If you were allowed to make a completely new story card, what effect would it have?

More novel in its effects such as The Challenge from Beyond? or more game impacting like The Innsmouth Threat type of effect? Or something completely different?

Do you think it really matters what kind of effect they have for a certain cycle? (for instance, Secrets of Arkham story cards are supposed to be the 'official' story cards used in events.) Are they so subtle that only certain ones can be used for a certain 'legal' status?

I ask not only to spur conversation about the game, but because it would be nice to see what vets and newbs alike would consider to be their choice of direction for the game regarding the story cards.

So far, they seem to fall within 8 different broad categories of influence (plus promos which don't fit any category). I will list them in terms of what the card effect does along with any redundancies. (CCG era cards are noted for completions sake as well as reference to precedence.)

Card Sacrifice/Destruction:

* The Thing at the Gate Arkham Edition F05 & Secrets of Arkham F57
Each player sacrifices all of his characters.
* Dark Heart of Cairo Eldritch Edition F244
Each player chooses up to 2 Support cards controlled by the opponent to his left. All chosen Support cards are destroyed.
* Voice of the Thunder Eldritch Edition F250
Each player sacrifices all characters he controls.
* Through the Gates Core F161
Each player sacrifices all characters with printed skill of 3 or higher.
* Rotting Away Core F162
Each player sacrifices all characters with printed skill of 2 or lower.
* They Come at Night Secrets of Arkham F52
Each player names a character or support card. All copies of the named cards are sacrificed.

Discard Pile Recursion:

* The Horror of the Past Arkham Edition F02
Each player shuffles his discard pile into his deck.
* The Secret of the North Woods Arkham Edition F06 & Secrets of Arkham F58
Put into play all characters from all discard piles.
* The Unquiet Earth Eldritch Edition F248
Put into play from their owners' discard piles all characters with printed skill 3 or higher.
* The Shadow out of Time Core F157
Each player may exchange any number of cards in his hand with an equal number of cards from the top of his discard pile.
* Opening Night Core F158
All discarded characters are put into play, insane.

Success Tokens:

* The Innsmouth Threat Arkham Edition F07 & Secrets of Arkham F56
Discard all success tokens on all story cards.
* Beyond the Doors of Sleep Eldritch Edition F242
Each player that controls no Day or Night cards discards all of his success tokens from all story cards.
* Nowhere to Hide Core F156
Discard all success tokens from all stories.
* The Other Path Core F165
Each player may place 1 success token on any story on which he has 2 or fewer success tokens.

Story Cards:

* The Well Arkham Edition F09 & Secrets of Arkham F60
Each player chooses one story card which he has won (except this one) and shuffles it into the story deck. Then destroy all Day and Night cards in play.
* Parable of the Faceless One Eldritch Edition F245
Each player must choose and shuffle one of his won story cards into the Story deck (except Parable of the Faceless One).
* Dreamwalkers Core F164
Each player must choose one of his won story cards (other than this one) and shuffle it back into the story deck.
* The Secrets of Arkham Secrets of Arkham F51
Resolve the effects of all other non-conspiracy story cards in play.

Discard:

* The Arkham Willows Arkham Edition F03
Each player discards the top 10 cards of his deck.
* Shadows of Nephren-Ka Eldritch Edition F246
Each player discards his hand.
* Frozen in Time Core F163
Each player must discard 2 cards from his deck for each resource attached to one of his domains, or destroy that resource.

Deck Search:

* The Dreams of Kingsport Arkham Edition F01 & Secrets of Arkham F59
After you win this story, choose Day or Night. Each player searches his deck for a card with that subtype, puts that card into play, then shuffles his deck.
* The Forgotten Sepulchre Arkham Edition F04
Each player searches his deck for one character card and one non-Day or non-Night support card and puts them into play. Then each player shuffles his deck.
* Digging Deep Eldritch Edition F243
Each player searches his deck for up to 3 Attachment cards, reveals them to all opponents, and puts them into his hand. Then, each player shuffles his deck.
* The Call of Cthulhu Core F160
Each player searches his deck for a card and puts it in his hand. Shuffle the decks.

Card Drawing:

* Throne of the Black Pharaoh Eldritch Edition F249
Each player draws 10 cards.
* Obsessive Research Secrets of Arkham F53
Each player draws until he has 8 cards in hand.

Domains:

* The Terror out of Dunwich Arkham Edition F08 & Secrets of Arkham F55
Each player chooses one resource attached to each of his Domains. All other resources are destroyed.
* The Crooked Manse Arkham Edition F10
Each player gains a new Domain with the top 4 cards of his deck attached to it as resources.
* Abysses of Night Eldritch Edition F241
Each player choose one resource attached to each of his domains. All resources not chosen are sacrificed.
* The Squalid Hamlet Eldritch Edition F247
Each player chooses one of his domains, then attaches the top 5 cards of his discard pile to that domain as resources, if able.
* Ancient Apocrypha Core F159
Each player gains a new domain, and attaches all character cards in his discard pile to that domain as resources.
* Change of Plans Secrets of Arkham F54
Each player chooses a domain and attaches his hand to that domain as resources.

Promotional Story Cards:

* The Nameless City Arkham Edition P10
Players need 10 success tokens in order to win this story. If you win this story, you win the game.
* The Challenge from Beyond Eldritch Edition P11
Players cannot win this story card. Forced response: after a player places 1 or more success tokens on this story, he draws 2 cards.

Maybe because its early but, Offhand I can't really thing of a story that manipulates the resources. So, thats where I'd start. Either make one that adds a resource to each domain, or takes one away. Maybe call it "Inheritance from mysterious benifactor" to give resources and maybe "Government Inquiry" for story that removes a resource from each domain.

