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[Donald X.]

Can I re-ask this question but with a broader scope, are there mechanics that you’ve done in previous expansions that have been iconic of that expansion that you’d like to revisit? I liked reserve, travellers were interesting, projects, landmarks and ways are super interesting, are there mechanics that you would revisit for future cards? And are there any you vow never to do again?

The post quoted by DZ seems to cover the older sets. Many mechanics could return; some would require a lot of weight behind them due to the extra components they require. I'm not going to say "I'd especially like to do this one"; it's not news to ever put out there before blurbs or previews.

From Menagerie, Ways would be tricky to revisit because I'd want a bunch. Maybe I'd have a bunch though, I don't have to rule that out. Horses requires including the pile; exile requires the mat. You could certainly do more with them though.

[Donald X.]

Are card designs ever constrained by how difficult they would be to implement online?

There's not zero concern there, especially when it's just, use this card wording instead of this one. It's a low priority; not zero concern though.

Changeling came out with no regard for how online would deal with it, and was tricky.

[Joshua]

Is it possible that we are gonna get more reserve cards in the future? They are my favorite type of card

I actually tested some for Allies. That story has to wait though (we'll just put it on the mat until a future turn).

Happy to hear that there is a chance they will get revisited in the future, reserves are really cool

[Titus]

So with Seaside 2nd E. on the rise, does that mean all the original Dominions will get a 2nd Edition?
And if, do they follow the actual order? In that case Alchemy would be next, what I´d pretty much like to see happen.

[GendoIkari]

So with Seaside 2nd E. on the rise, does that mean all the original Dominions will get a 2nd Edition?
And if, do they follow the actual order? In that case Alchemy would be next, what I´d pretty much like to see happen.

What made you decide to make seaside 2e after making the last 2e around 5 years ago and saying that there wouldn't be any more?

I bet I mostly said "who knows, maybe someday, but no plans now." If not then I certainly should have; I have been taught repeatedly by the Dominion community that I do not know the future. Well really, I should have just repeated how that's not a topic I can talk about, because if I'm willing to say "no" then if I ever don't say it you'll know that it's "yes," and if I say "yes" then it actually delays the product coming out (since it can't come out until existing stock runs out) (existing stock ran out, we are just waiting on printing and shipping).

[dz]

So with Seaside 2nd E. on the rise, does that mean all the original Dominions will get a 2nd Edition?
And if, do they follow the actual order? In that case Alchemy would be next, what I´d pretty much like to see happen.

Alchemy 2E has basically no hope. And an Alchemy sequel is about as likely as a return to Kamigawa, oh wait that example doesn't work anymore. Uh it's about as likely as a new expansion with Hexes.

I guess Prosperity, Dark Ages, and Guilds/Cornucopia have enough cards to cut, but I bet those would be years off.

The problem with Hinterlands is that many of the cards just want tweaks (like giving +Buy to Cache), and that's not a good fit for a 2E. Maybe one day it'll happen, but it's pretty unlikely. Of course there are some cards that can't be fixed with simple tweaks, like Oracle. (If Donald X. doesn't even play with a card anymore, you can bet that it's dead.)

The obv. next question is, would base set or Intrigue ever need a 3rd edition. Hey if you squint hard enough, there are a lot of potential candidates to cut from the base set (Harbinger, Merchant, Bureaucrat, Council Room, Mine, Sentry, Witch) and Intrigue (Baron, Harem, Trading Post, Minion, Mining Village). But I'm not holding my breath for any 3Es.

[Joshua]

Is there really a new set coming after Allies so fast?😳

[Donald X.]

Is there really a new set coming after Allies so fast?😳

If you mean Seaside 2E, then yes. It's just based on stock running out.

If you mean the next expansion, then, we haven't set a date yet.

[Joshua]

Is there really a new set coming after Allies so fast?😳

If you mean Seaside 2E, then yes. It's just based on stock running out.

If you mean the next expansion, then, we haven't set a date yet.

I meant the next expansion, because If I am not wrong you said on discord that you are working on a new expansion, and I was suprised that you have already started another one(which is great btw), and then I thought that the set can't be so long away since you have already started working on it.

[pubby]

Do you think you'll ever take a small set and expand it for a 2E?

[Donald X.]

Do you think you'll ever take a small set and expand it for a 2E?

I don't need to rule it out, but can't speculate about it.

[Jeebus]

Why do you opt for multi-word card names when it's possible to use one of the words? Do you want to save the simpler names for cards that are more fitting?
Coastal Haven -- Coast
Peaceful Cult -- Cult
League of Bankers -- Bankers

(Another note about card names: Swap could have been Barter, which is more thematic. But you can use Barter on a future card.)

[Donald X.]

