Why was there never a T&T CCG?

[gringnr]

I've always wondered why T&T never spawned a collectible card game. Especially during the '90s, when every RPG, TV show, and line of frozen dinners seemed to have its own CCG. I read a post by Ken once, where he said he remembered Rick Loomis saying that there wasn't money in cards or something like that. Which Ken seemed irked by, because cards were printed for Lost Worlds and Nuclear War. I'm not sure if either of these games had a collectible aspect, though. Do any of you trolls have any "insider" knowledge about this? Surely, it was at least consideerd... right? I'm not trying to bring up a sore subject, or look for any drama. I'm just legitimately curious as to whether this was discussed or even considered by the Trolls.

[mosker]

Completely with you regarding a card game: anything from a dungeon crawl to even (if we'll get a bit anachronistic) a deckbuilder or even an LCG is a perfect fit for T&T.

To (sort of) answer your specific question, I recall there being something put out (or advertised) by That company which may have had some of Ken's work in it. And the relationship between Rick and risk was alluded to in many of his obits... (I have half-personal and half-corroborated stories from the 80's)

As for a CCG specifically, I totally see why not. It's not just the creation, printing, advertising, etc.  expenses (we'll assume even FBI could work out an equitable way to reuse a bunch of art so there wasn't that up front cost), it's the trollpower cost reaching the critical mass needed for playtesting, demoing etc.

But how many of you Zimrala backers looked at those cards and thought, D*&m, I want to make a game out of these?

And speaking of insiders (and thread-jacking), app or Rebellion news anyone? The latter could afford a card game... T&T/Joyride mashup but with cards!

[Aramis of Erak]

I wrote a whole diatribe, but decided just to shorten it a lot.

T&T had nothing in it until 7th that wasn't as well covered by MTG. It just wasn't distinct enough as a setting. At least, unless one had the videogame... or played with Ken, Bear, Liz, Mike, or one of the other creatives behind the solos.

Let's not forget, either, that CCGs need a big name. Several major companies produced dud CCG's and LCGs.

Oh, and remember: FB Inc had an LCG (one of the first, really)... Nuclear War. (which reminds me, I need to save up and replace my deck - mine got party-fouled to unplayable.) And then, they tried it as a CCG. I don't know how well the CCG did by FB Inc. standards... but by shelf-turnover, in Anchorage, it utterly bombed. (Pun bombastically intended.)

The best LCGs I've ever played are Nuclear War, Modern Naval Battles, and Star Force Terra: Contact. The latter never getting a second box, as it was essentially MNB in space, and as MNB was crashing. (I also like the Star Fleet Battle Force and Naval War games; SFBF was supposed to go LCG, but SVC seems to have abandoned the project for volume 2. And Naval War had no official expansions to my knowledge.)

[sscrompton]

I think because Nuclear War was more of a goofy fun game, that the idea of a collectible card game version with rare cards was not a good match. Part of the fun of the CCGs is the beautiful art on the cards. The cartoony art of Nuclear War didn't lend itself to that type of collectibility.

As for T&T CCG - Other than Ken suggesting it at one point to Rick Loomis when MtG first came out, the idea of a CCG for T&T was never seriously considered or discussed. And it wasn't really until dT&T was released the true nature and details of Trollworld were only really hinted at. You really need a bigger I to  support that OR you need to be the first one to do it, like Magic the Gathering was. 

Steve