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[Gamer3000]

Weekly Design Contest #164: Read the Fine Print

Your challenge this week is to design a card with text under a dividing line that makes the card weaker than it would be otherwise.

You can use mechanics from any expansion. The drawback must be an effect that would normally be placed below a dividing line. These include effects that occur sometime other than when the card is played (e.g. on trash, gain, or discard), setup instructions, and cost changes. While I will be judging based off my perception of the card as a whole, I will have a slight preference to cards whose penalty feels like a natural complement to its above-line text.

Some existing cards that would be eligible are: Cursed Village, Grand Market, Charlatan, Cache, Lost City, and Capital.

Submissions will close on the 28th. Good luck!

[Builder_Roberts]

Alright, I'll go first I guess.

Eldritch Dealer - Action - $4
+1 Card
+1 Action
+$2
-
When you gain this, gain a Curse, unless you pay $3.

This is a 4-cost card that gives you a curse when you gain it; or it's a 7-cost card. When the curses run out, it's much better, but at that point it's late in the game. With trashers in the kingdom, it's wonderful to pick up early, but not too many of them. Gainers can play a couple nice tricks, assuming you have the spare coin, which this helps you to get going.

[Augie279]

Fortune? With a bit of a more direct way to double your money. Costs $6 but has the Mint and Grand Market clauses so you're gonna have to trash some of those Treasures you might want to play again. Doesn't consider stuff like cost reduction-Workshop, but if you can get it in a non-traditional way good for you.

[emtzalex]

Fortune? With a bit of a more direct way to double your money. Costs $6 but has the Mint and Grand Market clauses so you're gonna have to trash some of those Treasures you might want to play again. Doesn't consider stuff like cost reduction-Workshop, but if you can get it in a non-traditional way good for you.

It should probably say "trash all non-Duration Treasures you have in play." Although fairly remote, there are cases where a player might gain this on another player's turn. It probably shouldn't trash all of that opponent's Treasure cards.

[Augie279]

It should probably say "trash all non-Duration Treasures you have in play." Although fairly remote, there are cases where a player might gain this on another player's turn. It probably shouldn't trash all of that opponent's Treasure cards.

Fixed, ty.

[nyxfulloftricks]

Blood Ruby
Treasure $4

You may play a Treasure from your hand three times.
-
When this is gained, Exile 2 Curses from the supply and each other player gets +1 Coffers.[\quote]

[X-tra]

[4est]

City of Gold is a pretty straightforward alt-VP card, like a Feodum that counts Golds instead of Silvers. You get a nice 1:1 ratio vs. Feodum's 3:1, but each one you gain lets your opponents gain a Gold (and making their Cities of Gold worth more).

[xyz123]

Freshman
Action
$2

Discard your hand. +5 Cards
__________________________________________________
When you gain this each other player gains 2 Villagers


Notes and thoughts
- "Discard your hand. +X Cards" is becoming a more common mechanic in more recent sets but we haven't yet seen a sub $5 card that does this when played. I decided to go down this route.
- I decided to make a cheaper version of Scholar, which is where the name Freshman comes from. The thematic link made me think that the below the line clause should in some way link to University. That is why I decided to give other players actions.

[emtzalex]

My Submission:

Runaway • $4 • Action +2 Cards +1 Action Discard a card. When you gain this, if you don't have Out in the Cold, take it.

Out in the Cold • State When you discard a card other than during Clean-up, return this, and discard two additional cards.

My submission is Runaway, a Fugitive variant. At $4 Fugitive would be too strong if you could just buy it (instead of needing to get it by playing its terminal predecessors one at a time), but it's much too weak at $5 compared to Laboratory. Runaway has the same effect on-play as Fugitive, and costs $4, but when you gain it you also take Out in the Cold. Generally, this means that the first time you play a Runaway, you get hit with a virtual Militia. However, if you can buy/gain multiple Runaways before you play one, you only get hit with OitC once. On the other hand, if you get hit with an actual Militia (or other discard-to-3) it's extremely painful.

[Builder_Roberts]

That's a really, really good take on a fugitive variant. Dang.

