  Hidden Village - 4est
Uniqueness: different back
Seems ok, though often as +2 Actions weak. I think the shuffling / knowing where they are in other players' decks challenges pointed out by others are more problematic for fun IRL gameplay.
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Market Town
(Action, $5*)
+2 Cards
+2 Actions
You cant buy this if you have any Market Towns in play.
| Market Town - mandioca 15
Uniqueness: Buy restriction
I'm never quite sure what to think cards like this, since for example in a game with Lab, you would always buy this first (i.e. 1 copy of this is strictly better). Even getting the 2nd copy might not too hard (pointed out by gambit05), and then you have two pretty powerful cards that maybe you don't even need more...
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 | Raven - Rhodos
Uniqueness: like Jester(?)
I have the question mark there, because you choose whether they gain a card or not, but in Jester case, you get the card if you choose not. So feels more like a similar mechanic to me than the same. Regardless, seems like an interesting enough attack that, like cursers, could be weaker in the late game (when opponents can discard Provinces).
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 | Workroom - The Alchemist
Uniqueness: cards about even / odd #s in play
While journey token can be similar, it's different enough since you can use other cards to flip journey (and how journey plays with TR, for example). I like cards that are Labs half the time, something else the rest; I think this could be an interesting mashup when played.
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 | Refuge - faust
Uniqueness: flipping cards face down
Nice find of something unique and a clever way to use it. I'd be worried in games with no trashing or exiling if it's worth it to have this dead card, but I also usually prefer cards that work in many games but in some are clear to avoid.
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  | Master / Butler - X-tra
Uniqueness: extra supply pile
I might say that doesn't quite fit as unique since for me, part of the mechanic is that the bane pile is different each game (whereas in this case you're always adding the same pile). I might be a little worried that you'd flip the top butler card but not be able to buy it and then the next player scoops it up (though having a butler is not really worht it, compared to smithy, if you don't have any masters).
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 | Golden Fleece - gambit05
Uniqueness: Action-Treasure (or Action-Night)
Similar to Supermarket, you could argue that the third type keeps those others as unique. Also some similarities in how the options can be +$3 vs +$2, though with treasure is still this turn. I think it'd be worth trying a simpler version that can only be played during 2 phases, which could maybe get it down to $5.
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 | Outlaw - LastFootnote
Uniqueness: Action-Night
This one is just Action-Night now. Exile a card on turn, only to play a super charged version of it later (for example an Outlawed Village becomes +3 cards, +2 Actions effectively. I first misread this and didn't realize the card left exile, which would have been crazy! This way, of course, works much better. Does it really need to be a Night card, though? (i.e. could you just make it a choose one?) one concern with night is you have to choose to save a card, only to then draw and maybe get something better to exile (but then you would've rather played the card you held).
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 | Street Gang - mxdata
Uniqueness: when you discard this you may play it; attack as a reaction
I left off the Soldier, since that's just a specific flavor of discard attack). Interesting card, it can come back to hurt you; you discard this (say with Oasis), then force your opponents to discard, and they discard one of these. Since you're also drwaing 2 cards, I might worry about creating confusing chain reactions, especially in multiplayer games. But that could also be pretty fun on occasion.
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 | Proposal - pubby
Uniqueness: trash this and another
I'll be honest, treasure map has never been one of my favorites; the lining up is either not worth going for, or it's a no brainer due to other cards. In this case, doing that to gain 4 Victory cards? I don't think I'd ever buy this card.
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.png) | Viceroy - Aquila
Uniquness: Victory-Reaction
Technically unique, though there is a Shelter-Reaction which has similar vibes. Feels to me some similarities to Island as you want to use this to get rid of cards you want, but not in your deck. This however can be reused, and is takes some work to get up to even 1 VP. If you go this route, you're likely buying more than one of these in order to power up the exile, but then these become the weight themselves. Interesting...
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Royal Brooch
$5
Action - Treasure
If it's your Action phase, +1 Card, +3 Actions. If it's your Buy phase, +$2 and +1 Buy. | Royal Brooch - JW
Uniqueness: Action-Treasure
The thing I'd say about Crown is that it allows you to do something you couldn't easily define for your action phase (assuming you're trying to avoid playing of treasures in your action phase), whereas something like this could by adding +1 Action to the choice. Still different, as you can't draw Royal Brooch dead, but I'm not sure if it's enough. That said, I'm also not sure I'd want to pay $5 to have these two options, unless maybe there's no other + Buy. (i'd compare this to Spice Merchant)
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Carnival
Event
+1 Coffers | Carnival - xyz123
Uniqueness: convert $ to coffers (?)
I guess I'm not convinced this feels like it fits the uniqeuess, in that cards you buy that give coffers also (eventually) convert $ to coffers. Either way, I'm just not sure this has enough utility. What's nice about pageant is that you convert 1 to 1 for some upfront cost. Here you have to do it each time, and it uses a buy. Even if you have 2 buys, you're probably better off just buying a card that cost $2 more than your other buy.
