Hello Everyone, this is my first time commenting on submissions, and I figured I would take a different approach to provide a little variety, and look at the cards from a new angle. If you've read some of my other posts on the forum, then you probably guessed that the new angle is flavor!
Yes, I know flavor should not determine the winner and is not the most important part of card design, but sometimes a top-down flavor design can turn into a great card that is a ton of fun to play. Also, since everyone else mostly comments on mechanics and such, I figure having one guy comment on flavor seems about right. And since these contests are now including card names, why not have some constructive comments about the name choices too!?
For those who maybe don't know or haven't heard the term "flavor" used, it is essentially the story of the card. How the card expresses, through mechanics and gameplay interaction, what it is. How does the card use it's rules and text to represent it's real life name or behavior.
Using Festival as an example, a festival has lots of stuff going on (represented by +2 Actions), it generates money for the people who run it (+$2), and there's usually multiple vendors and things to purchase (+1 buy). A complex thing represented by some simple actions to create a "flavor" that makes the game more interesting, and helps tell the story of what you are doing on your turn.
Some cards use a different (but equally, if not more impressive) approach to find flavor in specific mechanics, rules, and behaviors. An example of a great flavor card is Pearl Diver. While it may not be the best or most useful card to buy, it certainly is clear how the card represents it's name. Using your deck to represent the oceans, the Pearl Diver scours the bottom and looks for a Pearl (a good card) and can retrieve it for you.
Anyway, on to the cards. I hope you find these comments useful, or at least enjoyable. I think flavor is an important part of the game, and at least one person will be voting with that in mind (don't worry, I won't vote for flavorful cards that are absolutely terrible or that wouldn't make sense to play with).
Bounty
Types: Action
Cost: $5
Reveal then discard the top 2 cards of your deck. For each differently named card revealed, if it is an… Action card, +2 Actions; Treasure card, +$2; Victory card, +1 Card; Curse, +1 Buy.
Not too sure I understand the name. I'm guessing it's the greater bounty that you receive as a reward that you reap for having two different cards, as in a bountiful harvest. Not the bounty you get for capturing a criminal. I suppose I could accept that the mechanic is like reaping your crops, and you collect the bounty depending on what kind of crop you reap.
Field
Types: Action
Cost: $4
Reveal the top 4 cards of your deck. Put one of each differently named card revealed into your hand. Discard the rest.
It fits Cornucopia's flavor theme, and I'm thinking it's using the top of your deck to rep a Field, which you plow and reap. The more different cards you have, the bigger your field.
Storyteller
Types: Action
Cost: $4
+1 Card. If this is the first time you played a Storyteller this turn, +1 Action.
While this is in play, when you play an Action card that you don't already have a copy of in play, +1 Action.
Clarification: The first Storyteller you play only gives you +1 Action, not +2 Actions, because it wasn't in play when you played it.
This makes perfect sense to me. The Storyteller keeps talking as long as he's got new stories to tell (rep'd by the different actions). If you have a deck full of the same story, the teller won't have much to do. An interesting design that may need some smoother text. I like this one.
Scarecrow
Types: Action
Cost: $3
+2 Cards. +2 Actions. Reveal your hand. Discard duplicate cards one at a time until you have no duplicate cards in hand.
I've thought a while about this one, but can't quite make the connection. It's a cool concept, with a nice risk/reward ratio, but I just don't see what makes it a Scarecrow... I can't even come up with a guess that makes sense. Feel free to help me out.
Player King
Types: Action
Cost: $10
Trash a card from your hand. For each $ in its cost, gain a card costing up to $5 that is not a Victory card, putting it on top of your deck. If you gained 5 or more cards this way, trash this card.
In games using this, at the start of your Buy phase, you may reveal your hand. If there are no duplicate cards in it, Player King costs $5 less this turn (but not less than $0).
I'm thinking Player King is referring to the actual Dominion player that can manage to manipulate his deck to be so diverse (Treasure/Victory-wise anyway, since actions you play aren't in your hand at your buy phase) that he can show a hand with no duplicates? Doesn't really make me love it from a flavor standpoint... Unless the author meant Player as in a Stage Actor??? In which case, I like this card much better! It's the actor showing off his many talents (auditioning, if you will), and if he's diverse enough, he gets paid. Although the trash mechanic doesn't really fit that interpretation... hmmm...
