Clearly, I overestimated what it should cost.
Obviously there'll be the occasional game where the set aside card is the only +buy where it might be worth it, but it will be very occasional.
That was actually the scenario I was thinking of when I picked a price. "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if this were your only +buy?" I guess I shouldn't base the price on something that's rarely going to happen, though.
At the very least, you should get a copy of the card for free and it should cost 5$.
I really like the idea of the unlocking player gaining a card from the pile. Maybe even gain it to your hand at the start of your next turn, just after the pile is added?
Suggestion: Free the pile in response to something that is going to happen sooner or later either way. Like:
When the first Province is gained, add the chosen pile to the supply.
The bad thing is that this means you can't express it as an Event.
I thought of something like that, but yeah, it wouldn't be an event. It wouldn't really be a landmark, either, and I wanted to use an official kind of card-like thing.
I guess I could make it a landmark, though, if I attached VP to it somehow. Maybe the first player to gain a Province gets +N VP (tokens) and unlocks the pile. I could also make cards from that pile worth points, but that would be stepping on Obelisk's toes; it would also want to be a
non-Victory Kingdom card pile [costing at least $5], and that's getting to be too complicated a descriptor.
Event, 8$
Gain a Province. At the start of your next turn, add the chosen pile to the kingdom.
Might be my favourite.
I like that idea, but I feel like it should cost
something to get the unlock effect. Even if it's just a coin or two. I also like the idea of gaining a card from the pile better than gaining a Province. Maybe it could be a choice between the two options.
I'm leaning toward:
Liberate (Event) $8
Once per game: At the start of your next turn, return the removed Kingdom card pile to the Supply. If you did, gain a card from that pile to your hand.
--
Setup: Remove a random Kingdom card pile costing at least $5 from the Supply. (Players cannot buy or gain cards from piles not in the Supply.)
I'm using "Kingdom Supply pile" instead of "Action Supply pile" because I don't want Ruins getting removed. And I figure it's neat if sometimes there's some alt-VP you can unlock... although the $5 price point cuts off a lot of those.