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[NoMoreFun]

Menagerie, Plunder, and now this?

This challenge is a name challenge - design a card or landscape with the same name as an official expansion.

To match the official examples, it should not use exclusive mechanics from the set it's named after (i.e. it isn't in that set). Thematic resonance is ok (e.g. the card Plunder is a Treasure which is a theme of the set Plunder) but not required. In the official examples, the card came before the expansion of the same name, but to make it an easier contest that won't be a requirement. So a card called "Nocturne" could designed for Adventures or it could be designed for Rising Sun, but don't make it a Night card.

No other rules and you can submit split piles, travellers etc. as long as one of the cards/landscapes has a name matching the expansion.

In addition to the expansion names, I'll also accept entries named "Base", "Dominion" and "Promo". You can also use different forms of the same word (E.g. "Hinterland", "Intriguing", I will even accept "Sunrise " but don't push it). Synonyms don't count. Plunder and Menagerie are of course already taken and I would rather not get variants of those words, but I will accept "Adventure(s)" even with Adventurer and Venture as official (deprecated) cards.

[Optimal_Inefficiency]

Updated submission:

Promotion ($5)(Action - Duration) +1 Action When you play an Action card from your hand, you may instead trash it to gain an Action card costing up to $2 more. If you do, play it, then discard this.

It’s a non-terminal Remodel that sits in play until you play a card you want to Promote, but it only accepts Action cards as inputs and only gives Action cards as outputs.

*The name is based on Promo (promotional) cards, but if the name does not meet your standards, please revert to my previous submission: Prosperity.

Previous submission:

Prosperity — ($5)(Treasure) $1 +1 Buy Discard any number of Victory cards (revealed) for +$1 each.

Not a card you are likely to want in early to mid-game, but if you grab a couple at the start of greening, they could help you make use of greening hands.

I envision it in Hinterlands, as it has 2 Victory cards, including Tunnel which creates a nice synergy.

[emtzalex]

Hey all. Sorry that I ghosted last month (especially now that I see that I won the contest and should have hosted). I was travelling to see my family and got sick, which really threw me off. Since then, I have been working to catch up with things. Anyway, here is my submission.

My Submission:

Alchemy • Project • $4 Once during each of your turns, when you gain a card, you may exchange it for a cheaper card that does not share a type with it.

My submission is Alchemy. It's a Project, so it would be from Renaissance. It allows a player to exchange one card they gained for a cheaper card of a different type. It's somewhat inspired by Transmute, changing a card of type to another. Like Innovation, it won't automatically make sense to buy this, but there will be certain circumstances where it can be of a benefit: with on-gain abilities/reactions (Academy, Border Village) and with card or type limited gainers (Bandit, Procession).

[Optimal_Inefficiency]

This seems a little weak. Why not do …costing up to $1 more that does not share a type with it.

[emtzalex]

This seems a little weak. Why not do …costing up to $1 more that does not share a type with it.

That would be way too strong (especially at that price point). At a minimum, it gives you a $5 Gold every turn. If there's a $4 Treasure (Abundance, Crucible, Gondola, Investment, Quarry, Rocks, Rope, Tiara, Tools) it would give you one $5 Action for $4 each turn (a huge bonus). Even more busted is the fact that any card or landscape that gives a Loot would instead give a Province (once per turn). Sack of Loot, Pickax, and Foray suddenly become completely overpowered.

It could also allow a player to abuse self-cursing landscapes (Ritual, Defiled Shrine, Desperation, Cursed) and Cursed Gold, swapping a Copper for the Curse (or, in some cases, an Action card discounted to $0 or $1).

[Optimal_Inefficiency]

Weak was not the right word. I guess I mean often not very useful. Aside from synergy with the cards you listed, I am struggling to think of scenarios where I would want this. Maybe if I have a Silver gainer and there was a $2 on the board I really wanted (a lot of)? Or Gold gainers if I need $5 Action cards.

I totally get your point that “costing up to $1 more” would be broken if for no other reason than Loots become Provinces, but maybe a good compromise would be “…may exchange it for a card of the same cost…”

[Will(ow|iam)]

Seaside
Landmark
When the game ends, +2VP per duration card you have in play.

Setup: Add a duration kingdom card pile to the supply.

(FAQ: The player who ended the game completes their cleanup phase before counting. So if I play a wharf on T11, and a merchant ship on T12 then I end the game on T12, then the wharf isn't counted for Seaside, but the merchant ship is.)

Edit: Reworded FAQ. Old FAQ below:

(FAQ: The player who ended the game discards their duration cards before counting. So if I play a wharf on T11, then I end the game on T12, that wharf isn't counted for Seaside.)

[segura]

Seaside
Landmark
When the game ends, +2VP per duration card you have in play.

Setup: Add a duration kingdom card pile to the supply.


(FAQ: The player who ended the game discards their duration cards before counting. So if I play a wharf on T11, then I end the game on T12, that wharf isn't counted for Seaside.)