Ingot
Types: Treasure
Cost: $5
Worth $2. +1 Buy. If you have at least 4 differently-named Treasures in play (including this), +$2.
An ingot can certainly be rep'd as a treasure card, but I don't see how it relates to being more valuable by having other kinds of treasure next to it. If anything, an ingot (essentially an un-crafted bar of metal) would lose value when placed next to other valuables. Treasures may be the most difficult cards to design with flavor, so this card still gets points in my book.
Flea Market
Types: Action
Cost: $5
+1 Card. +1 Action. +$1. This turn, you may buy any number of cards, but you may not buy more than one copy of any card.
Makes perfect sense. It has the market mechanic, but a Flea Market is usually an assortment of odds and ends, and is not where you buy items in bulk (rep'd nicely by the "no copies" restriction).
Grocer
Types: Action
Cost: $3
+1 Action. Put one of your Grocer tokens on a Supply pile; this pile must not cost more than any pile wihout one of your tokens. You may gain a card from any pile with one of your tokens on it.
I can't even comment on the flavor of this card because I find it WAY too confusing the way it is worded. Also, shouldn't it have a set-up rule? How many Grocer tokens does each player have?
Kaleidoscope
Types: Action
Cost: $4
+1 Card. +1 Action. Reveal your hand and note the number of differently-named cards revealed. If you revealed at least: Two, +1 Buy; Three, +$1; Four, +1 Action; Five, +1 Card.
Ok, I can accept the name. You show your hand and get rewarded based on how pretty it is. It's fun.
Raffle
Types: Action
Cost: $5
+1 Action. Set aside any number of differently-named Treasure cards from your hand, then play them in any order. Draw until you have 5 cards in hand.
Oooo, playing Treasures in the Action phase... Dangerous (Hello Tactician!)... Anyway, I'm not getting how this is a raffle at all. There's not really any kind of randomness to the action. You aren't paying anything for a chance at a reward. You get to play the treasures you set aside, and you replace them with more cards... and it's not terminal! Feels more like a Gift than a Raffle.
Vanguard
Types: Action
Cost: $5
+2 Cards. +2 Actions. +1 Buy.
While this is in play, when you buy a card, trash each copy of that card you have in play.
A pretty interesting card, but not fitting the Cornucopia theme (flavor-wise). Vanguard is a part of a military, and Cornucopia is not really about war, but about farming and celebrations. I guess the card represents the vanguard (kind of like scouts that lead an army into battle and secure battle positions) by branching out and helping you secure different positions (rep’d by cards that you don’t already have), but I think there could be a better name for this action.
Pariah
Types: Action
Cost: $5
Gain a card costing up to $6. Each other player may gain a Curse. If he does, he gains a copy of the card you gained.
Hmmm. Pariah... one who is hated or despised... so you get cursed when you copy what he does because you hate him so much? Not too sure about this one.
Theater
Types: Action
Cost: $4
+2 Actions. You may reveal a Patron card from your hand. If you do, +2 Cards.
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Setup: Add an extra Kingdom card pile costing $5 or $6 to the Supply. Cards from that pile are Patron cards.
Ok. It fits the theme, and it is pretty clear how it is a Theatre. You get rewarded for having more patrons show up to your theatre when you put on a show. Flavor-wise, I think the reward should be $ instead of cards, since a theatre would generate revenue. Card drawing (especially more than one card) can represent many things (like knowledge/learning, building things, etc.) but generating revenue is not usually one of them.
Carnival
Types: Action – Attack
Cost: $3
+1 Card. +1 Action. The player to your left chooses a card in the Supply without a Carnival token on it. Either gain a copy of it or each other player gains a copy of it, your choice. Put a Carnival token on that pile. If each Supply pile has a token, remove all the tokens.
I think this card needs work to prevent some shenanigans that I don’t think the author intended. But after some tuning, I guess I could see how this card reps the games at a carnival. It’s as if you are running the carnival, and the player to your left plays the games, he has a choice, but whatever he chooses, you ultimately decide who benefits from that choice (kind of representing a shady carny or rigged games).