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 | Gourmet - Jupaoqq
Uniqueness: Restricted Buy
The "if you have Coffers" is a little weird since, as others have pointed out, you can just spend them that turn. And since this gives an extra buy, if you're not using them to just for the $7, you can usually get yourself a $2 or a $3. And once you have a couple of these, again, you are in good shape. (the difference between both this and Market town above and Grand Market is that Grand Market makes it harder to buy the first GM; these don't restrict that one at all)
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 | Smithing Village - Xen3k
Uniqueness: Action Night (and 4 debt cost)
Unlike Werewolf, and the other entries, this one doesn't have an "otherwise" but just rely's on its effect being different enough based on the timing. Cool! I'm not sure though about a few things - +2 actions, but you discard your hand (or don't but then it's just Necropolis). Sure you gain a card to your hand, but unless that's a Smithy, +1 Action could be enough. (though I guess it's meant to be a Village). And getting the Actions at Night is pointless, no? (which is fine, just feels a little inelegant)
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 | Shipyards - spineflu
Uniqueness: Trade Route mat
Reusing the Treasure Route mat feels a little weird to me. In games without Trade Route, it's just a Shipyards mat, and it games with Trade Route? Seems like both cards become extra buffed. That said, if it were a separate mat, it could still qualify (uses a mat that collects tokens when a certain type is gained), and by itself is interest enough - goes from cantrip -> lab -> super lab. -> Hunting Grounds and beyond. I wonder though about the cost as once it gets a 2nd token (from a Silver and some other treasure), it is a cheap lab.
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 | Teleport - AJL828
Uniqueness: Passing
Compared to Masquerade (obviously) seems maybe too weak? A lot of times you'll be passed coppers, so won't gain anything. Even with estates, just a $4. Though in the late game it may gain you good things. I'm just not sure if that benefit (and the +1 Action) is worth losing the +2 cards that help with what you pass and paying $5.
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 | Cobalt - Timinou
Uniqueness: "reveal"
I like the idea of reusing Patron's reaction. I am concerned, as Timinou themselves pointed out, how much revealing is from your hand. Just not sure if this benefit (and the +1 buy) is enough to justify a $5 silver.
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 | Scientist - anordinaryman
Uniqueness: "Contraband" effect
Interesting way to apply this effect to an Action card. Unlike contraband can only affect you once, but still pretty painful for a cheap Lab. Since the can trash themselves, eventually, once you've used them to get better cards, you can get rid of them. I think that could make an itneresting game play balance.
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 | Coffee House - fika monster
Uniqueness: Draw less next turn
-1 card next turn might be too similar to the -1 card token? though the difference there is that that can only bite you once per turn. This card sacrifices from your next turn in order to run your engine now with +4 Actions and +2 cards. In some ways the opposite of Tactician, which I feel gets you better benefits (but also costs $1 more).
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 | indulgence - Shael
Uniqueness: uses Coppers on your Tavern mat; $1 event
Without +Buys this never gets bought. I like the suggestion of moving the +1 buy up and maybe making this once per turn. Once you've built it up it's effectively trading $1 for a Villager, which seems OK, I guess. But could it just do that from the start (maybe as a once per turn)?
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 | Valley Retreat - emtzalex
Uniqueness: bidding
I agree with whoever said, I don't think I'd enjoy games with this. Sure you get a head start in points, but you're playing from behind in every other way the whole game. In a game with attacks, this is likely ignored.
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 | Courser - Gubump
Uniqueness: forced putting your deck on your discard
I don't think this feels unique enough from optional putting your deck on your discard. So it gets docked some points on the uniqueness factor. And this is the only card that does this on gain. (I guess Bad Omens could do that if you receive it with a Cursed Village). That said, this card is fine and feels simple enough that it could be an "official" card. A little boring, though.
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 | Auction - Spheremonk
Uniqueness: Prize pile and bidding
This has a similarity to Tournament in that the first person to gain a Province has an advantage in gaining the first Prize (due to bidding last). Personally, Mountain Pass's bidding stresses me far too much, and while I think this card is decent, I think it'd give me the same anxiety.
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 | Interest - naitchman
Uniqueness: Putting tokens on a card (project)
Costs $1 more than Sinister plot (I'd wonder about costing this at $4) and you can add a token AND gain a card the same turn. I think this one could be interesting, as you may sometimes even choose to gain early (before getting to the number you want) in order to salvage a turn, e.g. gain a Village on a turn where you have two terminals?
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 | Land of the People - MochaMoko
Uniqueness: decrease cost from Action to Buy phase
Interesting victory card. With no trashing this is worth at least a duchy (and you could gain a copper late somehow to make it 4VP), so in that case, it depends on how cheap you can get it down by playing more actions. Even in a game with trashing, if you can build a large enough engine to get these down to $0, might it be worth getting some when greening and finding a way to get back some coppers to make the worth 1VP or 2VP or more?
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 | Soiree - mathdude
Uniqueness: passing
Another passing card (I figured there might be some!), though in ways different as a) there could be no passing; and b) every one who does passes to you rather that around the loop. I wonder if this one (in a multiplayer game) might have two many decisions: each other player has to choose what to show you; you then have to choose whether they pass or gain a copy (to be fair, this decision will usually be easy). Since opponents gain copies to their hand, their deck doesn't thin, so they can be attacked multiple times by this. (think KC-Soiree) Also, in late games, you could hit players with strong hands and acquire several good cards.
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Author
Topic: Weekly Design Contest #116: Make me *less* special (Read 17508 times)