ec2-54-224-124-217.compute-1.amazonaws.com | ToothyWiki | AlexChurchill | RecentChanges | Login | Webcomic [Boardgamizer] suggested that I see if I can design a game with the combination of Area Control mechanic, Ancient Rome theme, and victory gained by Helping the Most Players. Wait, victory gained by helping other players? How would that work?
This is my attempt to answer this question.
So. You're deploying legionaries to districts to dominate those districts, and vying for power in the Senate. Each turn at least one of your actions has to be something that other players can help with, and helping like this earns you reputation. The main source of victory points is helping other players. Of course, not everyone can help with everything. Resources deployed to help other players aren't being spent building your own position, and each possible action needs different resources to help; it'll take most of the game to get to a point where you can help in all kinds of action.
So the key is: the main source of VPs is helping other players, and the actions you take on your turn are mainly about increasing your resources so that you're able to help other players more.
The Senate is randomly generated each time and contains a number of senators who give you significant extra bonuses for doing certain things. I think it'll be made by dealing pieces of cardboard into slots on senator cards, but an approximation to that can be obtained by clicking BNF: AlexChurchill/RomanSenatorGenerator.
The different kinds of resources you can gather/receive, and spend on helping people:
Money. Standard resource (can be gathered and/or received as regular income).
Legionaries. Standard resource.
Followers. Each player starts with (?) 1 follower. Followers can be used on one action per round, either your own or other players'; but they come back to you each turn.
Political clout / popular opinion. Can increase or decrease. To wield clout you need to be at a particular threshold, but once you're at that threshold it's not consumed by being wielded.
Turn structure:
The game has N rounds. (6, maybe?) Each round has 3 action seasons (we go around the table 3 times, taking one action on your turn), followed by a scoring season. On your turn, when you announce the action you're taking, each other player in turn then declares whether they're going to choose to help you, if able. You have to accept all such help offered, whether you want it or not!
Helpable actions:
Gather legionaries. You spend followers and money; helpers spend followers or money.
Take legionaries from your bag into your supply. On your own, gain up to 3 paying 1d each. A follower gains 2. Each helper gives you 1 more soldier free and increases max by 3.
Influence a Senator. You spend money or apply political clout; helpers likewise.
With clout of 3/6/9, advance your standing with one Senator 1/2/3 steps. Pay 2d/4d/6d to increase that by 1/2/3, to a max of 3. Helpers may apply clout of 6 or pay 2d to increase your gain by 1.
Once someone's standing with a Senator exceeds 4, that Senator provides their benefit to the players with highest or joint-highest standing with him.
Raise money. You spend followers and gain money. Helpers may contribute a follower (or soldier?).
Gain 3d. Any number of your or helpers' followers increase this gain by 2d more each.
Draw favour cards. Helpers may exert clout to gain you more cards.
Draw 2 cards, or 3 with clout 5+. Helpers with clout 5+ let you gain (1?2?) more cards.
Deploy legionaries. To one of the N areas of the board. Helpers can contribute money to let you deploy to multiple areas in one action.
Take any number of legionaries from your supply and put them in one area on the board. Helpers may pay 2d to let you split this deployment between 1 extra area each.
As a reminder: any time you choose to help another player, you gain 1VP.
Unhelpable actions:
Play cards to do what they say. Most of the cards (>50%) will move other players' legionaries around.
After each round, area majorities are calculated, with rewards in the form of money, political clout, and extra followers. And probably a tiny amount of VP.
The board might have, say, 6 areas. Each scoring season:
Two areas give 1VP and 4d to person with strictly highest presence and 2d to anyone else.
Two areas give 1VP and 2 clout to strictly highest presence and 1 clout to anyone else.
Two areas give 1VP and 1 follower and 1 soldier to strictly highest presence and 1 soldier to anyone else.
senatorList ::= "Whenever you " easyAction ", you may " smallReward "Whenever you " easyAction ", you may " smallReward "Whenever you " easyAction ", you may " paySmallCost? ". If you do, " largeReward "Whenever you " hardAction ", you may " largeReward
easyAction ::= playerAction | easyResult | helpPlayer playerAction ::= "influence the Senate" | "raise legionaries" | "deploy legionaries" | "raise funds" | "draw cards" helpPlayer ::= "help another player by " helpingCost helpingCost ::= "sending legionaries" | "spending money" | "exerting influence" easyResult ::= "become dominant in a region" | "rise in senate order" hardAction ::= "score first place in a region" | "gain favour of another Senator"