Active cards, round 2
Built on the Dean's direction: cards you play on your own turn to make something happen now. No reactive or passive cards, no catch-up.
You likedSpyglass"Look at the next 2 point cards. You may put one on the bottom of the point deck." A normal play, so you still bid this round. Peeking at 3 and reordering was dropped: plant a 10, play Optional Investment, win the round, and that's 20 points and the game.
You liked, reworkedCrown Tax, now Tribute"Another player still in pays the bank the point card's value, up to 6, or folds." Tied to the prize, not the scoreboard, so it isn't catch-up. Guards, Void, Dodge and Reflect all still work against it.
New active cards
| Card | Text | The decision | Animation | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go Fish | Name an action card. If another player holds it, they give you one. If not, draw 1. | A read on someone's hand. Sneak Peek first, then fish out their Void. | Cat casts a little fishing rod and reels in a card. | S |
| Showdown | Another player must raise above the highest stake now, or fold. | Play it after your big raise, on whoever is short on gold. | Pig slaps a tiny glove down and points. | M |
| Going, Going, Gone! | Until your next turn, nobody can play Pass, Redirect, Reverse, Skip or Gridlock. | Close the round right after you take the lead. | Dog taps the stump three times with a little gavel. | M |
| Encore | After this turn, take another turn. | Unlocks two-card combos: Spyglass then Replace, Sneak Peek then Go Fish. | Rabbit bows with a tiny top hat. | S |
| Two for One | Add the next point card to the middle. The winner takes both. | Raise the prize in a round you expect to win. Combos with Spyglass. | Hamster fans out two point cards. | M |
| Kangaroo Hop | Until your next turn, every raise must beat the highest stake by at least 4. | After taking the lead, set the price of every re-raise. | Kangaroo stretches a measuring tape, hops once. | S |
| Bluff | Raise this turn. If you win the round, the bank refunds half that raise. | A scary jump raise, cheaper if it holds. | Fox winks behind a fan of cards. | S |
| Copycat | Bid exactly the highest stake. You count as the highest until someone raises. | Take the lead for the price of a match. | Parrot copies the bid in a hand mirror. | M |
| Snatch | Move up to 5 gold from another player's stake into yours. | A 10 gold swing in the lead without raising. | Magpie tugs a coin stack toward itself. | S |
| Cover Charge | Every other player secretly pays 2 gold or folds. | Thin the field. Is this card worth 2 more? | Raccoon doorman holds out a coin tray. | M |
| Sticky Honey | On another player's next turn, they can't fold. | Trap someone into spending. | Bear drizzles honey at the target's feet. | S |
| Quiet Please | Until your next turn, other players can't play action cards except Void, Dodge, Reflect and Shield. | Lock out the escapes before your squeeze. | Sloth holds up a "Shh" sign. | S |
| Show and Tell | Every other player reveals a card of their choice. Take one. | Everyone picks what to show, and you learn a card from every hand. | Each animal holds up a card, the pig plucks one. | M |
| Yard Sale | Show a card. Others secretly bid gold for it. The top bid pays you and takes it. | Sell your Void right after a Market Crash. | Raccoon holds up a card with a price tag. | M |
| Closing Bell | After 4 more turns the round ends. The highest stake wins. | The leader starts the clock. | Rooster rings a hand bell. | M |
★ = best value for the least extra rules. Dare, Showdown and Tribute are all "pay or fold", so pick one or two. Poker Face and Musical Chairs were left out again: too many rules problems.
Cards that could make room
Diamond Armor (6)Passive block with the heaviest rules of any defense card.
Bodyguard (6)Passive install-and-wait block that overlaps Invisible and Diamond Armor.
Siesta (6)Two turns of not raising. Could become one turn.
Balance numbers are coming, but the bots are being rebuilt first so the simulator plays like real people. Today's bots waste plays, so their numbers are only a rough guide.
