I miss Events the most. Premeditated but random swinger effects!
I think there could be a cool way to make it “balanced” in the Reloaded format. Five way to do this off the top of my head:
Event is activated by a Pull (value, suit, color…).
Event is activated if the owner boots an amount of Influence.
Event is activated if the lowball hand they turn up in wins lowball.
Event is activated if the owner discards a number of (random) cards from their play hand.
Events have different and varied activation costs. These costs can either be mandatory (forced), conditional (pay the cost or ace without effect), or entirely optional (pay or discard without effect).
I’d even venture to say that with some savvy design, the “problems” these cards created for Classic could be solved (even though the original Headline Rule went a long way towards doing that)…
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Side note: cards that simultaneously check both poker and text (like Feats!) really need an ink splotch on their poker value as a visual cue. Just sayin…
To be honest, If I’d redesign the game from scratch, I’d implement fear levels, as a self-increasing mechanism (allowing player interaction with it), that served as a hard game-ender to avoid games taking too long.
I remember some of the interactions with Fear Level; if I recall correctly, increasing it gave the Whateleys Victory Points (counted like a permanent control point, but really permanent, i.e. the player gained them), and maybe reducing the Fear Level gave the Sioux Union Victory Points…? can’t recall exactly, but it worked that way too in the RPG, when a character managed to reduce the Fear Level in an area, they could gain a Legendary Chip. Didn’t happen often, but was awesome when it did.
A problem I see with Fear Levels, though, is that implementing it might require to make it a central element in the game, not just a timer with a fancy name
The major gameplay elements are Control, Influence and Movement (Combat and Economy, also). I can see ways Fear Levels help/hamper each of those elements, and I can see many implementations that might encourage passive/defensive/turtling gameplay (keeping FLs down until you’re ready to win).
I wonder if it’s possible to make Fear Levels distinct enough to add a layer of complexity without breaking the game, all while interacting with other mechanics, or adding an overarching objective that goes beyond control of the city (that pretty much was the point of Victory Points: having Outfit specific objectives to achieve).
For now, I think house rules are the way to go I’m going to think of something for the next weeks. High FLs might reduce cost/upkeep of Abominations, make Harrowed dudes crazier(extra bullets), give more influence to truly horrific Abominations. Low FLs might make Miracles/Spirits easier to perform, lower Abominations’ influence, make Harrowed dudes tougher (count for an extra casualty).
Maybe the 4th ring could only increase Fear Levels (and benefit from a high FL), while Eagles Wardens could only decrease it (and gain Victory Points). Morgan’s mad scientists could do anything “accidentally”, and Law Dogs, Sloane Gang could go both ways (having access to Blessed, Hucksters and Mad Scientists). The 108 bandits… dunno about them yet
Somehow the puzzle pieces are falling together (at least in my head)
There are already many cards that deal with control points. Some of these, like Fiery Rethoric or Summoning just scream “Reduce/Raise Fear Level”.
All the servitors do, too.
A generic approach : the relevant outfit cards might just add “When card type Y(dude, deed, good,…) gains X (permanent?) control point due to effect from card type Z(spell, action, dude, …), raise/lower(depending on the outfit) Fear Level by X”.
There could be a more personalized approach… it all seems more feasible than I first thought.
Perhaps campaign play? A series of linked games with Fear based effects.
It would need to avoid snowballing, but perhaps higher fear would help the previous loser attract great heroes etc.
Winner gets to raise/lower fear level and pick from a menu of effects linked to winning.
Loser doesn’t get to choose but gets their own separate menu of effects to choose from?
Fear level rises and falls across a campaign without needing specific card interactions? You could even have a Narrator make ad-hoc decisions on certain plays that raise/lower the fear level.
Might make a good article if someone fancies bashing something together.
Would help bring the card gamers and RPG folk together too. Happy to bash around ideas somewhere in the forum and its the kind of article this has has “hosted” in the past if it is well put together.
A Fear Level mechanic, done elegantly, would exhibit or be integrated into the type of dynamic tension that the game already features in spades. Ideas:
Fear Level…
is initially set on turn one equal to the highest sundown influence on table
ends the game (tiebreaker rules) when it matches the number of days passed
may change up or down (player’s choice) upon winning lowball, a shootout, or a job
uses the pull mechanic to successfully change: player chooses “pull above” or “pull below”
whereby a failed pull changes the Fear Level the opposite direction (& tied pull = no change)
I’m going to think of something for the next weeks. High FLs might reduce cost/upkeep of Abominations, make Harrowed dudes crazier(extra bullets), give more influence to truly horrific Abominations. Low FLs might make Miracles/Spirits easier to perform, lower Abominations’ influence, make Harrowed dudes tougher (count for an extra casualty).