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1

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: May 08, 2019, 07:18:15 pm »

I might as well join in...

Morning Cards

I like the idea but the concept is fairly anti-engine-y and could be too swingy. Take e.g. Fishmonger, it is a nice payload card but in the situations in which it shines it could easily be dead more than half of the time.

Very much true, segura. I had hoped to offset the often-deadness of Morning cards by making the effects potentially very powerful. Perhaps I would need to power them up further, or have some sort of mechanic that would make it easier to get Morning cards on top of your deck.

I don't think powering them up more is the right answer.  Then they will be very swingy.  Either dead, or super powerful.  Your other idea sounds better to me.  Self-scheming could work, or making some of them durations would work, or even an on-buy topdecking effect.  Then they'd at least work once.

I decided to add the self-scheming effect to all Morning cards, and made this change to my original post. All Morning cards have this effect, so no need to put it on the cards themselves (otherwise, they'd be far too wordy).

2

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: May 08, 2019, 12:12:38 pm »

I might as well join in...

Morning Cards

I like the idea but the concept is fairly anti-engine-y and could be too swingy. Take e.g. Fishmonger, it is a nice payload card but in the situations in which it shines it could easily be dead more than half of the time.

Very much true, segura. I had hoped to offset the often-deadness of Morning cards by making the effects potentially very powerful. Perhaps I would need to power them up further, or have some sort of mechanic that would make it easier to get Morning cards on top of your deck.

3

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: May 07, 2019, 06:42:37 pm »

I might as well join in...

Morning Cards

Nocturne gave us the Night, a new phase with cards to be played after the Buy phase. Now, I introduce its logical opposite, the Morning phase. This phase takes place before the Action phase, but after any Duration effects take place. This means that you must have the Morning card in your hand at the start of your turn (or through a Duration draw effect) if you wish to play it. That will make playing these cards more difficult, so I tried to make the effects rather powerful as a result.

Much like Night cards, Morning cards require no Actions or other resources to play. Their main effect is to make certain effects throughout the rest of your turn more powerful. For the most part, these empowering effects will activate when you play the Morning card itself.

EDIT: In order to make them less swingy and less dead-when-drawn-during-turn, Morning cards now have a universal effect in which when you discard a Morning card from your hand during your Cleanup phase, you may reveal it and put it on top of your deck. I won't add this to the card text because then the cards would be too wordy. As long as it's a Morning card, you can do this.

Card Examples:

Mudlarks
Morning - $2
--
You may trash a card from your hand.
-
While this is in play, whenever you trash a card, +1 Card.

"Mudlark" is a slang term for garbage man, and as this was the best "old timey" artwork I could find for anything similar, I went with it. Anyway, the mudlarks take a little of your garbage, which they can use for their own benefit. If you have more garbage later, they'll swing by again.

Telescope
Morning - $3
--
Look at the top 4 cards of your deck. Put one back and discard the rest.
-
While this is in play, whenever you discard a card from your hand or your deck, you may put it on top of your deck.

(Oops, I should have said "Other than during Cleanup" for the in-play effect. Pretend it's there)
Your trusty Telescope can see what's coming in or going out and help you prepare for it accordingly. I worry it's too much like Cartographer for its price, but as it's only playable in the Morning and doesn't allow you to chain them as well as Carto (plus you're forced to keep at least one card), I kept it at $3.

Clock Tower
Morning - $4
--
+1 Action
-
While this is in play, whenever you have at least two Actions remaining after playing a card, draw up to five cards in hand.

(Oops again, this should say "before your Buy phase" so that it's not completely busted. Also, the draw-up-to-5 takes place after resolving the effects of the card.)
The bell in the Clock Tower rings early in the morning, waking up the eager townsfolk to get them to work. By itself, it's effectively a Village. The Kingdom will also need the right cards to keep your Actions high and hand-size low enough, but if that happens, the Clock Tower will become a vital engine component.

Fishmonger
Morning - $5
--
+1 Buy
+$1
-
While this is in play, whenever you play an Action card with +$ amounts in its text, +$1.

Similar to his kith the Herbalist, the gone-but-not-forgotten Woodcutter, etc., the Fishmonger gives his highness an extra Buy and some money through his wares. However, this fellow's fishy fare is known to energize the Kingdom's other money-makers. Peddler variants especially will use the fish to become stinking rich. *sniff sniff* Or maybe they're just stinking...

Mushroom Hunt
Morning - $6
--
Gain a Gold to your hand.
-
While this is in play, whenever you gain a Victory card, you may gain a Treasure costing less than it.

One experienced at the art of the Mushroom Hunt can easily find a delicacy worth its weight in Gold right away. Plus, the more land she is able to hunt on, the more tasty treasures she can accrue. Of course, she also knows when not to hunt, as to not pick up anything poisonous (like a Copper).

-

I may fix the wordings later, if I have time (in other words, nope).

4

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: April 27, 2019, 08:16:03 pm »

CHALLENGE #27 - COMMENTARY & RESULTS

Forgive me for being a little later than announced. Like last time, if your card's name is bold, you were on my short list. Good luck!

Layman
Action - $1
-
+1 Card per card you have in play costing $2 or less.

