Amazons Vs. Aliens

Understandably, most people roll their eyes when you say you have an idea for a card game. Even I was rolling my eyes in the mirror at myself when I thought of this (that's not weird that there's a mirror in my bathroom at toilet level, right?). However, I think when you're faced with "samey" game mechanics (the nice term for it is "familiar", "easy to learn", or "nostalgic" lol), the card battle games can still be fun if the battles are snappy, the card art is eye-catching and the theme has some novelty.

And what's more novel than Amazons versus Aliens!

===============

The Flimsy Story

Long ago, The Aliens discovered Earth and the simple people who lived on it. The Aliens were smart, but lazy, and also greedy!, so they enslaved the Earthlings and made them harvest the planet's resources for them. The Aliens left when they had enough goods, but said they'd be back someday to take even more. The Earthlings were sick of them and wanted to fight back, so they pumped iron and geared up and glistened in dramatic workout montages and became badass Amazon warriors! When The Aliens returned, the Amazons were doing sweet backflips, deflecting lasers, and punching out alien attack beasts with their bare fists. Soon the Amazons kicked those space-jerks off the planet!

The angry, lazy Aliens were too weak to fight physically, so they hired mercenaries from all over the galaxy to fight the Amazons. The problem with mercenaries is that they'll fight anyone for the right price... or if the price isn't right enough!
 
•The game is essentially an excuse to draw badass Amazons and Alien Warriors from all over the universe, as well as the cool gear they use. From hunters to wrestlers to monks, all sorts of warriors want in on the action! The game doesn't take itself too seriously, many of the cards have ludicrous and funny scenes and characters, like an Amazon trying her hardest to give a Mercenary Space-Yeti a headlock.
•For the Amazon aesthetic, I'm thinking lightly armored designs, with feathers and jewelry and animal motifs. I'm thinking the card art would be bold and animated to accentuate the light-hearted theme, nothing grim and gritty. "Amazons" can be a broad term for the human warriors who aren't Mercenaries, not only for female warriors.

•Mercenaries aren't all Aliens, there are also traitorous humans who simply like to watch the world burn!

===================

Card Types

Warriors
Warriors are what the game is all about! They come in three varieties: Basic, Heavy, and Legendary (names can be changed to something more suitable).

•Basic Warriors have all sorts of abilities, they're very versatile.

•Heavies are tougher warriors that usually have requirements before they can be played, such as discarding specific cards. They also tend to be imposing creatures, like golems and warbeasts. They take 1 less damage from Basic Warrior attacks.

•Legendary Warriors usually specialize in a certain strategy, making them less flexible than the other types. They can have abilities that affect your entire army.

Species
There are two species for Warrior cards: Humans and Aliens.

Gear
Players can equip their Warriors with Gear to give them an edge in battle. Since we're dealing with warrior cultures from all over the universe here, the Gear can be all sorts of things, like Helmets, Laser Spears, Amulets, Goggles, Thunder Whips, etc. However, only Basic Warriors can use Gear because the other warriors are strong enough already!

Skills
These are single-use fighting moves like a dropkick, shield bash, headbutt, etc. that have many useful effects. Some can have requirements and bonuses.

•"Shield Bash" requires a Shield to be equipped before it can be used.

•"Headbutt" will add +2 damage to the next attack if a Helmet is equipped, otherwise it only adds +1 damage.

====================

Gameplay
There should be a snappy flow to the game, the game should get heated as soon as the cards are down!

•The goal is to wipe out the opponent's army.

•Individual Warriors have a decent chunk of Health so they can stay in the fight for a few turns at least. I think this lets players enjoy their favorite warrior/card for a while, instead of having it die a turn after playing it.
•There is no "Champion" or "Hero" you have to defend. My goal is to make battles more exciting by having several warriors and skirmishes on the field, without focusing on some pretty boy shouting orders from the rear.

•I'm gravitating towards grid-based playing field, having warriors only able to attack enemies near them. Maybe Warriors have a "Reach" stat that lets them attack enemies farther way.

====================
 
Traits
Some warriors have inherent Traits, here are some examples.

Reflex
An ability that triggers under certain circumstances (when attacked, when killed, etc)

Hatred (+X)
Deals extra damage to a certain species (human hatred, alien hatred)

Savage
Can simultaneously attack all adjacent enemies on the field

Willpower (X)
-------------

TL;DR
Amazons and Aliens battle!
Need a game system
Need to pay people lots of money for card art
Profit! (maybe)