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[werothegreat]

Harlequin
Action-Attack
$5

+1 Buy
Choose one: Each player draws a card, then trashes 1 or 2 cards, +$1 per trashed card; or choose an Action card costing up to $5 in the Supply, each other player gains a copy, and puts it on top of their deck, choose a Treasure card costing up to $5 in the supply, gain a copy.

[werothegreat]

My thought process was a new thread in BGG where someone talked about liking certain cards better in opponents' decks, so why not make a card to put those cards there?  Give your opponent Chancellors and Develops and Counting Houses.  I also liked the idea of a card that forced the opponent to choose a card to trash, but without the hot potato thing Masquerade has going on.  This will help your opponent in the early game, but hurt very very badly in the late game.  What if you draw a hand with 6 Provinces?

[Thisisnotasmile]

Well as it stands, you can choose to trash 0 cards.

[WanderingWinder]

My biggest problem is that they three parts don't seem to fit so well together to me.

[werothegreat]

Well as it stands, you can choose to trash 0 cards.

Let me fix that.

[werothegreat]

My biggest problem is that they three parts don't seem to fit so well together to me.

You're either giving them something, or taking it away.

[ehunt]

edit: i wrote this before the changes to the card, although I still worry about the too much money problem.

You want to errata to make the trashing mandatory? In four player, doesn't this earn you 8 dollars and a buy whenever you choose the trashing option?

If trashing is optional, I'm still worried it's too strong in multiplayer. Consider Alice, Bob, Charles, and Diana. Alice plays a Harlequin early in the game. From Bob's perspective, he can trash (minor benefit to him, minor benefit to Alice, no benefit to other two opponents) or not. Obviously he'll choose to trash. Charles and Diana compute the same. The result is that Alice gets an obscene amount of money. BC and D are in a prisoner's dilemma - it's probably worth giving Alice 2 dollars this turn to trash an estate and a copper, but it's not worth it if the other two players compute the same, but there's no way to enforce cooperation.

Maybe you just want to give $ for the trashed cards from the player's own hand?

It almost seems this should be two separate cards. I like the attack that gives junk actions, although it will obviously be much stronger on some boards than others (but that's fine). One can imagine a board where it's not very strong, but I think that's fine since it's never completely worthless (i.e. you can always flood the opponent's deck with more harlequins...).

[werothegreat]

ehunt: Would it seem more balanced if it were something more like: "If any other player trashes, +$3."

[ehunt]

ehunt: Would it seem more balanced if it were something more like: "If any other player trashes, +$3."

Interesting. Now that trashing is mandatory, the "if any other player trashes" phrase seems pretty fringe case, right? (they'd have to have no cards in hand or deck). Three dollars and a buy is strong for a five cost, but it does certainly benefit the opponents in the early game, and is probably not too strong an attack until the very late game. I dunno.

[AJD]

ehunt: Would it seem more balanced if it were something more like: "If any other player trashes, +$3."

Interesting. Now that trashing is mandatory, the "if any other player trashes" phrase seems pretty fringe case, right? (they'd have to have no cards in hand or deck).

(Or a Moat or Lighthouse.)

[eHalcyon]

Harlequin
Action-Attack
$5

+1 Buy
Choose one: Each player draws a card, then trashes 1 or 2 cards, +$1 per trashed card; or choose an Action card costing up to $5 in the Supply, each other player gains a copy, and puts it on top of their deck, choose a Treasure card costing up to $5 in the supply, gain a copy.

It's hard to make both parts work.  I think the two options could be split into two separate cards.  On the trash attack-based benefit... how about something like:

"You may trash a card from your hand.  Each other player may trash a card from their hand.  +$1 for each player who chooses the same as you."

So early game you would use it to trash, and your opponent could benefit from it as well but that would give you more virtual coin.  Late game you probably don't want to trash (cursing games notwithstanding) and your opponents wouldn't either, but if they decline then, again, you get more coin.

The neat thing is that I don't think this would qualify as an attack since your opponents always have the option to do nothing, and the only difference is whether you benefit more or less.

Balancing would be fairly difficult, especially if you take into account multiplayer games.  How big of a vanilla bonus should that give?  I'm not sure what would work.

Then again, maybe you don't like this idea at all!