Can we assume that this card is included when played? If so, then this works nicely as a $1. Fits the theme nicely; one layman is effectively useless, but a congregation of peers strengthens him. By itself, it’s just a Ruined Library; with one other cheapo in play, it’s just a Moat. If one can get a good amount of cheapos in play, however, Layman’s power could be very strong indeed (especially with Black Market, Storyteller, etc.). Of course, at that time, there may not be enough cards left in the deck to really make it worthwhile. I like the idea, though.

Curious Spectators
Action - $1
-
+1 Action per card you have in play (counting this).

A different take on Aquila’s idea. Actions vs. Cards, and counts all cards vs. just cheapos. At the start of the turn, this is either a Ruined Village or a Necropolis. The better your engine, though, the more this becomes an Action-churning machine. Theme-wise, the more going on, the more Spectators you get. Overall, I really like this; it feels like a $1 card that can be strong but never overpowering, but often a good addition to your deck if you have an extra Buy and extra $.

Bargain
Action/Reaction - $1
-
Trash a card from your hand, and gain a card costing up to $1 more than it.
-
When you gain a card, you may return this to the Supply from your hand to exchange that card for a card costing up to $1 more than it. Put in onto your deck in your buy phase, and into you hand otherwise.

A cheap Remodel variant with a Reaction basically treating this as a one-shot Copper to gain a more expensive card, and to put it in your hand/on your deck right away. Good for Actions and Treasures, not so hot for Victory cards. Bargaining Coppers would most likely yield more Bargains, which could have its use. That said, this is a very wordy card. It does a lot, that’s true, but there must be a way to tersify this.

Nest-Egg
Action-Reserve-Reaction - $1
-
+1 Action
Put this on your Tavern mat.
-
At the start of your turn, you may call this for +$1.
-
When another player plays an Attack card, you may first play this from your hand.

A little bit of Candlestick Maker, a little bit of Caravan Guard. Saving a Nest-Egg can be a good defense from unruly Militias or greedy Goons. Mostly, though, it’ll just be used for spikes as segura said. It’s a fine $1 card.

Street
Action - $1
-
Reveal the top card of your deck and put it into your hand. If it’s an Action card, +1 Action.
Turn your Journey token over (it starts face up). If it’s face up, +1 Action.

Goes from Ruined Library to cantrip to Village depending on the card drawn and whether this is a even-timed play of Street. Theme-wise, a Street is only partly a village; with plenty of denizens in tow and on more active days, a Street can be busy enough to count as a Village on its own. Not the biggest fan of a wimpy effect requiring the Journey token. Nice idea, though.

Alley
Action - $1
-
+3 Cards
Return this to the Supply.

I have absolutely no qualms with submitting cards posted elsewhere. I prefer making something new to exercise your creativity, but I digress. Anyway, the Alley is a one-shot Smithy. Get your seedy work done, then get out of there. On decent engine boards, this would be a good buy with an extra $1. An oldie, but a goodie.

Pendant
Treasure - $1
-
$2
When you play this, put it and a card from your hand into the discard pile of the player to your left.

I reworded this to make it more grammatically correct. I hope you don’t mind. Anyway, a one-shot Silver with an Ambassador effect. Without a good card to grief your opponent, you’re basically giving them a nice card (or even two). It’s an unblockable attack, but then the opponent gets it. I see a lot of back and forth with this that honestly makes me wonder whether it’s worth it. Do Pendants really get passed around that much, anyway?

Scraps of Cloth
Treasure - $1
-
$0
+1 Buy
-
When you discard this from play, you may put this on top of your deck.

An interesting way to take a useless pile of rags and turn it into a reusable shopping bag capable of holding more buys. Finding the right time to buy Scraps of Cloth will be a challenge; if you already have an extra buy to use, do you really need these Scraps? You will also need a decent engine to make up for consistent having only 4 non-Scraps in hand, but hopefully the Scraps can help you get those pieces. This has potential, and I like the creativity.

Weather Vane
Night - $1
-
Return this to the Supply. Reveal the top card of your deck. If it’s an…
Action card, gain a Treasure.
Treasure card, gain a Night.
Night card, gain an Action.

Yeah, there needs to be a better name for this. Secret Deal, perhaps? Anyway, it’s useless with Victory cards, and early on will mostly only gain you more copies of this, usually. Once you can reveal Actions and Nights, this can become very strong, even for a one-shot. It’ll take some finesse to make it work in your favor all the time, though, so I think it works.

Cottage
Action - $1
-
+1 Card
+1 Action
You may play another Cottage from your hand.
-
When you gain this, choose one: +1 Card; or +1 Action; or +1 Buy; or +$1.

Two Cottages in hand basically becomes a Village, while more will crank up the Actions. +1 Buy on gain can be rather nutty, as you can buy a lot of Cottages in one turn. I think this may be a little overpowered at $1. I’d take out the “play another Cottage” effect because the on-gain effect by itself makes this interesting.

Field
Action - $1
-
+1 Buy
Trash a non-Duration card you have in play costing $5 or more. Gain a card costing up to $1 per differently costed card you have in play.

Sowing a bunch of inexpensive cards will prove fruitful, but grains that grow too tall will be harvested first. An interesting drawback to this card, though a good engine board will make this reliable for gaining Provinces, perhaps. It’s very interesting, for sure.

