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[Fly-Eagles-Fly]

I think that Headhunter could get away with costing $2. It is a sifter that maintains handsize so in this respect it is better than Cellar or Warehouse but it can only sift through a few cards. It is also similar to this card from the bible from Theta's giant card compendium by ThetaSigma and Adrian Healey

Lol. Also, I agree with you.

[Asper]

I guess you guys are right. When I playtest Headhunter, I'm going to try it at 2$.

[Holunder9]

Thumbs up for Minister being similar to Inventor!

[ThetaSigma12]

Thumbs up for Minister being similar to Inventor!

Actually, Inventor was more or less created here years ago. In the mini-set design contest there's clerk

Clerk - - Action
All cards cost less this turn, but not less than . Gain a card costing up to .

Functionally, it's pretty much identical* to Inventor. And I wouldn't be surprised if this was an earlier Inventor, with the effects being reorganised to make the card more intuitive.

*Putting the gaining first on inventor could matter with, e.g. Border Village

[Holunder9]

Also, Headhunter is like an interesting version of Borderguard which I find extremly bland.

[ThetaSigma12]

Also, Headhunter is like an interesting version of Borderguard which I find extremly bland.

Extremely bland? It has two whole artefacts that change the way it gets played. Seems pretty interesting to me.

[Holunder9]

Also, Headhunter is like an interesting version of Borderguard which I find extremly bland.

Extremely bland? It has two whole artefacts that change the way it gets played. Seems pretty interesting to me.

In order to get the Artifacts you need a pretty high Action card density which you achieve best via thinning. But with good thinning sifting becomes less important. So my impression is that the Artifact trigger got pretty randomly attached.
As the card is pretty weak there is also less of a fight about its Artifacts (and less tension equals less fun in my opinion.) . Scheming a weak sifter or increasing its dig depth by one isn't something you fight much about. In comparison, you cannot leave the Flag uncontested for the entire game.

I consider your Observatory as well as Asper's Headhunter to be more interesting Spy variants.

[Nflickner]

Hey Asper, I just recently started to get back on the forums a little   Glad to see you're still producing great cards.  I have a question for you.  I want to make some Edicts (hopefully you don't mind), and I'm wondering if you use the Dominion Card Image Generator at all?  Do you know what custom colors inputs for red, green, and blue I should input in order to get the right edict color scheme?  Thank you so much for your help   I'll be sure to post whatever I come up with at some point. 

[Asper]

Hey Nflickner,
great to have you back!
Say, was that second "n" always in your name? I must have written that wrong so many times then... Sorry 

I use the card image generator on and off. My main gripe with it is the fact that it only bolds keywords it recognizes, and so I have to re-do all of my cards in my own template when I want to upload them to fds' German sister forum, anyway. As a result, I never tried to create an Edict with it.

It's noteworthy though that the reason I colored Edicts blue was to mirror Reactions, much like how Events mirror regular Actions, Landmarks mirror Victories and Hexes mirror Curses. So it actually would make sense to use the default Reaction color instead. I didn't quite hit it back then, but it's worth a thought. Certainly it would make it easier for others to do their own Edicts.

Which should make clear that I don't mind you doing your own at all
I'll try to remember sending you my template link via pm tomorrow. If I forget, please remind me. It's for Gimp, though.

[Nflickner]

Hey Asper, thanks so much   I appreciate the template when you have the time.  I use Gimp as well.  I actually am using both currently--I make the main template in the image creator and then I add the picture to the background with Gimp. 

[Asper]

Added Fame cards to the OP. Headhunter is now a 2$, the Attack feat for now has been replaced by another gaining condition, namely Gold. Also I playtested Cliffside Village with a friendly Border Village interaction (each other player may gain a cheaper card) and it felt just fine.

[Asper]

Oh, and I also fixed some error on Well and added a new Event.



Given that you'll usually buy it after you know what for, that's not all that great a name, but well... I originally wanted it to give coin tokens when others gained the card (would have called that "Toll") but that seemed a bit obvious.

