The entries this week were varied and strong. After judging for my first time, I now have tremendous respect for previous judges, and am awed by the job Aquila and anordinaryman did the prior two weeks. I gave it my best shot.
I mocked up cards where necessary. My apologies if anyone hates the artwork I chose for their card. I tried not fuss with the words at all (except for very minor things, like a couple of periods).
It’s great to have several new contestants join us – if I missed saying it to you below, Welcome!
Blessing
Blessed Gems
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Carline |   | Blessing trashes for Victory tokens, but in a manner that plays entirely differently from the way the official cards that do – it’s difficult to build a long-term strategy around, but helps a lot right away. Then, instead of putting you to the difficult “must trash” decision of some cards, it provides a back-door of promoting it to a Wish that you can use to improve your deck for the long run. The Wish gain seems reasonable given the $5 cost. Add the interaction with its Heirloom, Blessed Gems, which rewards you if you line them up, and there’s a bunch to consider and plan for. All of this just works, and should also add some fun strategic considerations. |
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Brownie
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D782802859 |  | To start with, leaving aside the wording issues, this card is fairly straightforward and gets the pricing of the Wish-gaining overpay exactly right. I really like this idea. Unfortunately, the wording issue makes this a tough card to judge: as worded, you really do gain Silver anytime you don’t gain a Wish (it’s not a question of overpaying zero, which, of course you can’t, but the simple fact that “otherwise” means “if not”); however, I’m pretty sure you intended that any actual overpay other than $4 gains a Silver. But there’s no clarifying update to the wording. That makes it difficult to know what to judge. I’ll just say that I think this card is a great idea, and I’m sorry I can’t do more (if you feel I’m being too narrow-minded here, I really do apologize).
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Carthorse
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mandioca15 |  | A good, simple card. It’s a Peddler that can gain Horses. In an environment with lots of + Buy, this could feel overpowered, but the fact that it doesn’t facilitate that by providing Buys itself feels right. My concern is that non-terminal Horse-gainers are not included among the official cards for good reasons, chiefly because it makes piling up Horses too easy, and pretty soon, you run through your whole deck without much planning or effort. Perhaps that’s alleviated by the fact that the Horses aren’t gained until your Buy phase, so you generally won’t draw them on the same turn you gain them? I think at some point you have enough Horses that it doesn’t matter. Either way, I imagine that in-game this card would be fun to play.
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Convoy
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Gubump
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Conscript
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Erick648 |  | Welcome to the contest! First of all, your narrative wins best narrative of the week hands down. Whenever judging felt like a slog, I went back, read it again, and enjoyed it immensely. The whole story works. This card is a great use of both Madman and Mercenary and the Ruins penalty is rather creative and an efficient way to limit the upside of the card from getting out of control. I’m having a hard time deciding though whether the card is balanced at $2. It protects from Attacks; it sifts (with or without Attacks); it gets to promoted to Madman/Mercenary. I think coupling the Madman with a Ruins and the Mercenary with a (usually Silver) discard, probably keeps it in check at $2, but it’s close. Ultimately, I would enjoy playing with this card.
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Corral
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Fragasnap |  | The comparison to Hamlet makes this card seem simpler than it is. It’s a smart workaround to the problem of non-terminal Horse gainers causing choas or making it too perfunctorily easy to build engines on any board. This should generate some fun decisions whether or not the Kingdom includes other villages, both in terms of buying Corral and deciding how to play it. I think this works at $2, but it feels strong on early turns. Overall, very well thought out. I like this.
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Corsair
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segura | 
| I suspect this is the most interesting possible use of a not-so-interesting mechanic. Fame (which I realize isn’t your submission) adds a mini-game that sets goals that don’t really make the game itself more interesting to a degree that supports the added fiddliness. Compared, for example, to the way that most Landmarks effect the strategic context, Fame wouldn’t seem to produce particularly interesting in-game decisions. To be fair, your card sets up a contest that certainly adds significant interest, and makes Fame itself more engaging in the process. Also, I really like the connection in terms of economy between your gaining Spoils and your opponent discarding Treasures. I just wish the contest were based on something more interesting than Fame. I also wonder whether taking the Treasure Chest is a bit too easy, compared to how much goes into the official way – Swashbuckler is a steep hill to climb.
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Dragon Egg
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pubby | 
| Games with lots of Spoils flowing can be fun. Actually, Dragon Egg has a bit of the flavor of Stockpile on steroids. This card certainly would have a major effect on any game where it’s in the Supply. My concern is that it is not only swingy and centralizing, but that it doesn’t present many complicated choices in games using it. You are right that the +$3 makes it more interesting, and I like the lower price as well. I feel like there’s still a really compelling idea here, but the card in its current form doesn’t quite execute on it in a way that works practically most of the time.
