scifi Meme game cards

The Game Room
1

Ok, so i am working on a game design for a conquer the galaxy board game and I want to have an element of a deck of cards with various effects on gameplay.

The card titles/ names will all make some direct or indirect references to various scifi events and memes.

For example:

“Bill” a card that can be played for a massive single shot bonus in combat

  • referencing Harry Harrisons Bill the galactic hero. Bill who stumbles wounded into a gunnery station where all the crew are dead and purely by dumb luck managed to fire a killing shot on an enemy battleship, shifting the tide of battle.

“they were sure” played for a damage bonus during orbital bombardment

  • refencing Aliens " Nuke them from orbit…its the only way to be sure" line

“Fate favors fools, children…” played for free instant retreat with no pentalty.

  • of course the rest of the line is “ships named enterprise”

“What do you want” a single "mystery"warship appears in any enemy sector desired and attacks

  • in reference to Morden of the shadows in babylon 5
    any suggestions for other cards are welcome and desired…the more the better!!

Also the more widely known the better…“Bill” is pretty obscure but fits well

2

Conveniently Blood Colored Apparel (picture of a red shirt) – play on an enemy human card to <instantly kill them/make them automatically die during the next combat/whatever>

3

I love this although I think I would play it as a modifier to the surface assault combat. One enemy ground combat unit just dies when card plays..

4

The death of the redshirt should yield valuable info about the enemy.

How about “Enemy has a fatal weakness to something that is extremely common and hard to avoid on Earth”? This references both the War of the Worlds and Alien Nation.

For old-school SF cheesiness, there’s “They Want Our Women” and “To Serve Man- a cookbook”.

5

You need some kind of traitor card. The general who’s in it for the money or the scientist who’s in cahoots with the aliens.

6

Kill two memes with one card: have a card that gives fighters ailerons that allow swift banking – in space – that card’s title being “It’s a flap!”

7

A 1920s style death ray.

It would be a power card, with three abilities.

I’ll get back to you once I’ve figured out the first two.

8

“…I am your father”, turns one enemy unit to your side for three turns.

“get away from her…” gives a double attack bonus when defending an escort

“death blossom”, triples attack bonus for three turns then leaves the playing spaceships engines disabled.

9

instead of “I am your father” I am pondering a switch sides card called “we have cookies!!”

Death blossom is IN!

I love where this is going so far.

10

perhaps we could call the card “There are differences” in reference to rikers escape from Malcor via an alien hospital staff member who wants to have sex with him.

11

Some *Blade Runner *possibilites

“what I’ve seen with your eyes” - recon/spy card. Reveals cloaked ships (if you are using them) or weak points on enemy ships.

“Have you ever retired a human by mistake?” - Causes friendly fire incident

“Wake up! Time to die!” Suprise attack bonus.

“like tears in rain” - boost jamming systems so enemy ships can’t lock weapons on.

12

“The Vizier’s Ambitions” The enemy’s second-in-command plots a successful takeover. Opponent discards an in-play card of their choice and loses a turn. (a cliche rather than a direct reference.)

“Shoulda covered that up” Choose one of the opponents ships. A fatal weakness is uncovered that grants a ___ chance (coin-flip perhaps?) of it being instantly destroyed.

“Thus Sprach Zarathustra” All of your (whatever your cheapest/weakest card level is) cards in play are granted a significant bonus for X turns.

13

"I’ll be in my bunk!" Play on an enemy human card to nullify its effects for that round as it has more “pressing” matters to attend to.

14

**Greetings, programs! ** - Boost to computers on players ships. Gives one system (guns, engines, shields) 25% more effectiveness for x turns.

** the combination is… one, two, three, four, five?** Hack enemy systems reducing their effectivness for x turns

15

Imperial Battleship! - Your opponent skips a turn, or whatever else is time-stoppy.

16

Trick Shot - next round of ship to ship combat is significantly easier for the card player if the previous shot missed.

"…And it exploded." - next enemy who teleports is removed from play.

17

Gorignak! - Bombard enemy ground installations with asteroids.

18

Rodan’s of unusual size: one monster becomes human-sized (or, alternatively, one monster becomes super-star-destroyer sized, not sure which.)

19

“what I’ve seen with your eyes” In, opponent must reveal his cards

“like tears in rain” In, next combat round all enemy fire -1 on die rolls.

20

In +2 to all attack rolls against 1 specific enemy ship for that turn..