[Holunder9]

So this hedges against Borrow and handsize attacks. Probably not all that well as you will often Predict the village pile and usually you play splitters and draw before payload.
I think this is a bit weak and binary, especially compared to the similar Adventure Events. So how about combining drawing with sifiting, e.g. something like 'draw a card, then if you have more than 6 cards in hand, discard down to 6'?

[Asper]

So this hedges against Borrow and handsize attacks. Probably not all that well as you will often Predict the village pile and usually you play splitters and draw before payload.
I think this is a bit weak and binary, especially compared to the similar Adventure Events. So how about combining drawing with sifiting, e.g. something like 'draw a card, then if you have more than 6 cards in hand, discard down to 6'?

My reason to cost it at 6$ was that, no matter which card you choose, it's basically a Laboratory. However, it's one that you don't need to redraw to play again. It suffices if your opponent, or one of your opponents, plays a copy of the picked card.
That on the other hand may make it too boring. Unless you pick a card that isn't gained or the game is rather sloggy, it doesn't make such a huge difference which card you pick. About sifting, I fear it would slow down the game too much.

[Asper]

Apparently when I re-did the Spells with the new Wand icon, I forgot to do Dexterity. Oops. I added the old one to the OP for now, but will add the version with the new icon when I get to it.

[Asper]

So, I considered doing a few more cards of the mechanics that I didn't do much with, yet. Grimoire is a Spellcaster-Treasure (quite obviously the theme is influenced by the Weekly Design Contest). I also considered an Attack that cared about the Feats you accomplished, but I'm not sure what I want there.





I'm also still pondering replacements for that "draw your deck" achievement. It's one that rewards players who are already winning and is the most board dependent... Perhaps I should just make all of them about gaining cards, like "gain a Copper" or "gain nothing at all in your turn"?

[Asper]

Aaaaand some more...

I tried a similar concept before under the name "Inventor", but it did something slightly different and I really hated the art I had picked... Not sure Loyal subjects needs to have that special on-trash.



Also, when I did the original Spellcaster batch, I had a card called Shaman, which was just +2 Cards, you may cast a Spell". It was dropped for being too bland, so I added a little twist:

[pacovf]

The “either way” in grimoire is weird. Can you reverse the order of the commands so that it’s not necessary? If going with the second Barbarian, I would just make it “If you have achieved at least three Feats”, and limit it to 5 cards or more. Sounds too scary otherwise.

I like the cards though!

[NoMoreFun]

Delegate would be more interesting as a $3 or $4 card that gives +2 cards and turns any action into a cantrip (Reverse Enchantress). It seems a bit weak for $5 considering that the discard is only really valuable when you draw 2 actions dead, but that's what it has to be if it's a Smithy +.

Another idea:

Crowded City
Action - $4
+3 Cards
+3 Actions
Discard an Action card (or reveal a hand with none)

One of those cards you really have to think about playing - it's terminal draw (functionally the same as Smithy in BM), but if you want to use it in an engine (which it enables) it has complexities Smithy doesn't

[Asper]

The “either way” in grimoire is weird. Can you reverse the order of the commands so that it’s not necessary? If going with the second Barbarian, I would just make it “If you have achieved at least three Feats”, and limit it to 5 cards or more. Sounds too scary otherwise.

I like the cards though!

I made Grimoire that way because of the Wisdom Spell, which draws cards. Drawing cards in the buy phase is weak, but it's better if you know you have to discard cards. The "either way" tries to be friendly, but I guess it's established by now cards shouldn't do that... Would it be better if I just removed it?

For Barbarian, I think I need to ponder this a little more. I'd like the Feat cards in general to scale directly with the Feats, and only the Rabble version can do that at all... But it also doesn't scale all that nicely. While I like the idea of a Feat attack, I kinda feel this would be better as a Seasons card. Maybe I'll go over Raiders again, because I considered changing some of them either way (mostly because of how similar Peltmonger and Lumbermen turned out to be). But that's another story.

Delegate would be more interesting as a $3 or $4 card that gives +2 cards and turns any action into a cantrip (Reverse Enchantress). It seems a bit weak for $5 considering that the discard is only really valuable when you draw 2 actions dead, but that's what it has to be if it's a Smithy +.

