Distant Colonies Update

After the Death of Hawker, I have been thinking up some new ideas for cards. The following are completely untested, but the latest cards to be considered for my set:

A bit of an oddball, Aztec Charm is a virtual copper that comes back every other turn. It is great for slogs. It also combos well with Mystic and Scrying Pool. It can also be used to delay your reshuffle for cards like Counting House or Shaman.

What's interesting about it, is that the duration effect is not optional. If you want the coin, you have to put it back on your deck. I had also considered an effect that would let you give it to other players on buy, as its effect can turn it into a copper that keeps coming back, but it seemed too complicated.

Metallurgist is a pretty cool card. It seems like it will do well for setting up Tactician decks, or even for winning Minion/Hunting Party splits.


I have also updated a few cards:

Flower Meadow received a minor tweak; it is now worth an additional 1 VP per Duke in your deck. Prior to this, Dukes were utterly dead on a board with them. Now, they work mostly the same as they did before.

I redid Investment. Previously, it was +1 buy and +2 coin on buy. This made it crazy strong with cards like Woodcutter (+4 coin) or Baron (+6 coin), and relatively worthless by itself. This change helps make it less worthless without other +buy, and less overpowered for cards with both +coin and +buy.

Distant Colonies: The Death of a Salesman

I have recently decided to scrap one of my cards from the Distant Colonies set. It is an interesting card, but I feel that there is a card that delivers on this concept better that already exists. Strange as it may sound, this 2-cost cantrip is being usurped by a 5 cost terminal because they share a very similar role.

The original idea behind Hawker was to create interesting decisions around making extra buys or not. Everything about the card was based on that; it was designed as a 2 cost mainly so that buying multiple copies was not difficult (similar to other massable cards like Fool's Gold). It was a cantrip so that having too many would not be a bad thing. It gave you buys, but punished you for not using them.

Merchant's Guild also rewards players for making extra buys, but does it in a way I like much better than the way I did it. A single Merchant's Guild serves as a delayed terminal gold (assuming you use both buys); it gives $1 now and $2 later. Multiple MGs stack exponentially in power, 2 MGs give you 3 buys and 2 coins per buy ($6 later), 3 MGs give 4 buys and 3 coins per ($12). It has potential in engines, BM, slogs, and more. It is a really cool card, and I humbly bow out from competing against it.

I still like the idea of a conditional duration card, and I will probably experiment trying to make something similar in future.

Dungeon Keeper 3 - Heroes

These have been fairly extensively redone, so I figured they deserved their own article.

Basic Human Units

    Citizen
The basic human. Weak, and performs basic labour for the heroes. They can be upgraded to a caste once they gain their first level. Once a caste unit reaches level 6, they are upgraded again, to the higher level of their caste.

    Infantry
Infantry are the standard fighter for heroes. They are the basic level of the Fighter caste. They are reasonably strong, and require a Training Room.

    Knight
Knights are upgraded infantry. They are tougher than Infantry, but vulnerable to lightning. They hate Black Knights.

    Monk
Monks are the basic level of the Holy caste. They are fairly weak, but super-effective against undead. They require a Church.

    Cleric
Clerics are upgraded monks. They gain a healing ability, and are tougher than monks.

    Wizard
Wizards are the back-line support for heroes. They are the basic level of the magic caste. They use fireballs, while your Warlocks use Ice magic.

    Mage
Mages are upgraded wizards. They gain a lightning attack, and can gain a more powerful fire attack.

    Thief
Thieves are the basic level of the Rogue caste. They can gain the ability to open your doors, and can detect traps, and avoid triggering many traps. They will also steal from your treasuries if you let them.

    Spy
Spies are upgraded thieves. They gain the ability to disable traps, and can even become invisible. They also gain a damage upgrade.

    Crossbowman
The basic level of the Ranged caste. They do more damage than Wizards, and serve as support units.

    Archer
Archers do (slightly) more damage than Crossbowmen, and have a better rate of fire. In addition, they also gain the Fire Arrow ability.

Elven Units

    Elf
Elves are the introductory level for Elves in the same way that Citizens are for humans. They do not do work as citizens do, instead relying on Citizens or Dwarves to do that. All Elves have the ability to detect traps, and can avoid triggering many traps. In addition, all Elves hate Dark Elves. Elves can

    Elven Archer
They are powerful support units; more powerful than human Archers. They have the ability to make critical hits for bonus damage. They gain the Knives ability at level 6.

    Elven Warrior
Elven warriors are powerful but fragile fighters. They have a chance to evade attacks, and are resistant to all magic. They have no abilities.

