Titanomachina: Simultaneous Activation

In my efforts to figure out an additive way of speeding up the game, a friend and guru of mine suggested that we try activating simultaneously. Usually in Titanomachina we would take turns both activating systems and resolving their actions. I resisted because in order for this to work, at least with the minimal amount of change to the rules, I would need cards for the pass option in each deck; two cards where a 54 card deck contained two Titan decks with their optional weapon loads. 

But having tried it a few times in two-player game, I think it works to both speed up the game, and to perhaps make the game a tad more exciting. I rather like how Titanomachina ratchets up the tension for the players because reactions are limited to parts of a Titan being targeted during attacks, and there's a wonderful economy by which players try to play off combos against combo-breakers. I enjoy how the tension builds and then releases when some manages to pull off a crushing blow or clover combo. 

Where players are activating simultaneously there's additional pressure to play a card quickly, and keeping the actions resolved in initiative order it makes initiative even sharper. There's some tension leading up to players playing cards, which releases when the cards are flipped. It works. However, I feel like these mini-build-ups and releases of tension are more of a side-grade to the overall build-ups and releases. Usually after a game I'm very excited because of the way the tension isn't exhausted by the pay-outs, but in this case the constant release of tension meant I was pretty relaxed when it was over. On the other hand the response from my test-cogs was pretty positive, and I think it's definitely one way Titanomachina could go.

Production-wise, putting two extra cards into a two-player 54 card pack isn't a show-stopper. Where the two Titan configurations available to each player aren't radical changes requiring 12 cards in total, and even just weapon swaps for 6 cards minimum, there's plenty of room. I even have this lovely chibi art by Kristina Amuan showing the crew goofing off that stands out from the regular art and does a good job of punctuating the round. 

Currently I'm not sold on making this a change, but it seems like a great idea for an optional rule, particularly if I can shoe-horn the pass card into the regular rules. Certainly there is some potential for shenanigans where it shares a card back with the other Titan cards and announcing it's available to charge other systems. It might require a specific injunction about not using the card to power systems. The identical card back should make it invisible, but older sets will see these cards used more and wear harder than other cards, making their utility as a blind insufficient. Maybe the cards just need to be made sturdier. It's an option.

If I'm being honest, it also irks me that this is how Marvel Snap works and I didn't enjoy that when I tried it. The point of Titanomachina is that it's the game I want to play, so I'm pretty resistant to removing parts I enjoy, but slightly less for some reason to adding parts I don't hate. 

As mentioned before something not working on play-testing is easy, you simply mark it up as not working and why, and move on. Something working, on the other hand, has this terrible tension of making me wonder when it will stop working, or whether it will do the same thing all the time. Still, that is what play-testing is for, right?