Some fundamental game changes.

Through some playtests with friends, and general rethinking of the rules, the current state of the game will have the following changes.

-No more counter-attack

As a core game mechanic, counter-attack will no longer be a universal ability. Instead, "counterattack" will be a trait, and only certain characters will get it. (I.e. Tifa, Sabin, Cyan, and similar types of characters) to offset the significant bonus that the first player recieves for this, at the beginning of each battle, the player with the least amount of relics will go first.

-Two separate decks

The game deck will be divided into two, with one character deck, and one deck with everything else. This is to ultimately trump the problem of getting character screwed, and for a game so dependant on characters, this needs to not be an issue. Though, there will no longer be a mulligan in the setup phase.

Instead a system of rationing characters will be implemented. I don't like the idea of income, because this creates fodder characters, and for a game powered on fanservice, I wouldn't want anyone's favorite character to end up as the meat shield.

-Universal relic deck

Having one common deck for relic cards will add an extra layer of strategy to the game without adding a new layer of complexity. Being able to see the general flow of the game a few turns before will interest a tactical player, and also allow you to counter-pick cards other players may pick. Whether this means the same cards will always be used, or each player will bring 4 to the table or something will be seen.

Ultimately, this is all I want to change for the time being, so we'll do some more playtests and see how it goes.