WDC #208: Back to the Dark AgesCommentary & ResultsThanks everyone for the submissions, there were some really great entries and I enjoyed seeing the many different directions people went with this one. Dark Ages was a long time favorite set for me when I first started playing Dominion so it was fun to revisit the mechanics here in more depth and dream about what a 2e might bring.
OPs are linked, shortlisted entries are bolded, enjoy!
Rabid Dog by Will(ow|iam)A cantrip trasher that can turn into a Madman if it eats an Action. A nice opener on $5-$2 and plays nicely with Ruins. It's a little easier to get Madman than Hermit, but harder to mass them since Rabid Dog is $5. The flavor and simplicity are good, though I don't think Dark Ages needs another cantrip trasher when it already has Junk Dealer and Rats. Perhaps a cheaper card with a different on-play, and better yet, make it a reaction, since it's a dog.
Profiteer by NoMoreFunWithout a discard pile, this is a terminal Gold, weak for $5, but it can be a nonterminal Spoils gainer if you have Actions in your discard. Bandit Camp is usually better. The reaction is where things get a little more interesting--sort of like Trader, this lets you turn junk into Spoils. The trash exchange is unique, though I'm unclear on how the rules work here--once a card is trashed, can it still be exchanged? It's a neat way to use Spoils in a Reaction, but the card still feels weak for $5.
Booty by seguraA super simple Spoils gainer, sort of a delayed Crucible. Much stronger opener than Marauder, and it combos with many Dark Ages cards. I actually think it would be more interesting without the discard option and as a mandatory trasher. Solid entry.
Rapine by gentlefishWelcome to the forums! A new Pillage that works very similar to Archer where opponents keep a card in hand and then discards one you choose. It's a strong attack, but weak in the early game. If they discard a $5 or more, then this becomes a one-shot just like Pillage, gaining 2 Spoils. Pillage isn't a great card--and while I think it's interesting that this one sticks around a little longer usually before getting popped, I don't like that it doesn't produce any resources for the player. +$ would make it too similar to Archer, but I would recommend giving it some other benefit as well.
Cult Leader by JWAgreed that Cultist needs an overhaul Cult Leader feels much more balanced without the chaining, and it's neat that the Ruins help players defend against future ones (also, make sure to add the Looter type). Clever design, and a worthy replacement.
Salvaged Goods by Cutepelican126A cheap Copper with +Buy that can be a Gold if you trashed something. Should use +$3 and +$1 wording instead of "worth" wording. Sad when there's no trashing in the Kingdom, and will usually lose its power in the midgame and endgame when trashing slows down, but a Dark Ages treasure that cares about trashing is interesting. It would be fun to have several of these as your payload and try to activate them each turn.
Plague Doctor by GubumpSmithy meets Doctor. A solid opener on $5-$2 though you don't get Doctor's overpay. Nice that it retains utility once you're done thinning and can deal with stray Coppers and Curses. It's much weaker in Shelters games and will trip on Ruins, but at least it won't leave the unnamed junk on top of your deck. Love the simplicity and I'm always a fan of name a card cards.
Junk Dog by anordinarymanAnother dog that isn't blue! This one is a Moat that gets another semi-random effect at the expense of junking you (hence the name). Ruined Library and Ruined Village are usually the best to get here since they effectively make this a Smithy or Lab respectively, whereas the others tend to be less helpful. The on-trash has some fun combos in Dark Ages, but I think the junking and randomness combined make this a tough sell on most boards unless you have some way to deal with the ruins.
Silversmith by Augie279A Silver gainer that can draw the Silver (or something else you choose from your discard). Seems okay, though I actually don't think it's that much stronger than Scavenger, especially if you don't want the Silvers. Has a few some nice combos with other gainers and TfB but suffers from the classic Harbinger issue of no discard.
Gongfarmer by D782802859A terminal trasher and draw card that gives you better options if you trash better cards. Solid as an opener, since it draws and cycles, sort of like a better Maroon, but it seems like it will get a little more awkward to use later. Sad when you trash Copper/Ruins and immediately draw something that costs more, but getting to pick the best two cards from a bigger reveal is nice. I think it works, but it is a little more finicky than I'd like. Also I just learned what a Gongfarmer is.
