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[anordinaryman]

Weekly Design Contest #206: Evolution

I find it interesting that even with static text, the effect of some cards changes throughout the game.
Design a card that evolves as the game goes on. This could mean lots of things! It could "transform" ala Vampire/Bat, Urchin/Mercenary, Hermit/Madman, the traveller pile, etc. Its power could directly increase or change like City, Carpenter, Territory, Paddock, etc. It's power could even subtly change -- later in the game Black Cat becomes an attack, while Goatherd becomes weaker as your opponents are less likely to trash on their turns. Stockpile becomes a true 1-shot when its pile runs out. Soothsayer would qualify for this challenge, Witch would not. Gathering cards could potentially qualify for the challenge.


Contest Guidelines

• You may design a card that evolves OR a card-shaped thing that creates evolution. For example, you could create an event that places a new token that goes on a pile and gives +1 Buy per curse in the Supply when you play a card from that pile.
• Please briefly say what the "evolution" is. I'll be pretty generous with what fits, I just want some sense of how you think your idea fits the contest
• Your entry must contain both card text and a mock-up. If you don't do this, I may not judge the card. You don't need to add card art, but I want to see the text fit on a card. I recommend using this mock-up tool.
• Make a new post if you update your entry, please do not edit posts. I include this because I might miss your update!

Judgment Details:

• The contest will close roughly one week from today.
• I will judge the entries based on balance, how well it fits in existing Dominion design-practices (for example, attacks are not political), how fun I think the card is, simplicity where possible, and novelty.

Entries:

• Art Gallery by Cutepelican126 Art Gallery | Action $5  | +1 Card +1 Action If any supply piles are empty, +1 Action +1$, Otherwise +1 card.
• Musician by NoMoreFun Musician | Action $5 | Choose one: Gain a Musician; or +1 Card for every 2 cards (rounded down) in the Musician pile, and you may return this to its pile for +2 Actions.
• Keg by X-tra Keg | Action - Reserve - Victory $3 | Put this on on your Tavern mat, then +1 Card per Keg on your Tavern mat. | 1VP
• A ghostly Traveller line with terminal draw and silver trashing by silverspawn Whimsical Wisp | Action - Traveller $3* | +2 Cards Each other player may trash a Silver from their hand, to gain a card costing up to $6. | When you discard this from play, you may exchange it for a Bargaining Banshee.
  Bargaining Banshee | Action - Traveller $4* | +3 Cards Each other player may trash a Silver from their hand, for +3 Cards | When you discard this from play, you may exchange it for a Malevolent Phantom. (This is not in the Supply.)
  Malevolent Phantom | Action - Attack - Traveller $5* | +4 Cards Each other player may trash a Silver from their hand. If they don't, they gain 2 Curses. | When you discard this from play, you may pay $2 to exchange it for a Tyrant Specter. Otherwise, trash it. | (This is not in the Supply.)
  Tyrant Specter | Action $8* | +8 Cards You may trash a Gold from your hand. If you don't, discard 8 cards. | (This is not in the Supply.)
• Tranquil Village by 4est Tranquil Village | Action-Victory $4 | If the Tranquil Village pile isn't empty, +1 Card and +1 Action | Worth 2VP if the Tranquil Village pile is empty (Otherwise worth 0VP).
• Shapeshifting by grrgrrgrr Shapeshifting | Trait | When you discard a Shapeshifting card from play, exchange it for a Shapeshifting card of the other pile. | Setup: Set aside an unused Kingdom Supply pile costing the same as the Shapeshifting pile. These are also Shapeshifting cards.
• A 7 card Traveller line with mandatory exchanging that loops, using themes from a variety of expansions by Zoyarox
• Explosion by Will(ow|iam) Explosion | Event $3 | Once per game: +10 Cards, +4 Actions, +3 Buys, and return to your Action phase.
• Ringleader by faust Ringleader | Action - Command $6 | +1 Card +1 Action Play the card with the Ringleader token on it, leaving it there. | When you gain this, place the Ringleader token on a non-Command Action supply pile.
• Outcast/Wilderness Throne by SignError Outcast | Action $2 | +1 Action Exile a card from your hand.  If it’s an Action, +2 Cards. Otherwise, gain an Outcast. Wilderness Throne | Action $5 | You may play an Action from your Exile or hand.  Play it again.
• A traveller line with sifting and trash for benefit by BryGuy Field Mouse | Action - Traveller $3 +1 Action Reveal your Deck's top card. If it … costs $1 or less exchange it for a Field Mouse; otherwise you may discard it. | At Clean-up, you may exchange this for a House Cat. House Cat | Action - Traveller $4* +2 Actions Reveal cards from your Deck until you reveal a Rats or a card costing $2 or less, trash it.
  | At Clean-up, you may exchange this for a White Wolf. (Not in the Supply) White Wolf | Action - Traveller $5* +1 Card +2 Actions +$1 You may trash a card from your Hand to gain a Field Mouse. | At Clean-up, you may exchange this for a Wild Jaguar. (Not in the Supply) Wild Jaguar | Action - Traveller $6* +4 Cards +1 Action Discard two cards. You may trash a card for $2. | At Clean-up, you may exchange this for a Brown Bear. (Not in the Supply) Brown Bear | Action - Traveller $7* +3 Cards +2 Actions Review your deck's top five cards, discarding any. You may exchange a Brown Bear from your Hand for a Wish. (Not in the Supply)

