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26

Variants and Fan Cards / Re: Thought exercise: nerfs and buffs

« on: July 27, 2011, 02:35:27 pm »

I agree with you that because it's so powerful it is hard to balance it's cost to it's power. Perhaps reducing the number of cards trashed to 3 would be helpful but it's hard to say for sure without testing it.

I only claimed that raising chapel to 3 would solve the 5/2 imbalance of openings such as Mountebank/Chapel. No matter what if you have different starting hands one is going to be more powerful than the other, it just is. But Mountebank/Chapel(similarly Witch/Chapel) is exceptionally strong and I(and I think many others) feel it's too powerful for an opening.

All of your points you are assuming you are buying a Chapel that turn. However the point of balancing the card is to encourage other strategies to be considered.

If you raise the Chapel to 3$ and you start with 5/2 you need to think of how much the chapel is worth you. Do you really want Chapel bad enough to open Chapel/2 Card, or is another strategy more optimal here. That is the reason why we are discussing balancing.


Another must buy card in my opinion is Ambassador. I don't like this card, I don't even like playing it. But it's a near must buy. I'm trying to think of ways to balance it. It should definitely be at 4, even though I doubt that would change very many strategies. It's a tough one!

27

Variants and Fan Cards / Re: Thought exercise: nerfs and buffs

« on: July 27, 2011, 12:30:24 pm »

Well if you think about the basic idea of the game, it's choosing the best way to get the most Victory points the fastest. You win by choosing your cards carefully. It is in the choosing that determines who is the better player. For this reason, when considering balancing options, I look at cards that are 'must buys' because these simply do not belong in the game. If there are cards that need to be bought or you lose, then the game's philosophy is flawed. The balancing in this game, overall, is exceptional but I found a couple of cards that are bought a little too often .

Chapel - This card is severely under priced at $2. There are more threads on the rare occasions that you should not pick up a chapel rather than ones where you should. I buy it in nearly every set up of cards that includes it. Raised to 3$ would solve the 5/2 Chapel imbalance. Raised to $4 might have people contimplating not picking it up. Reducing 4 trashed cards to 3 could work too.

Mountebank - So powerful that if someone gets to $5 first and doesn't buy it, I'm fairly confident I have won the game. Raised to 6 would have people contemplating it with Gold. Perhaps reducing +2$ to +1$ could help a lot too.

I can't think of too many other must buys.

I guess you could go to the other side of the spectrum and look at cards that are never bought, or never buys. However at the current state of the game, it is rare that there are cards that are never actually helpful. The only card that I think that could fall into this category is Pearl diver. It's relatively weak but at $2 it can give you some useful deck information.

Woodcutter is weak overall, but in a game with no other +Buys it becomes a good buying option.

Chancellor has a niche with Counting House, other than that, it's not an amazing card.

These two cards are weak but there are a couple of situations where they are decent, if not good buys. Which is why I don't think they're imbalanced, just a little weaker than other options.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that there shouldn't be cards that you feel you must buy(or must not buy) regardless of the set up. If there are, those cards are imbalanced.

28

Dominion Articles / Re: Making it to Level 42: Level 5- Money Makes Your Deck Go 'Round

« on: July 27, 2011, 12:14:15 pm »

To put things into perspective for a Province game, your average card must offer $1.6 and a Gold offers roughly twice that. However, in a Colony game, your average card must offer $2.1

So I understand the whole average value of 1.6$ for a Province game, because 1.6x5 = 8. But why 2.1$ for a Colony game? 2.1x5 = 10.5, was this a typo or am I missing something here?

29

Variants and Fan Cards / Re: Really bad card ideas

« on: July 27, 2011, 12:05:01 pm »

Love this thread so far!

Compound Interest
7$- Action- Duration(Permanent, you don't remove it)

While this card is in play at the end of every clean up phase, including opponents, put a trade route token on this card. At the start of your next turn +$ for every trade route token on this card.

Any player may give you a gold in hand during their Buy phase, if they do, remove all trade route tokens on this card.



Recursion
0$- Action

+1 Action
Put this card on the top of your deck
+1 Card


Edit: I guess Recursion would be useful for Conspirator... hmm

30

Puzzles and Challenges / Re: Perfect Hand

« on: July 26, 2011, 05:35:01 pm »

I get 60 with:

KC-KC-Goons-Goons-Trade Route.  This is a colony game, and the other seven piles are VP cards.  The TR value is therefore $11, and since you play the Goons first you don't trash anything.  Two KC-Goons give you $12, three TRs give $33 for $45 total, and you have 10 Buys total.  Purchase 4 Colonies for $44 (40 VP), then 6 Coppers.  Each buy gives 2 VP tokens, for 20 VP.

Umm I'm pretty sure you made a silly math mistake here. 4 colonies = 40 points. 6 Copper at 2VP each = 12 not 20 , giving you a total of 52

Buying the Colonies gives VP tokens too

/facepalm

my mistake

31

Puzzles and Challenges / Re: Perfect Hand

« on: July 26, 2011, 05:04:34 pm »

I get 60 with:

KC-KC-Goons-Goons-Trade Route.  This is a colony game, and the other seven piles are VP cards.  The TR value is therefore $11, and since you play the Goons first you don't trash anything.  Two KC-Goons give you $12, three TRs give $33 for $45 total, and you have 10 Buys total.  Purchase 4 Colonies for $44 (40 VP), then 6 Coppers.  Each buy gives 2 VP tokens, for 20 VP.

