Dominion Strategy Forum

Dominion => Puzzles and Challenges => Topic started by: Graystripe77 on March 25, 2012, 07:29:27 pm

Title: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Graystripe77 on March 25, 2012, 07:29:27 pm
Alright I'm bored. I need inspiration. So, here's my challenge.

Design a card. That's about it. The only real rule is that you can't use any idea that's already been posted on the forum. Post your ideas quickly, this closes on Tuesday. The best card in my opinion will win...  absolutely nothing. Have fun.

Edit: Changed end date

Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: DG on March 25, 2012, 07:43:43 pm
Palace: victory card, cost 5: 4 vp. At the end of the game, before scoring, you must trash palaces from your deck until you have no more palaces than provinces in your deck.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Axxle on March 25, 2012, 07:59:17 pm
Recycle - cost $4
Discard any number of cards
+1 Action per card discarded.
Shuffle any number of cards in your discard pile into your deck.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: petrie911 on March 26, 2012, 09:32:53 pm
Broker
$4 Action

+$3
+1 Buy

Each other player draws a card.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Titandrake on March 26, 2012, 09:46:59 pm
Broker
$4 Action

+$3
+1 Buy

Each other player draws a card.

I've actually come up with this exact card idea, several months ago. Weird. Some basic testing makes me believe this is perfectly costed btw.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: jonts26 on March 26, 2012, 09:55:27 pm
Caretaker
Action - $3

Reveal the top card of your deck.
If it is an action, +1 card +1 action.
If it is a treasure, trash it and gain a treasure costing up to $3 more, +1 coin +1 buy.
If it is a victory card, you may gain a treasure of equal or lesser value, +1 card.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Tables on March 26, 2012, 11:03:53 pm
Quote
Foundry
Action - $5
Gain 3 cards with a total cost of no more than $9 with the following conditions:
The first card must be an action card
The second card must be a victory card
The third card must be a treasure card
Every card must cost at most $5.

One of the few currently unrevealed cards in my fan expansion. It's not my favourite card in the set, and it's a killer combo'd with Gardens, but generally it can be a bit of a trap.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: eHalcyon on March 26, 2012, 11:31:42 pm
Quote
Foundry
Action - $5
Gain 3 cards with a total cost of no more than $9 with the following conditions:
The first card must be an action card
The second card must be a victory card
The third card must be a treasure card
Every card must cost at most $5.

One of the few currently unrevealed cards in my fan expansion. It's not my favourite card in the set, and it's a killer combo'd with Gardens, but generally it can be a bit of a trap.

This card is AMAZING with Highway.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Mean Mr Mustard on March 27, 2012, 12:28:09 am
Hunting Lodge
Action/Victory - $4

+2 Actions
+1 Card
1 VP
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: O on March 27, 2012, 12:33:23 am
Advance
4$
 +2 cards

You may discard a card. If you do, +1 action.

Alternatively, +2 cards +1 action forced discard if the above is too powerful.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Titandrake on March 27, 2012, 12:34:13 am
Digger
Treasure - $4

$1
When you play this, you may reveal any number of Diggers from your discard. +$1 for each Digger revealed.

Part of an expansion I'm working on. I haven't tried it out that much, but one interesting thing I found out is that the Diggers you buy affect the values of Diggers already in your deck before the reshuffle even happens. I didn't plan that in the design, but it's a nice touch.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: RiemannZetaJones on March 27, 2012, 03:43:42 am
Vizier
Action - $3
+1 card
+1 action

During your cleanup phase you may place this card on top of your deck. If you discard this card during your cleanup phase, place your deck in your discard pile.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: eHalcyon on March 27, 2012, 04:25:48 am
Vizier
Action - $3
+1 card
+1 action

During your cleanup phase you may place this card on top of your deck. If you discard this card during your cleanup phase, place your deck in your discard pile.

I think this should be priced higher.  It is basically a cantrip chancellor that schemes itself.  That sort of control makes it way more reliable for flipping the deck at the right time.  Chancellor is a terminal and you might get unlucky and draw it at a bad time, but those issues are gone with Vizier.  I think Vizier would be superior in almost all situations, so it should cost more than Chancellor.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Asklepios on March 27, 2012, 05:21:33 am
Investment
Treasure - $4
Worth $1 for each Investment in play
Duration
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: theory on March 27, 2012, 06:28:28 am
Vizier
Action - $3
+1 card
+1 action

During your cleanup phase you may place this card on top of your deck. If you discard this card during your cleanup phase, place your deck in your discard pile.