My picks
EventsPoint card events, 1 card in 3Your idea. Some point cards carry weather that changes the rules for everyone that round. Harsher events sit on the high value cards. Start with 4 to 6: Fog, Heatwave, Quicksand, First Snow, Busy Bees, Pot of Gold.
Event systemSeasons across the matchSpring, Summer, Autumn, Winter by round number. No luck, every round looks different, and Winter (bigger point cards) ends the long games.
Event systemOmens, laterSmall events set off by the score: Gathering Storm when someone is one win away, Rain After Drought after a bankruptcy. Built on data the game already tracks.
New cardsUmbrella, Antidote, Crown Tax, Spyglass, SpotlightEach fills a real gap: a shield against table-wide attacks, a cure for lasting curses, the only card that targets the leader, a peek at the next point cards, and a stop to endless skipping.
ItemsTrading PostTwo action cards for sale face up on the crate each round, bought with gold on your turn. Uses real cards, so no new rules, art or animations.
CosmeticsCoin skins, gavels, stump toppersLook only, no rules. Gold flying as acorns or fish, your own SOLD gavel. Fits the crate store as is.
"Lot Tags" from the items designer is the same idea as point card events, so I folded it in. Nothing here is built. Pick what to prototype and I'll get mocks and a balance simulation done first.
Events on point cards
| Event | Rule for that round | Why it's fun | Look in the forest | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fog | The point card stays face down until the round ends. | You bid on a guess, and 6 of 38 cards are negative. | Mist rolls in, the card is a misty "?", a gust lifts it at the end. | S |
| Heatwave | Every bid must beat the highest stake by at least 3. | No 1-gold nibbling. Shorter, costlier rounds. | Warm light, heat shimmer, the pig fans itself with a leaf. | S |
| Downpour | Each card you play on your turn costs 1 gold. Reactions stay free. | Cards have a price. Defense stays free. | Rain, leaf umbrellas held in front, a coin drips off each card. | M |
| Quicksand | Folding loses half your stake to the bank. | Every bid makes it harder to walk away. | The folder's gold sinks into a mud puddle. | S |
| Hungry Wolf | Every 4 turns, the lowest stake folds. | Sitting at zero gets you eaten. | Eyes in the trees, paw pips fill, a fluffy wolf trots in. | M |
| Sunset | After 12 turns the round ends and the highest stake wins. | A deadline makes sniping moments. | The sun drops each turn, fireflies light up. | M |
| Pot of Gold | Penalty gold goes into a pot the winner takes. | Attacking can make the winner richer. | A rainbow ends in a pot by the stump. | S |
| Mushroom Ring | Everyone draws 2 action cards at round start. | A card-heavy chaos round. | A mushroom ring sprouts, cards pop out of the caps. | S |
| First Snow | Attack cards can't be played this round. | A clean auction. Hoarded attacks are dead weight. | Snow, scarves, attack cards frost over in hand. | S |
| Owl Watch | Every hand is face up this round. | Perfect information puzzle. | An owl lands, everyone's cards fan face up. | M |
| Windy Day | Everyone passes 1 card to the next player. | Dump your worst card on a neighbor. | A gust, cards flutter across the stump. | M |
| Bumper Crop | Two point cards. The winner picks, the last to fold takes the other. | Second place matters. | Two cards, a basket of produce between them. | L |
| Busy Bees | No checking. The highest stake must raise or fold. | The leader pays every turn to stay on top. | Bees swarm the highest gold pile. | S |
| Skunk | A negative card goes to the first player who folded. | Nobody wants to fold first. | A skunk puffs a green cloud on the first folder. | M |
★ = best first batch. Cost is the bigger of the rules work and the animation work. S: a day or two. M: about a week. L: more.
Which cards carry events
Negative cards (6)2 carry events. Skunk, Fog.
Low, 1 to 4 (12)3 carry events. Pot of Gold, Mushroom Ring, Windy Day, Bumper Crop, Owl Watch.
Mid, 5 to 7 (14)4 carry events. Fog, First Snow, Downpour, Busy Bees, Heatwave.