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Eeerie Lands
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X-tra | 
| The central idea of this card plays into what makes Night cards most strategically compelling: when they directly affect how you play the earlier phases of your turn. I like how this card does that. I also appreciate the way the Treasure-related piece scales up as you gain (and are able to reveal) more valuable Victory cards (though clearly, Kingdom Victory cards will significantly change that). That said, games using this will be overwhelmed by Wishes, particularly in the early stages when, where you can buy his before the first shuffle and have few Action cards to play. You’re onto something interesting here, but the Wishes need to be limited somehow.
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Fae Queen
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Xen3k |  | This card has a lot going on, and all of it is interesting. The edits you made dramatically improve the quality of the card. This pairing of Lucky Coin is significantly more robust than that with Fool – an alternate cost of trashing an Heirloom is a nice new idea, though I worry a bit whether it makes it too easy to gain a strong early-game card (the fact that it’s usually limited to one per customer probably makes this ok). Overall, I like this aspect of the card. The on-play abilities should set up some thought-provoking decisions and difficult tradeoffs. I wonder though whether $6 is too much: it’s a close call for a card that may be reduced in the late stages to either a Smithy (actually, a self-Hexing Smithy) or a strong one-shot. This needs some playtesting, but hey, that should be fun.
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Haunt
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anordinaryman |  | I love the concept of this Event, both from the perspective of the story it tells (Ghost Ship/Ghost) and strategically. Mirroring the non-defendable topdecking attack (not technically an Attack) and your similar topdecking for benefit is a nice symmetrical touch. The self-synergy you point to also furthers that. I worry a bit that Haunt may gain Ghosts to easily, especially in the early game (though I realize that after spending $4, it might not be so easy to find two more cards to topdeck, and they may be awful if you do). A compelling idea well executed.
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Magical Bridge
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lompeluiten |  | This card clearly hovers somewhere in the neighborhood of Bridge and Highway. It gives you +Action, but no +Card, facilitating multiple plays, but less so than Highway as it can’t draw itself. Added to that is the Wish-gaining. It is a bit difficult to judge this card, as “Whenever you buy a card, gain a Will-o’-Wisp” is not by its terms limited in any way – though I assume “this turn” is intended, it could be “while this is in play” or it could (though I imagine it doesn’t) mean what it literally says – any time at all (for the rest of the game?). Though silverspawn tried to clarify the language, it didn’t seem as if you accepted his clarification. In any event, under almost any interpretation, the card gains too many Will-o’Wisps, on top of the non-terminal price reduction, for only $4.
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Magician
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faust |  | The interplay for your opponents between discarding a meaningful card and drawing to compensate for their cheapest cards sets up an unusual dynamic that, as you say, makes it an Attack . . . or maybe not. Very creative indeed. I worry this may generate too many Will-o’-Wisps, particularly in games with more than two players. Otherwise, it looks balanced at $3. This card certainly will add an exciting bit of interaction to any game it’s in.
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Medium
Fairy’s Gift
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fika monster | 
 | The final version of this card is vastly improved from earlier versions. Simplicity helps. That said, the card still isn’t all that simple. It still has three different on-play options, an Artifact, and a complex alternate cost. Also, as the card got simpler, it lacked cohesion. I don’t really understand how the options relate or what strategic interaction is intended. Finally, the Artifact probably results in too many gains of Will-‘o-Wisp. All of that said, I appreciate your obvious enthusiasm for the game and all of the effort you made to improve the card.
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Medium
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spineflu |  | Having Spirits function as Travelers is exactly the sort of creative idea I was hoping a relatively non-restrictive contest would engender. The fact that the first play is a dud parallels Travelers as well. The strongest card is far weaker than in the Traveler line, but you get there quicker, so that makes sense. Playing Ghost during your Action phase (I assume that’s what’s intended?) should make it hit an Action more often, but sets up some tricky choices in terms of when exactly to play Medium in sequence, particularly since it is terminal. The overall mechanic seems to work cleanly and the card feels balanced at $4. An all-around strong effort. (Somehow, I hate Travelers, but really liked this.)
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Pirate
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LibraryAdventurer |  | This feels like an entirely new concept that fits into the game seamlessly nonetheless. In addition to using Spoils well, it makes creative use of the Pirate Ship mat (the more we can do with those limited-use Seaside mats the better). The decisions about sacrificing Treasure will remain interesting throughout the game, and will change significantly on different boards – both things you want in a Dominion card. And as you say, there’s an early game/late game trigger effect that should spice things up as well. $3 is the right price. An intriguing card.
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Räuberbande
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Meta |   | Welcome to the contest! I am evaluating the English translation, which I hope tracks the German well enough. The card is much improved from the original Woodcutter version. I like the idea gaining Spoils for buys, and you are correct that this will increase the value of multiple copies. That said, one concern is that as a terminal non-drawing card, it may be tough to pull off. Also, when there is village support, the game will be overrun by Spoils (this is my experience with other unofficial cards and Projects I’ve played with that earn Spoils for buys or gains), but when there isn’t village support, this card is a tough buy at either $3P or $6. The alternate $6 cost is novel fix. Räuberbande feels as if it is only a step or two away from a being a great card – the idea is there, but I don’t think the execution has fully caught up. Great first effort. Nice to have you in the contest.