Side Show
Types: Action
Cost: $5
+2 Actions. Reveal your hand. +$1 for each differently named Action card you revealed.
The flavor makes sense on this one. It’s a break off from the main festival (which would explain why it’s worse than festival), but you can generate more revenue based of the variety of acts you can exhibit. A side show is essentially an exhibition of variety acts, so it could even be called that Variety Show and still work.
Wine Cellar
Types: Action
Cost: $4
Reveal up to 2 differently named cards from your hand and put them on top of your deck. +$2 per card revealed this way.
When you buy this, reveal your hand. If you don't reveal at least 2 differently named cards, trash this.
So you need a variety of vintage wines (different cards in your hand) to even purchase a Wine Cellar, then once you do, you can generate revenue by stocking the wine and letting it age? As in, let the wine (cards) sit on top of your deck for a turn... I guess that makes sense. Although, I would’ve liked it to be a closer variant to Cellar, since that’s already an established flavor mechanic. I guess trading in cards for money is kind of close. I actually like this card quite a bit.
Traveling Circus
Types: Action – Victory
Cost: $5
Look through your deck and set aside any number of differently named Victory cards from it. Put them into your hand. Shuffle your deck.
Worth 1 VP for every 2 differently typed cards in your deck.
Clarification: Each unique combination of types counts as a unique type. For example, an Action card and an Action – Attack card count as differently-typed cards.
This is a tough one. Seems kind of over-complicated, but I’ll take a stab at the flavor. The Traveling part makes sense since it lets you traverse over different lands (rep’d by the fact that is filters out different named victory cards). Not sure what makes this a Circus though. A circus would usually mean +Actions or +$, I don’t see the VP connection. Maybe the author was thinking the Circus rewards variety? Since the reward is VP though, I think it would be better with a different name. Traveling Diplomat maybe, or Traveling Noble?
Nomad
Types: Action
Cost: $4
+1 Card. +1 Action. Trash a card from your hand. You may gain a card with cost exactly equal to the cost of the trashed card, putting it into your hand.
A Nomad is someone who survives by constant travelling and exploiting of limited resources. I supposed that could be rep’d by the trashing of one resource (once you’re done with it) and finding another, which you get to use right away because Nomads are good at getting use out of what they gather.
Harvest Queen
Types: Action
Cost: $5
Set aside any number of differently named Action cards from your hand. Play them in any order.
This makes some sense in that a harvest generally suggests rewarding a variety of crops (differently named cards). So the Queen of the Harvest lets you reap a piece of each of your fields, the more fields you have, the more you can reap. Not the strongest flavor, but the card is one of my favorites (I’m a bit of an action whore).
Showman
Types: Action
Cost: $3
+1 Action. Reveal a card from your hand, then reveal the top card of your deck. If they don't match, +1 Card and +$1.
This is hands down my favorite card submission. Flavor-wise, it makes perfect sense. The Showman (would also work with a name like Magician or Entertainer) puts on a show, tries to do a little trick and wow the audience. If he pulls off his trick, he gets praise and money, if his trick fails, he get’s nothing. It’s a cute little mechanic that helps tell the story of the card, and seems like it would be fun to play with. Well done.
Old Gaffer
Types: Action – Attack
Cost: $4
+$2. Each other player may reveal a hand without duplicate cards. If he doesn't, he gains a Curse.
Gaffer, huh? There are few different meanings for a Gaffer (this is where art is extremely helpful for flavor), but I don’t think any of them makes sense as a curser. Whether it’s a sailor, a glassblower, an electrician on a film set, or just an old man, what gives him the ability to curse people who don’t have variety in their life? Don’t get me wrong, I actually like the card itself, but I think it needs a new name, or a different penalty for having duplicate cards.
Wheat Field
Types: Victory
Cost: $4
Worth 1 VP for every each differently named non-Victory card of which you have at least 4 copies.