High, 8 to 10 (6)3 carry events. Quicksand, Hungry Wolf, Sunset, Heatwave.
About 2 to 3 events a game. The event is rolled from the card's tier each game, so Fog never gives away a card's value. Replace swaps the event too, which makes Replace a weather tool.
How players learn the event
- The card flips, an event stamp lands on its corner and the weather blends in over about 1.5 s.
- A one-line rule shows during the round intro. Longer the first time a player sees that event.
- A chip stays next to the point card all round. Tap it for the full rule.
- The controls show it: "Fold (-3)" in Quicksand, the bigger minimum bid in Heatwave, frosted attack cards in First Snow.
Cut: Eclipse (no Voids leaves no answer to the big attacks), Echo (every card twice, unreadable), Free Lunch (the richest player always wins).
Other ways to run events
| System | How it works | Example events | What it adds | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons | Spring rounds 1 to 3, Summer 4 to 6, Autumn 7 to 9, Winter 10 on. Always visible, no luck. | Summer: hand limit 6. Autumn: positive cards +1. Winter: positive cards +2 and folding loses half your stake. | A pacing backbone. Winter ends the long games without touching the typical one. | S rules, M art |
| Omens | Set off by the game's state, checked at round start. | Gathering Storm: someone is one win away, everyone else draws 1. Ash Fall: last round had no winner, this card +2. Rain After Drought: after a bankruptcy, everyone +3 gold. | Drama at the moments the game turns, plus gentle catch-up. | S-M |
| Sky Deck | A deck of 12 weather cards, one flips every other round, the next one always shown as a forecast. | Spring Shower, Fog, Frost, Gale. | Weather separate from the card's value, and a forecast to plan around. | M |
| Storm Gauge | A cloud meter fills with every penalty gold. At 20 the storm breaks. | Golden Rain, Hail, Thunderclap, Whirlwind. | Players cause the weather by attacking. | M |
| Weather Cards | A few new action cards that set the weather for the round. | Rain Dance, Sunbeam, Fog Bank, Weather Vane. | The player picks the timing. Uses the existing card system. | S-M |
| Visiting Critters | Every 3 rounds a critter hops in for one round. | Magpie drops a 5 gold egg for the winner. Owl shows next round's card. Hedgehog blocks everyone's first attack. | Character. Could be sold or collected. | L art |
| Match Climate | One setting for the whole match, picked by the host or rotated weekly. | Gold Rush (45 gold), Drought (25 gold), Monsoon (weather every round). | Variety between matches for almost no art. | S |
Suggested order
- The event slot in the engine, a weather layer over any field, bot rules, and a switch in the balance simulator.
- Point card events, 4 to 6 to start, on about 1 card in 3.
- Seasons, with a look for each field.
- Omens.
- Match Climate in private games, then a weekly rotation.
Rules stay the same on every field; each field just dresses the weather its own way (rain through the canopy, sprinkler mist on the farm, a squall on the island). New players see no events in their first 3 games.
What the current 51 cards are missing
Catch-upNo card cares about points. Nothing helps last place or slows the leader.
Point deck infoNothing shows upcoming point cards, so Replace and Optional Investment are blind.
CuresEvery defense must be up before the attack. Nothing removes Vampire, Bind, Bleeding or Loan Shark once they're on you.
Table-wide defenseOnly Void stops Corporate Bankruptcy, Market Crash or Highway Robbery, the strongest cards in the balance data.
Too much skippingPass, Reverse, Redirect, Skip and Gridlock are 48 copies doing about the same thing.
Weak at 35 goldFlat amounts shrank: Pickpocket, Winning Ticket, Clearance and Void Market's 4. (Bullish and Pump It are going to 10 now.)
