Glen Slagle
@powertrout.bsky.social
Terminal hobbyist and dilettante.
Instead of buying Offering cards out-right, any resources you spend on upgrades go into a bowl. At the end of your turn, you can respend them to draw an Offering card for each set of Stone/Wood/Pig you in the bowl. From the pic, they can draw 2 cards because they have 2 stone (Silver is wild).
November 30, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Instead of buying Offering cards out-right, any resources you spend on upgrades go into a bowl. At the end of your turn, you can respend them to draw an Offering card for each set of Stone/Wood/Pig you in the bowl. From the pic, they can draw 2 cards because they have 2 stone (Silver is wild).
I also added four "Trophy" points that go to whoever has the most Favor, Meeples, Cargo Spaces, or the highest Fort position. If another player passes the leader, they take the point. They're easy to get, but they're very hard to keep.
November 30, 2025 at 11:52 PM
I also added four "Trophy" points that go to whoever has the most Favor, Meeples, Cargo Spaces, or the highest Fort position. If another player passes the leader, they take the point. They're easy to get, but they're very hard to keep.
#2. I'm still working on that. 😅
Rather than rely on players taking points manually, I'm working on "achievement" style events where players will generate points as part of engine building. Once someone starts collecting points, others want to catch up.
Updates to follow.
Rather than rely on players taking points manually, I'm working on "achievement" style events where players will generate points as part of engine building. Once someone starts collecting points, others want to catch up.
Updates to follow.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
#2. I'm still working on that. 😅
Rather than rely on players taking points manually, I'm working on "achievement" style events where players will generate points as part of engine building. Once someone starts collecting points, others want to catch up.
Updates to follow.
Rather than rely on players taking points manually, I'm working on "achievement" style events where players will generate points as part of engine building. Once someone starts collecting points, others want to catch up.
Updates to follow.
It is difficult, but quite possible (especially with the help of Favor), to reduce the cost to zero! Eventually, you'll have to pull cost tokens that affect you, but you can take it pretty far. And it is possible to max out an upgrade, like buying all the available meeples, so there is a hard limit.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
It is difficult, but quite possible (especially with the help of Favor), to reduce the cost to zero! Eventually, you'll have to pull cost tokens that affect you, but you can take it pretty far. And it is possible to max out an upgrade, like buying all the available meeples, so there is a hard limit.
Player cubes can be moved from one upgrade to another as well. ex: Red purchases a Meeple for 4 pigs. After purchasing, they must move a cube from somewhere else to Meeples. They take the red cube from Cargo, giving up their discount there, but maintaining the 4 pigs cost on Meeples.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Player cubes can be moved from one upgrade to another as well. ex: Red purchases a Meeple for 4 pigs. After purchasing, they must move a cube from somewhere else to Meeples. They take the red cube from Cargo, giving up their discount there, but maintaining the 4 pigs cost on Meeples.
A further wrinkle I've been playing with is "Favor" tokens. For a price, you can replace a generic cost token with one of your color (blue & red cubes). When you buy an upgrade, you ignore your own cubes. ex, Cargo would cost Red 4 wood, but everyone else would pay 5 wood.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
A further wrinkle I've been playing with is "Favor" tokens. For a price, you can replace a generic cost token with one of your color (blue & red cubes). When you buy an upgrade, you ignore your own cubes. ex, Cargo would cost Red 4 wood, but everyone else would pay 5 wood.
This forces players to consider how much they're willing to spend to achieve a particular goal, or if they can work the market to achieve it anyway. ex: A meeple costs 4 pigs, but Cargo costs 3 wood. If I spend 3 on Cargo Space, I can move a cube to Cargo from Meeples, making Meeples cost 3.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
This forces players to consider how much they're willing to spend to achieve a particular goal, or if they can work the market to achieve it anyway. ex: A meeple costs 4 pigs, but Cargo costs 3 wood. If I spend 3 on Cargo Space, I can move a cube to Cargo from Meeples, making Meeples cost 3.
1. I changed the upgrades from the basic "4 pigs for a meeple" to fluctuating costs, marked by tokens (green cubes). Whenever an upgrade is purchased, the player moves a token from a DIFFERENT upgrade to the one they just purchased, raising the cost of one, while effectively discounting the other.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
1. I changed the upgrades from the basic "4 pigs for a meeple" to fluctuating costs, marked by tokens (green cubes). Whenever an upgrade is purchased, the player moves a token from a DIFFERENT upgrade to the one they just purchased, raising the cost of one, while effectively discounting the other.
It's a surprisingly toothy game now. Anticipating whether another player is going to block a threat, so you don't have to waste a card, or deciding whether to leave for a few points or stay for a ton is delightful. I'm very happy with it. Next I need to work on balance. [END AUGUST UPDATE]
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
It's a surprisingly toothy game now. Anticipating whether another player is going to block a threat, so you don't have to waste a card, or deciding whether to leave for a few points or stay for a ton is delightful. I'm very happy with it. Next I need to work on balance. [END AUGUST UPDATE]
If a threat that wasn't dealt with, either through selfishness or inability, comes up again, everyone who is still in busts and earns no points. Chances are pretty good, especially in higher player count games, that someone could have prevented every threat, but chose not to.