[Cutepelican126]

My entry is art gallery. Early on it functions as a Laboratory to help draw those precious cards, but then the art movement changes! It then functions as a Bazaar to help generate money and play all those actions you have!

[NoMoreFun]

Musician
Action - $5
Choose one: Gain a Musician; or +1 Card for every 2 cards (rounded down) in the Musician pile, and you may return this to its pile for +2 Actions.

[BryGuy]

Can we use a Fan Mechanic designed for evolution, like Week 15's Level-type or Week-70's Turn-type?

For Week 15, I wanted to adapt Violet CLM's Project cards.

Project cards are works in progress. The archetypal Project card starts out weak but can be made strong by repeatedly investing in it. When you buy a Project card, you have a choice: either you gain the card as usual, or you add one of your Project tokens to that card's supply pile. (This still counts as buying a card for the purposes of e.g. Merchant Guild or Contraband.) The number of Project tokens each player has on a given supply pile is referred to as that player's level of that pile; each supply pile therefore starts out at level 0. There is no hard limit on how many Project tokens a player can have, in total or on any given supply pile, though specific cards may stop accruing benefits after specific levels.

or

Design a card(-shaped object) that cares about what turn number it is. It's like the classic Seasons mechanic, but broader!

[X-tra]

Keg (Action - Reserve - Victory) Put this on on your Tavern mat, then +1 Card per Keg on your Tavern mat. 1

You draw more cards as you accumulate more Kegs. That's the evolution.

[silverspawn]

Ok let's.



The first two are quite weak, bet the third is very strong. You would probably prefer to end the line there, but there's no stopping. But maybe delay the first two until your opponent doesn't have silvers?

The evolution is, well, they're travellers.

Card Texts:

Whimsical Wisp (3$ - Action - Traveller)
+2 Cards
Each other player may trash a Silver from their hand, to gain a card costing up to $6.
-
When you discard this from play, you may exchange it for a Bargaining Banshee.

Bargaining Banshee (4$* - Action - Traveller)
+3 Cards
Each other player may trash a Silver from their hand, for +3 Cards.
-
When you discard this from play, you may exchange it for a Malevolent Phantom.
(This is not in the Supply.)

Malevolent Phantom (5$* - Action - Attack - Traveller)
+4 Cards
Each other player may trash a Silver from their hand. If they don't, they gain 2 Curses.
-
When you discard this from play, you may pay $2 to exchange it for a Tyrant Specter. Otherwise, trash it.
(This is not in the Supply.)

Tyrant Specter (8$* - Action)
+8 Cards
You may trash a Gold from your hand. If you don't, discard 8 cards.
(This is not in the Supply.)

[4est]

Tranquil Village Action-Victory If the Tranquil Village pile isn't empty, +1 Card and +1 Action Worth 2 if the Tranquil Village pile is empty (Otherwise worth 0).

The hustle and bustle of the City is fun for a while, but don't we all dream of eventually slowing down to settle in the quiet green countryside? The tricky thing is timing that transition to tranquility.

8/12 card pile.