Lucky Penny
Treasure/Reaction - $1
-
$1
-
When you would gain a card, you may reveal this from your hand and either discard it to instead gain a card costing $1 more, or trash it to instead gain a card costing $2 more.

Either this is a Copper you can basically play when you gain a card outside of your Buy phase, or it’s a one-shot Silver for any gain. As you said, it can be a decent Curser/Junker counter. I’m not a fan of the name being so close to Lucky Coin, but otherwise, I like this.

Outhouse
Action/Duration - $1
-
Flip your Journey token (it starts face up). If it’s face up, trash up to 2 cards from your hand.
At the start of your next turn, +1 Action, +$1

Similar to Fishing Village, but with a weak trashing effect instead. While it fits the theming well, that’s kind of weak for a Journey token effect, even if the card is a $1 wonder. Much like the Silver contest, the theming is great, but the mechanics need tweaking.

Iron Fist
Reaction - $1
-
When you buy a card, you may discard this from your hand. If you do, if the bought card is an…
Action card, +1 Villager
Treasure card, +1 Coffers
Victory card, set aside the top card of your deck, putting it into your hand at the end of the turn.

A pure Reaction for $1 seems fitting. It basically adds a relevant bonus effect when you buy a card, which isn’t terrible. The theme, though… I don’t get it. How is absolute rule related to this effect?

Loose Change
Treasure/Reserve - $1
-
$1
Put this on your Tavern mat.
-
At the start of your Buy phase, you may call this, for +1 Buy.

It’s Coin of the Realm, but it gives you a Buy instead of two Actions. Again, the theming isn’t exactly fitting, but Coin of the Realm isn’t any better, so whatever. A fine entry.

Actor
Action - $1
-
+1 Card
+1 Villager

Sometimes, it’s the simplest cards that can prove to be the most creative and beautiful. If you need the action right away, then yes, it’s just a cantrip. If not, though, you can save that Action for later. The theme works as it alludes to Acting Troupe. The art you chose is bizarre, to say the least, but other than that, this is a wonderful $1 card.

Investment
Action - $1
-
+1 Card
+1 Action
You may trash all Investments you have in play (including this) to gain a non-Investment card costing exactly $1 per Investment you trashed.

Sort of like a variant of Coffers, really. With a spare buy and $ to spend, pick up an Investment, build them up, then trade them off for a good card. Getting this really only makes sense in that situation, though (apart from Upgrade/Remake and the like). Theming works great, of course. On boards without decent sources of +Buy or trash-for-gains, this would probably be ignored. I can see its use, though.

Yeast
Action - $1
-
+1 Action
Choose one: gain a Yeast; or trash this and a card from your hand.

Sure, a non-terminal trasher can be useful, but I wonder if this is swift enough to be worthwhile, especially if you use Yeast to gain more Yeast. How much should you let your bread rise before you bake it? It’s a good theme, just not the most exciting mechanic.

Seneschal
Action - $1
-
+$1
You may trash an Estate from your hand for +1VP.
-
Setup: Each player starts with one extra Estate (not from the Supply).

The effect itself seems doable by itself for a $1 card – not too powerful by itself, but can be an option for boards without better trashers. The Setup rule, however, I just do not care for. For multiplayer games IRL, getting those extra Estates could be an issue (resolvable by packing six Estates in with Seneschal). As well, it’s possible to get a rather lame 2-4 opener while your opponent gets 3-4 or even 2-5. Themewise, it seems like something a Seneschal would do as the steward of the house. Still, I’d dump the Setup rule.


My top two were clear pretty much from the get-go: Scraps of Cloth by wittyhowlard and Actor by belugawhale. In the end, though, one card really fulfilled the theme of "I'd Buy That for $1." And that card is...

WINNER: ACTOR by belugawhale!
RUNNER-UP: Scraps of Cloth by wittyhowlard.

Congratulations on winning with your very first entry in these weekly contests, belugawhale! As I said, sometimes it's the simplest cards that make the biggest impact. I cannot wait to see your challenge. And thanks to everyone who participated!

5

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: April 26, 2019, 06:44:52 pm »

I'm giving a 24-ish hour warning. I will announce results at 6pm forum default time on Saturday, April 27.

6

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: April 19, 2019, 09:18:52 am »

Wow, a second win so soon? Thank you so much, Chappy7! And congrats on the new baby!

Challenge #27: I'd Buy That for $1!

Told you I'd bring it back. Simply enough, create a Kingdom card that costs exactly $1. No Debt, no Potions, no Overpay, no cost-varying mechanisms. Give Poor House some company on Cheap Street.

7

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: April 16, 2019, 11:53:57 pm »

Might as well go for something nutty...

Jubilee
Action - 8D
-
Trash this. Gain a Gold, a Duchy, an Action costing up to $4, and a Curse onto your deck.

Planning an awesome Jubilee takes some time, and you'll most likely go into Debt because of it. However, it will certainly be a wonderful, colorful time, and you'll certainly attract some big money, a positive reputation, and maybe even some new citizens to add to your workforce. And most likely a giant hangover that you'll be cursing the next day.

Yeah, I have absolutely no idea how much this should cost, as I haven't had a chance to playtest it. On the one hand, you are gaining a Gold and an Action that you'll be able to use really soon. And you are also gaining a Duchy. However, that Duchy is going on top of your deck as well, along with a nasty Curse. I just put it at 8D for now and will see what everyone else thinks.

