Matthew Lindley
Larkfield, Aylesford
Kent
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Hello, I had an idea for an alien. I did have a couple of ways the power could work but this is the most easy to follow. I've posted it on the Facebook page but wanted to see what people thought.
Name: Texas
Power: Likes to see a flop
Description: As a main player during the planning phase *use* this power to have your opponent deal three cards face up at random from their deck (the flop). You must then choose one of the attack cards dealt by your opponent to be their card in the reveal phase. All unchosen cards are returned. If no attack cards are dealt, they are returned and your opponent choses a card as normal. If your opponent has 3 cards or less when asked to deal, they may choose to decline or draw a new hand and then deal. You may choose your card before or after the deal.
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This is basically a slightly buffed Laser.
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Jack Reda
United States
Herndon
Virginia
Guess the games in my uberbadge!
My favorite game is Cosmic Encounter.
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Or also like Magician.
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Matthew Lindley
Larkfield, Aylesford
Kent
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I had a second version which made the power optional but Texas would have to put two cards face down before the deal and then choose one of those two after the deal.
There are similarities but I still think there is a discernible difference.
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Wait, excuse me, I seem to have overlooked the fact that this lets you choose your card after choosing your opponent's card - which makes this not a slightly buffed Laser but a slightly buffed Laser plus an entire Oracle, which is just ridiculous.
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Matthew Lindley
Larkfield, Aylesford
Kent
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This is all on the assumption that not only will you have good cards but your opponent will have bad cards. There will be times when you have nothing but low attack cards and your opponent deals one attack card such as a 23 and you're beaten. You might have high cards when you are trying to lose the battle.
Granted, choosing afterwards from a full hand might be a little strong so it might need some work such as pre-selecting some cards.
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Just a Bill
United States
Norfolk
Virginia
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Aside from the gameplay concerns (which I agree with), the name does not really fit the Cosmic Encounter vibe. "Texas" is too strong an Earth reference for a game about aliens in a universe of undefined place and time.
I get that you're trying to leverage a Texas Hold 'Em gambling theme, but there isn't any gambling going on with this game effect. It's really a make-your-opponent-select-blindly theme ... as has already been pointed out, Laser/Magician in a funny hat, or Oracle's steroid-enhanced super-cousin.
Laser is generally a highly disliked alien power, and I think for most of us Magician has this design space sufficiently taken care of already.
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Matthew Lindley
Larkfield, Aylesford
Kent
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Ok. Thanks for the feedback.
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Shemp Fill-in: Chan?
United States
Fountain Valley
California
Which way did I go?
Pick a card.
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ThatNiceMan wrote: Description: As a main player during the planning phase *use* this power to have your opponent deal three cards face up at random from their deck (the flop).
I assume you mean, "from their hand" (or to be more grammatically correct, "from his hand").
And yes, it's too powerful as written. It's Oracle + mini-Mind + mini-Laser + mini-Visionary.
It's easy enough to remove the Oracle portion - just make Texas choose his card first. Then it's closer to an appropriate power level but still too powerful and probably too much like Magician.
Bill Martinson wrote: Laser is generally a highly disliked alien power, and I think for most of us Magician has this design space sufficiently taken care of already.
I've never understood why. I've always like the Laser power. If it's too weak, it can be beefed up a bit in any number of ways. I don't think it's too similar to Magician to include them both in FFG's bestiary. There are plenty of other pairs of powers in FFG that are at least as similar, if not more so.
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Just a Bill
United States
Norfolk
Virginia
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Phil Fleischmann wrote: (or to be more grammatically correct, "from his hand").
Or to be more FFG-compliant, "from his or her hand".
Phil Fleischmann wrote: Bill Martinson wrote: Laser is generally a highly disliked alien power I've never understood why.
Because it's no fun to play against. It removes decisions and turns the encounter into Pin the Tail on the Space-Donkey. Often it isn't even fun to be Laser because you lose the chance to deduce/intuit your opponent's intentions, miss opportunities to deal, etc. Pure dumb randomness just isn't very fun; same reason I don't play Trickster.
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The Laser often doesn't even help itself that much. I'd be perfectly willing to throw this encounter as the defense, but no, you just had to force me to play my Attack 40 now and screw yourself out of a foreign colony.
The Visionary is another fine Laser replacement, replacing random chance with skill.
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Just a Bill
United States
Norfolk
Virginia
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salty53 wrote: The Visionary is another fine Laser replacement, replacing random chance with skill.
Verily.
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Shemp Fill-in: Chan?
United States
Fountain Valley
California
Which way did I go?
Pick a card.
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OK, you've convinced me about the Laser.
Although there still might be a good power lurking somewhere in that concept. I'll get right on it.
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Gerald Katz
United States
New York
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Bill Martinson wrote:
Because it's no fun to play against. It removes decisions and turns the encounter into Pin the Tail on the Space-Donkey. Often it isn't even fun to be Laser because you lose the chance to deduce/intuit your opponent's intentions, miss opportunities to deal, etc. Pure dumb randomness just isn't very fun; same reason I don't play Trickster.
Varying mileage. I like the randomness Laser provides. As Laser, I like that my opponent can't automatically play his best card presuming he would if I wasn't Laser. Against laser, it's annoying but a fun annoying. Laser could still pick my best or second best card, and I win anyway.
Way back when during my college Eon days, Laser was a popular choice.
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Jack Reda
United States
Herndon
Virginia
Guess the games in my uberbadge!
My favorite game is Cosmic Encounter.
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This is the revision version of Laser that I currently use:
LASER
Targets Cards Opponent Can't Use
You have the Power to Blind. As a main player, before cards are selected, you may use this power to select at random one card from your opponent for each ship you have in the encounter. The targeted cards are placed on your opponent's alien sheet and are not considered part of his or her hand. At the end of the encounter, the cards return to your opponent's hand. If after blinding your opponent he or she has no encounter cards, you win the encounter.
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Just a Bill
United States
Norfolk
Virginia
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Hey Jack, that's not too shabby. Definitely an improvement over the original, and probably different enough from Magician to carve out its own territory in the cosmos. Seems to make a bit more thematic sense, too.
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Posted Thu Feb 9, 2012 5:03 pm