[sumrex]

The Gate 4$ Action
+1 action
+1 buy
+3$
_
When you gain this, gain a Gate Guardian

Gate Guardian 3$ Action
+2$
You cannot play other cards from your hand for the Rest of this turn.
When you draw this card, except during clean-up, play it. (Has a distinctive back to prevent cheating)
The first time you trash a gate guardian per turn, discard it.

Behind the gate seems to be a treasure, but the price is high... The Gate Guardian stops you dead in your tracks, and even when technically it's not always a downside, a way weaker duchess that you have to gain is pretty damning. But at least for 4 you get a nonterminal gold! Gate Guardian functions like ruins, except there are always 12 of them to prevent too easy 3-piling.

[sumrex]

Btw, is there a way for everyone to host a weekly design co test? Do you need to apply or something?

[AJL828]

Btw, is there a way for everyone to host a weekly design co test? Do you need to apply or something?

The reward for winning a Weekly Design Contest is being able to host and judge the next one. Other than that, no necessary applications.

[Commodore Chuckles]

Corrupt City
Action - Looter - $5
+2 Cards
+3 Actions
-
When you gain this, gain a Ruins.

Depending on the Ruins, it's overall either a Lost City (Ruined Library), Bazaar (Abandoned Mine), Bustling Village (Ruined Village), Workers' Village (Ruined Market), or Spy-Village thing (Survivors). It's always at least a Village though, and it becomes super good if you can get rid of the Ruins.

[fika monster]

Corrupt City
Action - Looter - $5
+2 Cards
+3 Actions
-
When you gain this, gain a Ruins.

Depending on the Ruins, it's overall either a Lost City (Ruined Library), Bazaar (Abandoned Mine), Bustling Village (Ruined Village), Workers' Village (Ruined Market), or Spy-Village thing (Survivors). It's always at least a Village though, and it becomes super good if you can get rid of the Ruins.

Very very strong: i think this could be 6$ personally.

[fika monster]

are cards like ways, landscapes or Allies allowed?

[NoMoreFun]

Crumbling City
Action - $3
+2 Cards
+2 Actions
+1 Buy
_________
When you discard this from play, if you have Actions remaining, return this to its pile.

[Commodore Chuckles]

Corrupt City
Action - Looter - $5
+2 Cards
+3 Actions
-
When you gain this, gain a Ruins.

Depending on the Ruins, it's overall either a Lost City (Ruined Library), Bazaar (Abandoned Mine), Bustling Village (Ruined Village), Workers' Village (Ruined Market), or Spy-Village thing (Survivors). It's always at least a Village though, and it becomes super good if you can get rid of the Ruins.

Very very strong: i think this could be 6$ personally.

Why? Is it because you think it's easy to deal with the Ruins? Of the 5 possibilities, only one is worth more than $5.

are cards like ways, landscapes or Allies allowed?

I think they would be, if they have a "in games using this" clause - that's the only way I can think of for there to be under-the-line "fine print".

[majiponi]

Storebox
cost $3 - Action
You may trash or discard any number of cards from your hand. +$1 per card you trashed or discarded.
---
When you gain this, each other player may trash a card from their hand.

[faust]

Sombrero - $3
Action

+2 Cards
+1 Action
-
When shuffling this, put it on the bottom of your deck.

This card has a special back like Stash.

[silverspawn]

Sombrero - $3

Imagine being useless for so long, and then just before a good combo shows up, you get removed from the game. Poor Pearl Diver.

[Gamer3000]

are cards like ways, landscapes or Allies allowed?

If you think you can make it work, have at it!

[MrHiTech]

Virus Lab - $3 - Action

+2 Cards
+1 Action
Reveal your hand. If you revealed any Curses, gain a Curse.
-
When you gain this, gain a Curse to the top of your deck.

[LibraryAdventurer]

Icy Venture
$5 - Treasure - Duration - Reaction
+$2
Reveal cards from your deck until you reveal an Action or Treasure. Set it aside and play it at the start of your next turn. Discard the rest.
-
When you reveal this, set it aside, and keep revealing cards as if you hadn't revealed it, then discard this when the current card is resolved.

A Venture that can't hit copies of itself. (not sure about the best wording).

EDIT: used Udzu's suggestion for the top half to shorten the word count. (not sure his suggestion for the bottom half works.)