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Author Topic: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods  (Read 1114 times)

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Erick648

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Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« on: March 25, 2023, 12:05:32 am »
+1

Hello, and welcome to the new season.  To start this season off, we'll have a challenge inspired by my favorite animal:  The octopus.

Among octopuses' many bizarre sci-fi-esque abilities is the ability to dynamically change their form mimic their surroundings, or even other creatures.  This ability is the basis for this week's challenge.



The fan mechanic of the week is mimic tokens.  Mimic tokens are tokens that go on supply piles to facilitate an ability along the lines of "Play a card in the Supply that has your Mimic token on it, leaving it there."  Inheritance would be the closest official equivalent, but I think we can do something a bit more flexible.

In short, there are two rules for this week's designs:
  • You must have a type of token that goes on a Supply pile (or a non-Supply pile, if that's what you want).
  • You must have some ability that lets you play the top card of the Supply pile with the token on it.
Also, I'm fine if you have more than one card-shaped object, but they should be connected---an entry consisting of Marauder, Spoils, and the five Ruins would be related enough, but Marauder and Cultist would not.  That said, I'm not super-strict on this as long as you don't go overboard.

I will prefer designs that allow flexibility, but aren't as open-ended as, say, Band of Misfits.  More generally, I like cards with good flavor and interesting choices.

Speaking of flexibility, here are some things that aren't restrictions on this week's designs:
  • You don't need to call your tokens "Mimic tokens"---name them whatever fits your flavor.
  • You don't need to limit yourself to one Mimic token per player---you can use as many as you want.
  • You don't even need to make the Mimic tokens player-specific---if you want the players to move around a shared Mimic token, that's perfectly fine.
  • You can use any sort of card-shaped objects, even ones from different expansions---if you want an Artifact that moves a Mimic token between Spirit piles, go ahead.
  • And to be clear, while octopuses inspired this fan mechanic, your entries don't need to be octopus-related in any way.
Here's an example of mimic tokens at work:

Quote
Way of the Octopus
Way
Choose a card in the Supply costing less than this that has one of your Octopus tokens on it.  Play that card, leaving it there.

Setup: Place your Octopus tokens on two Action supply piles.

As usual, the contest will run for one week (ending at midnight EDT or 4:00 a.m. GMT), and I'll post a 24-hour warning. 

Thanks, and have fun!  I look forward to seeing your entries.
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czzzz

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2023, 11:49:54 pm »
+4


My idea was to make a card that started at Copper and could work itself all the way up to Platinum if you wanted, or could stay on a key $5-cost Action (or rotate between a few $5-costs), as needed.
To make it so it could keep moving up in value, it's not type-restricted at all. So you can put the token on Estate, if for example there's no $2-cost Action or Treasure in the set -- that's what the "if possible" is dealing with.
It's not beautiful, but it does what I want it to, so it is what it is.

It has issues, but some of them are just a fact of being put on the pile, rather than setting aside as Inheritance does...so I'm hoping it's OK that things could look ugly or broken with certain piles ("I put the token on Gladiator, and now it's all Fortunes, mwahaha").
Idk what should happen if your pile runs out, can we just say it counts as a $0-cost and you're starting back over? I don't wanna make the card wordier.
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segura

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2023, 04:00:14 am »
0

If you want it to be able to stay on a pile, you have to make the move effect non mandatory.
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czzzz

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2023, 01:41:17 pm »
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If you want it to be able to stay on a pile, you have to make the move effect non mandatory.
Ah, I was hoping that wording it like Remodel would allow the same kind of flexibility
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BryGuy

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2023, 09:42:35 am »
+2

Quote
Tricky Cephalopod
$6 Action - Command
Play cards with a Mimic token (leaving them), choose one: one card that costs $5 or more; or up to two different cards that costs $4 or less. You may move your Mimic token to a different non-Command non-Duration Action Supply pile.
-
In games using this, each player places their Mimic token on a non-Command non-Duration Action Supply pile during the Action phase of their first turn.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2023, 09:15:37 am by BryGuy »
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emtzalex

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2023, 03:50:27 pm »
+3

My Submission:



Quote
Doppelgänger • Action - Reaction - Command • $5
Play a non-Command Action card from one of your Mimic piles, leaving it there.


When any player gains a card, you may discard this to move one of your Mimic tokens to that card's pile.
                                             

My submission is Doppelgänger, using 3 Mimic tokens per player. It's something of a twist on Band of Misfits. Instead of being able to play anything cheaper, it can play the 3 cards you put your Mimic token on. It starts much slower, needing to use its Reaction to enable later plays. You can do that either by gaining the card yourself or catching an opponent's gain on a prior turn.
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Thanks to Shard of Honor for his Extended Version of the Dominion Card Image Generator, which I use to mock up my fan cards, and to Violet CLM, who made the original.

Erick648

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #6 on: March 31, 2023, 01:05:18 am »
0

23-hour Warning

I apologize that it’s an hour late.  Contest closes at midnight EDT/4:00 a.m. GMT.

Current entries are:
  • Trainee
  • Tricky Cephalopod
  • Doppelgänger
I’ve enjoyed seeing your entries so far, and look forward to seeing any others.
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Snorka

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #7 on: March 31, 2023, 10:13:39 am »
+2


Click the image for a better quality version. My original idea had three non-Supply piles that the mimic token could move to, but... that would be a lot.
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Xen3k

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2023, 08:33:54 pm »
+2



Quote
Innsmouth
Ally
After playing a Liaison, you may choose one: Put the Ritual token on a non-Liaison Kingdom pile costing up to $5; or spend 4 Favors to play the card with the Ritual token on it (if possible), leaving it there.