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Royal Feast
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silverspawn |  | I think I said we wanted big, fun cards for the 100th contest, and no question, Royal Feast is all of that. All I could think when I first looked at it was. “Wow! Crazy fun!” It is difficult assess the balance of a card that has big things for you and big things for your opponents. Ultimately though, it seems that you draw seven cards, but then your opponents can gain a Royal Feast PLUS draw seven cards on their very next turn. So whether that means you shouldn’t buy the card to begin with, or that the game devolves into an ultra-fast Wish-fest with 11-card hands, I’m not sure this works well in practice. Perhaps if the Wishes were not gained to hand or were somehow conditional? In any event, it’s a fun card to ponder and definitely contains a cool idea at its core.
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Sanitarium
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NoMoreFun |  | I like the idea of something akin to a delayed Tactician. You discard your hand and, on some future turn, you double your hand. Of course, you don’t get the other benefits of Tactician, and the effect is delayed (and you could get more of fewer cards depending on the circumstances), so naturally, it costs less than Tactician. The below-the-line effect of saving Madman from return is an interesting wrinkle that requires some planning to use effectively. Even though you generally only play one Sanitarium a turn, and the below-the-line effect will not activate on those turns, it may be a bit too easy to accumulate Madmans (Madmen?) with this card. You might have to playtest it to know for sure. Either way, as is or nerfed in some way to prevent that, this card could facilitate some really complex long-term (not necessarily mega-turn) strategies.
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Setting Sail
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MrFrog |  | Welcome to the contest! (Personally, I always welcome anyone who doesn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition.) This Event looks like it could really shake the game up. The effect is big, but so is the cost, so I don’t think that’s a problem. It generally won’t be bought too early, so even four Wishes shouldn’t break the game. I wish (sorry) I had more to say about it, because I like it, and expect it makes for enjoyable games – with all the flexibility, everyone likely feels as if they were able to execute the strategy they wanted to pursue. It even reduces shuffle luck to a degree for four critical turns. I wonder a little about running out of Wishes in the four-player context, but I imagine the effect would be brief if it happens at all, given how quickly the Wishes should return. And really, if you’re playing Dominion with four people, are you having any fun anyway? A great first submission. I hope we see more from you in the future.
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Tooth Fairy
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Timinou |  | This card combines Haven with trashing in a more interesting manner than Church. The decision is more direct, as you only have one card, so you must do one or the other. That should result in more interesting strategic choices. At the same time, the Wish gain is reasonable, as it is mostly just a delayed upgrade. The Silver gain will generally be good early and worse later. The card seems balanced at $4. I’m not sure why this card wants to be a Night card. Since you forgo using the set aside card this turn either way, it saves an Action as Night card, but should it? A good solid, useful card.
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Unsung Hero
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Aquila |  | As I wrote above, games that get the Spoils flowing are always fun. This seems to be the rare Spoils-gainer that strikes the right balance between gaining enough Spoils to have a significant effect, but not so many that they overwhelm the game. The Treasure gaining seems like the right idea as well, though I wonder whether it’s slightly overpowered in Colony games. The $5 price seems spot-on – I wouldn’t even consider any other. In all, a good, solid, balanced card.
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Victor
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notevenodd |  | Welcome to the forum! Everyone enjoys cards that involve Prizes – they’re used so little in the official game, but are all fun to play with. Mostly (maybe exclusively?) on this forum, we’ve seen Prize-gainers (there was even a whole contest of them a while back). This is an interesting new approach: an emulator. As you saw with all the comments and edits, it’s a tough one to pull off. The final version is definitely the best version you submitted. Using the old-school Band of Misfits approach solves several problems. At the end of the day though, the $8 cost is necessary to avoid a centralizing rush for the card, but will limit its use and effectiveness. Colony games with this card should be more fun. This is a great first attempt. I look forward to seeing more of your cards.
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Way of the Hermit Crab
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MochaMoko |  | I can certainly understand the appreciation for this card in the voting. Under the right circumstances, it should lead to big, fun games. My son has been yelling at me all week about how great this card is. I have no doubt every game with Way of the Hermit Crab would be an adventure with lots of interesting decisions. It also makes novel use of the Traveler line, which isn’t an easy trick to pull off. All of that said, I think there are good reasons why: (1) the official Ways are mostly limited to smaller effects; and (2) the rules suggest no more than one Way. Strong Ways lead to over-powered, unbalanced cards, and too many decisions slow down the game. That said, this is a huge attempt at something very cool.
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There were a bunch of great entries this week. It was difficult to pick runners-up and winners, and I’m sure on a different day I would’ve picked different ones. But here goes . . .
Runners-up (in no particular order): Blessing/Blessed Gems by Carline; Corral by Fragasnap; Medium by spineflu
Author
Topic: Weekly Design Contests #1 - #100 (Read 1446479 times)