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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · 1d

I’m gearing up for Safari Game progress, now that my MTG schedule is regulated.

I have a @pendragonmtg.com game tomorrow 2pm, but the rest of the weekend will be spent catching up on all my other responsibilities, getting my desks cleared and sorted, so I will be less distraction-prone.

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · 12d

Back home from #MCAtlanta.

Great weekend of #PendragonMtG games & cutting promos for @innersleeves.bsky.social.

Met cool people, I’ll do a small 🧵 here later this week. I’ll be starting a big 🧵 on my main, @renothevast.bsky.social, today.

Moving Safari Game to a front-burner for a few months!

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · 12d

Back home from #MCAtlanta.

Great weekend of #PendragonMtG games & cutting promos for @innersleeves.bsky.social.

Met cool people, I’ll do a small 🧵 here later this week. I’ll be starting a big 🧵 on my main, @renothevast.bsky.social, today.

Moving Safari Game to a front-burner for a few months!

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 29

PIka Pika!

Patrick Vallely @pjvphotography.bsky.social · Aug 28

"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?"

Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.

Tighter crop of the same pika, focusing on its head.

An even tighter crop, focusing more on the pika's eye.

An extremely tight crop of the pika's eye, emphasizing their reflection of an early morning mountain scene.

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 21

Do you have an idea for a game or alternative format that doesn’t exist?

You should try it. It might slap.

I know a someone who did, and it was not that long ago that they went from less than 100 people in their discord to this:

PendragonMTG - MagicCon Atlanta @pendragonmtg.com · Aug 21

With #MagicConAtlanta just about a month away who amongst you will be joining us?

We have been blessed w/a space next to the Gathering Grounds. Drop by & meet the #PendragonMTG #RRT.

We also have a Discord channel dedicated to making connections at the Con!

discord.gg/zTUKrfsmvy

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 16

Here’s the original, for reference.

Like, 3 hours of work lol.

This is why good alters cost fam.

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 16

Game night turned into paint night.

I’m pretty happy with Umbreon using Moonbeam to aura farm.

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 14

He’s such a comfy sleaze. ‘Laxing to the max.

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 14

Old shop did awesome months-long sealed-constructed leagues, like whole Scars block. EDH was rapidly becoming commander; Owner said meh, but he was a pro draft coach & brewer. We loved it, made theme leagues that were cube-like.

This era can happen for Pokemon. It has so much game potential.

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 14

But something can. Some format can come along that takes the player base and forces a corporate shift.

It won’t happen as long as shelves are emptied on restock day, which won’t end until people stop buying scalped product.

Will this work? F’n maybe?

It’s one small reason I work on Safari Game.

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 14

Magic the gathering never got to the point that Pokémon has. A big part of it is Poke-nostalgia, but I believe commander played a significant role.

It was a grassroots movement that forced the company to rethink its whole model.

It can happen to Pokemon.

It probably won’t be SGA that does it.

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 14

I don’t have any answers that cut to the core of this problem. As players, I know we’re outnumbered by collector-scalpers, there isn’t much we can do about this.

What we can do is apply wallet pressure. What we can do is create new formats that don’t use standard playables or chases, just bulks.

Pokémon TCG Hobby Is Changing…But Into What?

YouTube video by Frosted Caribou

youtu.be

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 14

Your daily itinerary for Safari Zone Adventures just dropped.

I’m heading to bed, but only to rest-up for more work on this project.

Making a sixth Safari Action is easy, but making it fun and a valuable addition to the game could force it out of the game as fast as I add it.

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 13

-More obvious that only catch action requires an item card to be in-hand, the rest are timing bonuses.
-Possible sixth Action for leveraging rivals’ missing prize cards and trashed trainers into Berry/energy searches and MORE throws.
-Helper-Attacks to get more value from no-damage “attacks”.

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 13

Working through solid feedback from that last session.

-Taking dice out of non-catch Actions.
-No D4 in catching dice, use standard d10-60 dmg dice.
-Print Abilities on Ball Cards, Nug, Dex, Ctchr, Acro, Treks, and Berries.
-Explore and Study changes to differentiate them better.
-More Throwing!!

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 9

They got through a whole day in the Safari Zone! Soooo much work to do with the feedback I’ve gotten, but it was feeling like a real game!

#GameDev needs testers. Your work is appreciated!

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 8

lol not wrong at all

a woman in a white dress is doing a handstand in a park

ALT: a woman in a white dress is doing a handstand in a park

media.tenor.com

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 8

You’ve never thrown a Poké ball?!

It’s a whole new way to play #PokemonTCG! You and three friends become rival trainers, battling, studying, exploring, and shopping in the Safari Zone while CATCHING new WILD Pokemon cards to immediately use while you play.

Welcome to Safari Game Adventures!

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 7

340HP seems to be the upper-limit on HP values. Needing to apply 160 damage to make catching Eternatus VMax a mere possibility feels good.

I’m not sure the Safari Game will ever operate on this level, but I didn’t want to design rules that only work with pre-rule box cards.

V catching might slap!

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 7

2D6, an Ultra ball, can catch Wild Pokemon with up to 120HP remaining.

Great ball can capture at 80HP, and Pokeball can do up to 60HP.

Special balls, like Dusk and Timer, can do up to 180HP, but if they aren’t used properly they are only as good as an Ultra.

Catching huge Pokemon is very doable!

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 7

1D6 has an average roll of 3.5.

2D6+2 drop 1, averages a roll of 5.5.

3D6 drop 1, averages 8.5, which is a mistake. 2D6 averages 7, which is exactly double the average power of a 1D6 Pokeball.

So, in Safari Zone Adventures, 35, 55, and 70HP is the average catching power for basic balls!

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 7

Great balls are supposed to catch 1.5 times better than Pokeballs, and Ultra ball needs to be 2x better than Pokeball.

Achieving this approximately probability scale with only D6’s is possible.

Pokeball = 1D6
Great = 2D6+2, drop lowest
Ultra = 3D6, drop lowest
Special = 2D6, earn +1D6

Avgs:

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 6

Taking the D4 out of the game so that the 10-60 damage counters can be used as catching dice.

This feels like a good accessibility change that simplifies knowing if you made a catch.

It’s a wide probability spread between Poke, Great, and Ultra at 1, 2, and 3D6… this needs more thought.

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Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 6

How about format ideas… in #PokemonTCG?

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 6

Taking the D4 out of the game so that the 10-60 damage counters can be used as catching dice.

This feels like a good accessibility change that simplifies knowing if you made a catch.

It’s a wide probability spread between Poke, Great, and Ultra at 1, 2, and 3D6… this needs more thought.

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Aug 1

Tomorrow at 10am, I’ll be at The Collective in Altamonte to discuss and play some alternative #PokemonTCG formats!

I’ll have Safari Zone Adventures with me, of course. I’ll also have with me the Tag-Team Duel Decks, their 3v1 boss deck, PokéCatch, and the Blue Version side of the pack draft cube!

Safari Game Warden @safarigamewarden.bsky.social · Jul 26

We just drafted #PokemonTCG!

Very cool format. Each player picked a theme pack of 45 cards, they shuffled them all together and re-separated them into 3 packs of 15. Each theme pack has a roughly equal representation of evo and V Pokémon.

Players constructed 40 card decks, four prizes at stake.

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