Umm I'm pretty sure you made a silly math mistake here. 4 colonies = 40 points. 6 Copper at 2VP each = 12 not 20 , giving you a total of 52

32

Dominion Isotropic / Re: A frivolous Council Room feature request

« on: July 26, 2011, 12:11:05 pm »

I don't think Iso will be adding any more features since it is inevitably coming down.

33

Game Reports / Re: How would you play this setup?

« on: July 26, 2011, 11:13:18 am »

Original thoughts: Forge looks rather useless this game. Adventurer could be used as a late game buy. With about 4 Colonies left, to ensure another colony buy when your deck is getting cluttered with green. I see potential for a action based deck using NV for the + Actions but the lack of buy makes me think it would be inferior to Big Money

I think the real discussion is between the 4 cards. Remake and Bishop, in this situation I would say Remake gets the upper hand. In a Colony game, getting your deck thinned is more important than an early small VP lead, you could perhaps transition into it late game but early game I'd go with Remake. I don't think Monument would be a good buy here.

My strategy:

I would open Remake/Silver

I think Ghost Ship is too powerful too ignore. Get 1 or 2 Remakes eventually remaking one of them as the game goes into the late game, 1 Ghost Ship then play Big Money.

34

Game Reports / Re: Didn't know folks could get this upset over a game...

« on: July 26, 2011, 11:01:37 am »

I find that pretty funny actually. Both of you don't have control over the way you draw your deck. Getting that mad over RNG is just as bad as getting mad at the rain or a coin toss.

35

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Expert Advice for Novices: What did I do wrong??

« on: July 21, 2011, 01:45:16 pm »

@philosophyguy

Again, I felt like I couldnʼt just waste $5 by settling for a Silver.

What you have to realize is that having a 5$ card with no action to play it with gives you 0, which is worse than a silver(obviously) and inhibits you from getting you to $6.

Your buys are decent, but you need to look at what your deck needs at that moment. You want your next shuffle to be able to buy more than what you did in the previous shuffle. If you already have a problem with colliding terminals(turn 6) then you shouldn't be buying more terminals at that stage of the game(turns 6-11).

36

Game Reports / Re: Post one you'd like to have back

« on: July 21, 2011, 10:24:00 am »

http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20110715-104349-02af2a16.html

^ My foolishness!

37

Game Reports / A game you're proud of, and a game you're not.

« on: July 19, 2011, 12:39:40 pm »

Here are two games, both against highly ranked players Blooki and mikemike. One of them I play well. The other I start out well, but it does not end well.

Against Blooki:
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20110712-224145-ec7b7db1.html
His superior deck thinning creates a devastating engine that I'm just not used to seeing, at that time I had not played seaside that much.

Against mikemike:
http://councilroom.com/game?game_id=game-20110705-224447-e6cc7d50.html
Buying Labs instead of Cities early is the deciding factor in this one I believe.

Both pretty interesting games I think. I encourage others to post in the same format, a game you're proud of and a game where you can see a mistake that really blew you out of the water.

38

Game Reports / Re: 44-point swing on final turn ftw

« on: July 19, 2011, 12:17:27 pm »

Why would he buy a tournament on his last turn

/facepalm

You probably still would have been able to win by discarding cards for buys with hamlet but still.

39

Dominion General Discussion / Re: I have a problem

« on: July 19, 2011, 12:08:55 pm »

Perhaps you need to tell yourself that a province is an alias for something you like, perhaps a holiday in Hawaii. Every time you look at the kingdom you can then remember that you'd like a Hawaiian holiday and remember to buy that province. Even if you like drinking beer I wouldn't use that as the alias, just to make sure that buying too many provinces doesn't impair your play.

I do like them... but I want 5 of them, at the same time! (TWSS)

40

Game Reports / Re: Don't Fear the Pirate Ship

« on: July 15, 2011, 03:36:33 pm »

The only thing your example illustrates is something that most dominion players should know:

Mountebank > All

41

Game Reports / Re: Post one you'd like to have back

« on: July 15, 2011, 03:19:49 pm »

I JUST played a game where I wish I could have had it back. When it comes up on council room I'll link it.

I had the lead, the end game was just about to begin. I played a double Bridge and instead of ending the game by three piling him I decided try to further improve my deck. He took the lead the next turn and three piled me. As soon as I finished my turn realized the mistake I made and painfully watched him not make that same mistake.

42

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Pearl Diver

« on: July 15, 2011, 03:09:02 pm »

It's not a horrible card, I think it's pretty balanced for it's price. There are some situations where it can be used effectively and others where it can't.

What it's good for:
Can be throned/kinged.
Goons buying (cheap card for vp while not hurting your deck)
Conspirator Chains
Peddler Buying

What' it's bad for:
As mentioned above FV, very bad with FV
A set with strong terminal +cards(ghost ship, torturer, witch)

If you're building a + action/card chain and the decision is to either buy it or nothing, I highly suggest buying it. It doesn't take any room in your hand(once you play it) and it gives you an option to improve your next draw.

43

Dominion General Discussion / Re: Early remake, coppers -> trash or estates -> 3 cost

« on: July 15, 2011, 02:57:53 pm »

I agree, having a thinner deck will allow you to draw your remake faster, resulting in more trashing and a better overall deck.

44

Dominion General Discussion / I have a problem

« on: July 15, 2011, 01:08:48 pm »

A serious problem, which makes me lose games.

Hell, my name's HockeyHippo and I'm a engine addict.

Too often I try to make a huge engine that wins the game in one turn. Especially when I'm playing IRL. In 4 player games I simply get torn apart by attack cards.

Sometimes it works and I love myself, other times I cry myself to sleep.

Why can't I just play a normal game and buy a province one at a time? Why must I buy two Grand Markets with 13, rather than a Province and  Dutchy?

I need help.