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[Donald X.]

Wasn't there some news late last year about a new company developing an app or other offline Dominion version? Sorry, I don't remember many details. Anyway, is that still happening? Is there somewhere I can check for updates on that?

There is no place to check for updates, though you can ask me like you did. They started testing but I have no idea when the release will be.

[scolapasta]

Since it seems like Covid is going to be around for a while, any chance of a new promo to give us something to enjoy during our personal quarantines?

[Donald X.]

Since it seems like Covid is going to be around for a while, any chance of a new promo to give us something to enjoy during our personal quarantines?

The problem is that playtesting with adults isn't happening, due to the shutdown. I've put a lot of work into a new expansion, playing it with an 11-year-old, but I can't sign off on it until I've played it a bunch with adults. An individual promo would be less risky but well. I'd rather know more there too.

[silverspawn]

How about a hidden online implementation and online playtesting?

[scolapasta]

How about a hidden online implementation and online playtesting?

I was going to suggest playing via Zoom, where everyone has a set of the cards you're using. My partner played with her in law they way one night and they enjoyed it.

(in this case a promo would be easier than a new expanision*, as it's only one "custom" card)

* also, new expansion, post pandemic - wheeeeee!

[spineflu]

How about a hidden online implementation and online playtesting?

I was going to suggest playing via Zoom, where everyone has a set of the cards you're using. My partner played with her in law they way one night and they enjoyed it.

(in this case a promo would be easier than a new expanision*, as it's only one "custom" card)

* also, new expansion, post pandemic - wheeeeee!

or via Tabletop Simulator. I've enjoyed my playtest sessions for friend's games on there.

[crj]

Playing online and playing physically aren't the same. Some things are easier, some harder. I know several designers who've been playtesting prototypes online this year, and none of them are willing to release their designs before they've played them physically.

[Donald X.]

How about a hidden online implementation and online playtesting?

The hidden online implementation hasn't gained traction. Conceivably we could get enough playtesting done that way, but we sure haven't.

A few games have been Zoomed.

[Titus]

Did you consider making Potion granting x$+Potion ? It sometimes feels weird having three estates, copper, potion in hand t3 for example..  just asking, ya know.
hopefully my questions don't feel too inconvenient.. Sorry, if they do. Anyway, big fan of your game!

[Donald X.]

Did you consider making Potion granting x$+Potion ? It sometimes feels weird having three estates, copper, potion in hand t3 for example..  just asking, ya know.
hopefully my questions don't feel too inconvenient.. Sorry, if they do. Anyway, big fan of your game!

No. The premise was an alternate resource; not a partially alternate resource. Many people over the years have thought they'd like "Potion +$" better. I've never felt much of a pull towards that though. So far what I like best is just not doing potions.

[anordinaryman]

I'm wondering about your design process coming up with "essential cards" for a new expansion. For example, each expansion needs to have some sort of village, some sort of way to draw cards, some sort of trashing. When designing a new expansion, do you subconsciously just end up designing a lot of different essential cards when you play around with new ideas and new mechanics, or do you end up hunting them down, like, oh I need a village. How can I use these new mechanics to create villages? which results in things like like Hostelry, Blessed Village, Cursed Village. Or is it more like, you have mechanics of discarding treasures to gain horses and you're like, let me try that on a village, I need a village. Or maybe something else?

I guess I'm asking you to expound on how you "balance" new expansions with having the appropriate breakdown of those "essential cards."

[Donald X.]

I'm wondering about your design process coming up with "essential cards" for a new expansion. For example, each expansion needs to have some sort of village, some sort of way to draw cards, some sort of trashing. When designing a new expansion, do you subconsciously just end up designing a lot of different essential cards when you play around with new ideas and new mechanics, or do you end up hunting them down, like, oh I need a village. How can I use these new mechanics to create villages? which results in things like like Hostelry, Blessed Village, Cursed Village. Or is it more like, you have mechanics of discarding treasures to gain horses and you're like, let me try that on a village, I need a village. Or maybe something else?

I guess I'm asking you to expound on how you "balance" new expansions with having the appropriate breakdown of those "essential cards."

The main thing is just, I keep track of how many I have of each thing I want a certain amount of, e.g. villages, and then at some point, when I have a bunch of cards, I worry about making those numbers right, and come up with more of whatever I need more of. At first, I'm not worried about it at all, I just make cards. Some of them will probably be villages. Then when I do need a particular thing, I consider if the mechanics will give me it, but they don't have to.

For example, for Menagerie, I had enough villages without giving them any extra attention. But for Renaissance, I needed a village late in the going. I tried a lot of things and ended up with Mountain Village. I tried things involving artifacts and Villagers but didn't go with those.

[silverspawn]

In the parts of the forum that shall not be named, there was a disagreement about the design principles for official cards. One person thought there was a soft rule that cards that can trash or Exile other cards don't have 'you may' on them without a good reason. Cards like Spice Merchant have 'you may' for tracking reasons, cards like Sanctuary have it because they provide a benefit other than the Exile; Mercenary has it because it can activate Urchins; Death Cart has it to prevent getting the +5$ twice with Throne Room. But, according to this person, all the cards that usually wouldn't do anything without trashing/Exiling and don't have tracking issues, like Forager or Bounty Hunter or Remodel, are mandatory. Is this a real rule you've followed?

[Donald X.]

