Also, check out the CTCG, or SK TCG: Clockworks Version.

No, it isn't a suggestion because it's unlikely to have something like this happen. It's more of just a simple idea that would be interesting if it existed, but that's more wishful thinking than anything. However, if chances are feeling funky today (or through the year), we just might see a virtual thing like this in game, but I'm never going to count on that unless I have a good reason to.

Jump List
This is a list of handy links, because it will eventually get hard to get to the replies of this thread, as well as find my other posts. :P

Card Library and Creation Guide
Example Battle
Replies

Basics
I'll get to specific card types later, but I will mention some anyway. Don't let that bother you...if it does read below. Aside from cards, it the following equipment will be used: damage counters, a coin, and status tokens for curse, fire, poison, and shock.

Objective
A player wins if the following happens to their opponent:

1. He/she runs out of cards in his/her deck.
2. He/she runs out of usable knights, meaning if they are all KO'd.
3. He/she forfeits.

Setup
Each player would have a deck of 60 cards (number from Pokemon, hurp durp change with whatever fits your fancy.) which they construct to their liking. Each player draws 7 cards (from Pokemon again.) for their hand.

They must have at least one recruit rank knight in their hand. If someone does not, they must put their hand back in their deck, shuffle it, and draw 7 more cards. This must be repeated until they have a recruit ranked knight in their hand. Once this requirement has been met, the game may start.

Knock Outs and Hearts
Knights are KO'd when they take more damage than their HP amount. Damage is dealt by attacking with weapons attached to knights.

After KOing an opponent, a coin is flipped. If heads, all the knights on the KOer's side gets healed a certain amount. (10 damage for T1, 20 for T2, and 30 for T3.) If tails, nothing happens. Getting healed by this is called "Finding a heart."

Resistances
When attacking, each weapon has its own damage type. Various knight cards are resistant and/or weak to certain damage types. They may also be resistant/weak to some statuses. This resistance/weakness can come in various ways:

• Damage modifiers:
  • Flat modifier: A certain amount is either added or removed from the amount of damage done. This may nullify damage altogether if the damage amount is less than the decrease amount.
  • Floating modifier: This doubles the damage received.
• Status Resistance: Being weak to a status causes the coin to be flipped twice instead of once for each chance of it being dealt. Being resistant to it causes the coin to be flipped between every turn, with heads up curing the status. There is no weakness/resistance to Orientation Statuses. (See below)

Game Modes
There are a few different game styles, but I'll start with the one which is the most like Pokemon, as it may be more familiar to you guys. If you don't understand part of it, just checkout the rules for the trading card game somewhere. It might clear things up. (All the same, tell me if you don't understand something!)

Tag Match
Both players must both lay out a single recruit ranked knight, face down, in the middle of the play area. These knights two are in the arena. The knights in the arena are the only ones which can use attacks. Then they can each place up to 3 recruit cards in front of themselves, face down. These are benched knights which may tag (take the place of) the knight in the arena.

Both players flip a coin to determine who goes first. Then both players turn all their cards face up. The player who goes first draws a card from his deck and adds it to their hand. The first player may play any card(s) from his/her hand, and then may attack. However, knights cannot be promoted on the first turn and assist cards may not be played.

Skirmish
This is the same as a Tag Match, but with a few differences. First off, each player may have two knights in the battle field at a time. Each of these knights get an action for each turn. (For example, tagging out one knight will only keep you from doing anything with the now tagged in knight; you can still attack with your other knight.) The other difference is that you may have up to 4 benched knights.

Battle Royal
This is the same as Tag Match, but there is no bench! Knight actions are done from the player's left to right, and must be done in this order. However, knights can be tagged still. The only difference is this changes their order, so you can change the order that they attack in. (Both tagged knights lose their action for that turn. To remind the player of which knights have been tagged, the tagged knights are stunned until the end of the turn.)

Actions

A variety of things may be done each turn, but this largely depends on what you have in your hand. If an action ends the player's turn, (or ends the knight's action, in the case of non-Tag Battles) that actions name is bold.

• Play a Recruit Character card: Recruit Characters go into the bench area. These are signified by a "Recruit" tag at the bottom right of the card.
• Promote a knight: Put a greater ranked knight card from your hand on top of one of your other knight who is in play. You can't promote knights who have just been played/promoted. (Because of this, you can't promote on the first turn.)
• Play a Basic Weapon card: Attach a weapon card from your hand to any character. (This is done by putting it under a character in a way that both players can see it.) You may only play one per turn. If you have upgraded a Weapon, then you can't do this on that turn.
• Upgrade a Weapon: Replace on of your character's weapons with its upgraded version. (Put the old one in your discard pile.) You can only do this if your enhanced weapon doesn't exceed the rank of the knight who is using it. You can only do this once per turn, and you can't do it if you've played a Basic Weapon card that turn.
• Play a Utility card: Take an item card from your hand and show it to your opponent. Then you (and maybe your opponent) follow the instructions on the card. After this, you discard the card in your discard pile. (Unless the instructions say not to!)
• Play an Assist card: You attach these to a knight. Their effects are varied.
• Tag out your battling knight: In Tag Battles and Skirmishes, this swaps knights in the arena for knights on the bench. This is handy for keeping a knight from being KO'd. In Battle Royals, this swaps positions of knights. Both knights are stunned until the end of the turn to remind the player that they have been tagged in that turn.
• Attack: Use one of the weapons attached to your knight to deal damage (and maybe a status!) to a foe. You can only do this to opponents who aren't on the bench. (With very, very few exceptions.)
• End the turn without attacking: Sometimes you want to do this.

