重抽(mulligan )与初始手牌

绝大多数角色在关卡开始时可以抽5张手牌,并能重抽一次。

重抽的具体执行:These cards are set aside, and an equivalent number of cards are drawn and added to the player’s starting hand. The set-aside cards are then shuffled back into the player’s deck。即玩家初次手牌不要的可以放到一旁,再从牌库抽牌。

且初始手牌和重抽阶段碰到缺陷卡都扔到一旁并补充,使得玩家必然可以获得5张非缺陷牌作为手牌。

这个机制除了用来避免糟糕开局破坏游戏体验外,最关键的莫过于寻找关键卡。尤其大多数玩家的牌库去除缺陷卡后,只有31张牌左右(30张构筑牌+1张正向角色牌)。通过初始手牌和重抽,可以摸其中最多10张牌。

以31张牌为模型,列出下表作为概率统计。

  要1张 要2张
牌库共1张 16%  
牌库共2张 30% 2%
牌库共3张 42% 6%
     
  要1张 要2张
牌库共1张 32%  
牌库共2张 55% 10%
牌库共3张 70% 24%

上半部分是抽5张计算,下半部分是抽10张计算。

实质上,mulligan的机制和直接抽10张并不完全等同。例如在目标是抽出2张key牌时,初始手牌5张牌中有1张key牌,那么muligan时若把另外4张弃掉再摸4张,概率是(1-26/27^4)=14%,略高于10%。

鉴于AH LCG同名牌最多只能有2张,仅一些有特殊被动效果的牌才能放3张,所以玩家的Key牌需要放2张才行。至于角色的特殊正向卡,若想开局就抽到,最多也就32%的概率。

整体来说,重抽机制对于找Key牌来说仍旧略显不足,是一个投硬币式的赌博。但若是想保证初始手牌不太糟糕,在合理的组牌情况下,重抽机制足够。这使得某一个循环加入的塔罗牌成为有趣的赌博升级物。玩家在最极端的情况下,也仅有55%的概率开局获取它,并且还是在牌库里添加两张的前提下。不过另一方面,玩家一旦开局免费放下塔罗牌,将省下4个行动点(3费资源+1打出行动),且塔罗牌相当于不卡槽位的asset,收益极其高。

单回合流程分析

对于各回合内阶段在其他章节中有详细分析,本文仅针对顺序和安排进行简单探讨。

回合阶段顺序安排

每个回合被拆分为4个阶段:

  • 神话阶段
  • 调查员阶段
  • 敌人阶段
  • 整理阶段

神话阶段中,抽取随机事件并增加推进点数。调查员阶段中,玩家进行各种行动。敌人阶段中,敌人进行各种行动。最后整理阶段中,重置敌人和玩家卡牌,并补充资源。

这个流程可以抽象为:提供阶段性难题(随机事件)-> 玩家行动(解决难题)->敌人行动(未解决的难题进行反击)->整理

通过这种设计,游戏实现了整个剧本的节奏把控和动机推进。保证整个游戏中,玩家使用有长、中、短期3个目标。

长期目标:打通这关

中期目标:完成这张行动卡的推进目标

短期目标:处理本回合的敌人和事件、处理之前未处理好的敌人和事件

并且随着游戏进行,目标间的重要程度将不断变化,使得玩家需要不停做出决策确定当前应该怎么做。尤其在ah lcg的高难度设计下,除非有着极好的运气、对信息的熟悉程度和技术,否则玩家必然要在两难间做出抉择。有时需要为了重要的短期目标,而放缓中期目标。有时则需要快点完成长期目标,而忽视短期目标。

另外,整理阶段在最后,让玩家在整个回合结束后才会抽牌并获得资源,以及查看是否超过手牌上限。对于手牌上限的检查来说,放到最后是最有利于玩家的位置。很多卡牌可以在敌人阶段或自己回合外使用,因此玩家自己回合结束时没必要保证手牌低于上限而减少损失。

至于抽牌,由于本游戏有个独有的缺陷卡机制,使得可能在回合最后抽到缺陷卡。一旦抽到缺陷卡,相当于玩家少补充1张牌且需要在之后处理缺陷卡带来的问题,提供新的短期目标。对于位置而言,抽卡放在新回合遭遇卡之前可以让玩家基于缺陷卡对必然且稳定的遭遇卡进行提前处理。(因为每回合必然每个玩家需要抽一张负面的遭遇卡)而如果抽卡放在遭遇卡之后的话,玩家就很难针对不稳定且不确定的缺陷卡做出反应。(因为玩家一整局游戏抽不出一张缺陷卡也是可能的事情)

首轮跳过第一阶段:神话阶段(Mythos Phase)

首轮跳过第一阶段有两个意义

  • 给予玩家开局的稳定性。使得玩家在开局时可以打下关键asset并为之后做好准备。而不会因为开局被怪物骑脸却打不出武器。
  • 推进检测滞后。保证在没有特殊事件和效果前提下,玩家一定能进行一个完整回合后再判定是否推进剧本。

整体来说,这个设计是为了增强稳定性,减少随机性带来的负面体验。