Ruinous Route by BryGuyAnother self-junker with Ruins. The wording here needs to be adjusted to be consistent with other Dominion cards (i.e.. "Look at the top 5 cards of your deck. Trash up to 3 and put the rest back in any order"). This trashes from the top of deck like Sentinel but eats 3 cards instead of 2 at the cost of adding some junk. You then get a choice of terminal Silver or two semi-random effects based on what Ruins are in the trash. I think the Silver option is best most of the time unless a Ruined Village is in the trash to make this nonterminal. Personally, I'd suggest dropping the +$2 option which I think would make this a little more interesting.
Redoubt by SignErrorLet's keep the Looters coming! So this one does the Beggar thing of gaining three of them to your hand, but makes all your Ruins one-shots for a turn, while also giving you enough Actions to play them all. It's a tricky one to wrap my head around since it has 30+ different possible play effects (the in-depth breakdown of options analysis is helpful, thank you). In general, I think it's worth the price of admission so long as you don't get too many Survivors--like Ironmonger, you usually get a Village effect, plus other occasional $ and +cards and such. Granting the ability to skip playing the Ruins and keep the +Actions (and the expense of potentially junking yourself) makes for some interesting decisions. It does weaken Cultist and Marauder's attacks which I guess is fine? I think it's generally a more interesting card to keep the Ruins on top since it makes for something players can control and count on a little more, though leaning into the randomness isn't necessarily a bad thing. Really fascinating card to think about, and definitely the most intriguing of these new Looters.
Squatter by faustSquatter causes all $2-cost Actions and Ruins to give an extra action (making cantrips villages and Moats Labs). It can be a really powerful effect in the right Kingdom, though lining it up with your $2s and drawing things in the right order could get tricky. The bottom makes the game feature a neat little Ruins-Changeling where all junkers give out Ruins instead. Thank you for including the "from the Supply" clause so it doesn't make Hermit and Urchin really sad. Another really fascinating one
Street Rat by ZoyaroxA Necropolis that can trash from the top of your deck and gain Spoils. A nice opener that does a few different things for you. It loses a lot of utility in the midgame though once the trashing and Spoils gaining become inconsistent.
Ruined Duchy by n_sanityVery simple, a cheap Duchy that junks you with Ruins. A VP card that uses the Ruins is neat, and the flavor fits Dark Ages well. However, I worry it will lead to a lot of degenerate rush games, like Workshop-Gardens except Ruined Duchy empties two piles at once for you.
Loanshark by fika monsterSo you spend a terminal Action to then get a bunch of extra vanilla effects any time you play a copy of that card for the next two turns, and then trash it. It's possible to set up some mega-turns with this, sort of like Procession, but the tricky part is going to be lining it up with targets--it has to be something you have multiples of (and can ensure you draw them!) otherwise this trashes the card for nothing. I think it's an interesting idea worth exploring, but as written this feels a little too challenging to set up for most boards.
Feral Cat by emtzalexFinally, we get a blue pet. And heck yeah, I love this one, it's Sheepdog but with trashing instead of gaining, such a simple variation. Dark Ages is the perfect expansion for it to hang out in with all sorts of fun combos to play with, and it's a cool little minigame to try and activate and chain a bunch of them off of one trash. The only issue to speak of is, unlike Sheepdog, it is very possible to have games without trashers which make for some very sad kitty cats. But I think for Dark Ages itself, it's a worthwhile entry. Very well done!
Abby by RovingBearA trasher that can be a Junk Dealer if you trash Shelters or Estates (but terminal on Coppers). If you trash more expensive things, you get a Salvager effect. Apart from Rats, I feel like there aren't that many $4+ cards you'll trash with this, so I could see lowering the threshold to $3 instead of $4. Seems fine, if a little uninspired.
Scrapheap Village by silverspawnA Village that converts cards in your hand into Ruins, which doesn't sound very good at first, except that Ruins all get an extra +Card tacked on. The randomness makes this a little tricky to depend on, based on what the top Ruins is. It doesn't help you thin though, so you'll want another trasher. I agree that I think this unnecessarily hoses Cultist and Marauder and feels a little off brand when it comes to what Ruins are trying to do.
Honorable Mentions: Booty by segura, Plague Doctor by Gubump, Cult Leader by JW, Squatter by faust
Runner Up: Redoubt by SignError
WINNER: Feral Cat by emtzalexCongrats to emtzalex and thanks everyone for participating!
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Topic: Weekly Design Contest #208: Back to the Dark Ages (Read 2758 times)