Hmmm I guess it might help if everyone knew what each of the 36 uniquely titled Story cards do in order to make an informed decision on what they would design if given the chance.

Original post edited to reflect entire library of story card and their effects.

So, I take it that everyone is content with the story cards that are already available?

VERY cool looking cards !!

Chick

It reminds me what we had for vote concerning a homemade fan creation for a french story deck :

Just look there :

http://cenacle-hd.bb-fr.com/concours-f23/concours-creation-de-cartes-d-histoires-t803.htm

Here is the text of the "Cthulhu in Paris by Gaslight" tournament proposition, you should see the picture on the topic previously mentionned :

Alone on the road = during the story phase, each player can commit only one of his characters in this story.

On strike = put into each player's hand all his characters in play.

Monaco grand prix = during the story phase, only characters with a Vehicle card attached can be commited in this story.

Great schemes = each player can search is his deck on character card and then put it in play.

Le Moulin rouge = all weapon cards in play are destroyed.

The chthonian inner circle = each player search in his deck up to three Cultist cards, reveal them to his opponent(s) and then put them in his hand or discard pile.

Transatlantic holydays = after you win this story, choose one of your characters whose control is given to one of your opponents. Then this opponent must (if he is able to) choose one success token on a story of his choice and then give it to you.

Into the catacomba = each player exchanges his discard with his opponent's.

The roaring twenties roar loud ! = the discard and the deck of each player are exchanged.

French cancan = each player shuffle his hand with his deck and then draws eight cards.

Lack of concern (after the slaughter) = each player takes all characters from his discard and then shuffle them with his deck.

Theosophical ambiguity = each player takes the control a Ancient one character controled by the opponent at his right.

Expedition into the catacombs = the player who wins this story flips a coin. Head : all character lose and Willpower, then become insane. Tail : put into play all characters from the discard piles under their owner's control.

Thou art entering the realm of the dead = destroy all cards commited in any story during this phase.

Under Ménilmontant's tank = destroy all characters that were commited in any story during this phase.

She's alive !! Alive !! = Action : you can remove one of your success tokens to put into play a character from your discard pile.

Jazz in St-Germain-des-prés = ready all characters in play.

Ornemental arts exposition = Destroy all support cards when this story comes in play. As long as it is in play, support cards cannot be played.

Big wheel = destroy all cards attached to all characters. Then shuffle all characters then put them in play exhausted, by dealing them one by one to each player

Ha ! - that Big Wheel one is twisted and quite surprising !

I have to wonder, however, if FFG purposely puts out "less interesting" - Story Cards -then they had back in the CCG-era ? As you have shown from the listings, and also Hellfury, some of the older ones are most impressive and powerful !

Thanks for the feedback, PRODIGEE. I do peruse Le Cenacle, but I need to become more fluent in reading french. Translation takes me a bit of time.

Rosh87 said:

I dont think the new cards from Core and four new ones from secrets of arkham are any less interesting than those from the CCG days. As illustrated above, they pretty much all fall into one of 8 categories with slightly varying effects.

What I am against is the lack of novel effects as was seen in the promo cards. Those two really got my creative juices going when I finally acquired them since they are so fun to use.

Thankfully PRODIGEE has shown me that I am not alone in my desire for something outside of the norm.

Despite we all agree that new effects should appears on story cards (maybe something will appear with Silver twilight, who knows ??), I keep in mind that there was a previous answer in the older forul, where FFG did answer that the balance of the game is kept secure by the keeping of the story resolution.

Just changing the effect enacted when the story is won is a good compromise.

Ephraim said:

Those four story cards are beautiful. Great job!. Kennon wouldn't you agree. I saved them.

I'd like to see story cards that come with very different effects than we have previously seen. Something different to shake things up a bit. The same old story effects reprinted under a new name get rather boring.

Once upon a times, players did propose to create cards that would inherit a FORCED RESPONSE on it. So anytime a story card would hit the table, a powerfull effect would shoke the balance of the board :

Example ?

Forced Response : Destroy every characters with printed cost 2 or less when (name of the story card) enters play

Forced Response : when (name of the card) enters play, each player choose a character controlled by one of his opponent and takes control of the chosen character.

Forced Response : Each player must choose on of his character during the draw phase. Remove its Willpower and T icons and drive it insane.

The interest of winning such story would be to avoid suffering the forced response, or to try to trigger it a second time with the character that allow you to exchange a storycard in play with one from the won pile.

That sort of mechanic would be nice. I'd happily see that added to the game.

PRODIGEE said:

Forced response is insanity and submission to the elder gods. The only struggles that can ever resolve is infinite horror.

There is something deeply disturbing about that image....I kept watching it for over a minute.....and it's just.....creepy......as it is a portent of what the world would be like (perhaps) if Cthulhu and his foul brethren ever truly awoke..... scary !

Just posting to clear out the permanent "new post" bug on this thread.

Here is a link to some story cards for those possibly looking for more variety:

www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/617157/story-card-draft-deck-pic-heavy

[uPDATE]

(Link no longer valid as it I pulled it by request of FFG for illicit use of their artwork and card elements which are copyrighted.)

Hellfury said:

Wow. Nice. Adding that to my wish list for payday.

My copies turned up yesterday and I'm very impressed. These are exactly the sort of story effects I wish FFG would add to the game.

The_Big_Show said:

Thanks, Big Show. Glad you like them.

posting to get rid of the persistent "new" flag.

johnny shoes said:

You called, ser? Hmmm.... and sadly, I'm not sure what you're referencing. Lol, did I do some custom story cards a few years back and forget them?

Kennon said:

There were a plethora of Story cards that I made in this thread and I removed them to avoid further emails from FFG legal. I let the animated story card stay because of parody purposes.