[Updated v.0.3 is below - no functional change - just fixed type to Night-Reserve and formatting]
Entry for the week, Shopper, a terminal copper that lets you save a buy for when you need it.
This is a cool idea but needs some work. Costing $1 is a little awkward because if you want this there probably isn't regular +Buy on the board, so you have to waste a bunch of coins on it even if you're responsible and pick it up early.
Honestly I think you could just make this give +$2 and have it cost $3. As far as I'm concerned Woodcutter lost its right to complain about being strictly worse than anything when it got excommunicated from the game.
But let's say you're an empathetic stickler. In that case, I'd make this cost $3 and either be a treasure or else give +2 Buys.
How about making it a cantrip - not strictly better than Market Square as it doesn't have the reaction so you could cost it at $2 or $3 (at $4 you can get Fair which is like playing this every turn)
I think it's more interesting to have a card that invites you to play it multiple times than a card you would almost always want out of your deck until the endgame. Being "harmless" to your deck aids with that.
Another option is +2 Cards for $3 (which doesn't technically step on Woodcutter's toes even though it's probably a better card)
I think it's interesting the cards you picked to compare it to because when I read it, I immediately thought it was a reverse-Ducat - this gives $1 now and +1 Buy later, Ducat is +1 Buy now and a $1 later.
I think it's a hard sell as-is with it being terminal, especially on a board with no +Buys; Maybe do a reverse-Candlestick Maker and have it give +1 Action on play.
Some good feedback here. General consensus seems to be it needs to be stronger and/or cost more. I had wanted to keep it costing (at most) $2, which meant not much stronger, so I had some possibilities:
it could actually pair with the Pouch heirloom guaranteeing that you start with a + Buy card.
it could give +$1 now and $1 when you call it.
I could switch $1 to +1 Coffers.
I could go with option 2 or 3, and make it a Night card, so the buy is for future turns (now more like CotR)
And then I had an epiphany: I have another, as yet unposted card, a Night card that gives Coffers for each card you've bought (an after the fact Bridge, if you will). But it was missing something and in some ways already covered by Merchant Guild.
So here's my new, re-themed (Shopper doesn't make sense as a Night card) reserve buy,
Gondolier:
Notes:
- like Coin of the Realm, you can't call it the same turn that you play it
- calling them produces buys that other gondoliers can use for additional coffers
- as a night-reserve, it's a unique combination of types that doesn't exist in official cards
Thoughts?