So many games need a LCG revival.
Deadlands and 7th Sea come instantly to mind.
All LCG systems have a unique element to them that doesn't just make them just another MTG clone. I love the strategy behind every decision. Doomtown, the Deadlands card, game was very unique. Combat was done through Poker. Each card had a symbol in the top corn for each of the types of suits in Poker.
With the release of each LCG I have noticed they all have locations in them. Doomtown had these too. They have strategy behind what cards you include in the deck that go beyond just making it full of multiple good cards. With Deadlands, you had to cater the deck to have the suites in them. You could cheat the deck by including all Aces, but the draw back is that Aces are on the weaker cards and unique cards, so they would just take up space once you had one in play.
Every LCG has an in depth lore behind them to follow as story pack cycles. Deadlands has a very rich story behind it because it was crafted for a Roleplaying Game and followed the Legend of the Five Rings tournament format to determine what happens next.
I found my old Deadlands cards the other day while looking for deck boxes for my Invasion cards. Please FFG try to get the license. You lack a Western license game and this would be perfect to fill that hole. The LCG format would take that Poker deck balancing to a whole new level, because now decks wont be limited by the number of Poker suits available to the person from card packs with random cards in them.
From the Wiki
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Doomtown (originally Deadlands:Doomtown) is a collectible card game, a companion to the Deadlands roleplaying setting.
The game sets itself apart from other CCGs by having each card also serve as a playing card and resolving certain in-game situations with a hand of poker, thus accentuating the Old West atmosphere of the game. The game involves complex deck construction and deep strategies, and was designed with multiplayer (three or more players) in mind. The sheer amount of card draw in the game makes luck much less of a factor, while the movement rules (in the style of board games such as chess) reward intelligent strategy.
Doomtown was heavily story-driven as well, with a detailed and intriguing storyline that affected cards and play styles. An example was the Fear Level that changed with each expansion and improved or disrupted play styles. Doomtown also held storyline tournaments in which players could directly influence the storyline. For instance, in the finals of a major storyline tournament, Sheriff Coleman was killed by a Sweetrock hired gunman; the sheriff was subsequently killed in the storyline, resulting in new events and action cards, and a later experienced version was Harrowed (revived as a living dead) to avenge his own death.
Examples of various factions:
BlackJacks:
The outlaws of the game, constantly robbing the populace, and bearing a grudge against Sweetrock. Blackjack was their original leader.
Law Dogs: The lawmen of the town. Usually consists of a sheriff and his deputies. They hunt down wanted dudes and disperse justice.
Collegium: Mad scientists who use Ghost Rock to power their gadgets. These guys can dispense some serious hurt if you let them.
Sweetrock Mining Company: The big corporation around those parts, with lots of capital to spend. They employ shady and highly aggressive tactics to win the town.
Whateleys: Lovecraftian family involved in witchcraft and demonology. Very nasty. They are the primary users of Hexes in the game.
Sioux Union: A coalition of many different Indian tribes. They are the primary enemy of the Whateleys in the original storyline. They are the primary users of Spirits spells in the game
Maze Rats: A band of pirates, mostly Chinese. They raid the mines of the Great Maze and use Kung Fu.
Texas Rangers: Agents of the South (the Civil War is still dragging on). Their general policy toward the supernatural is "shoot it or recruit it".
The Agency (A special branch of the Pinkertons) : Agents of the North. Under the guidance of the Ghost, they aim to cleanse Gomorra of occult influence.
Lost Angels
(replacing the similar Flock, which was eliminated from the storyline): They think they are the chosen of God, but the reality is much more sinister. They use their miracles in an attempt to bring about the Apocalypse.