I was bored over the Easter weekend, so I thought of a new Dominion mechanic. First the blurb:
Dominion: Constitution
You sit back, content, staring at your Kingdom as it sprawls further and further away from your castle, without any care in the world. Unfortunately, it's not just you who has this mindset. Indeed your advisers, nobility, and even you had forgotten that there are other kingdoms with other kings, equally as short-sighted, blindly expanding their territories. Your cartographers demonstrate that your kingdom is, in some parts, accidentally sharing the same land as various other kingdoms. The threat of conflict hangs over your kingdom as you manage these new affairs. Your people are not happy about this turn of events. Some speak of reform, oversight, and representation. Others call for revolution, or at the very least a mild defenestration of your advisers. You must now negotiate, internally and externally, within this new age you live in. The old way of running your kingdom may never be the same again.
This mini-expansion includes 20 cards that change the rules of the game. Some change endgame conditions. Others change the costs or values of certain cards. Some allow you to do extra things during your action phase. Others give you bonus points at the end of the game. These rules affect everybody.
The setup is simple. Take these cards. Shuffle them with 10 blank cards. Draw 2 before the beginning of the game. Blank cards do nothing. If the cards below are drawn, the rules are changed. I've posted some commentary in the parenthesis regarding the intention and any flaws I've notices (and would be open to suggestions for changes). "Rule" cards are not part of the supply, nor can they be purchased/gained by any means.
Take a look!
/* RULE CARDS (Decisions) */
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DONATION
During your action phase you may play any number of coppers from your hand. This does not cost an action.
(An attempt to make coppers more useful. Unfortunately this will make Jack-of-all-trades even more powerful, so there may need to be a nerf for this).
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PURIFICATION
At the beginning of your buy phase, you may discard any number of curses from your hand. For every 2 curses discarded, +$3.
(To make cursing attacks less effective. It makes curses slightly more valuable than copper).
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BRIBERY
If you buy a Province, you may pay an additional $1 to gain an estate.
If you buy a Duchy, you may also gain an estate.
(Pseudo +buys for tie-breaking cards).
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HEDGE
After playing an action card, you may discard any number of cards of the same name. For each card discarded, +$1.
(Weakens the effect of clashing terminals).
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EXTORTION
When another player plays an attack card you may discard a silver from your hand. If you do, you are not affected by the attack.
(Makes silvers *slightly* more useful and makes attack cards *slightly* worse? It makes EVERY attack card a bit like Torturer. Don't use this against Cutpurse!)
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ERRANT DECREE
When you play a card, if the card has the same name as the one you previously played this turn, immediately discard one card from your hand.
(Promotes variety! Yay! Note that this counts for Treasure as well.)
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YIELDS
As an action, you may put a pure Victory card into play. If it is an Estate, +$1. Otherwise, +$2.
(Estates are now terminal coppers! Colonies are terminal Silvers! "Pure" is shorthand for "a card that is only of that type". I use it more than once.)
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CONTRIBUTION
After you play an action card you may immediately trash it. If you do, gain any number of coppers, silvers, or golds whose combined value is up to the +$ this card provided after resolving it, putting them on top of your deck. You do not get any value if you played any other card before resolving the trashed card.
(Mandarins now turn into top-decked golds. So do moneylenders. Those Duchesses can become silvers. Salvager becomes even more intense. The clause is to clarify Throne Room/Golem/King's Court interaction).
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BARTER
If you have no actions remaining, before you begin your buy phase you may reveal your hand. Discard the highest costed-treasure from your hand. If you discarded a treasure, +1 action.
(No more worries about getting your village/smithy chain going (unless you have a Platinum in your hand)).
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CONFERENCE
When you play an attack card, +1 card.
When another player plays an attack card, you may discard an Estate. If you do you, +1 card and you are not affected by the attack.
(I have no idea what this will do to the game, but it'll surely make it interesting)
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COMPROMISE
During your Draw phase, draw 6 cards instead of five. At the beginning of your turn, reveal your hand. Discard the highest valued cards in your hand until you've discarded two cards or you have at most four cards in hand.
(Essentially: discard down to 4 unless you gained cards from other players' actions. I wasn't sure of the most elegant way to put it).
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/* Rule Cards (Goals) */
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DEADLOCK
The game ends when 1 additional pile is depleted.
(The wording of this is such that it also affects ending the game with Provinces).
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BREAKDOWN
The game may also end when at least 1 copy of each card in the supply has been gained.
(Just another way to let the game run out. This one is probably more reliable/faster than three-piling).
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TIT-FOR-TAT
At the end of the game, after each player tallies their victory points, the player with the fewest points gains +5 vp. In the event of a tie, eatch tied player gains +5.
(The player in the lead must *really* win)
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PACIFISM
If you did not play any attack cards during this game, +4 vp when the game ends.
(Weakening attacks a bit. Makes for a neat interaction with the previous card listed, as the VP here are tallied with your regular points).
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RATION
All victory cards cost $2 more.
(Lengthens the game).
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THEOCRACY
Curse cards are worth +1vp instead of -1vp.
(Having 10 curses in your deck still won't do much good, but it won't be as awful).
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SUBSIDY
Provinces are worth 5vp instead of 6vp.
(If memory serves me right, Provinces were changed to 6vp because Duchy rushes were too powerful. Well, now there's a card that brings it back. I might add a clause to add extra Duches to emphasize this).
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GRANT
Place a pure "Victory" Kingdom Card that is not in the Supply here. At the end of the game each player adds two copies of this card into their decks. If there is no such card available, choose a different Rule card.
(Every game can be a Gardens game! If the game is a blowout the effect won't be significant, but in a close game it could mean the difference between victory and defeat).
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/* Another card I added in the edit */
ILLIQUIDITY
Each player starts their turn with 5 actions instead of 1.
Treasure cards can be played during your action phase. If you do so, -1 action.
When you play a treasure card during your buy phase, -$1.
(I just thought this sounded neat).
Thoughts?
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Topic: Dominion: Constitution (fan mini-expansion - BETA) (Read 1807 times)