I’m not quite sure about this one. It rewards for having a VARIETY of DUPLICATES! It does create an interesting strategy, I guess. For flavor, a Wheat Field makes sense as a victory card, but specifying the crop in the field kind of contradicts the “differently named” part. I think a name like Crop Fields would make more sense. You get VP based on the number of different crops you grow, but each field has to be big enough to provide a substantial gain.
Potluck
Types: Action
Cost: $4
+2 Actions. +1 Buy. If you have at least 4 differently named cards in play (counting this): +2 Cards, +$1, discard 2 cards.
If you name a card Potluck, it really should have a mechanic that includes all players contributing to the effect. You could probably just call this one a Stew. Sorry if that sounded mean, it’s more of a joke than a serious criticism. I guess the idea is that you get a reward for having a wide variety of dishes brought to your potluck? Feels like a stretch, and the mechanic is interesting enough that it could benefit from having a name that easier relates to what it does.
Hydra
Types: Action – Reaction
Cost: $999
+1 Action. +1 Card per Hydra you have in play (including this).
When another player plays an Attack card, you may discard this. If you do, gain a Hydra.
I love the controversy this card has caused, and I agree with others that have said cost can be an important part of critiquing a card. (I believe it is up to the critiques to provide suggestive feedback if they believe a card is over or under priced, not just simply say it’s too weak or strong). Flavor-wise, Hydra makes perfect sense. The reaction mechanic reps a head being cut off and two growing back, and the action mechanic reps each head multiplying the ferocity (cards and actions) of the monster. The only thing is, it doesn’t fit the Cornucopia theme at all! Not that there has been an expansion where monsters have been a theme... this card would need an entirely new expansion to fit in! Maybe a greek mythology expansion? (Hello, Theros!)
Outcast
Types: Action – Attack
Cost: $4
+1 Buy. +$1. Each other player discards any number of cards, then reveals his hand. Each player who reveals duplicate cards gains a Copper.
I like the idea of this card, but I need help figuring out what makes it an Outcast? How does an outcast give you money and extra buys, and why does he look at other players and give them copper if they own two of the same item? I’m lost of the flavor.
Dairy
Types: Action
Cost: $5
+3 Cards. Reveal then discard any number of cards. If you discarded any cards, gain a card with cost up to $1 plus the number of differently named cards discarded. If you discarded at least 3 differently named cards, +1 Action.
So a Dairy harvests milk from animals, which fits Cornucopia, and I’m thinking you get paid more if you have more types of milk? Like, I can trade for more expensive items if my Dairy is producing cow, goat, and buffalo milk? So differently named cards are representing different types of animals. Interesting...
Barter Shop
Types: Action
Cost: $5
+1 Card. +1 Action. Reveal your hand. You may discard a card from your hand that is not a duplicate. If you do, gain a card costing up to $6 that is not a copy of a card in your hand.
Ok, you trade unique items for other unique items, seems legit that this sort of thing would happen at a Barter Shop. The name fits.
Sharpening Stone
Types: Treasure
Cost: $4
Worth $1. If you had at least 4 differently named cards in play (not including this), +1 Buy and +$2.
The name confuses me a little. So, ok, it’s a stone, and it has a little value, but how does having lots of variety represent sharpening? Maybe you get rewarded for having lots of different weapons to sharpen? I don’t see it.
Scythe
Types: Action
Cost: $4
Trash any number of differently named cards from your hand. Gain a card with cost less than twice the number of cards trashed.
I’m thinking Scythe was chosen as the name just because it fits Cornucopia’s theme. I guess the action can kind of be related to what a scythe does; reaping lots of crop and trading in a large quantity of it for a single item of quality. I feel like the name needs to be something more representative of the action though. A scythe doesn’t do much on its own; you need a skilled worker to do the mowing (or scything). Maybe Crop Scythers, or Field Mowers?
Well, that’s it. Some really good flavorful names in there. I’m sure I derived some flavor connections in there that weren’t intentional by the authors, but that’s all part of the game. The players are going to make their own connections whether they were intentional or not. Hopefully some of you will take a little of what I’ve offered and add it to the mix of things you consider when voting on a card. Please respond with your own interpretations of flavor if you’d like, especially on the ones I had no idea about.
Thanks!