I’m doing a round of correction to my custom Strength game mechanic. After a couple of tests, it was apparent to me that Strength warmongers had it a little bit too easy to fully trigger powerful
cards. This is because other players trying to prevent the active player to fully power his or her Strength card could only do so with 5 cards in hand. If the active player buys a lot of +Cards, +Actions cards, then their odds of successfully triggering their Strength cards in their entirety was ridiculously high. Nothing other players could do to deter that, even if they had a deck loaded with
cards. And then, having successfully played, say, a
Strategic Village, the active player could then continue to play Strength card after Strength card, knowing they wouldn't be stopped, having the best time of their life.
No, I say. Dominion is supposed to make you weep. And weep you shall! The rules about comparing your amount of
against other players’ therefore now goes as follow:
“First, this comparison happens IMMEDIATELY when you play a Strength card. Do whatever the card says and then, when you reach the “If most ” part, you do the comparison. Each Strength card in play from THE ACTIVE PLAYER have their added up. This is the ACTIVE PLAYER’S TOTAL. Then, each OTHER PLAYER, starting from the left of the active player and going clockwise, may or may not reveal additional Strength cards from their hand. This number is not limited, players may reveal any number of Strength cards from their hand. These other players then add up all of their own revealed , and this is their own total.”Again, the moment some else matches or surpasses your number of
, then you fail the “if most
” condition. The bolded parts above are highlighting what changed in that rule. So, in a nutshell, only other players can reveal Strength card from their hand. The active player only has whatever he or she has in play at that moment to compare. This simple subtelty creates two beautiful effects:
- It is harder for the active player to reap the benefits of a Strength card. A more meticulous way to go about Strength cards must now be employed.
- Downtime is reduced. The active player’s hand size and their Strength cards with conditional values changes constantly during their turn. Recalculating their total amount of from their hand each time was a little tedious. No more of that. Other players’ total amount of is static. Therefore, it is way easier to calculate everything with this rule change.
I know balance was not that much of an important criteria for this week's challenge, but dangit if some of my cards need it. So here's some that I change:
| | Flamethrowers (Action – Attack – Strength) If most : +2 Cards. You may trash up to 5 cards from your hand. Each other player with 5 or more cards reveal their hand and you may discard 1 of their cards costing or less. 2 |
Flamethrowers was bonkers before! 3 on a single card is just too much. It should never get that overpowered. Especially if you’re the first one to afford one. This is how you nullify your competition, pretty much. So now it is worth 2 . Secondly, you can now trash up to 5, not 6. Small change, but eh. Finally, it doesn’t trash a card of your choice from your opponents’ hands costing up to anymore, it discards it. Still mean, but it’s not a deck killer at least.
| | Trenches (Action – Reaction – Strength) Discard 1 card and +2 Cards.
When another player plays an Attack card, you may reveal this once, after the Attack. If most : +2 Cards. 2 |
Trenches simply doesn’t make you discard anymore when you use it as a Reaction. Why would you want to actively hurt yourself when Reacting is supposed to help you? Isn’t the Attack you’re Reacting to enough?
| | Strategic Village (Action – Strength) +1 Card If most : +2 Actions, +1 Buy and +
Worth 1 if this is in play. Otherwise, worth 2 |
It is now a riskier Village. I changed this because chaining these was too easy. Besides, it’s more thematically coherent now. This village represents a bastion of safety. Thus, using it as a sort of “defense” against someone who’s doing a display of strength should be what Strategic Village tries to accomplish. And now it does. It is weaker in play than it is in hand. Other players can block your little engine with less trouble with this new version.
| | Gunpowder Barrel (Action – Reserve – Strength) +1 Action Put this on your Tavern mat.
At the start of your turn, you may call this. If most : +
Worth 1 per Gunpowder Barrel on your Tavern mat. |
This, a cantrip? No. Suffered the “it was too easy to get there” syndrome, again. So now it just does “+1 Action” before being put on your Tavern Mat.
| | Archers (Action – Attack – Duration – Strength) Choose: +1 Card; or + You may discard any number of Palisades, each for + . If most : Each other player has – until the start of your next turn. |
And then, we have Archers, again. I mentioned in my original post that I was the most unsure about this card. I still am. But this looks... better, now? Discarding Palisades will give you your money, but will drive you further away from the Attack part. And you have the choice of +1 Card or + . Choices, man.
| | Palisade (Action – Strength) +1 Card +1 Action When you buy this, you may trash a card from your hand.
Worth 1 if you have another Palisade in play. Otherwise, worth 2 . |
Hey, speaking of Palisades. Now, it goes like this: You play a Palisade. Congrats, you have 2 . Now you play another one. Your total is still 2. Because they are now worth 1 each. Other people’s Palisades are still packing their full 2 punch. And this is what Palisades should do: Be used more as a defense than as an attack. This new scaling is pretty neat, I think.
| | Plunderer (Action – Strength) +1 Card +1 Action If most : Choose up to 2: + ; or trash 1 card from your hand; or gain a card costing up to .
Worth 1 if there is another Plunderer in play, or worth 1 if the turn isn’t yours. |
He had a hard time, so now, if this is catharsis enough, he can pick up to 2 things in the list of things he can do. Trivially superior to what it was before, in my opinion.
I will edit my original post soon enough. Hopefully things are a little more on track now!