Okay so I know the topic title is "intriguing" (pun intended), I've just been thinking about the "resource" system for my Work-In-Progress (WIP) Monster Keep (MK).
For those of you who don't know what that system is, I'll take this paragraph to explain it. There are four (4) resources in the game:
- Food
- Blood
- Treasure
- Mana
The 4th one is used for Spells. The others are used by the Monsters in various capacity. Food is used to defend a Master (You), Blood is used to attack other Monsters or another Master (Opponent). And Treasure (what the content of this topic is all about) is used to Bribe or Subvert an opposing Monster in MK.
Let's now get into the whole Bribery and Subversion ASPECT of MK.
What it is supposed to BE is a way OTHER than "combat" to lure Monsters away from an opponent. The amount of "Treasure" is determined on each Player's Turn as they CHOOSE which of the three (3) "resources" they want to increase on their turn.
But aside from choosing, there are "multipliers" to be considered.
- Food = +4
- Blood = +3
- Treasure = +2
Which leads to the following conclusion(s):
Food is relative cheap and therefore allows you to defend yourself rather easily.
Blood is in the middle and cost more to convince a Monster to attack an opponent on your behalf.
Treasure is "expensive" and you don't have much of it...
So now we can talk about "Treasure". Let's assume that you have about 4 to 6 "Treasure" points in a round... How does this work with "Bribery" or "Subversion"...(???)
Should it be that ALL "Monsters" MAY be bribed(?) Or only ones that have been "exhausted" in battle (think Taped).
Should you just be able to PAY for a Monster to "switch" sides(???) Or maybe it should be a "counter measure"... Like I attack, you declare your "blockers" and THEN I BRIBE one of the Monsters to NOT Block...!!!
In what (interesting) ways can you think about having "BRIBERY" and "SUBVERSION"??? Can I PAY a Monster NOT "to attack"??? Could this be a more interesting version of "Keeping/claiming" Monsters from your opponent.
Granted it's LESS "Glorious" than TAKING control over a enemy Monster. But in another way, it's more subdued and offers PERHAPS more "variability" in how the Monsters perform their tasks (Attack/Defend)...?!
What are YOUR thoughts??? Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts on what/how "Bribery" or "Subversion" could be used in MK...
Take this as an EXAMPLE:
The result would be that I would attack and do damage to the opposing Master because his Monster was "bribed" into not defending him!
Obviously this needs SERIOUS "Balancing" ... because you don't want the game to become a "circus" of menagerie backstabbing continually. So I guess there are still things to "think about" with regards to BRIBERY and SUBVERSION... I figured I'd share an example to help provide another "counter" in that not everything is 100% reliable and assured.
Feel free to let me know your thoughts and feedback to these ideas!