    Fairy
Fairies are small flying creatures with an impressive arsenal of magic. Their abilities are (in order that they gain them): Chill, Heal, Lightning, and Freeze.

Dwarven Units

    Dwarf
The paltry dwarf; these do the grunt work of most kingdoms. They are weak and vulnerable, and hate greenskins. They may however, upgrade into Dwarven Warriors, abandoning their pickaxes for true axes.

    Dwarven Warrior
A slightly stouter companion to basic dwarves, warriors can work in the workshop, and are much stronger than basic dwarves (though that isn't saying much). They can gain a Throwing Axe ability. They are still fairly weak.

Other Units

    Giant
Giants serve a similar role to the Monster-class units of Dungeon Keepers. They require their special Giant Gates to come in, and have an independent population cap from the rest of the Heroic force. They are as tough as tough gets, and very strong in addition. They resist fire and poison, and can work in a workshop. They can gain Throw and Slam abilities, that utilize their mass to disrupt enemy lines.

    Seraphim
Seraphim are holy warriors, summoned by the Seraphim Feather miracle. They are immune to all damage sources other than Horny or other Seraphim. They require mana to sustain themselves, and have several magical attacks to bolster their impressive damage.

Nobility

 Nobility are typically the bosses of each level.

    Lord
The most common Noble, they lead the heroic forces fearlessly. Their bravery inspires those around them, in the form of their Rally ability.

    Elven Lord
Elven lords are similar to regular lords, except that they are elves, and have better damage.

    Prince
Princes are the young heirs to the king. They are not as strong as lords, but are typically better protected. They also resist all forms of magic.

    Archmage
Archmagi are powerful magic users. They are weaker than Lords, but their impressive magicks more than compensate for their paltry physical strength.

    High Cleric
A spiritual leader, they are similar to the Archmagi, except that they have holy magics instead of elemental ones.

    General
A high ranked officer to the King. They wield hammers, and can work in workshops. They are tougher than regular lords.

    King
The final boss of the game. He has some of the highest stats in the game, and is resistant to all magic.

Dungeon Keeper 3 - Playing as Heroes

In some scenarios (such as skirmish battles), you may wish to play as the goodly Heroes. They play very differently from a Keeper. For starters, they cannot slap their citizens, and cannot pick them up either.

Heroes share all of the following rooms with Keepers:

• Hatchery, Library, Training Room, Wooden Bridge, Treasury, Stone Bridge, Workshop, Guard Room, Casino, Laboratory

They also share these rooms, but do not use them in the same way:

• Lair – Heroes will not be dragged back to their lairs like creatures are
• Prison – will not create skeletons for Heroes
• Torture Chamber – cannot be used by Heroes
• Combat Pit – cannot be used by Heroes, allows humans to train until level 6
• Graveyard – does not attract vampires for Heroes, grants mana for corpses instead
• Temple – not used except by Darkwort; cannot use sacrifices, does not pray there

In addition, there are several unique Human buildings and rooms:

• Hero Gate, Dwarf Gate, Giant Gate – are pre-placed like portals, Keepers capture them by capturing all adjacent tiles, while Heroes need only capture them like regular territory, to attract in citizens
• Church – heroes pray here, 5x5 or larger holds an artifact to use miracles (miracles are the heroic equivalent of spells)
• Hero Gateway – heroes gather here to teleport to hero gates; 3x3

There are also some traps unique to heroes:

• Gargoyle trap – only emerges at night time, becomes a demon and actively fights back against nearby enemies (can only be built outdoors)
• Sunstone – emits daylight to the immediate area around it; useful for warding off many creatures

Heroes are also controlled differently than dungeon creatures. Heroes have a special 'caste' menu instead of spells, which they can use to assign castes to citizens (or elves of at least level 3) who are at least level 1. In addition, in place of 'slaps', they place an Orders Banner, which rallies nearby units to it. Right clicking on a Hero Gate will summon units from the Hero Gateway.

Conscription and Heroic Mechanics:

Heroes make armies out of their citizens. Once a citizen has reached level one, they may train in a combat discipline of their choosing. Not all heroes use this system, but the bulk of heroic forces are trained in this manner. A human of a particular caste gets promoted at level 6, at which time they get stronger, more so than a regular level. Note that in order to get promoted, they must have the requirements for their second tier class.

Because Heroes do not use Portals, they get their new citizens from Hero Gates. Every Hero Gate attracts up to 10 citizens. Hero Gates may also be used offensively, allowing you to warp your forces from the Hero Gateway to a Hero Gate of your choice.

