My absolute favorite BGG thread was in the Variants forum at a time shortly following, I think, the release of Intrigue. Someone proposed the following fan card:
I havn't come up with a viable name for this card, but my brother came up with the idea.
It basically works as a remodel, but with the new card having a value of THREE coins more than the original card. This would mean that you could easily turn cost five cards into provinces, which would give it alot of power. My initial thoughts would be that it would cost six coin. Any thoughts?
The idea came under instant criticism:
Misses the point of the $7 gap.
Cost 5 cards are very plentiful; this turns those (including duchies) into provinces.
Cost 3 cards become gold.
There's no reason not to take this card, and would turn every game that it is in into a race for it.
The thread devolved into a heated debate about the importance of the $7 gap -- all the rage, pre-Prosperity -- until someone chimed in with the lighthearted remark:
Maybe Super Remodel should cost 7.
And then someone else got back to the original topic of the proposed fan card, denouncing it with style:
I've got an idea! Lets take some other cards and add 1 to their effect too! Dibs on Super-Laboratory. We need a Super-Witch that lets me draw 3 cards after giving everyone else two Super-Curses! And of course, I will fuel it all with my Super-Nobles, which give me 3 actions or 4 cards, as well as being worth 3 victory points.
Then Prosperity comes out.