Statuses
There are a variety of statuses in Spiral Knights. Of course, I'll try my best to mirror them, including Sleep. 4 of these use tokens, while 4 others change the direction of the knight's card.

Token Statuses
These can stack, meaning it is possible to have all of these statuses at the same time. (Ouch.) These also do not expire, so they last until they are cured somehow. Bold text shows what effect modifiers (see resistances above) do. If there is no bold text, then no effect modifier exists.

• Curse: While cursed, doing any attack will yield 20 damage to the attacker. If an assist card comes into effect during the status, the knight with the status takes an additional 10 damage.
• Fire: Deals 10 damage between every turn.
• Poison: Reduces damage dealt by 20 while increases damage taken by 20. This is done before resistances are taken into account.
• Shock: Before every attack, flip a coin. If heads, attacker attacks. If tails, attacker does nothing and takes 10 damage.

Orientation Statuses
These can't stack and override each other. (So if you are frozen, being put to sleep cures the freeze.) These never have effect modifiers. These are denoted by how the knight card is turned. (Which is why they have this name.) While a knight has any of these statuses, he/she may not be tagged.

• Freeze: Card turns towards the player who owns the card. Freeze prevents most swords and most guns from hitting, but doesn't impede bombs in any way. Taking damage cures the status. (This includes Curse and Fire damage.)
• Sleep: Card turns to the left of the player who owns the card. Sleep prevents the knight from attacking. Between turns a coin is flipped. If heads, the Sleep is cured. If tails, nothing happens.
• Stun: Card turns to the right of the player who owns the card. This prevents the knight from attacking. It's cured after one turn.

Incapacitation, AKA Knock Out
This is a special status. It's denoted by removing all damage counters and status tokens and turning the card face down. The KO'd knight is moved to the bench and stays there unless a card is played that removes them. Incapacitation can't be cured through normal means.

Card Types
Ok, now I'll list the cards in earnest! Oh wait, this is only the types. Sorry, go to next post for the actual cards. After a description of the card, a list of information on the card is given. Every card has a picture, description, and name. Each card type's border is also color coded.

• Character Cards: These are the main cards which are used in play, and must be in the deck. Stronger character cards may be stacked on top via Promoting. Weapon and Assist cards may be attached to them. They have HP, Rank, Star Value (which is currently meaningless), Strengths, Weaknesses, and Abilities. There are 3 different versions:
  • Knights: All around. Are effected by almost every card, and are most varied.
  • Gremlins: Focused. They boost the power of certain weapons, but are always weak to Shadow damage.
  • Underworld: Strategic. These generally have less HP and are almost always weak to the common Elemental damage type. However, they gain many advantages when paired up with the right cards, such as Grim Totems, Gran Fausts, and most Swarm Cards. Many of these have negative effects on non-Underworld characters.
• Weapon Cards: These are just as critical as Knight Cards, if not more so. Some do some damage and a status, others do pure damage, and others still have some non-status side-effect, like life drain. They can be alchemized (AKA upgraded) to greater versions. They have Damage, Rank, and Abilities. (Which ties into statuses.) There are three sub-types of Weapon Cards:
  • Swords: High, direct damage. These are usually quite basic. Freeze nullifies most of them.
  • Guns: Average damage, but usually has a special effect to go with them. (I.e. Alchemers may hit benched players through their "Ricochet" ability.) These are more tactical in many cases, but at the same time can be efficient in dealing killing blows. Freeze nullifies some of them.
  • Bombs: Varies greatly, from high, concentrated damage, to low, spread damage. Bombs are some of the most diverse weapons. Unlike Swords and Guns, Bombs will still hit when the user is Frozen. Unfortunately, the user has a "Fizzle Chance" on bombs unless they are a bomber.
• Assist Cards: Some take effect when the user is on the bench (like heal 10 for the holder per turn) and others boost damage a tad. Some, such as devilites and wolvers, increase in strength for the more you have in your party. They can be discarded at any time if the player wishes either to remove their effects or to replace them with another Assist Card. They have two subtypes:
  • Monsters: These are closely effected by the arena type. They usually provide supportive effects, but don't do direct damage.
  • Battle Sprites: These are mini characters of their own. I'm not sure if they'll get their own move per turn or not. They have their own attacks (or atleast effects) which can be chosen from. They can be promoted (coughevolvedcoughcough) into stronger versions.
• Item Cards: These are cards which don't fit in the other sections. They have 4 subtypes:
  • Arenas: These are played down somewhere between both players. These provide an equivalent effect to both players. Playing one while another one is currently in place will discard the first one.
  • Characters: These are special NPCs from Spiral Knights, like Kora, Warmaster Seerus, and such. These are always played and then discarded afterword. Keep in mind that I still plan to have some special NPCs show up somehow like other character cards.
  • Materials: Mats are needed to do something. That's really what they do. They are required to play certain other cards, but do nothing on their own. Only powerful cards require them.
  • Tools: These are usually quick belt items. They may be remedy capsules, vials, etc. Some are attached to knights, others are used on the spot.

Update List
May 19: Added Statuses. Revised Basics sections. Fixed typos and format issues. Listed the card types. Added Jump List.
May 20: Changed Status resistances. Added color codes to cards. These are mostly just thoughts currently. Added Material Cards.
May 22: Removed color codes for cards. (Those will be decided later.) Changed the list of card types. Added link to CTCG.
June 2: Cleared up somethings and tweaked statuses.