Oh, and I just realized: the order in which the cards go onto your deck are the same order in which they are gained, so the Gold goes on first, then the Duchy, then the Action, then the Curse on very top. I should probably reword this to make the order clear (along with the fact that all four cards are gained onto deck).

8

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: April 10, 2019, 12:48:15 am »

Alrighty then! Here are my remarks on each entry. Yes, you will notice a lot of discussion about theming (how the name matches the mechanics, or vice versa) because I'm a sucker for good theming.

==

Oxidation (Landmark)
This game, whenever you would trash a Copper or Silver card, eat it instead*. If you did, you become protected from the starve to death rule.

Okay, yes, it’s a joke card-shaped object, but it gave me a laugh. You get a silver star for that, hhelibebcnofnena.

Sterling Village
Action/Silver - $3
+$1
+2 Actions
Discard the top card of your deck. If it's a Silver, put it in your hand.
--
Effects that apply to Silver apply to this card

I like that it interacts with other cards that interact with Silver. Whether it’s as good as Fishing Village or not remains to be seen, but I like that you went in a different direction, NoMoreFun. As a theme nerd, I’m not sure if a Sterling Village is actually a thing outside of naming a retirement home.

Paul Revere
Action - $5
+3 Cards
-
While this is in play, whenever you play a Silver, +1 Buy, +$1

Very strong Big Money card, as it basically turns Silvers into Counterfeits (minus the blocking). Okay enough with the right engine that still allows Silvers, but I think it might be far too strong for Big Money, silvern. Also, I’m not a fan of naming a card after a real person.

Iwami Mine
cost $5 - Treasure - Victory
Gain a Silver to your hand.
You may put it onto your Iwami Mat.
---
Worth 1vp per 2 Silvers you have on your Iwami Mat (rounded down).

Again, majiponi, naming something after a real, unique place is not my favorite in terms of theming. I do like that you got me to learn about Iwami-ginzan, though. The wording is a bit clunky, but the idea is different. I would be interested to see how viable this is as an alt-VP strategy. Apart from a few cases (getting just enough to nab a crucial Province, for example), I don’t see keeping the Silver as viable as just building your Iwami score, especially considering that you need a good engine to play the Iwami Mines and get enough to make the whole process worth it.

Gift
Type: Action
Cost: $1

+1 Buy
-
When you gain this, gain a Silver. If it is not your first turn, set it aside. If you did, add it to your hand at the start of your next turn.

Thanks for attempting my discarded challenge idea as well, King Leon. You get a silver star! And honestly, I like cards that result in endgame shenanigans. It gives the game a special, evil flavor. Mwahahaha! It works as a $1 card, in my opinion, as it is basically just a Ruined Market with a Merchant-Ship-esque on-gain effect. I’m okay with the first-turn clause just out of principle. Theme-wise, you get the Silver Gift when you get it, but then you’re left with a mostly useless box. Unless you have a cat.

Silver Bullets
Action-Night-Attack - $4
If it’s your Night phase, you may trash a Silver in play. If you did, then each other player reveals their hand. If they have any Night cards in hand, they gain a Curse. If they don’t, they discard down to 4 cards in hand. Otherwise, gain 2 Silvers, putting one into your hand.

I do really like the theme, especially if Werewolf is in play. Shoot the bullet, or get two more? Gotta admit, I’m a sucker for effects that really fit the name. The wording, though? Clunky, clunky, clunky. I get that you can play it as an Action to get the two Silvers with one in hand or play it at Night without trashing a Silver to effectively just gain two Silvers. Would be interesting in a Feodum/Gardens game, but it also makes itself susceptible to Cursing. Good attempt, ClouduHieh; just a little too situational overall.

Silverbank $4
action
+1 action
Show up to 4 silvers from your hand. +1 card per Silver shown.

A nice simple card from lompeluiten. Editing nitpick: it should be “Reveal up to 4 Silvers…” rather than “Show.” It is similar to Shepherd, but you don’t discard the Silvers. It has potential. I do not like the name, though, as it evokes Bank and thus explains the effect confusion from earlier.

Trade Agreement
Treasure - $3
$3
+2 Buys
You may exchange a Silver in play for a Trade Agreement. If you didn’t, exchange this for a Copper.

Ooooh! I like this, faust. Super-powered when compared to Silver, but without Silver, it becomes a worthless Copper. I can see it as a good card for the early game, assuming there are good expensive cards or a good array of cheap cards that you want early. Then, you just need to get rid of the Copper this will inevitably become. In all honestly, though, I see it being used more often as a one-shot Super Gold, so I’m not sure how often the Silver effect will be used or even necessary. But yeah, the theme is perfect.

Silver Mine
Project - $6
At the start of your turn, gain a Silver to your hand and discard a Card.

Another simple card, courtesy of mail-mi. Again, the name isn’t the greatest, but it works. The effect would be pretty nice in Big Money or Feodum/Gardens. I don’t see this as a great engine Project without some good trash-for-benefit mixed in. To paraphrase Columbia, “It’s okay!”