[anordinaryman]

Hey Everyone, I wanted to point out this section of the rules for the contest:


Your entry must contain both card text and a mock-up. If you don't do this, I may not judge the card. You don't need to add card art, but I want to see the text fit on a card. I recommend using this mock-up tool.


The reason for the mock-up is because it is helpful to see the card text fit on a picture to get a sense of how many words it is.
The reason for the card-text is because I want to include both in the judging post, such that even if your image hosting site of choice goes down, we can still understand the cards.

Please help me out and do so, feel free to edit your posts if you only included text or only included a mockup.

If you're too busy to do both, that's fine, some weeks are super busy and I wouldn't want you to not be able to contribute to the contest. I'm just trying to ask nicely here.

Can we use a Fan Mechanic designed for evolution, like Week 15's Level-type or Week-70's Turn-type?

For Week 15, I wanted to adapt Violet CLM's Project cards.

Project cards are works in progress. The archetypal Project card starts out weak but can be made strong by repeatedly investing in it. When you buy a Project card, you have a choice: either you gain the card as usual, or you add one of your Project tokens to that card's supply pile. (This still counts as buying a card for the purposes of e.g. Merchant Guild or Contraband.) The number of Project tokens each player has on a given supply pile is referred to as that player's level of that pile; each supply pile therefore starts out at level 0. There is no hard limit on how many Project tokens a player can have, in total or on any given supply pile, though specific cards may stop accruing benefits after specific levels.

or

Design a card(-shaped object) that cares about what turn number it is. It's like the classic Seasons mechanic, but broader!

Sure, feel free to use a fan mechanic, but both of these are seemingly implemented within normal Dominion conventions. Levels can be accomplished with an Event that says "Choose one: gain an X; or add one of your Y tokens to the X pile." And caring about turn number is simple enough to do as well.
It's probably best practice to attribute the creator of the fan mechanic you are using.

[BryGuy]

Withdrawn

.           

.           

Moon Temple • $3* • Treasure
+$2 and +$1 for every three tokens on your T-mat (round).
-
When you buy this, if you T-mat has less than five token, add a token. This cost $1 more per token on your T-mat.

.           
This is a simple Treasure that starts out very much like a Silver and progresses through Gold to more if you can buy enough, although the other players may prevent you. The following table demonstrates the evolution.

Purchase    Cost     Worth
 1st             $3       +$2
 2nd            $4       +$2
 3rd             $5       +$3
 4th             $6       +$3
 5th             $7       +$3
 6th             $8       +$4
 7th             $8       +$4
 8th             $8       +$4
 9th             $8       +$4
10th            $8       +$4
.           

[silverspawn]

Hey Everyone, I wanted to point out this section of the rules for the contest:
 [...]

Apologies, I created this right before bed and didn't read the OP properly. I actually think it's a great rule; I've done both mockups (without images) and transcriptions of text before while judging and can confirm that it was way too much work. Makes more sense to have participants do it themselves.

[grrgrrgrr]

EDIT: My new submission (following Ethan's comment):

Shapeshifting (Trait)
When you discard a Shapeshifting card from play, exchange it for a Shapeshifting card of the other pile.
-
Setup: Set aside an unused Kingdom Supply pile costing the same as the Shapeshifting pile. These are also Shapeshifting cards.

My original submission

[Zoyarox]

Traveller Evolution


Intrigue + Menagerie

Intrigant
$3 - Action - Traveller
+1 Action
Choose one: Trash this for +3 Cards; or each player may exile a card from their hand.
-
When you discard this from play, exchange it for an Aspirant.

[Updated] Seaside (+ Hinterlands)

Aspirant
$0* - Action - Duration - Traveller
Take another turn after this one (but not 3 in a row), in which you can't buy cards.
Now and at the start of your next turn: +2 Cards, then discard a card.
-
When you discard this from play, exchange it for an Experimenter.
(This is not in the Supply.)

Alchemy + Prosperity + Dark Ages + Guilds

Experimenter
$0* - Action - Traveller
+2 Cards
Trash a Treasure from your hand, for +1 Coffers per $1 it costs.
Trash a card from your hand.
-
When you discard this from play, exchange it for a Proprietor.
(This is not in the Supply.)

Adventures + Cornucopia

Proprietor
$0* - Action - Traveller
Put up to 3 differently named cards from your hand onto your tavern mat. Play any number of non-Reserve Action cards from your tavern mat.
-
When you discard this from play, exchange it for a Praetor.
(This is not in the Supply.)

