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[Beyond Awesome]

-  More ways to give curses

Every expansion to date has this

-  More ways to remove curses (important for balance)

i.e. More trashing. Every expansion to date has this

-  Ways to punish people that have curses in their deck/hand

Many people already hate the Cursing attacks because of how damaging there are. You really want to make them MORE painful?

-  A new type of curse (hex?) that is more powerful, but also more difficult to give out and less spammable.

Again, -1VP and deck/hand clogging is already damaging enough.

-  Ways to utilise curses n your deck to some end (as stated above, difficult to balance, it would have to be more about mitigating the negative consequences than giving 'bonuses' as such).

This is just trash/discard-for-benefit and it already exists in many forms.

An expansion like this would bring nothing new to the game apart from putting many people off because of the increased aggression.

Kind of like Alchemy and Possesion, or just Alchemy in general. Btw, I love Alchemy, but I think Donald X. tried too hard to make the cards in that set good. Not that Possession is too good, but other cards like Apprentice, Familiar, Golem, etc. can be quite powerful. Especially, Apprentice.

[Davio]

Mechanics

I have always been in favour of fiddling with the Curses, but I understand such a thing is very hard to balance.
I've talked about Curse / X dualtype cards in the past and about a card that both gives Curses and does something with them.

The trash has been considered a no go area, but I think it could be used for some cards.


Theme

Ok, so we started with our little kingdom, used some magic with Alchemy, had some political issues with Intrigue, roamed the seas with Seaside, increased our wealth with Prosperity, celebrated our diversity with Cornucopia and ventured to the borders and beyond with Hinterlands.

What's left?

I like either a clear "light" or "dark" theme for the next expansion. For light, something like a Carnival (too bad Jester's already gone) or some other festival (also gone) with cards like "Brewery", "Square" and "Minstrel". For dark, it could be about revolt, disease and poorness with cards like "Beggar", "Pied Piper", "Plague" and "Quack".

[def]

This is just trash/discard-for-benefit and it already exists in many forms.

You can distinguish between non-Curses and Curses, though, for example:
"Trash a card. Gain a Silver in hand. If the trashed card was a Curse, gain a Gold in hand instead."

Cards like that would make it easier for cursed players to come back, a thing I'd like to see.

[Graystripe77]

I really don't get why people are so against curse dual type cards. Sure they're not going to be easy to balance, but I think it would add even more flavor to an already amazing game. That's it, I'm making a Curse dual type card for my fan expansion.

[werothegreat]

This is just trash/discard-for-benefit and it already exists in many forms.

You can distinguish between non-Curses and Curses, though, for example:
"Trash a card. Gain a Silver in hand. If the trashed card was a Curse, gain a Gold in hand instead."

Cards like that would make it easier for cursed players to come back, a thing I'd like to see.

Better wording: "Trash a card from your hand.  If it was a Curse, gain a Gold, putting it into your hand.  Otherwise, gain a Silver, putting it into your hand."

[barsooma]

This is just trash/discard-for-benefit and it already exists in many forms.

You can distinguish between non-Curses and Curses, though, for example:
"Trash a card. Gain a Silver in hand. If the trashed card was a Curse, gain a Gold in hand instead."

Cards like that would make it easier for cursed players to come back, a thing I'd like to see.

Better wording: "Trash a card from your hand.  If it was a Curse, gain a Gold, putting it into your hand.  Otherwise, gain a Silver, putting it into your hand."

How is this supposed to work? This card would be better than trade route, possibly better than JOAT. So the cost has got to be $4 at least, probably more, making it unlikely as a comeback card. Basically it's just another deterrent to cursing attacks.

[def]

We don't need to discuss how this special card can work and how it should be worded, it was only posted to show the possible game mechanic.
Another option are cards with "this costs 1$ less to buy for each Curse you reveal".
So, there are plenty of options to make cards that are better/easier to get/... the more Curses you have.

[werothegreat]

This is just trash/discard-for-benefit and it already exists in many forms.

You can distinguish between non-Curses and Curses, though, for example:
"Trash a card. Gain a Silver in hand. If the trashed card was a Curse, gain a Gold in hand instead."

Cards like that would make it easier for cursed players to come back, a thing I'd like to see.

Better wording: "Trash a card from your hand.  If it was a Curse, gain a Gold, putting it into your hand.  Otherwise, gain a Silver, putting it into your hand."

How is this supposed to work? This card would be better than trade route, possibly better than JOAT. So the cost has got to be $4 at least, probably more, making it unlikely as a comeback card. Basically it's just another deterrent to cursing attacks.

It's a sort of combination of Trade Route and Explorer.

I think what could actually work would be a card that requires you take a Curse or two with it, like Cache makes you take Coppers.  It would be a lower cost, but since these are actual Curses you're getting that can clog your deck, and not "Blood Money," you'd actually think twice before getting it.

[GendoIkari]

This is just trash/discard-for-benefit and it already exists in many forms.

You can distinguish between non-Curses and Curses, though, for example:
"Trash a card. Gain a Silver in hand. If the trashed card was a Curse, gain a Gold in hand instead."

Cards like that would make it easier for cursed players to come back, a thing I'd like to see.

I think this card + curse would make a decent opening!

[Piemaster]

This is just trash/discard-for-benefit and it already exists in many forms.