I think that the FAQ runs into the issue of a prolonged endgame. You are ahead, but if you end the game you lose e.g. 4/6 VPs so you go for Duchies or later Estates. Such endgame slots are not mecessarily fun.

[J410]

(FAQ: The player who ended the game discards their duration cards before counting. So if I play a wharf on T11, then I end the game on T12, that wharf isn't counted for Seaside.)

I think that the FAQ runs into the issue of a prolonged endgame. You are ahead, but if you end the game you lose e.g. 4/6 VPs so you go for Duchies or later Estates. Such endgame slots are not mecessarily fun.

Remember that all other players also discarded their duration cards as normal during clean-up. Not having the player ending the game do so too would give that points for all durations played in their last two turns rather than only their last (assuming only next-turn durations). The FAQ may have been worded to let you believe that also durations that still have something to do must be discarded too, but I don't think that's the intent of the FAQ (which should be reworded to reflect that).

[Will(ow|iam)]

(FAQ: The player who ended the game discards their duration cards before counting. So if I play a wharf on T11, then I end the game on T12, that wharf isn't counted for Seaside.)

I think that the FAQ runs into the issue of a prolonged endgame. You are ahead, but if you end the game you lose e.g. 4/6 VPs so you go for Duchies or later Estates. Such endgame slots are not mecessarily fun.

Remember that all other players also discarded their duration cards as normal during clean-up. Not having the player ending the game do so too would give that points for all durations played in their last two turns rather than only their last (assuming only next-turn durations). The FAQ may have been worded to let you believe that also durations that still have something to do must be discarded too, but I don't think that's the intent of the FAQ (which should be reworded to reflect that).

Right, the intent is that if I play a Wharf on T12 then end the game on T12, then I do score for that Wharf.

[emtzalex]

Weak was not the right word. I guess I mean often not very useful. Aside from synergy with the cards you listed, I am struggling to think of scenarios where I would want this. Maybe if I have a Silver gainer and there was a $2 on the board I really wanted (a lot of)? Or Gold gainers if I need $5 Action cards.

I totally get your point that “costing up to $1 more” would be broken if for no other reason than Loots become Provinces, but maybe a good compromise would be “…may exchange it for a card of the same cost…”

I agree that it does not work in the absence of some synergy with another card/landscape; but that is true of a lot of landscapes. The most obvious example of this is Tomb which, in a game with no trashers, cannot be used. Similarly, most action cards aren't worth playing when they are gained, making Innovation unbuyable on many boards without either a gainer or some matchup.

I also think there are a ton of instances where this would be useful. There are more than 25 cards/landscapes that gain Gold specifically.¹ In a number of cases (Bandit, Soothsayer, Swashbuckler, Tunnel [with discarding], Market Square [with trashing], and Acolyte) a strong engine would be able to trigger the ability frequently, possibly even every turn. But dumping a bunch of Golds into your deck is not conducive to having (and keeping) a strong engine. But trigging it every turn and instead taking a $5 (or even $4) engine piece could be extremely beneficial to building a strong engine. At the end of the game, a Gold can be exchanged for a Duchy. And all of this works with Loot gainers as well.

There's strong synergy with type-specific (or cost-specific) on-gain bonuses--Ironworks, Replace, Academy, Guildhall, Groom, Livery, Galleria, Band of Nomads, Taskmaster--and allowing you to take their respective bonuses without (ultimately) getting a card that matches.

Similarly, gaining effects that put limitations (other than "costing up to") on what cards you gain can be assisted by Alchemy, as you can exchange an available card for one you want more. You can do this with Treasure gainers (Mine, Pirate, Tragic Hero, Hero, Silver Mine), cards that gain from the trash (Graverobber, Lurker, Rogue) or those with other restrictions on gaining (War Chest, Changeling, Gather). Until the pile empties, when a Tragic Hero's power triggers, you can gain a Gold, then exchange it for another TH.

There are other benefits as well. A Border Village can turn into 2 Duchies. A Port turns into a village + Silver. A Blessed Village turns into a Boon + Silver. A Skulk turns into a Gold + Silver. Cemetery turns into trashing + Silver.

Thus, while Alchemy does require some kind of a synergy to be worth buying, there are a lot of them out there, some of which are already quite powerful/effective.


¹Bandit, Courtier, Transmute, Hoard, Soothsayer, Demesne, Fool's Gold, Tunnel, Market Square, Treasure Trove, Quest, Fortune, Haunted Castle, Wedding, Devil's Workshop, Leprechaun, Skulk, The Sky's Gift (Boon), Swashbuckler/Treasure Chest, Commerce, Enclave, Reap, Acolyte, Territory, Doubloons, Gold Mine, Governor.

[SirGriffin]

You could try "Costing the same as it or less". It'd help out silver gainers as well as gold gainers(though to a lesser extent).

[BryGuy]

                                                     

Empires • $14 • Action - Victory
Choose one: +1 Action and trash a Hand card for +$1;
or discard two cards for +$2.
-
Worth 14 VP. If you have not gained two Empires this game, you may gain one this turn.

