Dominion > Variants and Fan Cards

Fan Card Mechanics Week 83: Contractors

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Zoyarox:
This week's mechanic is Contractors, supporting cards that might affect just you or everyone.

Imagine Contractors as a unique ally you can buy or acquire otherwise that lends its service to you for a limited amount of time, then returns to becoming publicly available for hire again. Thematically, this could be a master of their craft, a demigod like Hercules (the direction I originally came from, hiring cool individuals), or even an object for lease.


--- Quote ---
* Contractor is a card type. Each Contractor is unique. They are not in the supply, but laid out visibly for all players.
* Contractors can be gained when instructed to. When you gain a Contractor, choose one of the currently available Contractors and put it into play in front of you (ideally above your deck) immediately.
* If you have a Contractor in play already when you would gain another, nothing happens. You can only have one Contractor at a time working for you.
* Contractors are considered in play immediately when you gain them. Though, for mechanic's sake, to prevent other issues (on-play effects, Moat etc. (see Attack example below)), you're considered "playing" a Contractor each time its effect triggers (to indicate "played", you could move it from above your deck more into your general playing area).
* Contractors should state only one occasion per turn it (can) trigger. This should be stated at the beginning of the cards instructions, e.g. "The first time you do X: [...]" or "At the start of your turns: [...]" or "During your turn, when you would discard cards from play: [...]".
* Contractors can affect only you, all players, a game state in general, or other activities or phases. Go wild!
* When do Contractors return and become available for grabs again? At first, they would wait at the bottom of your deck and then trigger once before you'd shuffle your discard pile into your deck, but that makes gaining them too difficult and unbalanced tactically, as the duration varies each time for each player. Maybe the next time you gained a Victory card during your turn. For now I think it's best to go with the following: A contractor stays in play for 3 turns and plays itself at least once per turn (visualized by putting a marker on it and removing one each play), then leaving at the the end of your turn if it has no markers on it. So they are staying in play and are not discarded at the end of turn, unless they have run their course. Then they return to the public display and are available for grabs again. (This return is ment to trigger no other effects, e.g. "when you discard a card from play").
* Lastly, for setup, randomly select 1 + a number of Contractors equal to the amount of players, to be available for this game (or more, if you feel like it).
--- End quote ---


Your challenge: Design a card of any kind or shape that gains you a Contractor, AND design a Contractor (ideally fitting thematically with the gainer). You are very welcome to design more than one Contractor, you decide if any of them are made for fun only and should not be judged (default: I judge your Contract-gainer and all Contractors in your submission post). Provide a mock-up of your card, including an image, I want to see how it looks on a card. Shard of Honor Template link: https://shardofhonor.github.io/dominion-card-generator/?title=&description=&type=Contractor&credit=&creator=&price=&preview=&type2=&color2split=18&boldkeys=&picture-x=0&picture-y=0&picture-zoom=1&traveller=false&trait=false&picture=&expansion=&custom-icon=&c0.0=0.75&c0.1=0.1&c0.2=0.35&color1=5&size=0


Judging criteria:
- balance
- fun (!)
- simplicity (!)
- playability
- theme


Submissions close on Thursday 25th 11pm EST / Friday 26th 4am UTC Saturday 3rd 11am EST / Saturday 3rd 4pm UTC.


Examples of some Contractors, basic gainers, and their power level I had in mind:





*City Guard turned out a bit wordy and might need a different one. It doesn't follow the standard wording of triggering/being active thrice, but the idea would be acceptable for this contest too, as it's supposed to be effective for 3 rounds (3 of your turns and 3 opponent turns, if no extra turns).


Note: I decided against different costs for Contractors, for simplicity's sake. I believe Contractors need no cost-indicator; for all purposes, they simply don't have any. (If you think they should, they can cost $0*.)

segura:
I suggest to use a wording like "play a Contractor". That is more in line with the official rules and it does not lead to funky interactions with on-gain triggers.
Did I understand the rules correctly, namely that Master Mason and Orthon only trigger twice?

Zoyarox:
Could be better; feel free to use that wording if you like.

Regarding the rules, Master Mason and Orthon are supposed to trigger thrice: You gain it, put it into play, does nothing. But per the card's instruction it's played at the start of your turns, so the first activating will be the turn after you gained it. You then remove one of the three markers you have on it. This will happen for the next three turns after you gained it.

Was the info "A contractor stays in play for 3 turns" misleading?

I considered a wording such as setting it aside or "preparing" a Contractor (above your deck) and then you "play" it when it triggers (putting it into play). As per the current ruling the Contractor is considered in play but it's considered being played when its trigger occurs; I believed it to make things easier, but maybe there is still a better way to do it?

Bottom line of the idea: When you gain a Contractor, you put it in front of you, and benefit from it 3 times/rounds/turns. 

BryGuy:
:) :)

--- Quote ---Way of the Ray • Way
Hire a Contractor. If this costs less than $4, take your -$1 token.

Negotiator • Contractor
At your turn's Start, trash a card from your Hand to gain either: a differently named card costing up to $1 more; or a card costing up to $3.
(Not in the Supply)
--- End quote ---
:)previous:

--- Quote ---Way of the Ray • Way
Hire a Contractor.

Negotiator • Contractor
At your turn's Start, +1 Villager; Choose one: gain a card onto your Deck's top costing up to $4; or take Improving.
(Not in the Supply)

Improving • State
Immediately, trash a card from your Hand to gain either: a differently named card costing up to $1 more; or a card costing up to $3. Return this.
--- End quote ---
:)Here is my submission. A simple Way to hire a Contractor. A Contractor that provides some benefit. To save on words, i used a State i use for several cards. I retired some Ways i made and repurposed this one.
:)

segura:
I think that this is clearly too strong. The Action does not even stay out and the Contractor provides the benefit of a $5-$6 Duration Action.

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