Another idea:

Crowded City
Action - $4
+3 Cards
+3 Actions
Discard an Action card (or reveal a hand with none)

One of those cards you really have to think about playing - it's terminal draw (functionally the same as Smithy in BM), but if you want to use it in an engine (which it enables) it has complexities Smithy doesn't

My original version costed 4$ and had the discarding mandatory, while only giving an Action if it was an Action card. The reason I changed it was that I tend to end up with 4$s and 3$s all the time, and have to make a willing effort to push them into 5$ territory. So I did here... Would that 4$ version be better? Alternatively, I could just add +1Card whenever you discard an Action card. Basically this makes Delegate a Smithy that transforms another Action card into a Village (instead of just a Necropolis). This actually looks a tad too strong to me?

[NoMoreFun]

I know exactly what you mean about $3 and $4 cards, and I do the same thing. I have countless ideas for events costing $P for that reason (and just need to stop procrastinating about doing up art for them).

I don't know why it ends up that way; I guess it's easier to tell when the card is too strong and too weak than the $5 price point.

Having said all that, I do like the mandatory discard version better. Maybe it just seems to me like there's been too many "Smithy with a bonus" cards.

[Asper]

I know exactly what you mean about $3 and $4 cards, and I do the same thing. I have countless ideas for events costing $P for that reason (and just need to stop procrastinating about doing up art for them).

I don't know why it ends up that way; I guess it's easier to tell when the card is too strong and too weak than the $5 price point.

Having said all that, I do like the mandatory discard version better. Maybe it just seems to me like there's been too many "Smithy with a bonus" cards.

Ha ha, I see. Alright then, I'll try out the 4$ version 

[Holunder9]

I don't think that Delegate is weak. If you just look at net effects this is a Smithy or Laboratory which seems a bit weakish for $5 but there is so much more going on: first of all there is the "draw first, get Actions later" aspect that is familiar from Avanto, Coin of the Realm and Villagers and that is also pretty strong.
Second, while you often commit to generate draw power from either Village + Smithy variant or Lab variant you sometimes also mix them together and if you get this deal via one card that is even better.
Third, Smithy is basically like Village or Throne Room: you don't mind paying $1 more even if the cherry on top is pretty small.

If Delegate were the mirror of Stables it would be too weak for $5 (but perhaps also too good for $4).
Unlike Stables, or rather the hypothetical ActionStables, this has the advantage of drawing before you discard (which, if we take a starting hand as benchmark, increase the number of cards you select from by 50%).
If you make the discarding mandatory this becomes a "mere" Stables variant and ceases to be what it is: a flexible card that can be used for terminal as well as non-terminal draw and that increases your engine consistency quite a bit.

tl;dr: Delegate is a great card, don't change it.

Not sure Loyal subjects needs to have that special on-trash.

Most def. A mere cantrip is too bland and this allows many Fortress tricks without becoming as crazy as Fortress (only one copy; landing in the discard pile).

[Fly-Eagles-Fly]

Third, Smithy is basically like Village or Throne Room: you don't mind paying $1 more even if the cherry on top is pretty small.

I think this is the only point that matters. It's an interesting card that gives a small bonus over Smithy, so it's good.

Not sure Loyal subjects needs to have that special on-trash.

Most def. A mere cantrip is too bland and this allows many Fortress tricks without becoming as crazy as Fortress (only one copy; landing in the discard pile).

True. It definitely needs something extra. I'm not sure this is the best thing, but it definitely works and is interesting.

[Asper]

The idea for Delegate originally was that terminal draw gets worse if there are cantrips you might draw dead (especially if they don't do anything for you besides being a cantrip), and initially I wanted it to just be a Smithy that always gets this downside... But, I realized that I couldn't use this to balance the card, as all regular terminal draw in the kingdom would just as well be affected by it. So I decided to instead make it an advantage the card should have over other terminal draw. It isn't annoyed by them, and can in fact make use of these cards. The card is untrashable to keep this status.

I also felt an Action complementing Shelters/Estates and Heirlooms/Coppers should be some placeholder kingdom inhabitants. When I made them "loyal" subjects, making them non-trashable seemed especially cute: Be it Knights, Rats, or Locusts, these guys never abandon you.