Here is my entry - an Action-Victory card for Prosperity. This only allows each player to gain two in a game. Unlike Colony, this pile does not contribute to any game ending condition.

                                                     

previous:

Empires • $14 • Action - Victory
+1 Action
Trash a Hand card for +$1.
-
Worth 14 VP. If you have not gained two Empires this game, you may gain one this turn.

Empires • $14 • Victory
Worth 15 VP
-
If you have not gained two Empires this game, you may gain one this turn.

[segura]

So a Dominate variant that is less interesting than the original.

[4est]

You get lots of choices when you play an Intriguing card.

*Edit: changed to only copy cheaper cards.

[Holger]

You get lots of choices when you play an Intriguing card.

I think this is too strong, an Intriguing card becomes strictly better (on play) than any other Action/Treasure of the same cost. An Intriguing $4 is a more flexible BoM, an Intriguing $5 is a more flexible Overlord.

I suggest to allow just "costing less" for  more balance. This would still be strong on a $4+ card, and even a $2 card with a Copper option would be a mild improvement.

[SirGriffin]

Nocturne is a much more flexible Hideout that can also safely trash Estates, and even gives you points for doing so. In games with Nocturne, all players will be able to take an extra turn. How good that turn is depends on how many Nocturnes they have. If they have 0-2, their turn is unlikely to do much. If they have 3+, well, maybe they could pick up something worthwhile.

[LibraryAdventurer]

Renaissance
Prophecy
At the start of your buy phase, you may take <1> debt to trash a Victory card from your hand and gain a card costing up to $3 more.

For Rising Sun, obviously.
There's some pretty strong/generous prophecies. Maybe it doesn't need the debt drawback. What do you think?

Do you keep your Estates, buy a couple Duchies, or ignore the potentially strong prophecy?

[silverspawn]

[LibraryAdventurer]

Should probably have "Each other player with 5 or more cards in hand". Also, it really doesn't need the Curse drawback, especially if you add the "5 or more cards" part. If you don't add "5 or more cards", then it may need some drawback, but gaining a Curse every time you play it is a really big drawback, more than it needs.

[Blizihguh]

Hinterlands ($6 Action-Victory)
+1 Action
---
When you gain this, you may move your +1 Card, +1 Action, +1 Buy, or +$1 token to the Hinterlands pile. Worth 4VP, -1VP for each of those tokens you have on its pile.

Hinterlands! That sounds like a great place to go on Adventures. The more you adventure there, the easier it is to get around! Watch out though, because the more the land has been looted, the less valuable it becomes.

[silverspawn]

Should probably have "Each other player with 5 or more cards in hand". Also, it really doesn't need the Curse drawback, especially if you add the "5 or more cards" part. If you don't add "5 or more cards", then it may need some drawback, but gaining a Curse every time you play it is a really big drawback, more than it needs.

I mean, the entire point of the design is to have a handsize reduction that does not cap at 3 or 4. If you remove the restriction and then also remove the mechanism that is the reason for why the restriction isn't required (and then probably also rebalance the card since it'd probably be too strong now), then you have made a different card.

[Optimal_Inefficiency]

I also think there are a ton of instances where this would be useful. There are more than 25 cards/landscapes that gain Gold specifically.¹ In a number of cases (Bandit, Soothsayer, Swashbuckler, Tunnel [with discarding], Market Square [with trashing], and Acolyte) a strong engine would be able to trigger the ability frequently, possibly even every turn. But dumping a bunch of Golds into your deck is not conducive to having (and keeping) a strong engine. But trigging it every turn and instead taking a $5 (or even $4) engine piece could be extremely beneficial to building a strong engine. At the end of the game, a Gold can be exchanged for a Duchy. And all of this works with Loot gainers as well.

…

There are other benefits as well. A Border Village can turn into 2 Duchies. A Port turns into a village + Silver. A Blessed Village turns into a Boon + Silver. A Skulk turns into a Gold + Silver. Cemetery turns into trashing + Silver.

Yes, after my last post I thought more about how there are a number of Gold gainers and nabbing a $5 instead is often preferable, so I’m right there with you.

I love the idea of gaining a card and getting its on-gain benefit just to turn around and not actually gain the card, but does this jive with the rules? Admittedly, I am not as steeped in the rules as I was 5 years ago, so I will leave that question to be answered by someone who knows better.

[segura]

but gaining a Curse every time you play it is a really big drawback, more than it needs.

Yeah. Ignoring the handsize Attack, even with decent trashing, this is net draw wise a Smithy that blows itself up (in the best case, when there are no other Cursers) after 10 plays. So $7 is lightyears off.

[Optimal_Inefficiency]

Prosperity — ($5)(Treasure) $1 +1 Buy Discard any number of Victory cards (revealed) for +$1 each.

Alternative submission idea. Thoughts?

Promotion — ($5)(Action - Duration) +1 Action When you play an Action card from your hand, you may instead trash it to gain an Action card costing up to $2 more. If you do, play it, and discard this at Clean-up.