You can distinguish between non-Curses and Curses, though, for example:
"Trash a card. Gain a Silver in hand. If the trashed card was a Curse, gain a Gold in hand instead."

Cards like that would make it easier for cursed players to come back, a thing I'd like to see.

If that was the theme of the expansion you could even have more Brute Force affecting curses, it doesn't just have to be vanilla trashing cards.

[Davio]

I really don't get why people are so against curse dual type cards. Sure they're not going to be easy to balance, but I think it would add even more flavor to an already amazing game. That's it, I'm making a Curse dual type card for my fan expansion.

We have to keep in mind that we're all very bad at judging long term card effects on the game.
It often comes in waves and distills over time: From "Chapel is awful!" to "Chapel is awesome!" and finally "Chapel is good, but not always".

We have to trust Donald and his solid team of playtesters and even they can't play a gazillion games so there will always be cards that are inherently better than others, but that's OK. If a card is "broken", it will stilly only appear in under 1% of all games, if randomly chosen.

If you're making a Curse dual type, you have to keep in mind that without Cursers, it may never get chosen and with Cursers, it will often get chosen. And you're not helping the players who don't want to Curse, because instead of 10 Curses, they now will get 20. You're making the actual Curse-pile twice as deep (in 2p) and this can have adverse effects and make the game less enjoyable overall.

You could keep it simple with an Action - Curse that gives +1 card or something.

[Graystripe77]

Well actually, I was thinking of a Curse that couldn't be gained from cursing cards, or something that replaces the curse pile. So it would be the same # of curses, just a different playstyle.

[Davio]

Well actually, I was thinking of a Curse that couldn't be gained from cursing cards, or something that replaces the curse pile. So it would be the same # of curses, just a different playstyle.

Ah I see.

Since the official expansions have played with setup rules before (Young Witch, Black Market, Trade Route), I don't see why a dualtype Curse couldn't do such a thing.

Something like (off the top of my head)
Cursed Gold - $6
Curse - Treasure
-2 VP

If this is the first time you played a Cursed Gold this turn, this is worth 4 coins, otherwise it's worth 1 coin.
------------------
Setup: If this card is included in the game, it replaces the normal Curses.

[Piemaster]

What about a curse that is applied in the same way as a regular curse, but actually improves your opponent's deck (or is at least neutral), but comes with a stiff VP penalty at the end?

[GendoIkari]

What about a curse that is applied in the same way as a regular curse, but actually improves your opponent's deck (or is at least neutral), but comes with a stiff VP penalty at the end?

The problem with any card that gives good benefit for the cost of VP at the end is that if there are any trashers on the board, it is going to be generally overpowered, as you have plenty of time to trash it. And even if there aren't trashers on the board, the VP penalty would have to be pretty stiff to make it worse than a card that just wastes space in your hand.

[jotheonah]

Jester is already a "comeback card" of sorts - the more green your opponent has, the more likely it is to deal them a curse, slowing down their ending and giving you a chance to catch up.

[barsooma]

What about a curse that is applied in the same way as a regular curse, but actually improves your opponent's deck (or is at least neutral), but comes with a stiff VP penalty at the end?

The problem with any card that gives good benefit for the cost of VP at the end is that if there are any trashers on the board, it is going to be generally overpowered, as you have plenty of time to trash it. And even if there aren't trashers on the board, the VP penalty would have to be pretty stiff to make it worse than a card that just wastes space in your hand.

Easy fix: -1VP chips

[guided]

The only remotely balanced solution I've seen for cards that want to be overpowered for their cost is to give negative VP chips each time the card is played. I think there's some good design space available there, actually.

[Graystripe77]

Isn't there an expansion where the -vp chips are called sins? If so, would I be able to use the same name for simplicity sake?

[biopower]

Isn't there an expansion where the -vp chips are called sins? If so, would I be able to use the same name for simplicity sake?

Yes, a quick google reveals this, although some of the images for the cards seem to be in German.

[jotheonah]

Food for thought:

There are only two sets after this one, and one of them is a latecomer with its own special thing going on.

Donald X in the secret history of Hinterlands. what do we think that means???

[werothegreat]

Food for thought:

There are only two sets after this one, and one of them is a latecomer with its own special thing going on.

Donald X in the secret history of Hinterlands. what do we think that means???

Yet another resource, a la Potion?  A different basic set of card, alongside Action, Treasure, Victory and Curse?  More tokens?  More mats?  Little figurines to move around on a giant inflatable chessboard?

[play2draw]

It's the dice expansion. I can feel it this time.

Or it could be the opposite of Seaside. Seaside was cards that affected your future turns... maybe it's a time-travel based expansion where you play cards that affect your previous turns? 

[AJD]

I really don't get why people are so against curse dual type cards.

In part, I think it's because "Curse" is both a card type and the card name, and so if there were alternate cards of the "Curse" type, a lot of instructions ("gain a Curse") would become annoyingly ambiguous.

[GendoIkari]

One thing that I would sort of like to see, while at the same time think it's probably a bad idea... alternate win conditions. Some of my favorite cards in Magic are the ones that let you win the game without killing your opponent. "At the start of your turn, if such and such conditions are met, you win the game." In Dominion, this of course poses the problem of what can your opponents do to stop you? There is no enchantment destruction! So I don't think it could ever work, but it would be fun to see.