Magnet
Action - $5
+1 Action
Reveal the top 3 cards of your deck. If one is a Silver, put them all into your hand. Otherwise, put one into your hand and put the rest back in any order.

Jarring image notwithstanding, this is an interesting entry from Commodore Chuckles. It can either be an overpowered Laboratory or a cantrip with a choice. It would be very interesting to see how much Silver in the deck would be needed to optimize Magnet’s capabilities in an engine. It mostly fits the name, other than that Silver is non-magnetic. Hard to imagine a better name, though…

Marketplace
Project - $4
When you play a Silver, +1 Buy.

And Gubump delivers a simple yet solid project that rivals Fair. While the latter gives you an extra Buy every turn, Marketplace can deliver more Buys with the presence of Silvers. Whether a lot of Silvers and thus Buys are necessary can be very board-dependent. I just don’t know if it’s distinct enough from Fair to justify a victory in this challenge, to be honest.

Trading Quarter
Action - $5
+1 Buy
Choose one: trash a Silver from your hand for +4 Cards; or gain a Silver from the trash to your hand for +$2.

With some villages in play, and assuming there are Silvers in hand/trash to make it work, I could see this as a fun card. I’m with Gubump that a Silver in the Trash per player would be a good addition. Trading Quarter isn’t the worst name, but I like Harbor, too. Either way, Aquila, good work.

Pioneer
Action - $2
+1 Action
+1 Buy
You may trash a card from your hand. Otherwise, trash this and gain a Silver.

While certainly not as powerful as Chapel, a non-terminal trasher that can trash itself for a Silver is not bad at all. Certainly better as a $2 than a $1, Shard of Honor. Not sure about the theming, in all honestly, but it’s not terrible.

Barn
Action - $4
Choose one: You may discard a Copper from your hand for +3 Cards; or a Silver for +4 Cards; or a Gold for +5 Cards.

Put your golden hay into the Barn and get a workhorse out. Okay enough. It’s not lame at all, Gazbag. It’s honestly a decent Smithy variant that works best with Silver, if you ask me. A good BM card for sure, but may not be optimal for all engines.

Cathedral Town
+2 Actions
+$1
You may trash a Silver from your hand for +2VP.
$3 Action

A different take on the vanilla effects from Sterling Village, stechafle instead has you trade a Silver for some points. Honestly, though, this effect won’t be all that great until the endgame when points are more important than Silvers. Until then, it’s a non-Duration Fishing Village. The name works overall, anyway.

Silver Worker
+3 Cards
Reveal your hand. Discard a card per Silver revealed this way.
-
When you gain this, each other play gains a Silver onto their deck.

The gimped Smithy effect is decent enough, Chappy7. However, the on-gain effect seems very interesting, indeed. It can help sometimes, but for mirror Silver Workers and tight engines, it can often be a decent attack. The effects are nicely cohesive. I just think the name does not fit. Why would a Silver Worker be hurt by their own Silver? Too bad Werewolf is already taken; Wererat, maybe?

Silversmith
Action - $3
You may discard a Silver. If you do, +3 Cards, +2 Actions, +1 Buy and put a card from your hand onto your deck. If you don’t, gain a Silver.

“If you don’t” should just be “otherwise.” The effect is okay, if a little overwrought. Surprised it took this long for someone to claim the name “Silversmith,” segura. It works with the mechanics, I think.

Mad Scientist
$5 Action
+1 Card
+1 Action
You may trash a card from your hand costing at least $2. If you do, +2 Cards. Otherwise, gain a Silver.

A good way to get rid of those Estates early on, or it can at least give you fuel for later uses. Mad Scientist is such a perfect name, too, as it relates to Laboratory but the madness can force you to trash or gain Silver. I like it, LibraryAdventurer.

Refinery
Action - $3
+2 Cards
Discard two cards. You may trash two Coppers in your discard pile. If you did, gain a Silver to your hand.

A specialized Trading Post variant like this could have some early game use, especially with the discard effect. However, once your Coppers are gone, this is a pretty poor card. Smelter may have more uses later in the game, at least. Both themes are good, though. As for shrinking, when you put in the image code, add “width=200” or some similar number after the “img” in the first set of brackets (no quotes, of course, and make sure there’s a space between “img” and “width”). You don’t need to do anything to the /img tag. Does that make sense? Anyway, welcome to the contest, wittyhowlard!

Day-Taler
Action - $5
+3 Cards
You may discard a Silver for +1 Card, +1 Action

A Smithy you can pay extra to effectively make it non-terminal. I like the choice aspect, and whether it favors BM too much? I personally have to see it to believe it. The name is perhaps a little too neologistic, but overall, it’s a good card, Asper.

Building Society
Action-Treasure - $5
When you play this, +$1 per Silver you have in play, and if it’s your Action phase, +1 Card, +1 Action, +$1.

Nice work with the rewording, FlyerBeast. It’s a Peddler variant that could be really something with Storyteller, Villa, etc. With the right boards, it could be a rather powerful card. For most games, it’s just a Peddler that can be played as a Treasure with Silvers in play. Decent theming.

Silver Miner
Action - $3
+1 Action
Reveal the top card of your deck and put it into your hand. If it’s a Silver, +2 Cards. Otherwise, gain a Silver.