Why do you opt for multi-word card names when it's possible to use one of the words? Do you want to save the simpler names for cards that are more fitting?
Coastal Haven -- Coast
Peaceful Cult -- Cult
League of Bankers -- Bankers

There's no one rule here. It's nice to have short names. In the long run they all get used up and you need longer names. Sometimes the longer name is better if there aren't variations on it that are shorter. In the case of Allies, the names being longer help make them go together, and in some cases help identify them as Allies.

[silverspawn]

It seems like with every expansion, there are more potentials for complicated things. E.g., nowadays you can play arbitrary action cards on your opponent's turn via reaction + way of the mouse

How much do you care about stuff like that? Would it be worth not doing Way of the Mouse? Are there cards that never saw the light of day because they could cause too much complexity in some rare edge case? Or is it a nonissue because it's so rare

[dz]

Do you still like Exorcist being a Night card? I guess Ghost already makes you have to learn what Night means, but I think Exorcist as a non-terminal Action would be totally fine.

What's your retrospective on Night cards? I'm surprised that a decent amount of people hated them (or maybe that hate is grouped with the Boon/Hex hate).

Do you still like Tournament and its Prizes after all these years?

What are your thoughts on Talisman? You've said before that it wanted to be better (with e.g. VP cards), but honestly I think it's too strong and annoying when it's good.

Why does Merchant Guild now care about cards gained? I know (and agree) that when-buy effects are bad, but counting the number of cards bought in a turn seems fine? Or is it about how regular people may not understand that buying an Event/Project isn't the same as buying a card?

Why does Reap copy Summon's wording, when it's confusing with stop-moving? I feel like you successfully fixed the concept with Demand, but then Reap still came out.
 
I won't ask too many questions about Allies cards (I'll wait until after the secret history), but will Catacombs get errata to get rid of the pointless and confusing interaction with Elder?

[Donald X.]

Do you still like Exorcist being a Night card? I guess Ghost already makes you have to learn what Night means, but I think Exorcist as a non-terminal Action would be totally fine.

I'm still happy with Exorcist as-is.

What's your retrospective on Night cards? I'm surprised that a decent amount of people hated them (or maybe that hate is grouped with the Boon/Hex hate).

I'm still happy with Night in general; as I've said many times, I wouldn't do Hexes, they are too over-the-top complex. I'd still do Boons. I'd break the set up into two sets too, which would be something like:
- Nocturne - Night, spirits, wishes
- other set - Boons, Heirlooms, Celtic flavor

And then I'd use the spirits and wishes on more cards.

I haven't done the work and so don't know specifics there really.

Do you still like Tournament and its Prizes after all these years?

I still like the premise. Tournament has a way way better love/hate ratio than e.g. Possession. And I mean it's fun, there, I said it.

Tournament as implemented is crazy complex - consider a 2x2 payoff grid, now read 5 more cards. The two concepts should have been on different cards. And then the Prizes themselves are of course imbalanced.

What are your thoughts on Talisman? You've said before that it wanted to be better (with e.g. VP cards), but honestly I think it's too strong and annoying when it's good.

It's okay but I'm not thrilled with it. Yes it's better when Workshops can gain VP. It has a while-in-play which I don't like much these days, and overall is more complex than ideal for what it does.

Why does Merchant Guild now care about cards gained? I know (and agree) that when-buy effects are bad, but counting the number of cards bought in a turn seems fine? Or is it about how regular people may not understand that buying an Event/Project isn't the same as buying a card?

I changed the rules for Coffers, so that you can spend them whenever. This is way better. It had two casualties: Patron and Merchant Guild. So I changed both cards.

While I was changing Merchant Guild, I switched it to when-gain, since I was changing it anyway, and this is what I would be printing today. Casual players often don't distinguish between gains and buys.

Why does Reap copy Summon's wording, when it's confusing with stop-moving? I feel like you successfully fixed the concept with Demand, but then Reap still came out.

I don't think there's anything willful going on there.
 

I won't ask too many questions about Allies cards (I'll wait until after the secret history), but will Catacombs get errata to get rid of the pointless and confusing interaction with Elder?

I don't know. Something to consider when it's reprinted, but, no guarantees.

[Donald X.]

It seems like with every expansion, there are more potentials for complicated things. E.g., nowadays you can play arbitrary action cards on your opponent's turn via reaction + way of the mouse

How much do you care about stuff like that? Would it be worth not doing Way of the Mouse? Are there cards that never saw the light of day because they could cause too much complexity in some rare edge case? Or is it a nonissue because it's so rare

Feel free to not put Way of the Mouse on the table if it's too over-the-top for you. For me, it was good times, so I printed it; otherwise you wouldn't have it. For sure it generates questions. I think for the most part though, the things it breaks are broken things.