Hero Gates are built like 4x4 fixed size rooms, although the gates themselves are only 2x2. In order for them to be captured by a Keeper, the Keeper must capture all of its surrounding spaces. Once captured, the room is destroyed, as Keepers may not use Hero Gates.

Elves, Dwarves, and Giants each have their own set of requirements. Elves require the more expensive Elves Lair to be attracted in, while Dwarves require the Dwarven Gate, and Giants require Giant Gates.

Dwarven Gates work much like a Hero Gate except that it attracts in up to 4 Dwarves, only requires a 3x3 space (it is a 1x1 gate), and multiple Gates can be used to teleport Dwarves between them. On an unrelated note, Dwarves are the only Heroes that can capture territory.

Giant Gates bring in Giants the same way Hero Gates bring in Humans and Elves. Each will draw in up to two Giants. Giant Gates cannot be used to warp forces from a Hero Gateway or to teleport forces like a Dwarven Gate. They are the same size as Hero Gates, but have a distinctive appearance so as not to be confused with them.

Miracles

Humans have an equivalent of spells known as Miracles. A 5x5 church allows them to hold a single artifact. Every artifact performs a certain miracle.

• Seraphim Feather – summons a seraphim. Maximum 1 per feather.
• Manifest Stone – drains all mana from the realm

Non-campaign artifacts

• Phoenix Tears – restores health to all of your conscious citizens
• Philosopher's Stone – grants gold based on the emptiness of your treasury
• Sword of Truth – lets you cast Divine Wrath anywhere you can see

Featured Card: Shaman

Shaman is my latest card. I wanted to add a few more potion cards, as they work best when there are several available, so increasing the number of them seems like a good idea. It is essentially a very unique peddler variant.

It works best in engine decks, allowing you essentially a wild card of whatever you need. Its other main strength is chaining. What makes it really unique however, is how it interacts with triggering reshuffles. It makes it advantageous to leave an engine payload card in your discard after each shuffle.

I think it has significant opportunity cost, and may still be too weak, but it is a really cool card with a lot of unique interactions.

Works With:

• Most +coin cards, in particular:
• Militia, Goons - great as payload cards; they turn every shaman into terminal gold + attack
• Harvest, Navigator - discards cards for it to retrieve
• Councillor and Scavenger - give you your pick of cards to retrieve; lets you use your entire shaman stack
• Conspirator
• Scheme - Shaman's best friend. Top deck a Shaman, grab a chain of Shamans, then Scheme. Repeat.
• Golem - play a golem to grab your shamans, use your shamans to play the golems it passes over. Also great for having something else to spend your potions on.
• Cycling:  Cellar, Warehouse - Allows you to better control your reshuffle, and gives more cards in the discard for Shaman to claim.
• Catacombs, Oracle - They becomes a lot stronger by allowing you to keep a card from the first set of  cards and still getting the second. Everything for Cycling applies as well
• Advisor and Envoy - So long as they aren't discarding treasures, these becomes a lot more reliable with Shaman.

Has Cool Interactions With:

• Gravedigger - gain back actions for you to use.
• Treasure Map
• Inn - Cycling, as well as potentially delaying a shuffle, keeping your payload cards available to your shaman.
• Fortune Teller - I can't even wrap my head around their interactions. Do they synergize with each other, or counter each other? 

Conflicts With:

• Faster games - probably the only reason Rebuild it doesn't work with it. Shaman decks take a while to get going. Like most Alchemy cards, it can be very strong in the right circumstances, or ignorable in others.

Dungeon Keeper 3 - Campaign Plot

1. Lord Illman –

Once a mighty champion who led legions of men, time has not been kind to him. His forces have been spent and he has weakened, leaving him with nothing except his loyalty to the light.

Keeper, he will be the weak link that allows you to break into this Kingdom. Crush him

2. Lord Gelbard –

Having long hidden behind the forces of others, he has opted to fill his ranks with wizards instead of warriors.

While they are powerful support, they are weak and frail in combat. Keeper, take the fight to him and he will surely fall.

+Library

(+Training Room)

3. Lord Craneburt –

A cowardly hero who locks himself away from battle, behind moats and gates. This is not all he has locked away Keeper, as he has taken prisoner a host of Dregs who would prove to be useful if rescued. Capture his briges and prisons and use his cowardly tactics against him.

+Prison

+Wooden Bridge

(+Treasury)

4. Lord Markson –

Leads the dwarven kingdom of Ironhill. It is a rich and populous community, but its magma rivers make it difficult to navigate.

