[Phieta]

I've long been a fan of Decipher. Their games (mainly the original Star Trek: The Customizable Card Game and its zillion or so expansions) provided hours and hours of entertainment for me, my brother, and a few friends.

I didn't expect them to come up with something like Fight Klub, though.

I'm not sure what to think of it. I'm definitely interested, and I like the ideas they're going with. Whether it'll be successful, we'll have to see; I'm hoping they don't manage to screw it up.

Decipher's basing this game around a new online community, which is free but invite-only. Once you've joined you can order cards---in fact, that's the only way to get them. They won't be sold in brick-and-mortar stores. Fortunately, this'll save Decipher money, which in turn lets them do two things: sell the cards at a lower price point than with other TCGs, and give players 10% commission for referrals. (i.e. you join and say "Phieta sent me," and whenever you buy Fight Klub stuff in the future, I get a kickback. Not enough to quit my job, but enough to earn a new set every so often.)

Here's the real cool part though: the players will be directing the game. Decipher's plan? Well, they already own licenses for a large library of film and TV properties, and are quite willing to negotiate others. So the're going to let the players vote on what they want in the game. (Walker, Texas Ranger versus Darth Vader?) Same thing for old sets going out-of print. If enough players want it, they'll reprint it.

What else.. um, it's designed to be played in around 15 minutes. Supposedly as something to play between your other games (or the rest of your busy life), rather than a replacement for the other stuff that takes up your time.

Annnnd some other stuff. http://www.decipher.com/fightklub/blog to check it out.

[Monkeys & Me]

Thats a really interesting concept, bookmarked it, shame theres little concept work