Empires + Nocturne

Praetor
$0* - Action - Night - Traveller
Gain 1% and @1 per differently named card you have in play.
If it's your action phase, each other player receives the next Hex. Otherwise you do.
-
When you discard this from play, exchange it for a Consul.
(This is not in the Supply.)

Renaissance + Allies

Consul
$0* - Action - Traveller
+2 Cards
Choose two different options: +3 Villagers; +3 Coffers; or +3 Favors.
-
When you discard this from play, exchange it for a Nimmersatt.
(This is not in the Supply.)

Plunder

Nimmersatt
$0* - Action - Traveller
+1 Action
Look through the Loot pile. Gain one card from it to your hand.
-
When you discard this from play, exchange it for an Intrigant.
(This is not in the Supply.)

Evolution 1 (Meta): Dominion's evolution through its expansions (though sadly not in release-order)

Evolution 2 (Gameplay): The traveller line scales to what you might want in that point of time in the game.

Evolution 3 (Storytelling): A lowly intrigant starts seeking his luck, becoming a business man and eventually a renowned person, only to succumb to his own greed and fall back to the bottom.

Strategy note: All travellers are ment to synergize with each other. The line can be broken by buying or trashing the Intrigants, the latter choice accelerating the other travellers. But getting Aspirant might be valuable to gain the extra turn to trigger others in the line more often.

[Will(ow|iam)]

Explosion
$3 Event
Once per game: +10 Cards, +4 Actions, +3 Buys, and return to your Action phase.

It evolves from "It doesn't do much" to "It lets you play a bunch of actions" to "It lets you double province on a board where that might not have otherwise been possible", or it could evolve to "You can't buy this anymore because you bought it already.

The "evolution" feels kinda tenuous, so lmk if it doesn't count and I'll submit something else.

[faust]

Traveller Evolution
[...]

Seaside + Hinterlands
[...]

Aside from this Traveller line being too long, meaning you will probably never play its final card, Aspirant in particular does not work the way you think it does. When you exchange one Traveller for another, you do not gain the new Traveller. The only way to activate Aspirant's when-gain would be by trashing it and then gaining it from the trash.

[Ethan]

I like this idea! I think a Trait that make a pair of piles that exchange for the other one (like Vampire/Bat) could be more interesting, and simpler.

Shapeshifting (Trait)
If a Supply pile is empty: when you gain or discard from play a Shapeshifting card, trash it to gain a card from the set aside pile.
-
Setup: Set aside an unused Kingdom pile of cards costing the same as the Shapeshifting pile (these are not in the Supply).

[Zoyarox]

Traveller Evolution
[...]

Seaside + Hinterlands
[...]

Aside from this Traveller line being too long, meaning you will probably never play its final card, Aspirant in particular does not work the way you think it does. When you exchange one Traveller for another, you do not gain the new Traveller. The only way to activate Aspirant's when-gain would be by trashing it and then gaining it from the trash.

I appreciate the feedback, definitely an oversight after having moved around instructions quite some! Will think of a fix and update.

The line being too long was a concern I've been worried about, too. Thus +Cards on some, an extra turn, and the first stage being able to speed the line up. I'm curious to hear more opinions or even playtests on this matter. You'd nonetheless try and simply shorten the line, I take it?

[anordinaryman]

Explosion
$3 Event
Once per game: +10 Cards, +4 Actions, +3 Buys, and return to your Action phase.

It evolves from "It doesn't do much" to "It lets you play a bunch of actions" to "It lets you double province on a board where that might not have otherwise been possible", or it could evolve to "You can't buy this anymore because you bought it already.

The "evolution" feels kinda tenuous, so lmk if it doesn't count and I'll submit something else.

This counts enough for the contest. Adherence to the theme isn’t a judging criteria as long it fits in some way, and you’ve explained a way it fits.


zoyarox: if you submit 7 cards in a traveller, I won’t be able to give the same level of critique in the end as I would if it were fewer cards, unless each card is super simple.

[Holger]

.           

.           

Moon Temple • $3* • Treasure
+$2 and +$1 for every three tokens on your T-mat (round).
-
When you buy this, if you T-mat has less than five token, add a token. This cost $1 more per token on your T-mat.

