Foreign Traders & Harbor Towns

[Lakoda]

Goals

Provide a border to at least one edge of the playing area.
Introduce coasts and harbors.
Provide a starting point for the river (using Novelty's Fishermen rules and tiles).
A fun way to screw with players who think their control of a city is safe.
More points! We can never have enough point.

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FOREIGN TRADERS

0 - New Tiles Element.

A small symbol similar to the shield symbol.

3 - Score Completed Features.

When a feature that had a Foreign Trader symbol on it is completed scoring player may place a Foreign Trader.

3.1 - Place a Foreign Trader.

Option A: A Foreign Trader can be placed city as a Knight (which guards and delivers the foreign trader's goods), ignoring the normal restrictions for Knight deployment.

Options B: A Foreign Trader is placed on an unoccupied Trade Good symbol in an uncompleted feature.  The owner of that Foreign Trader received the Trade Good chit which will not be rewarded if the feature is completed.  In other words, your Foreign Trader acquired the trade goods early and prevented that features scoring player from receiving it.

HARBOR TOWN

0 - New Start Tiles.

I want to introduce a starting super-tile for each player.  Either each player can select their super-tile, using violence to resolve conflicts, or each player can draw their super-tile randomly.  I prefer the more peaceful method.  These super-tiles will be the size of three tiles in a row (3x1) and have 2 edge types, the long edge and the short (normal) edge.  One long edge will be Ocean and the other will have three normal tile edges in a row.  The later edge will have a 2 connected city edges and a third edge that will differ between each tile, though all will contain a road and one other feature (cloister, shrine, farm, forest, river).  The short edges of the super-tile will transition the Ocean side to the land side with a coast (ie: a cliff or a beach)*.  The graphic will incorporate the city, and not just any city but a harbor town with docks and ships and such.

* Expansion idea, if this actually works and is fun, I'd like to add additional coast pieces to expand the coast.  I don't want to introduce water tiles as that is too much (for my tates) and then the coast would cease to act as a boarder for the game.  Adding a tile or 2 that bends coast (90 degrees) could be added as well - to add a second or third edge to the game, or to better contour to the features already in play.  By brain is running away with this, so I have to add another idea...pirates, a special feature on some of the coast tiles could allow you to hijack the wagon and take it's goods (ie: points) - you get to capture the wagon and put a follower where it was.

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Feedback!

Being my first attempt at this, I don't want to spend too much time on it if it has no merit, so if I get a decent response I'll start in on the tiles.

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated, please and thank you!

[Novelty]

The thing about "ocean fronts" is that unless you can get it long enough, the tile laying might go "around" it and turn the "ocean" into a small land-locked lake...

[Lakoda]

That was the main reason behind having "super"-tiles; 3 times the coast line in one shot.  It also is not hard to make a rule about not being able to cross that line ... kind of like how the river can't double back on itself.  I never really liked the rule that your playing surface was the limiting factor, so the idea of providing at least some boarder has a big appeal to me.

[Lakoda]

I made some modifications to my opening post.  I have some tiles mocked up (I'll up load them soon; wife's bday and vday are getting in the way, grr) ... which is hard stuff, props to Novelty for doing it so much.

Anyways, as I was working with my "super-tiles" I realized that really have to very unrelated mechanics here.  So I will be introducing the harbor towns and the foreign trader as two different variations.

[skipboris]

I'm brewing a very similar idea.  I sent you a PM on this.

[Lakoda]

I added a second option for placing a Foreign Trader that I think better reflects the theme of a Foreign Trader.  I am uncertain if I should allow access to both, making the player choose one or if I should just eliminate one now.  The second option came from a variant to the fish player made expansion that I use - when you acquire a fish you can choose to either keep it or give it to another player, who has to give you a non-fish trade good in return (my way of making fishes a bit more powerful, they are an essential after all).