I just finished judging!
This is an interesting card. It is slightly convoluted, but it keeps the complexity manageable while providing some interesting effects. It uses the outcomes effectively and as they were originally intended. I like the way this works and it seems balanced, a very useful five to get early on but not overpowering. It would encourage big money, but not massively and would be good engine payload and a small amount of draw. Exotic Imports could be a landscape (assuming the text fits), and provides the fun effect of Gold gaining.
| Currency • $5 • Treasure $2 Choose one to play: Exchange; or Staff; or Recruit; or Fund; or Option; or Put; or Tithe.
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And here are the 7 Outcomes I designed to go with it.
Exchange • Outcome Pay any amount of $ and +2 Coffers per $3 paid (round down).
| Staff • Outcome Remove any number of tokens from your Coffers. +2 Villagers per 3 tokens removed (round down).
| Recruit • Outcome Remove any number of tokens from your Coffers. Gain an Action card costing up to $1 per token removed. Set it aside. If you did, play it.
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Fund • Outcome Remove any number of tokens from your Coffers. Gain a Treasure card to your hand costing up to $1 per token removed.
| Option • Outcome Remove any number of tokens from your Coffers. +1 Buy per token removed.
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Put • Outcome Remove any number of tokens from your Coffers and Villagers. Gain a Victory card costing up to $1 per Coffers removed and Freeze it 2 times per Villager removed.
| Tithe • Outcome Remove any number of tokens from your Coffers. +1 Worshipper per 3 tokens removed (round down).
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A useful and versatile card, Currency provides a variety of effects, all of them having some use, but not a massive one. It provides a way to get Coffers to later exchange them for other effects and does the same with Villagers, though they are a bit expensive ($9 for only 4 villagers), which compares unfavorably to Acting Troupe. It does provide an extra use for them, and it is a Silver variant, but it does not look like it would be bought much. It does compare to Royal Seal well, but then there is Spices. Too many options!
Causeway • $3* • Action
If you have 3 or more Causeways in play, you may return this to the supply to play Marshland; If you didn't, cards cost $1 less this turn, and you may play a Causeway from your hand.
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This costs $1 more for each token on Marshland. When you buy this, add a token on Marshland.
Marshland • Outcome
+1 Buy per token here, then remove a token from this.
A good source of +Buy for big turns, this card also provides cost reduction. It would be difficult but fun to play with and suffers from a large amount of text. It uses tokens in an interesting way, though it seems like it would not often be a choice to buy due to the cost. You would have to be playing all of your Causeways every turn as the cost reduction to always cost 3, and that does not happen very often, they would often be 4, or even more.
Customs
$4
Action
Choose one: Place an embargo token on any one supply pile; or you may trash a card from your hand. If you do, gain a card costing up to the cost of the trashed card plus $1. Cards gained with Customs cost $2 less per embargo token on their supply pile. (For the rest of the game, when a player buys a card from that pile, they gain a Curse.)
A card that places Embargo tokens, but does not provide other major benefits, this seems like something I would want to play with. It is interesting how it compares to Procession, and the benefit to Embargoed piles would not shut the pile off as much as Embargo does, providing some gaining. It does have more text than is usual, but it seems easy to follow, only doing three different things. It gives a good benefit to careful planning, and I like it.
Martyr
$4
Treasure - Attack
$2
When you play this, if your –1 Card token is on your deck, +1 Buy and +2 Coffers. Otherwise, each player (including you) puts their –1 Card token on their deck.
Seems like an interesting card to play with, but probably too powerful, if you make a chain of three of them you get more than enough money to buy a Province, in addition to some Coffers! The -1 Card token effect would make things harder for everyone, slowing the game down significantly. The fact that it is a treasure gives it some appeal. The idea does seem interesting though, and Treasure - Attack cards are uncommon.
Runner-Up: Customs by nyxfulloftricks
Winner:Shady Dealer, by Xen3K