I realized I should try to do that thing where people help motivate themselves and keep a running sense of the ideas around a project that they are planning by talking about concepts and background lore? So I'm gonna try and do that thing!
The thing I've been planning on (as PhD hell permits) is a card game about combat dolls and the witches they fight for. Basically, playing with "card game as a representation of magical duels" with emphasis on the duel part: when everyone in an argument has access to Conjure Hand Grenade, it makes sense to look toward a more formal way of handling problems.
Also, you've got all these dolls who cheerfully go about doing whatever you order anyway, so you might as well give them something exciting to do.
I'm still in the early phases of deciding what to do to capture the feel that I want to have, but the core concept is to emphasize dolls as something customized with both the body and carefully honed skills they use to fight, and the role of the player as one of designing and supporting their doll, and of course pulling strings, but otherwise making it feel like the doll is the one in the fight.
That's probably enough for now, but I'm excited to figure out and show off more!