This document is a design-facing reference, not rules text. It describes intended power curves, pricing heuristics, and stability constraints for card design in Der Musikclub TCG.
Nothing in this document overrides the Comprehensive Rules. Where conflicts exist, rules text wins.
The following assumptions are treated as stable unless the core system changes:
Der Musikclub operates on three independent but interacting economies:
| Resource | Role | When It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| VP (Victory Points) | Endgame qualification | During the three‑turn test |
| VC (Victory Coins) | Winner differentiation | Resolution only |
| PS (Parallel Seconds) | Tempo smoothing & setup | Throughout the game |
No card should collapse these into a single dominant payoff.
VP answer one question:
Is the night good enough to end?
VP are shared, fragile, and globally suppressed by negative feedback.
VP form a slow, linear surface:
| VP Source | Typical Dice Cost | Risk Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Song (VP = 1) | Low–Medium | Fadeout vulnerable |
| Song (VP = 2) | Medium | Fadeout + suppression vulnerable |
| Song (VP = 3) | Medium–High | High exposure |
| Effect (VP = 1–2) | Medium | Lifetime-limited |
| Effect (VP = 3) | High | Lifetime + timing risk |
There is intentionally no VP burst. Acceleration comes only from sequencing efficiency.
VC answer:
Who deserves the credit once the night ends?
VC are private, latent, and evaluated only at endgame resolution.
VC scale horizontally, not vertically:
| VC Pattern | Interaction Surface |
|---|---|
| Playlist-based | Identity commitment |
| Queue-based | Staging & timing |
| Bin-based | Decay & overclock pressure |
| Mixer-based | Shared-risk optimization |
VC should reward how a DJ played, not how fast.
PS smooth tempo but cannot close games alone.
PS exist to:
Multiple +3 engines may approximate a +6 engine, but require more turns and more exposure.
Loop cards are global, persistent modifiers that shape the mixer environment.
If stacked modifiers reduce any frequency maximum to 0, the mix is immediately considered invalid and negative feedback applies.
Global EQ loops:
These loops are intended to reshape risk, not guarantee success.
Color loops:
They change texture, not tempo or scoring.
Two critical sinks operate on the same pricing logic:
Design invariant:
Both actions cost 2× the card’s dice cost.
Parallel seconds are never multiplied.
Cards with dice cost 0 are intentionally excluded from recrate to prevent infinite loops.
This is a design guideline, not a rules requirement.
Suggested baseline:
Effect lifetime (seconds) ≈ 4× dice cost
Additional strength, flexibility, or scope should be purchased using parallel costs, not longer lifetimes.
This keeps effects:
Even with:
The system remains stable because:
Determinism increases consistency, not control.
These invariants should not be violated by future content:
If these hold, the system remains expandable without collapse.