.           
This is a simple Treasure that starts out very much like a Silver and progresses through Gold to more if you can buy enough, although the other players may prevent you. The following table demonstrates the evolution.

Purchase    Cost     Worth
 1st             $3       +$2
 2nd            $4       +$2
 3rd             $5       +$3
 4th             $6       +$3
 5th             $7       +$3
 6th             $8       +$4
 7th             $8       +$4
 8th             $8       +$4
 9th             $8       +$4
10th            $8       +$4
.           

Since Moon Temple is strictly better than Silver (by potentially becoming a Gold+), I think it should have a starting cost of at least $4.
Otherwise, you could open double MT on a 3/4 start and have 3 "Golds" in your deck with the first $5 buy on T3/4.

[BryGuy]

Withdrawn

Moon Temple • $3* • Action
+$2
You may discard a card for +1 Action.
+$1 for every three tokens on your T-mat (round).
-
When you buy this, if your T-mat has less than five token, add a token. This cost $1 more per token on your T-mat.

I changed this to an Action. It starts out very much like a Silver and progresses through Gold to more if you can buy enough, although the other players may prevent you. The following table demonstrates the evolution.

Purchase    Cost     Worth
 1st             $3       +$2
 2nd            $4       +$2
 3rd             $5       +$3
 4th             $6       +$3
 5th             $7       +$3
 6th             $8       +$4
 7th             $8       +$4
 8th             $8       +$4
 9th             $8       +$4
10th            $8       +$4

[segura]

This is super weak. Fortune Hunter is a benchmark for terminal Gold being a $4 and the option to non-terminalize this is not particularly impressive. It might be OK in money decks.

[BryGuy]

Withdrawn

Field Mouse • $3 • Action - Traveller
+1 Action
Reveal your Deck's top card. If it … costs $1 or less exchange it for a Field Mouse; otherwise you may discard it.
-
At Clean-up, you may exchange this for a House Cat.

House Cat • $4* • Action - Traveller
+1 Action
Reveal your Deck's top card. If it … costs $2 or less, trash it for +$1; is Rats, trash it; otherwise you may discard it.
-
At Clean-up, you may exchange this for a White Wolf (Not in the Supply)

White Wolf • $5* • Action - Traveller
+1 Action
Reveal your Deck's top card. If it … costs $2 or less, trash it for +$2; otherwise you may discard it.
-
At Clean-up, you may exchange this for a Wild Jaguar. (Not in the Supply)

Wild Jaguar • $6* • Action - Traveller
+1 Action
Reveal your Deck's top card. If it … costs $3 or less, trash it for +$2; otherwise you may discard it.
=
At Clean-up, you may exchange this for a Brown Bear. (Not in the Supply)

Brown Bear • $7* • Action - Traveller
+1 Action
Reveal your Deck's top card. If it … costs $3 or less, trash it for +$3; is Brown Bear exchange it for a Wish and a Field Mouse; otherwise you may discard it. (Not in the Supply)

This traveller series evolves from humble beginings into a card that could give Wishes. I used Wish to save text.
For the first time i actually played a few games with a design. I used the Page-line as stand-ins, tweeking these each round until they worked well. For simplicity i used a Big Money strategy with a $4 Village and Patrol ($5). By game-5 i got my fifth Province on turn-16.

[Ethan]

Seems quite week and slow for me, and the theme is also weird. Why would a mouse grow up to a cat?

[segura]

Looking at this line I think that Lookout does a better thinning job.
Would not hurt to have cards in a Traveler line that do more than just one job.

[silverspawn]

Looking out at this comparison, I think Lookout should be locked out of options to lock out cards since it is one of the strongest 3$ trashers ever created.

[grrgrrgrr]

I like this idea! I think a Trait that make a pair of piles that exchange for the other one (like Vampire/Bat) could be more interesting, and simpler.

Shapeshifting (Trait)
If a Supply pile is empty: when you gain or discard from play a Shapeshifting card, trash it to gain a card from the set aside pile.
-
Setup: Set aside an unused Kingdom pile of cards costing the same as the Shapeshifting pile (these are not in the Supply).

Yeah, you are right. My original submission was an attempt to make cards morph into something completely when a Supply pile is empty, but it is kinda convoluted.