I had trouble coming up with something different/interesting. I went with an Ally that allows you to play another card after playing a Liason. There is only one Ritual token, and it does not start on any pile. This hopefully prevents super fast/degenerate play. It also allows you to move the token to an undesirable Kingdom pile if you don't have much influence.
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Erick648

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #9 on: April 01, 2023, 01:47:59 am »
+1

Contest Closed

Entries:
  • Trainee by czzzz
  • Tricky Cephalopod by BryGuy
  • Doppelgänger by emtzalex
  • Channeller by Snorka
  • Innsmouth by Xen3k
Thanks for all of the entries.  I really like the variety of concepts here.  I will try to make my decision over the weekend.
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Erick648

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2023, 07:45:44 pm »
+3

Judging



Quote
Trainee
$3 Action - Command
Play the card with your Skill token (if possible), leaving it there.
Move your Skill token to a non-Command Supply pile costing up to $2 more than its current pile.

Setup: put your Skill token on Copper.

Trainee by czzzz

I like the idea of using the Mimic token to scale up.  I've always loved self-improving cards like Miser or the Travelers, so that aspect really appeals to me.  I also think the flavor is spot-on.  My one concern is that this might ramp up too quickly:  After three plays, it's almost strictly better than any other non-Victory card in most Kingdoms.  It would take playtesting to be sure, but I suspect any overpoweredness would depend a lot on the Kingdom, including how fast the Kingdom is in general and whether there are decent $2 cards to mimic on the second play.


Quote
Tricky Cephalopod
$6 Action - Command
Play cards with a Mimic token (leaving them), choose one: one card that costs $5 or more; or up to two different cards that costs $4 or less. You may move your Mimic token to a different non-Command non-Duration Action Supply pile.

In games using this, each player places their Mimic token on a non-Command non-Duration Action Supply pile during the Action phase of their first turn.

Tricky Cephalopod by BryGuy

I love the interactivity of using each other's Mimic tokens.  At first I was concerned that a player who wasn't interested in Tricky Cephalopods could ruin them in a 2-player game, but when I thought about it, that's actually harder than it seems:  Placing your Mimic token on a weak sub-$5 doesn't make this card as weak as you might think (Duchess + Village is better than Bazaar), and there aren't many $5 cards that are weak enough to remove the benefit of the versatility.  Of course, in a multiplayer game, you'll almost certainly want to go for these, and they may be a little too powerful.



Quote
Doppelgänger
$5 Action - Reaction - Command
Play a non-Command Action card from one of your Mimic piles, leaving it there.

When any player gains a card, you may discard this to move one of your Mimic tokens to that card's pile.
Note: There are 3 Mimic tokens per player.

Doppelgänger by emtzalex

Another one that takes some build-up, this time by discarding a $5 card.  The fact that you can react to your own gain reduces the luck-based element of needing it in hand at the right time.  It's particularly strong with good $6+ Actions, since it provides not only versatility but a discount, but those are few and far between.  I'm on the fence about whether it needs a slight buff, but the concept is excellent, as is the flavor.



Quote
Channeler
$5 Action - Command
You may move your Mimic token to a different non-Command Action pile costing $4 or less. If you did, play the card with your Mimic token on it, leaving it there. If you didn’t, gain the card with your Mimic token on it.

Channeler by Snorka

Excellent idea and nice fit with the flavor---if you keep calling on a card, you eventually bring it to you.  My one concern is that because you move the Mimic token before you mimic, this could play a bit like an improved Band of Misfits (specifically, Band of Misfits with a gaining option and the ability to benefit from most cost reducers).  On the other hand, Band of Misfits can mimic the same card repeatedly, which Channeler can't, so there is a trade-off there.  But then, if you're repeatedly mimicking the same card with Band of Misfits, wouldn't it almost be nicer to just gain that card permanently?  Sure, it doesn't help this current turn as much, but it probably helps your overall deck more.  It would be interesting to see how it plays and how much of a hinderance not being able to repeat a mimic is.  At the very least, I think it's enough of a hinderance to make this card different from Band of Misfits rather than clearly better.

Incidentally, the "three non-Supply pile" version seems like a lot of fun, and while I agree that three non-Supply piles is a bit much for a single card, it could work in an expansion that already has those piles, such as the Spirits from Nocturne.  Actually, having it use the Spirits from Nocturne seems like a perfect fit flavor-wise.  I know that the non-Supply version wasn't your entry, but it seemed too interesting to go without comment.



Quote
Innsmouth
Ally
After playing a Liaison, you may choose one: Put the Ritual token on a non-Liaison Kingdom pile costing up to $5; or spend 4 Favors to play the card with the Ritual token on it (if possible), leaving it there.

Innsmouth by Xen3k

This is really an interesting take, which also borrows the "cephalopod" concept in a much darker way.  My one concern is that 4 Favors is pretty steep compared to something like City State, especially since you can't use it on super-expensive cards anyway and the fact that you need to play a Liaison to trigger it reduces some of the flexibility.  The ability to mess with your more Favor-heavy opponents is fun.  And even if you're not intentionally messing with your opponents, simply pursuing a different strategy can be enough to lead to a tug-of-war.  I love the concept; I'm just a little concerned it's a bit too expensive for what you get.


Winner: Doppelgänger by emtzalex

Runner-up: Tricky Cephalopod by BryGuy

Congratulations to emtzalex, and thank you all for your creative entries.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2023, 10:47:35 pm by Erick648 »
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emtzalex

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Re: Fan Card Mechanics Week 61: Copycat Cephalopods
« Reply #11 on: April 03, 2023, 02:29:33 pm »
+1

Thanks Erick648. I will try to have the next contest posted shortly.
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Thanks to Shard of Honor for his Extended Version of the Dominion Card Image Generator, which I use to mock up my fan cards, and to Violet CLM, who made the original.
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