Mostly I don't worry about rare edge cases; these days I try to omit them from rulebooks as they aren't what people look in there for.

There are card interactions that mess up new cards in playtesting, for sure. Fortress for example limits what certain cards can do with making loops. Fortress plus thing is a way more common interaction though than a typical Way of the Mouse puzzle.

[spineflu]

With Alayna Danner (nee Lemmer) getting married, is her art credit going to be updated as old sets get reprinted?

[Donald X.]

With Alayna Danner (nee Lemmer) getting married, is her art credit going to be updated as old sets get reprinted?

Probably not, but if she asks us then sure. We have for example changed Jessica Cox to Jessi J, which I think the artist did because there was another famous Jessica Cox.

[NoMoreFun]

Has a date been set yet for Seaside 2nd Edition?

Were Seaside 2nd Edition and Allies designed simultaneously?

[Donald X.]

Has a date been set yet for Seaside 2nd Edition?

Were Seaside 2nd Edition and Allies designed simultaneously?

Allies started first, but work for both did happen at the same time.

We don't know when to expect Seaside 2E yet, but it's been printed. Currently my best guess is early May, with previews in late April. We'll narrow it down when the cards arrive in the US.

[dz]

Do you think it'll be a problem that an expansion called Allies has a mechanic called Allies?

Was there a reason why only Battle Plan lets you rotate any pile? Was that ability tried out on other rotators? 

How much of the Allies split piles were designed bottom-up / top-down? Probably almost all bottom-up, since it's Dominion?

Did the ever-decreasing name space let you feel free to name a card Courier, when there's already Courtier?

How concerning was Importer's setup? Sometimes it's totally fine, and even interesting (like with Desert Guides), and other times it feels completely dominating in the open (like with City-state).

Was Contract considered as a non-terminal Action-Duration?

Why does Specialist also let you play Treasures? Did it compare unfavorably with other Throne Rooms?

Do you wish that Dominion was a better fit for having cards that continuously beat up players (like Gang of Pickpockets)? I know a lot of these effects were tried out in the past, and it's a bit sad that they're so difficult, since Pickpockets is awesome.

[Donald X.]

Do you think it'll be a problem that an expansion called Allies has a mechanic called Allies?

I hope not!

Was there a reason why only Battle Plan lets you rotate any pile? Was that ability tried out on other rotators? 

It mostly makes no difference; it's on Battle Plan just to be a fun thing for when it comes up. I felt no pull towards having the ability on more cards.

How much of the Allies split piles were designed bottom-up / top-down? Probably almost all bottom-up, since it's Dominion?

Top down was a significant thing for the split piles, though I didn't have to have those exact names. For example names considered for the Clashes pile included: Campaign, Skirmisher, General, Emissary, Espionage, Army, Treaty. I had these little stories or progressions and then a big list of card ideas I wanted to fit in and paired them up. And then made up more cards for the names, and worked on the cards.

Did the ever-decreasing name space let you feel free to name a card Courier, when there's already Courtier?

I felt free to put "Courier" into the main set where Harbinger is (and it took me until making Allies to bother reprinting my Couriers as Harbingers). There was enough anti-that sentiment that I didn't at the time, but I knew its day would come.

How concerning was Importer's setup? Sometimes it's totally fine, and even interesting (like with Desert Guides), and other times it feels completely dominating in the open (like with City-state).

It was not concerning. The City-state thing paired with attacks was caught and considered and you see how things ended up.

Was Contract considered as a non-terminal Action-Duration?

No.

Why does Specialist also let you play Treasures? Did it compare unfavorably with other Throne Rooms?

There's no story here. I had a card idea and tried it.

Do you wish that Dominion was a better fit for having cards that continuously beat up players (like Gang of Pickpockets)? I know a lot of these effects were tried out in the past, and it's a bit sad that they're so difficult, since Pickpockets is awesome.

No it's fine. I can make other games that attack the players. It's easier when it's a basic part of the game.

[J Reggie]

You say in the Allies secret history that you worked on some short stories and novellas early in 2020. Is there anywhere we could find these? I always like reading your secret histories; not only do they talk about the cards but they also tell a story that's enjoyable to read. So I've always thought you're a great writer and would love to read other stuff you've written.

[Donald X.]

You say in the Allies secret history that you worked on some short stories and novellas early in 2020. Is there anywhere we could find these? I always like reading your secret histories; not only do they talk about the cards but they also tell a story that's enjoyable to read. So I've always thought you're a great writer and would love to read other stuff you've written.

For truly dedicated fans, I have a story in this: https://www.spdbooks.org/Products/9781735252643/colossushome.aspx

I have big plans to someday submit stuff.