In the parts of the forum that shall not be named, there was a disagreement about the design principles for official cards. One person thought there was a soft rule that cards that can trash or Exile other cards don't have 'you may' on them without a good reason. Cards like Spice Merchant have 'you may' for tracking reasons, cards like Sanctuary have it because they provide a benefit other than the Exile; Mercenary has it because it can activate Urchins; Death Cart has it to prevent getting the +5$ twice with Throne Room. But, according to this person, all the cards that usually wouldn't do anything without trashing/Exiling and don't have tracking issues, like Forager or Bounty Hunter or Remodel, are mandatory. Is this a real rule you've followed?

I don't have any rule like that, specific to trashers, no. My "you may" rules are:
- I don't like having a mostly pointless "you may"; if you would mostly achieve not doing whatever it is by not playing the card, or if you will almost always choose the option, then it probably doesn't say "you may." "You may" wants to be used for things where it's really an option, you will play the card and sometimes go one way sometimes the other.
- I use "you may" as a keep-you-honest thing, like on Moneylender; "Trash a Copper from your hand" means you might not trash one and be cheating, and "Trash a Copper from your hand (or reveal a hand without one)" is longer than "You may trash a Copper from your hand."
- In some cases there's a "do x to have y happen" where it reads much better with "you may."
- Reactions of course naturally say "you may."
- When it could go either way, it comes down to power level or fun.
- As always, on pre-Adventures cards, sometimes there wasn't a good reason. Farmland omits "you may" because I required the text to fit in a certain amount of space at a certain font size, and "you may" didn't fit.

[silverspawn]

Thanks!

[scolapasta]

Have you ever considered joining any of the Forum games (e.g. Mafia, Codenames)? (especially during these pandemic times!)

[LastFootnote]

Specifically for things like Dame Anna, I will usually suggest adding a friendly, superfluous "you may" for people who don't realize that "up to X" includes 0, assuming you might play the card for a reason other than the trashing. I believe the original discussion you're referencing was at least partly about that.

And I'm pretty sure I've said this already, but the Moneylender thing is an accountability issue, NOT a tracking issue.

[Donald X.]

Have you ever considered joining any of the Forum games (e.g. Mafia, Codenames)? (especially during these pandemic times!)

On the discord I'm playing in (and modding) a song game that may list two years. We randomly pick a year we haven't done yet; people submit 4-6 songs from that year (but any after 4 may not make it depending on the number of submissions); there's a tournament where pairs of songs fight it out, with people voting with emotes. The goal for me is to find and share music, not to pick what people will vote for. I am pretty into music.

I was interested in Mafia when I encountered it many years ago, but mostly just to think about things you could do with it. I have yet to play Codenames but will surely try it someday irl.

It's no trouble filling time; if I am ever in need there are computer games I've been waiting on trying.

[Donald X.]

Specifically for things like Dame Anna, I will usually suggest adding a friendly, superfluous "you may" for people who don't realize that "up to X" includes 0, assuming you might play the card for a reason other than the trashing. I believe the original discussion you're referencing was at least partly about that.

Yes, I may not always go with those but "friendly you may" is reasonable too.

[spineflu]

Have you ever considered joining any of the Forum games (e.g. Mafia, Codenames)? (especially during these pandemic times!)

On the discord I'm playing in (and modding) a song game that may list two years. We randomly pick a year we haven't done yet; people submit 4-6 songs from that year (but any after 4 may not make it depending on the number of submissions); there's a tournament where pairs of songs fight it out, with people voting with emotes. The goal for me is to find and share music, not to pick what people will vote for. I am pretty into music.

I was interested in Mafia when I encountered it many years ago, but mostly just to think about things you could do with it. I have yet to play Codenames but will surely try it someday irl.

It's no trouble filling time; if I am ever in need there are computer games I've been waiting on trying.

What computer games do you use to fill your time nowadays?

[Gubump]

Is there any particular reason that Way of the Mouse isn't limited to non-Commands just in case you make any or -cost Command cards in the future?

[Donald X.]

It's no trouble filling time; if I am ever in need there are computer games I've been waiting on trying.

What computer games do you use to fill your time nowadays?

I'm waiting on trying them, like it says! Computer games mean I get less done, and I have projects to try to work on. I do actually play some Dudes of Stuff and Things (link somewhere in this giant thread), and do a sudoku most days, and I've been looking for Koroks some.

I had big plans to try Cyberpunk 2077, but I can wait 6 months for it to not suck.

[Donald X.]

Is there any particular reason that Way of the Mouse isn't limited to non-Commands just in case you make any or -cost Command cards in the future?

We talked about it at the time. I felt like, it would be great to not make any more Command cards, and if I somehow need to make another one, I can sure avoid having it cost $2 or $3. And then, the text doesn't fit on the card in the large font, and it's text I sure want to avoid where possible, it's a confusing thing.

[Gubump]

Why is Ride called "Ride" (what one would do with Horses they already have) instead of Wrangle?

[chipperMDW]

Is there any particular reason that Way of the Mouse isn't limited to non-Commands just in case you make any or -cost Command cards in the future?

We talked about it at the time. I felt like, it would be great to not make any more Command cards, and if I somehow need to make another one, I can sure avoid having it cost $2 or $3.

Do you keep a list of the things you can/should never do because there are cards that assume those things will never happen?