A very fine entry to end the contest, crlundy. Either it’s a Menagerie or a Silver-gaining cantrip. The name works well enough with the mechanics, too, and I like your story for it. Not much else to say, really.

--

This is a very difficult decision, but I’m basing it on all aspects of the entry: mechanics, wording, pricing, naming/theming, image use (when available), creativity, and how well it utilizes the challenge of involving Silvers.

WINNER: Silver Worker by Chappy7! Theming issues aside, I like how all three major mechanics of the card work together, especially with the Silver challenge.

RUNNER-UP: Trade Agreement by faust. I was so close to giving this the win, but my misgivings about the Silver-exchange kept it out of the win.

If your card's name is bold, that means I really liked it overall, so consider yourself an honorable mention.

9

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: April 09, 2019, 01:59:53 pm »

I'll be judging sometime in the next 12 hours. Hopefully that's enough time for those who wish to submit or tweak your entries.

10

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: April 02, 2019, 08:15:09 pm »

Thank you so much for the win, faust! Always a good idea to go for an Education.

Challenge #25: Silver Anniversary!

It's the 25th Weekly Design Contest, and the 25th Anniversary is traditionally called the Silver Anniversary. Therefore, design a card-shaped object (Kingdom card or sideways card) that concerns Silvers. Gaining them, trashing them, getting powers from them, losing powers from them, getting points from them, losing points from them, eating them, whatever!

Edit: I originally posted the "I'd Buy That for $1" Challenge (design a $1 card), but after realizing the Silver connection to #25, I had to change the challenge. My apologies to anyone who started working on the $1 card; if I ever win again, I promise that will be the challenge next time.

11

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: March 26, 2019, 06:21:23 pm »

Education
Project - 10 Debt
-
At the start of your turn, +$2.
At the end of your Buy phase, if you have any Debt remaining, take 2 Debt.

This card is inspired by my own status as a graduate student with loans to pay off. Yep.

Any feedback on this as an actual Project is appreciated, of course, especially concerning the upfront Debt cost.

12

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: March 25, 2019, 10:30:08 pm »

Wow, third place for an entry I wasn't even too sure about. That's awesome! Thank you, Fragasnap.

13

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: March 25, 2019, 12:38:09 pm »

Cozener
Action - $3
--
+1 Buy
+$1
-
While this is in play, when you buy a Curse, gain a card costing up to $5.

"Cozener" is another word for Swindler; the idea here is that the Cozener sabotages a pricier item, then claims to be able to take the cursed object off the owners hands. Honestly, I couldn't think of a better word. Anyway, it's a somewhat different idea at the very least.

14

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: March 13, 2019, 03:11:47 pm »

Clergy House
Night-Sanctuary - $1
-
Trash the top card from your deck.

Gingerbread House
Victory-Sanctuary - $1
-
2VP
When you trash this, gain an Estate. When something causes you to reveal this (using the word "reveal"), trash this and gain a Curse.

Hunting Tent
Treasure-Sanctuary - $1
-
When you play this, reveal the top three cards of your deck, then put them back in any order. +$1 for every Action card revealed.

The personal goal here is to create a set of shelters with some interaction with each other. I went through quite a few iterations of all three before settling on these.

• Clergy House was originally, "Trash the top two cards from your deck." Then I realized that this would be far more advantageous on Turn 1 than Turn 2, when it could actually harm you. Version 0.2 looked like, "Look at the top two cards of your deck. Trash both or put them back in any order," but this still seemed better to have on Turn 1. Edit: After looking into other comments about early trashing, I nerfed Clergy House so that it now automatically trashes your top card. It's still far more preferable to get this in Turn 1 versus Turn 2, I admit, unless you get a Turn 2 Hunting Tent.
• For Gingerbread House, I debated on whether you get the Estate when you reveal-trash this, but making it so that you only get the Estate when not revealing this got really wordy. For a while, I considered bumping it up to 3VP and not trashing when revealed, but this version stuck.
• Hunting Tent originally gave you money for revealed Coppers, but this would be far too swingy for early game play. Thus, it changed to Action cards. Turn 2 usage will make it possible to reveal a Turn 1 Action buy and get another $ out of it, so perhaps that makes it too good compared to Turn 1?

Edit 1: This set is really looking swingy, isn't it? A Turn 1 $5 buy means all three Shelters are in Turn 2, which means you use Hunting Tent to reveal and reorder your top three cards, use Clergy House to trash a Copper, and ensure that Gingerbread House doesn't get popped. Furthermore, it will guarantee a Turn 3 use of that $5 card, and if it's an Action, a 50/50 chance of getting $3 instead of $2 for Turn 2. Yeah, I should probably re-evaluate this set.

Edit 2: Any additional feedback is welcome, of course.

15

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: February 24, 2019, 05:22:51 pm »

Cauldron
Types: Treasure, Attack, Doom
Cost: $4
$3. When you play this, receive a Hex. If you gain or trash a card this way, each other player gains a Curse.

Buff up your economy for important early-spikes. Give out Curses when dealing with them is worse than Coppers and the random trashing of Locusts and War (I'm sure it happens).
Some probabilities since you might want them:

• 33% of the time, you give out a curse (Greed, Locusts, Plague, and War make you gain or trash cards).
• 25% of the time, you are virtually unaffected (Fear, Haunting, and Poverty practically don't matter on the play of a Treasure).
• 42% of the time, you suffer alone for your $4-Gold (Bad Omens, Delusion, Envy, Famine, and Misery). At least Delusion won't effect your money-spike.

