Gavin Verhey used today’s episode of Good Morning Magic to go more in depth on the design choices with the die-rolling cards in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms.
With initial vision design and early focus groups, the design team had all kinds of cards mocked up to gauge interest. Whether it was just a simple creature type change or rolling a d20 and consulting a D&D manual, the team tried all kinds of things. What stood out was how much people like rolling dice.
At first, the main set included rolling die of all verities for cards but it was determined that too many of the cards functioned like the d20 cards we have now instead of having their own identity. So the team focused on making engaging d20 cards that were fun, rewarded a high roll, but didn’t offer too much variance. From there, they moved the other type of die-rolling cards to the Commander decks.
By moving away from the d20 charts that the cards in the main set follow, the team found they could include all the dice varieties in the Commander decks. They even factored in other variables on the cards so that a number could be added to the die roll to augment its outcome, similar to D&D. Some cards even require rolling more than one kind of die. From there, it was game on in finding and tuning all the different kind of cards they could create.
Verhey wrapped up the video reminding players that even if they don’t have all the needed dice for a game, they can use the MTG Companion app or search for a die-rolling simulator on the internet.