15 new cards
| Card | Text | Fills | Animation | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umbrella | Reaction. Your side ignores Corporate Bankruptcy, Market Crash, Highway Robbery, Pump It or Regrowth. | Table-wide defense | Hedgehog pops a polka dot umbrella, coins bounce off. | M |
| Antidote | Free. Remove every effect other players put on you this round. | Cures | Bunny sips a little green bottle, shakes off purple fog. | M |
| Crown Tax | The leader pays the bank 2 gold per point they lead you by, up to 10. | Catch-up | Lion in a tiny crown pouts, dropping coins into a tin cup. | S |
| Spyglass | Look at the next 3 point cards and put them back in any order. | Info | Owl raises a brass spyglass with both wings. | S |
| Spotlight | On their next turn, another player can't skip or check. Raise or fold. | Anti-stall | Meerkat squints under a stage light. | M |
| Underdog | Free. If you have the fewest points, gain 2 gold per point behind the leader, up to 10. Otherwise 2. | Catch-up | Piglet catches a coin pouch tossed from offscreen. | S |
| Hot Potato | This round, a negative point card given to you moves on to the next player. | Negative card defense | Raccoon juggles a steaming potato, lobs it away. | M |
| Piggy Bank | Set aside up to 8 gold. Nothing can touch it this round. Next round it comes back with 2 more. | Protect your gold | Piglet drops a coin in a piggy bank and hugs it. | M |
| Encore | Free. Take the top card of the discard pile. | Combos | Cat dives into the discard pile, pops up holding a card. | S |
| Two-Step | Free. Play one more action card this turn. | Combos | Penguin does a little two-step. | M |
| Last Call | After your turn everyone gets one more turn, then the highest stake wins. | Shorter rounds | Owl bartender rings a brass bell. | M |
| Mulligan | Free. Discard any number of cards and draw that many. | Fix a bad hand | Bear flicks cards over its shoulder, draws fresh ones. | S |
| Copycat | Play a copy of the last card another player played. | Flexibility | Parrot strikes the same pose. | L |
| Poker Face | Your stake is hidden until your next turn. | Bluffing | Fox lowers its sunglasses. | L |
| Musical Chairs | Two other players swap seats for the round. | Chaos | Two bunnies hop around a chair and swap. | L |
★ = strongest picks. Copycat, Poker Face and Musical Chairs look fun but would be rules nightmares, so skip them. Adding cards means trimming some Voids, Passes and Reverses so the deck stays about the same size.
Item types the game doesn't have yet
| Type | How it works | Examples | Fair? | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trading Post | Two action cards for sale face up on the crate each round. Buy one on your turn for gold, then play it as normal. | Any card for 3 gold, or 5 for Void, Diamond Armor, Invisible, Gridlock. Later: snacks like Spyglass or Pocket Watch. | Yes, bought with gold in the match | S |
| Lot Tags | A sticker on the point card that changes the round. Same idea as point card events. | Gold Ribbon (winner +5 gold), Reserve Price (opening bid 4), Runner-Up, Mystery Crate. | Yes | S |
| Trinkets | Held by whoever qualifies and passed on each round. | Crown (leader pays 1 extra per raise), Lucky Acorn (last place gets help), Golden Gavel. | Yes | M |
| Table objects | One shared object at the clearing's edge each round, anyone can chip in. | Piñata, Scarecrow, Weather Vane, Wishing Well, Dinner Bell. | Yes | M |
| Relics | Each player picks one of 6 before the match. | Piggy Bank (start with 39), Tin Whistle (one free Void), Thick Purse. | Only if free for everyone | L |
| Animal perks | Each animal gets one small perk. | Pig: bigger bankruptcy top-up. Raccoon: better Steal. | Only while all animals are free, and it blocks selling new animals | M |
| Cosmetic only | Looks and sounds, no rules. | Coin skins (acorns, fish, bones), your own SOLD gavel, Void stamp art, stump topper, a squeaky toy emote. | Yes, sold in crates | S each |
Shared ground rules: using an item doesn't count as your action card, one item per turn, on your own turn, paid from free gold, always public. Gridlock and Vulnerable block items like cards.