Tuff Stuff's Gamer Winter 1997 - 14 - X-Files CCG, NXT Games & Donruss: Mention - Top of the Order, Red Zone
...NOW PLAY THE CCG!
A representative of the licensor must
approve the game at various stages; large
companies devote whole departments
just to approvals. Sometimes approval is
only a formality, but licensors often exert
their power to protect the property's
integrity. "What you want to do may not
be what they want," Domzalski says.
After seeing the original version of "Star
Trek: The Card Game," for example,
Paramount's licensing official objected
that Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were dying
too easily. So Fleer/SkyBox's designers
"built Band-Aids into the game," Dom-
zalski says, to keep these core crew mem-
bers alive.
Designers must also balance game
play against fidelity to the source. With
the "X-Files" CCG, co-designer Macdonell
says, "Everyone has a very clear expec-
tation of what should occur. Something
weird should happen in the beginning;
FBI agents should be sent to an out-of-
the-way location; they should encounter
mysterious events, unusual witnesses,
and powerful adversaries. Our game had
to play just like that.
A representative of the licensor must
approve the game at various stages; large
companies devote whole departments
just to approvals. Sometimes approval is
only a formality, but licensors often exert
their power to protect the property's
integrity. "What you want to do may not
be what they want," Domzalski says.
After seeing the original version of "Star
Trek: The Card Game," for example,
Paramount's licensing official objected
that Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were dying
too easily. So Fleer/SkyBox's designers
"built Band-Aids into the game," Dom-
zalski says, to keep these core crew mem-
bers alive.
Designers must also balance game
play against fidelity to the source. With
the "X-Files" CCG, co-designer Macdonell
says, "Everyone has a very clear expec-
tation of what should occur. Something
weird should happen in the beginning;
FBI agents should be sent to an out-of-
the-way location; they should encounter
mysterious events, unusual witnesses,
and powerful adversaries. Our game had
to play just like that.
"The major disadvantage of a license is
that you lose some of your creative abili-
ties," Macdonell continues. "Our game is
designed so that mathematically we can
create thousands of unique cards. How-
ever, we can only introduce a new X-File
and/or Agent card if he/she/it makes an
appearance on the show."
The designers of the "Middle-earth:
The Wizards" CCG faced a similar prob-
lem. "We're careful to remain true to the
license," says Fenlon, especially in deal-
ing with Tolkien's fundamental themes.
Nonetheless, "Middle-earth" co-designer
Mike Reynolds says, "We had to create
characters and items to fill out the
playability spectrum. A lot of our fans
find this distasteful." For instance, Mid-
dle-earth has dragons, but Tolkien men-
tioned only two; the "Dragons" expan-
sion invented seven more. According to
Reynolds, some players liked this, but
others said, "If it's not in Tolkien, I don't
want to see it."
that you lose some of your creative abili-
ties," Macdonell continues. "Our game is
designed so that mathematically we can
create thousands of unique cards. How-
ever, we can only introduce a new X-File
and/or Agent card if he/she/it makes an
appearance on the show."
The designers of the "Middle-earth:
The Wizards" CCG faced a similar prob-
lem. "We're careful to remain true to the
license," says Fenlon, especially in deal-
ing with Tolkien's fundamental themes.
Nonetheless, "Middle-earth" co-designer
Mike Reynolds says, "We had to create
characters and items to fill out the
playability spectrum. A lot of our fans
find this distasteful." For instance, Mid-
dle-earth has dragons, but Tolkien men-
tioned only two; the "Dragons" expan-
sion invented seven more. According to
Reynolds, some players liked this, but
others said, "If it's not in Tolkien, I don't
want to see it."
Another problem is that media licenses
usually include the property's images-
characters, photos, and artwork - but not
always. The licensee may find himself
drawn into the murky, troublesome area of
image rights.
Paramount Pictures owns all the Star
Trek series, but many actors who ap-
peared in the original 1960s three-season
series can refuse use of their images in
licensed products. Fleer/SkyBox had to
revise about a 10th of the "Star Trek"
CCG's photos because actors shown in the
images had not approved them. This
obstacle sometimes affected card design,
as when the first expansion adapted the
alien hippies from the Trek episode "The
Way to Eden." According to Domzalski,
the designers wanted cards reflecting the
relationship between the group's leader
and his assistant. Unfortunately, Para-
mount couldn't find one of those two
actors. Without the missing actor's ap-
proval, the idea was scrapped. (In later
Star Trek series, however, Paramount
secured all approval rights; thus Decipher
hasn't faced this problem with its "Next
Gencration" card game.)
usually include the property's images-
characters, photos, and artwork - but not
always. The licensee may find himself
drawn into the murky, troublesome area of
image rights.