I think this should be priced higher.  It is basically a cantrip chancellor that schemes itself.  That sort of control makes it way more reliable for flipping the deck at the right time.  Chancellor is a terminal and you might get unlucky and draw it at a bad time, but those issues are gone with Vizier.  I think Vizier would be superior in almost all situations, so it should cost more than Chancellor.
Or you could take the Noble Brigand approach...
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: bozzball on March 27, 2012, 06:43:49 am
Werewolf
Action/Attack - $5
+$2
Each other player either trashes a silver or gains a curse.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Morgrim7 on March 27, 2012, 08:25:08 am
The Grim Reaper
$7 Action/Attack
+2 Cards
Each other player may choose one: Either gain a curse and a copper, or each other player puts cards on top of his deck until he has three cards in his hand, then gains a copper, putting it on top of his deck.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Dubdubdubdub on March 27, 2012, 09:04:19 am
Hm, I have some cards ready back home, but that's cheating. Designing on the spot:

Apprentice's Broom:
$4 - Action:

+1 Action
+$2

Gain an Apprentice's Broom
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Green Opal on March 27, 2012, 10:36:58 am
Pawnbroker $3
Action
+1 Action
You may play a treasure card from your hand (you gain that much money). You may gain a card costing up to twice as much as you gained by playing that treasure card.

So probably worse than ironworks most of the time (hence cheaper), but can gain gold/platinum by revealing them, etc.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Graystripe77 on March 27, 2012, 02:44:08 pm
Ok, this is CLOSED now, while I determine a winner.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Graystripe77 on March 31, 2012, 02:01:33 pm
Alright, It's a tie between:

Apprentice's Broom:
$4 - Action:

+1 Action
+$2
Gain an Apprentice's Broom

and

Palace
$5 - victory card:
4 vp.
At the end of the game, before scoring, you must trash palaces from your deck until you have no more palaces than provinces in your deck.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: timchen on March 31, 2012, 04:15:19 pm
I don't understand the appeal of Palace. It is essentially just a better Duchy for the forerunner. There is no way you can overcome the 5-3 Province split using the Palace.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: DG on March 31, 2012, 06:10:28 pm
I don't think I set the palace with the right cost/vp but the principle is to have a high reward card that you want in quantity. However if you buy too many and don't get enough provinces they are lost.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Tables on March 31, 2012, 07:54:58 pm
Quote
Foundry
Action - $5
Gain 3 cards with a total cost of no more than $9 with the following conditions:
The first card must be an action card
The second card must be a victory card
The third card must be a treasure card
Every card must cost at most $5.

One of the few currently unrevealed cards in my fan expansion. It's not my favourite card in the set, and it's a killer combo'd with Gardens, but generally it can be a bit of a trap.

This card is AMAZING with Highway.

Just thought I'd say, it potentially is, but in practice it's very hard to pull off (you need serious deck thinning, drawing and extra actions (usually), and even then one play will get you at best, a Province, Gold and some action (And that's really hard to get to). Sounds good, but by the time you can pull that off, it's a Province and a little extra engine help. We've had some fun games in playtesting, but the card is generally fine.

I have to say, I don't like the look of either of these actions (I'm not trying to say mine is better, just... these seem a little flawed on close analysis). Both are essentially superior versions of an already existent card at similar prices. Apprentices Broom is pretty much a silver that gains silvers rapidly, but then leaves a pile run out. Okay, drawing it dead is a problem, so you just avoid drawing BM engines with it. But otherwise it seems boring. And Palace, Tim summed up pretty much. It's only interesting in alternate VP games, and except Colony, only helps discourage those alternate VPs!
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: timchen on March 31, 2012, 08:38:09 pm
I don't think I set the palace with the right cost/vp but the principle is to have a high reward card that you want in quantity. However if you buy too many and don't get enough provinces they are lost.
The idea sounds interesting, but can be hard to implement. For the reward being VP, one basically has no incentive to get this before Provinces. Think Duke and Duchy for an analogy.

It probably works better for cards that provide immediate reward that require you to reveal/discard a Province; but then it can be like Tournament. Or to change it to be something like (benefit X; -Y VP per card for each card you have more than the Provinces you have), but then maybe trashing can work around the intention quite a bit.
Title: Re: Gray's design Challenge
Post by: Titandrake on April 01, 2012, 02:23:10 am
Out curiosity, I tried playing Apprentice Bloom-BM. Standard BM rules, buy Bloom on $4 and $5 if it's still in the pile. Does about 14 turns. Odds are it's slower if someone else also picks them up, I haven't tried that yet. The pile runs out somewhere in between the 2nd and 3rd reshuffles.