Even with the Hex every time you play this, it still seems pretty strong for a $4 Gold. Compare to Contraband and Cache, which are $5 Golds and come with pretty gnarly drawbacks, even with Contraband giving you the +Buy. As you mentioned yourself, one-third of the Hexes will end up Cursing your opponents, while another fourth basically won't affect you at all (and with smart play, Haunting could actually be used to your advantage).

Also, just to be clear with Envy, am I right in assuming the Envious state would take effect on the next turn because, assuming you play Cauldron during your current Buy phase, it has to wait until the start of a Buy phase to take effect?

16

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: February 23, 2019, 08:44:50 pm »

Truffle Pig
Treasure-Duration - $6
-
$1
At the start of your next turn, +$2, then put this into your hand, then trash a card from your hand.

If anyone here reads the manga "Dr. Stone," that was the inspiration for this card. Keep feeding it, and it'll keep finding culinary Gold. Once you run out of feed, just eat the pig.

Any feedback is appreciated, of course.

17

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: February 22, 2019, 12:41:21 pm »

Solar
Types: Action
Cost: $3
You may reveal an Action card from your hand, then each other player may reveal a copy of it. If you do and no one else does, play it twice; otherwise, +2 Cards.

The biggest problem this card has are scaling and its consolation prize.

• In multiplayer games it will be much harder to trigger than in 2-player--not to mention that other players might know some Actions they can't Solar based on turn order.
  I'd recommend making it only trigger based on the player to the left, like Gladiator.
• The consolation prize idea is terminal draw. So I reveal an Action that I want to play, to get dead draw instead.
  I'd recommend either the base effect being +2 Actions or nixing the consolation prize and making it a choice between +2 Cards or play the Action once or twice based upon having the Action alone.

I had considered scaling before, but didn't really act on it. This is a good fix, I must admit.

I do want to stick with +2 Cards for some possible self-combo shenanigans - play a Solar with a Solar, draw 2 cards, hopefully get a good Action, and hope that another Solar isn't revealed so you can use your second Solar to possibly double up on the new Action. Yeesh, I haven't seen the word "Solar" used that often since my environmentalist days back in the '90s.

Anyway, I'll revise my first draft (from my reply to lompeluiten) with the "player to the left" caveat:



Again, thank you to everyone with these suggestions. I don't play Dominion as much as I want to, so it's good to have more experienced voices critique my cards.

18

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: February 22, 2019, 12:02:54 pm »

I think I really like faust's suggestion. If there is time, I'd like to officially change my entry to this one.

As the contest is not rated yet, there's still time, so go for it 

It could be reworded. (Only personal preference on the sentence structure.)

You may reveal an Action card from your hand.
Each other player may reveal a copy of it from their hand and if nobody does, play it twice.
Otherwise +2 Cards.

The issue with this wording is that it doesn't make clear that you still get the +2 Cards if you don't reveal any cards. I guess in the spirit of most Throne Room variants being complete duds if there are no other Action cards in hand, that's fine. My initial goal, however, was to make a Throne Room variant that wasn't a complete dud, but the Throning is much more difficult to pop.

Hmm, what about this?

19

Variants and Fan Cards / Re: Game State/World states

« on: February 22, 2019, 11:20:13 am »

A turn 3 Torturer with Royal Mandate in play...

20

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: February 22, 2019, 11:16:36 am »

After months of studying for, and then taking, comprehensive exams, I'm finally ready to get back into creating disappointing cards!

Solar
Action - $3
-
Choose one: +2 Cards; or reveal an Action card from your hand, then if no other player reveals a copy of it, play it twice.

When looking into medieval castles, I learned about the solar. It is a small private chamber for living and sleeping, possibly derived from the Latin word for "alone." That inspired this cheap Throne Room variant that only works if you alone have that Action card in your hand. If you don't have an Action or don't want to risk it, you can still make use of the Solar with the draw.

Any feedback is appreciated, of course.

I like the seccond part, but not completly. It feels REAL bad if somebody else as a copy of it. A tournament feels just a bit bad, as you still get some stuf if someone else. Maybe you can only play it once if somebody else has a copy? It supports diversity, wich is good.

I think it might work better as a consolation price thing: Reveal Action, if noone has a copy play it twice, otherwise +2 cards.

Thanks for the suggestions. In fact, my first draft of Solar was exactly like lompeluiten suggested:



Never thought of the "consolation prize" angle, though. Thanks, faust. Let's give it a look:



I think I really like faust's suggestion. If there is time, I'd like to officially change my entry to this one.

21

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: February 21, 2019, 12:36:31 am »

After months of studying for, and then taking, comprehensive exams, I'm finally ready to get back into creating disappointing cards!

Solar
Action - $3
-
Choose one: +2 Cards; or reveal an Action card from your hand, then if no other player reveals a copy of it, play it twice.

When looking into medieval castles, I learned about the solar. It is a small private chamber for living and sleeping, possibly derived from the Latin word for "alone." That inspired this cheap Throne Room variant that only works if you alone have that Action card in your hand. If you don't have an Action or don't want to risk it, you can still make use of the Solar with the draw.