Paramount Pictures owns all the Star
Trek series, but many actors who ap-
peared in the original 1960s three-season
series can refuse use of their images in
licensed products. Fleer/SkyBox had to
revise about a 10th of the "Star Trek"
CCG's photos because actors shown in the
images had not approved them. This
obstacle sometimes affected card design,
as when the first expansion adapted the
alien hippies from the Trek episode "The
Way to Eden." According to Domzalski,
the designers wanted cards reflecting the
relationship between the group's leader
and his assistant. Unfortunately, Para-
mount couldn't find one of those two
actors. Without the missing actor's ap-
proval, the idea was scrapped. (In later
Star Trek series, however, Paramount
secured all approval rights; thus Decipher
hasn't faced this problem with its "Next
Gencration" card game.)
Usually, Fleer/SkyBox had to change
"Trek" cards because Paramount couldn't
locate actors, but sometimes an actor
flatly refuses permission to use his im-
age. Thunder Castle's "Highlander Movie
Edition" and its expansion don't depict
Sean Connery, who appeared in the first
and second films, because Connery re-
fused permission. Connery, however, had
no such approval power in his early roles,
which explains why Heartbreaker's
"James Bond 007 GoldenEye" game fea-
tures Connery among its three Bonds.
The biggest problems in licensing arise
when the two companies, for any number
of reasons or no reason at all, just don't
get along. Decipher and Paramount parted
ways in 1995, after Decipher's president
publicly accused Paramount of withhold-
ing approvals for "Star Trek" game expan-
sions in its effort to gain more money.
REWARDS
"Trek" cards because Paramount couldn't
locate actors, but sometimes an actor
flatly refuses permission to use his im-
age. Thunder Castle's "Highlander Movie
Edition" and its expansion don't depict
Sean Connery, who appeared in the first
and second films, because Connery re-
fused permission. Connery, however, had
no such approval power in his early roles,
which explains why Heartbreaker's
"James Bond 007 GoldenEye" game fea-
tures Connery among its three Bonds.
The biggest problems in licensing arise
when the two companies, for any number
of reasons or no reason at all, just don't
get along. Decipher and Paramount parted
ways in 1995, after Decipher's president
publicly accused Paramount of withhold-
ing approvals for "Star Trek" game expan-
sions in its effort to gain more money.
REWARDS
But the licensing marriage can have a hap-
pier outcome. Fleer/SkyBox has worked well
with Paramount, as has Iron Crown with the
Tolkien estate. Over at NXT, Macdonell says,
"Many of us have become good friends with
some of the people we have been working
with. Even when the game has gone its
course, there are several people at Fox
whom I hope still to be friends with."
A license can also bring support from
new quarters. "Because of their relation-
ship with Fox, [telecommunications com-
pany] MCI would like to be a sponsor for
the 'X-Files' CCG," Macdonell says. "This
type of sponsorship would not be avail-
able as easily without the license."
Rarest and most rewarding is the
mutually beneficial license that strength-
ens the original property. West End
Games, through its Star Wars role-play-
ing supplements, has enriched the Star
Wars universe so much that Lucasfilm
now accepts these works as canonical.
The role-playing material has shown up
on many Decipher "Star Wars" cards.
What of rewards for gamers? Licensed
games have traditionally presented a mixed
bag. Many sloppy designs by clueless pub-
lishers sit on the shelves beside excellent
RPGs like Star Wars and card games like
Fleer/SkyBox's "Star Trek."
pier outcome. Fleer/SkyBox has worked well
with Paramount, as has Iron Crown with the
Tolkien estate. Over at NXT, Macdonell says,
"Many of us have become good friends with
some of the people we have been working
with. Even when the game has gone its
course, there are several people at Fox
whom I hope still to be friends with."
A license can also bring support from
new quarters. "Because of their relation-
ship with Fox, [telecommunications com-
pany] MCI would like to be a sponsor for
the 'X-Files' CCG," Macdonell says. "This
type of sponsorship would not be avail-
able as easily without the license."
Rarest and most rewarding is the
mutually beneficial license that strength-
ens the original property. West End
Games, through its Star Wars role-play-
ing supplements, has enriched the Star
Wars universe so much that Lucasfilm
now accepts these works as canonical.
The role-playing material has shown up
on many Decipher "Star Wars" cards.
What of rewards for gamers? Licensed
games have traditionally presented a mixed
bag. Many sloppy designs by clueless pub-
lishers sit on the shelves beside excellent
RPGs like Star Wars and card games like
Fleer/SkyBox's "Star Trek."
Although the popularity of licensing
indicates the increasing spread of corpo-
rate-controlled properties throughout
popular culture, it doesn't imply that
games are getting worse. As before, a
good design makes all the difference -
because you still can't license talent.
Texas-based freelance writer and game
designer Allen Varney likes the licensed
CCGs "Netrunner" and "Killer Instinct."
