Introduction
I had a crazy idea about releasing an expansion with a different commercialization model, inspired by some ideas I've been gathering on a another post about possible things of value for Gods Unchained.
In this post I will lay out the most important points of this model. It's just a creative exercise, for fun.
Instead of most of the cards sold in packs potentially being minted in just a few days once the expansion is released, in this model most of the cards would be minted slowly over a long period of time. The main method of generating cards would be via a 'contract' NFT. This item would generate random expansion cards, until depleted.
The slower availability of new cards would mean they would retain their value for longer and balance out the supply with the demand for cards to forge higher quality versions for DP&E. This would also mean any collection rewards would be determined and distributed towards the end of the expansion's active cycle, instead of shortly after the initial release, like we've been having thus far.
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Monetization and distribution
Here's how all this would work:
A full playset of Meteorite cards would be distributed to all players in an Essential Expansion Pack (or contract), for a modest price - let's say $40.
Everyone would be able to buy the full playset and start trying out new decks right away. If they saved enough $GODS with DP&E rewards, which frankly won't take that long for the vast majority of players, this playset would be, in practical terms, free.
This would constitute a player-friendly way to give everyone an opportunity to enjoy and fully experiment with the new Set.
A modest cost for the entire set with a limit of one purchase per active account. This would keep secondary prices close to what they have been with Packs, while at the same time making the expansion more accessible than before.
With a higher price point, players could be able allowed buy multiple packs if they wish, perhaps if the price of the Legendary cards on the secondary market would make this a profitable strategy. But this alternative defeats the original purpose of making the basic set more accessible, while sustaining enough demand to keep buying cards for forging.
This product would constitute a small contribution to the inflow of funds, and give the team data about player behavior regarding spending modest amounts with the purpose of keeping a collection up to date.
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At the same time, the shop would also sell Expansion Contracts, which would constitute the bulk volume of sales.
These contracts would generate a pre-established number of cards, randomly and slowly over time. They could be minted in groups of 5-6, like packs.
Any card quality would be mintable from these contracts. The probability of minting higher quality or higher rarity cards would be similar to what has been established for packs in previous expansions.
The contract price could be calculated based on the expected price of an individual card if sold in a traditional expansion pack, times the number of cards the contract would generate. So for example in Booster ToD packs costing $2, each card has an average cost of $2 / 6 = $0.33 (see this spreadsheet). If a contract is set to generate 240 cards (the equivalent of buying 240 / 6 = 40 packs), then the contract would be priced at $0.33 * 240 = $80.
There would be Premium and Shiny contracts as well, following similar rules and pricing as the packs we've had with the same names.
There could be a cheaper 'Initiate' Contract with fewer charges, to allow more players on a budget to also benefit from minting the new cards (see topic below about Weekend Ranked).
The price of the contracts could increase with every purchase, so players would be incentivized to buy them as soon as possible. There could be a pre-sale period where the price would be fixed, to give everyone a fair chance at buying what they wish without penalties due to timezones, real-life engagements, etc.
Weekend Ranked rewards would not yield packs as rewards, but contract credits that would extend the number of cards the contracts would be able to generate. Only accounts holding at least one contract would mint these cards, which would result in a reduction of the number of cards being minted for free and thus help cards retain a higher value. The budget contracts I mentioned above would help legitimate players willing to spend modestly in the game to still reap the full benefits from competing in Weekend Rankend events.
Similarly, Sealed rewards would consist of contract credits instead of packs.
If the purchase of the full playset of Meteorite cards would be considered a contract with immediate delivery, that too could be used to claim WR and Sealed credits.
Contracts would be tradeable NFTs.
Once the contracts become empty and useless, they could be burned in exchange for an exclusive, expansion-themed cosmetic.
The minting pace could be tuned so that a new contract would deplete in about half the time expected until the next expansion is released, with the Weekend Ranked and Sealed credits expanding their longevity until all charges are spent.
Alternatively, the Weekend Ranked and Sealed credits could have their own timer, independent of the original contract credits.
The additional credits are account-bound, but require a contract to be redeemed. This means if the contracts are sold, they don't carry the accumulated WR and Sealed credits; these just become inactive and unredeemable without a contract.
There could be a new animation for contract deliveries, in place of a pack opening, consistent with the contract theme.
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Having Contracts facilitates adding modifiers to the minting outcome. These modifiers would incentivize players to be active in the game in return for slightly higher chances at minting better cards.
Completing the Weekend Ranked event (18 games) would impart a small % bonus to the chance of minting a card with better quality or rarity.
Playing all 10 DP&E games each day would also impart a small luck bonus.
If the average win rate in DP&E between contract claims is above a threshold there could also be another bonus. This bonus could be tiered according to the win rate: 55%, 60%, +65%.
Completing at least one Sealed run every 7 days would also add a small luck bonus.
Winning at least 15-50 matches (just an example) in every Format mode imparts another luck bonus.
All these bonuses would be cumulative up to 3-4 times. Each bonus is canceled (resets) if the player misses the bonus requirement, and a new streak would start from zero.
Minting special cards and Mythic Variants from contracts:
Players would be able to spend a sizeable amount of Flux to activate the contract's Flux Capacitor. While active, the contract would upgrade a random card to the next quality tier. This assumes contracts mints cards in groups of 5-6 like a pack, but a different system could be established as well.
This would sink a lot of excess Flux that players have been accumulating, giving it value. It would also make completing the Flux wheel regularly more appealing.
If the Flux Capacitor hits a Diamond card, then the player gets a Mythic Variant ticket, redeemable for a Mythic Variant card with the GU team. Once all the Mythic Variants have been claimed a different arrangement could be made like minting a Diamond Promo Card or an exclusive cosmetic. If not all the Mythic Variants are claimed, the remaining ones would be distributed via other means.
An alternative method to mint Variants would be to conduct a raffle every few weeks among contract holders. I consider raffles the best way to distribute very rare prizes. This option offers a clearer incentive to accumulate Expansion contracts to try and win Variants, although the previous idea also increases the chances when holding more contracts (and is more fun).
Under special conditions like a minimum luck boost and Flux Capacitor activation, the contract would also mint very occasionally a Meteorite Promo card.
Art was AI-generated by ChatGPT, a scroll (source) and GU logo (source)