Modern Traditional Card Games (or simply MTCG) are games designed for the standard deck of cards with novel mechanics and themes. Different from traditional card games, with mechanics like trick-taking, climbing, shedding, rummy etc., neo traditional card games features mechanics inspired in modern games (be it other card games, RPGs, board games or video games), like deck-building, dungeon crawling, resource management, fighting, adventure and so on. So important as its mechanics, neo traditional card games differ from traditional card games by its thematic nature. While traditional card games has abstract, or absent, themes like ordering cards, making melds, playing the high card etc., neo traditional card games have an strong emphasis on theme, akin to RPGs. Those games aim to convey an experience greater than the cards itself, like exploring a dungeon and collecting treasures, fighting ruthless aristocratics to free a kingdom, escape a prison, survive a zombie onslaught, fight an alien invasion, manage a small businnes and so many others.
It is one of the first games in the genre, if not the first. It dates back to 2005 and was created by Luc Miron, a enthusiast that seems to have just made this game and then disappeared.
A collection of ten great solitaires designed by Will Su and released in 2021. All of the games are great fun and masterfully designed, combining themes and mechanics in very creative ways.
Scoundrel is an elegant modern solitaire designed by Zach Gage and Kurt Bieg in 2011. Your goal in this game is to make your way through the dungeon, room after room. As you progress, you will need to defeat enemies, equip weapons and manage the health potions. The game is very cleverly designed and demands skill and wit from the player. Scoundrel is a prime example of the neo traditional solitaire style.
Regicide is a must-play for any enthusiast of neotrad games. It was designed by Paul Abrahams, Luke Badger, Andy Richdale and released in 2020. It's the game that presented me to the neotrad universe, and despite its personal significance for me, it's indeed a highly acclameid game. Regicide is a cooperative combat game where your goal is to defeat and overthrown corrupt monarchs, and to do so, you have at your disposal an army of rebellious fighters, each with a special ability. The game unfolds like a series of boss fights, and you must carefully combine the powers of your soldiers to win.