If you wish to succeed here Keeper, you will have to learn the secrets of building Stone Bridges, and you will have to make the most of a limited force.

+Stone Bridge

5. General Gearfort –

Commands the great Dwarven forges in this area. His forces are vast and powerful, but are quite divided by the region's unforgiving terrain. Only the native Dwarves can move around easily and they are a paltry threat at most.

Keeper, you must strike at the heart of Gearfort, swiftly and terribly so that he cannot gather his forces to retaliate.

+Workshop

6. Lord Gabriel –

Stands in your way now; previously he was useful as a barrier between yourself and Keeper Elderbean, as it stands now, he is only a nuisance.

His kingdom sits beside a great underground lake, which should prove attractive to several waterborne races. He has fortified his walls, but has left himself vulnerable from the water.

Use the speed and power of the Nagini to outmaneuver this naive warrior; attack him from where he least expects it.

7. Lord Construm –

A veteran from the days of Inquisition, he uses information as a weapon. His forces are great, and he is well hidden in the tunnels of this region.

You must beat him at his own game Keeper, interrogate his agents and discover the true path through his maze, for a myraid of traps and ambushes await down every false path.

+Torture Chamber

"The torture chamber; look how Construm has left it unused and abandoned. Teach him its true purpose Keeper! He has let its implements rust with his neglect. He will lament that these tools do not get any less painful as they rust."

8. Keeper Elderbean –

Stubborn and greedy, he is eyeing your growing tally of lands and waiting for his opportunity to strike. He is no fool, and has already secured every portal in this realm.

You only have a small contingent of your best creatures; use them to great effect Keeper; steal the portals and resources he has hoarded, use them against him and banish him back to oblivion!

9. Keeper Underglass –

The young and naive son of the late Elderbean. Enraged by the loss of his father, he has abandoned his carefully established defences in his haste for revenge.

Use his hate against him Keeper; create deadly traps for him as he blindly rushes at you, and once he has exhausted his forces, retaliate with all of your strength and cunning.

+Laboritory

10. Lord Yorick –

A hopeless slave to the forces of light, Yorick has been granted a regiment of Knights to command.

The twisted Dark Knight should be a match for its richeous cousin, they are every bit as fearless and strong, and will train tirelessly for you. Use the Combat Pit to train your forces to exceed the goodly lord of this land.

+Combat Pit

11. Lord Highcrest –

Stands as the guardian to the gate to the surface, high and mighty. Be wary of the effects of sunlight on your creatures and dungeon Keeper.

You will be vulnerable during the day, which is when you will need to set up a careful defence. Once night falls though Keeper, you will need to strike hard and fast, for if he survives the night, he will surely return stronger than before.

+Guard Room

12. Lord Conright –

Maintains control of this land by controlling its resources. Gold is scarce, and he has thieves and spies to steal away any wealth not under his control.

You must establish an economy in order to beat him Keeper. Use magic, sell off unnecessary rooms or traps, steal, rob your captives, cheat your creatures out of their wages; use any means necessary to gather the gold necessary to establish yourself Keeper. Once your forces are sufficent, raid his treasuries, and finally show him the strength of your resourcefulness.

+Casino

13. Keeper Agony –

The well-established Keeper of this sun-filled realm; Agony is not to be underestimated, as he is a master of evil.

In order to defeat him Keeper, we must use his dark nature against him. Use the daytime to establish yourself, and prepare for an invasion after nightfall.

His attack promises to be terrible, but no so terrible as you can be Keeper.

(+Beholder)

14. Lord Sunford –

Leads a colony of Elves. Though frail, they are powerful foes nonetheless, and the sun pervades this land, leaving you little refuge for your dungeon.

You will require all of your craft here Keeper, use what you have to deadly effect and cut down the overconfident Lord Sunford

(+Succubus)

15. High Cleric Redblade –

A richeous defender of the land and persecutor of the undead. He is well defended in his fortress, but his strength of conviction shall prove to be his weakness.

Gather a force of undead Skeletons to lure him out. Against his holy Clerics, they stand no chance, but your other forces should seize the opportunity to ambush him and end his richeous ways.

16. High Cleric Montford –

Holds this realm securely, as he commands legions of men, and it has no Dark Portals for you to use.

Instead, you must use your small contingent force wisely, and capture the Graveyard to summons legions of undead Vampires and their subservient Ghouls and turn the fallen against the fair Montford.

+Graveyard

(+Dragon)

17. High Cleric Righton –

The last of these troublesome High Clerics, he possesses great wealth thanks to the rare gem seams that lie within his realm.