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
If a threat that wasn't dealt with, either through selfishness or inability, comes up again, everyone who is still in busts and earns no points. Chances are pretty good, especially in higher player count games, that someone could have prevented every threat, but chose not to.
Playing "Stay"/"Pass" means you're still in, but relying on someone else to block the threat.
Playing "Leave" lets you walk away with points based on the spot you've reached as a group, plus any bonus points on that space (NOT split between multiple players who leave, UNLIKE Incan Gold. Take that!)
Playing "Leave" lets you walk away with points based on the spot you've reached as a group, plus any bonus points on that space (NOT split between multiple players who leave, UNLIKE Incan Gold. Take that!)
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Playing "Stay"/"Pass" means you're still in, but relying on someone else to block the threat.
Playing "Leave" lets you walk away with points based on the spot you've reached as a group, plus any bonus points on that space (NOT split between multiple players who leave, UNLIKE Incan Gold. Take that!)
Playing "Leave" lets you walk away with points based on the spot you've reached as a group, plus any bonus points on that space (NOT split between multiple players who leave, UNLIKE Incan Gold. Take that!)
Only one is needed, but you only get 2 extra shields per turn, so you don't want to waste them blocking everything possible. It's better if someone else burns their card to protect the group and carry you to higher points.
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Only one is needed, but you only get 2 extra shields per turn, so you don't want to waste them blocking everything possible. It's better if someone else burns their card to protect the group and carry you to higher points.
-Change 2: Simultaneous turns. Draw a card, then all players secretly pick a card from their hand in reaction. Playing a matching card will block that suit from busting later. Multiple players blocking a card is overkill and a waste. Blocked cards are marked with a point that can be picked up later.
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
-Change 2: Simultaneous turns. Draw a card, then all players secretly pick a card from their hand in reaction. Playing a matching card will block that suit from busting later. Multiple players blocking a card is overkill and a waste. Blocked cards are marked with a point that can be picked up later.
-Change 1. Players are given a hand of cards: the fixed Stay and Leave cards (I know! I'm sorry!), and 2 random cards from the deck each turn that can be used as disposable shields.
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
-Change 1. Players are given a hand of cards: the fixed Stay and Leave cards (I know! I'm sorry!), and 2 random cards from the deck each turn that can be used as disposable shields.
Where it's at now:
I wanted to add more agency and player interaction, but the ideas I had kept leaning into Incan Gold too much for my comfort. However, I'm happy with how it turned out. There are definitely similarities, but I think it's different enough.
I wanted to add more agency and player interaction, but the ideas I had kept leaning into Incan Gold too much for my comfort. However, I'm happy with how it turned out. There are definitely similarities, but I think it's different enough.
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Where it's at now:
I wanted to add more agency and player interaction, but the ideas I had kept leaning into Incan Gold too much for my comfort. However, I'm happy with how it turned out. There are definitely similarities, but I think it's different enough.
I wanted to add more agency and player interaction, but the ideas I had kept leaning into Incan Gold too much for my comfort. However, I'm happy with how it turned out. There are definitely similarities, but I think it's different enough.
Problems: 1. Lot of down time. 2. Rushing through a turn to intentionally bust (to collect more "shields") is tedious as hell. 3. Letting players pass and draw a card instead, only to smash through the high points, doesn't feel great either. 4. Very little agency. 5. Flipping shields is very fiddly.
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Problems: 1. Lot of down time. 2. Rushing through a turn to intentionally bust (to collect more "shields") is tedious as hell. 3. Letting players pass and draw a card instead, only to smash through the high points, doesn't feel great either. 4. Very little agency. 5. Flipping shields is very fiddly.
When you draw that suit, flip both over. It no longer counts for busting, so you can press a little further. The more you bust, the stronger you get, and the more points you can claim. But if you don't bust very often, you can still get creep toward 100 points, a few at a time, to end the game.
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
When you draw that suit, flip both over. It no longer counts for busting, so you can press a little further. The more you bust, the stronger you get, and the more points you can claim. But if you don't bust very often, you can still get creep toward 100 points, a few at a time, to end the game.
Where it was: You draw cards out into a row on your turn, each one unlocking a more valuable reward, but you bust if you draw a matching suit and earn no points. Very standard. BUT, you get to keep the offending card as a shield in all future rounds against that suit.
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Where it was: You draw cards out into a row on your turn, each one unlocking a more valuable reward, but you bust if you draw a matching suit and earn no points. Very standard. BUT, you get to keep the offending card as a shield in all future rounds against that suit.
Typically I chamfer the edge of coins so they slide up onto each other easier. But the "coins" in this game are often stacked, like poker chips, so I notched the edges inward to make grabbing a stack easier.
August 27, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Typically I chamfer the edge of coins so they slide up onto each other easier. But the "coins" in this game are often stacked, like poker chips, so I notched the edges inward to make grabbing a stack easier.
*sigh* July 2025 update. It's fine. Nobody reads this. I just post updates so I can review and think through my designs.
August 9, 2025 at 3:25 AM
*sigh* July 2025 update. It's fine. Nobody reads this. I just post updates so I can review and think through my designs.