The callow pleasure of inventing new Ascension cards

Friday, August 26, 2011

Comments: 1   (latest straightaway)

Tagged: deck-building games, ascension, tabletop games, card games


Ascension is a popular game, I personally am hooked on it, and it has an expansion. Therefore: I indulge myself by imagining cards for another expansion.

I am not the only one, certainly. But I have not flipped through BGG or game forums looking for other people's lists. So this may repeat ideas you've seen before.


This isn't about big, expensive, game-changing new powers. I'm interested in subtle effects.

(In case it's not obvious, nobody says "honor" or "rune" or "power" in our neighborhood.)

Explosive Homunculus: Monster, cost 3. Gain 1 VP and 2 sword.

I noticed there were no gain-sword-on-the-back-side effects out there, so I thought why not. Maybe they playtested it out, but this don't look broken to me -- just a nice limited chain opportunity.

Emri's Javelin: Void Construct, cost 4, 2 VP. Gain 1 sword every time you defeat a monster in the center row.

No, not for Cultists. Sheesh. Yes, if a Homunculus comes up, you get to throw metal fingers.

Rage Star: Void Construct, cost 3, 1 VP: Gain 1 sword. After you defeat a Cultist, you may treat further Cultists as 3/2 monsters for the rest of this turn.

A point here, a point there, but maybe at the end of the game your sword deck gets a big windfall.

Junkyard Diver: Mechana Hero, cost 3, 1 VP. You may choose a construct from your discard pile and put it in your hand. Draw 1 card.

Foul Slime: Monster, cost 2. Gain 2 magic. Return 1 VP to the pool (if you have any).

"Eww, it got all over me."

Worldly Fetter: Enlightened Construct, cost 3, 2 VP. Once per turn you may return 1 VP to the pool to gain 1 magic.

Adayu's Hut: Enlightened Construct, cost 3, 1 VP. If you do not defeat a monster during your turn, gain 1 VP.

Two-Faced Predva: Enlightened Hero, cost 1, 1 VP. You may gain 3 magic; if you do, then at the end of your turn, put this card on top of one of the cards in the center row.

A cheap one-shot booster, but then someone else gets him. Also lets you do some low-grade card denial.

Xeron, Duke of Lies: Monster, cost 6. Gain 4 VP. Draw a card. Each other player must banish a card worth at least 1 VP from their hand (if they have any).

Yes, it's friggin' Xeron. Everybody hates Xeron. This is an alternate Xeron which isn't quite as hateful. Use it as a house rule if you like.


I'm having a hard time coming up with Lifebound cards. Can't think of any interestingly different ways for them to build off each other.

And finally, I keep trying to invent the Onefold Askara. The joke is that it's just some guy. A guy with one face! "0 cost, 0 VP, draw a card"? Not funny enough.

Maybe "0 cost, 0 VP, cannot be banished". This is more interesting if you're playing the Variant, so that another card is visible behind him. But that next card might still be crap, and then nobody would touch him for the rest of the game. I dunno.



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