He has spared no expense in the defence of his castle, so I want you to enjoy cracking this oyster open to reveal its prize.

18. General Millsbold –

Commands a powerful but young territory. Its inhabitants are inexperienced and untrained, making them prime targets for you keeper.

You must strike quickly though, as General Millsbold is strong and will surely form a worthy force from the populace if given enough time.

19. Lord Nightingale –

A good friend of Prince Darkwort, that proximity to royal decadence has made him a coward. You must act quickly, as Lord Nightingale will flee at the first sign of danger.

You must find him and stop him before he can escape; interrogate as many prisoners as necessary, and be careful to conceal your dungeon, lest he notice you and disappear.

20. Prince Darkwort –

The youngest and most troubled son of the King, young Darkwort is charged with protecting the Dark Temple. His dark nature has prompted him to use the Temple which has granted him the allegiance of several Dark Angels.

You must not kill the Angels, we dare not antagonize them. Should you capture the Temple, their allegiance will falter, and defeating Darkwort should be easy from there.

+Dark Temple

(+Fallen Angel)

21. Prince Malwest –

The King's favourite son, he has been assigned a large force to defend this realm. Young and foolhardy, he intends to use it in a direct attack against you.

Establish a strong defence Keeper, and be wary of the Hero Gates. You will be attacked by wave after wave of heroic forces, followed by an attack led by the Prince himself.

(+Horny)

22. Archmage Nazareth –

The King's oldest and wisest advisor, he leads a council of Magi as well as an order of Knights. In his land are several mana vaults, which will serve you well.

Keeper, the time has come for you to call upon our greatest champion: Horny. He is unstoppable in battle, and will make short work of the castle's defences.

23. Prince Albian –

Commands a force of Elves, and is in possession of a holy artifact that would allow him to summon a contingent of Seraphim to aid him.

Do not allow this to happen Keeper. The ritual cannot be completed until his mana reserves are sufficent, and you must ensure that this never happens. Seraphim are richeous pests, and their presence would make things difficult here.

24. General Steelcraft –

The King's most trusted General, Steelcraft commands a mob of Giants who operate his mighty Workshop. His kingdom is filled with trecherous terrain; rivers of magma and a Beholder's labyrinth.

His forces are powerful, his defences impenetrable – it will take all of your vicious wit to outflank and outmaneuver this worthy foe.

25. Keeper Oderus –

A selfish and twisted fiend, Oderus keeps a pair of Succubi as personal attendants. Keeper, his realm is vast and his temper foul.

His ego is his weakness however, and a timely delivery of tribute will appease him, buying you the time you need to prepare your attack. Strike when he least expects it, and cut his decadent heart from this realm.

26. Keeper Illumian –

The oldest and craftiest among the three brother Keepers, Illumian favours the Arachneus huntress to fill his dungeons. In addition, he also has powerful legions of undead. He preys on a nearby community, who have started fighting back with their Monks.

Keeper, convert these holy men to your cause and use them against Illumian. Their effectiveness against his undead minions should be enough to tip the scales in your favour.

27. Lord Pixfort –

Famed for being the only man to tame a Dragon, Lord Pixfort has long been a banner of hope for his people. Their hope is their strength Keeper, and it is this you must take away from them.

So long as their spirits are high, their numbers are endless; you must best their Dragon and convert their followers to break their spirits and leave them ripe to conquer.

28. Prince Manifest –

Possesses a powerful artifact that he named – in all his infinite creativity – the Manifest Stone. It saps the mana from the land, depriving you of the precious resource.

Your traps will falter, your imps will perish, and spellcasting will be impossible whenever he invokes the stone. You must rely on your minions to overcome Manifest's forces and destroy him and his artifact Keeper.

29. Prince Milbert –

A shy and timid prince, he is kept under lock and key by his father the King. Protected by a brute squad of Giants, a company of Knights, a temple of Clerics, a school of Magi, as well as every other man spared by his father.

While it is an impressive force you are up against Keeper, it has no leader, as Prince Milbert is but a snivelling child. You must exploit its disarray to penetrate these defences and leave King Mightford without an heir.

30. King Mightford –

Having brought ruin to his kingdom, you must now face the great King himself. His forces are unmatched, his defences unparalleled, his strength and resources unlike anything you have faced before.

He keeps a pair of Seraphim on hand, who will prove a powerful obstacle for you.

Do not fear him Keeper, for while it promises to be an impressive last stand, you have proven your strength and wickedness time and again to me.

You shall overcome the last stand of Highbold and bury the land in shadows. You need only pry the crown from the cold, dead fingers of King Mightford.