Any feedback is appreciated, of course.

22

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: December 04, 2018, 08:00:04 pm »

Going for Renaissance themes of simplicity + Coffers:

Stock Exchange
Action/Victory - $5
-
+2 Coffers
-
Worth 1VP for every 3 Coffers (round down) on your Coffers mat at the end of the game.

Go to the Stock Exchange to invest, and as long as you can hang on to those investments, the more this is worth. I'm still working on the cost and the Coffers-to-VP ratio. Right now, with no other Coffers gainers in play, you'll need to play Stock Exchanges five times to make it worth as much as a Duchy. However, it could potentially get pretty nutty with good Coffers gainers in play, like Merchant Guild. May bump it to 1VP per 4 Coffers (or 2VP per 7 Coffers). Will try to playtest if I have time.

23

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: December 01, 2018, 07:32:59 pm »

Can Magic Beans trash any number of cards from your hand? Then it seems a bit too good compared to Cemetery.

I can see your point. Let's try this.

24

Weekly Design Contest / Re: Weekly Design Contest Thread

« on: December 01, 2018, 11:59:08 am »

Busy week, and I was not feeling good. I was hoping to playtest this on Tabletop Simulator, and I still might if I get the chance today. Until then, here's the rough idea.

Magic Beans
Treasure - $2
-
$0
-
When you gain or trash this, trash at least one from your hand, then put this on the bottom of your deck.

Beanstalk
Action - $6
-
+1 Card
+1 Action
+$1
You may return a Treasure in your hand to the Supply, to gain a Gold onto your deck.

As I'm wont to do, I perhaps focused a bit more on the theme than the mechanics. But hey, I'm not looking to win this week (there are plenty of other split-pile ideas that I really want to see win and eventually play with).

Anyway, who in the right mind would trade away their belongings for a handful of so-called "Magic" Beans? They aren't worth a thing, and you can't even get rid of them that easily. Just you wait, though, as soon the Beanstalk with sprout. Then, you can finally make use of those silly Beans and even get yourself some Gold. Watch out for the Giant, though; he'll destroy your Beanstalk if he gets the chance and make you Curse ever getting those worthless Magic Beans.

25

Variants and Fan Cards / Re: Yuletide - A Fan Expansion Idea by Tejayes

« on: November 25, 2018, 01:44:21 am »

After a few games by myself on Tabletop Simulator, here's what's up:

Carolers: So far, it seems okay, but that's just me. Literally. I think I need other humans and their willingness (or lack thereof) to dump their Coppers to truly playtest this for real. This goes for pretty much all of the "help your neighbor" cards.

Chimney Sweep: You may be right, Kudasai. Trashing a card out of turn is nice, but it's probably not enough of an incentive to justify giving your opponent $2. I still want Chimney Sweep to cost $2, though, so I'll consider some other versions. Again, this also needs more human testers.

Curiosity Shop: There are two problems here. First is that if you have enough Crafters to get a card from the Trash, you usually can just get the Crafters and go for a Province instead. Second is that some Kingdom cards are not Craftable, like those with Potion or Debt costs. I still like the idea of extra-Kingdom cards able to be gained, though. Here's a potential fix:

Curiosity Shop
Action - $5
-
+2 Crafters
You may go immediately to your Crafting phase, to Craft a card from the Trash costing up to $3 per Crafter returned.
-
Setup: Put one copy per player of ten Craftable Kingdom cards not in the Supply into the Trash.

I have a feeling Curiosity Shop will go through many iterations before becoming acceptable.

Factory: With another source of Crafters in play, Factory is pretty strong as you can easily gain Provinces and a second decent card. Without them, though, Factory is a bit more of a chore to make work. I like it where it is now, but it still needs a lot of testing.

Furrier: This one may be a bit too swingy. Early trashing is very important, but if Furrier hits your other good opening card, it can be pretty much useless unless you're willing to give the other card up. Weather control is nice, though. I may give this the Navigator effect, but have the Weather viewing first so that you have an idea whether your next hand would be affected by the Weather. I'll finagle with it in any case.

Homestead: Yeah, allowing opponents to draw on non-matches is just too strong for them. I'll try changing it to draw matching cards instead.

Ornaments: Yes, the $4 version is so much better, yet not brokenly so. I'll officially change the card on the first post.

Sewing Circle: Maybe a little strong, especially when Throned. Still want to playtest it some more to be sure.

Snow Witch: Yes, the "gain a Copper" version is so much better, yet not brokenly so. I'll officially change the card on the first post.

Tailor: Turns out to be a pretty good card for Alt-VP games like Feodum, Gardens, and Silk Road.

Weather: 6 Calms and 1 each of the others seems to be a pretty good setup, as does having the first two turns always be Calm.

Blizzard: As expected, this is the nastiest Weather effect, but I may just make it so that you can still Craft cards even if you take the "no Buy" option. After all, many people turn to crafting to help ride out a storm...

Warm: The +1 Card option seems to be a little too popular, at least in the games I've played with so far. +$1 seems a bit weak, too. I may try adding +1 Buy to the +$1 option, or even remove +1 Card and replace it with +1 Buy.

Any cards without comments haven't been playtested enough yet to make a serious observation.