Crafting to reduce luck dependence

dr.mrow

Greenhorn
I saw Cole had asked for suggestions for improving the board game, so I wanted to contribute. After reading Valimure's post https://forums.stardewvalley.net/threads/problems-identified-in-reviews.7410/ on issues raised in negative reviews, I was going to suggest a different direction...

Valimure raised four issues:
1. Variability in the difficulty of Grandpa's Goals
2. Fishing being frustrating
3. The season deck being highly variable
4. The item & event decks being too thick to dig for the essential cards.

Frankly, all of these would benefit from some rebalancing, and others have done a good job of capturing this. One of the things that makes these frustrating is that it's quite possible to have a run of good or bad luck that makes the game a cakewalk or a slog, with no way to mitigate the luck, except with more luck. In those games, you often have a surplus of something else, but can't use that surplus to (say) dig for fish, or artifacts, or stone for staircases, etc. I think craftable/purchasable common items would be an in-theme way to mitigate luck, and make the decision space richer. They should be expensive enough that buying them is not plan A, but could allow an alternate way to solve a pressing problem.

I'd envision having a few item cards with different backs, that are not in the deck, but can be acquired in other ways. In most cases, they could be crafted during the post-action phase at the farm, or offered for sale at the most relevant merchant:
- Backpack: One should suffice, purchase from Pierre- this is really essential in 1p games, rarely needed in 4p.
- Chest: Craftable from two wood, functions as a mini-shed (super helpful in 2p games, rarely needed beyond that)
- Bombs: Craftable from ore, stone: helps with mining luck mitigation.
- Crabpot and/or a tackle item: purchasable from Willy or craftable: helps with fishing luck mitigation
- Artifact trove (or some other in-theme item): to help with museum luck mitigation, in 4p games (when you haven't drawn Jas). I'd suggest this could draw 3, keep 1; or allow the next donation to go to any slot, or just let you trade two artifacts for a wild artifact/mineral. The goal isn't to give free artifacts, but like Jas, to reduce the problem of drawing the same letter repeatedly. Alternately, you could reduce the number of tiles in the artifact/mineral bag, which would reduce the severity of dreadful luck.
- Catalog: Purchase from Robin: allow digging through item deck
- Calendar: Purchase from Robin- Something to scout or mitigate season luck... ideas: see every card one turn early, see all cards in the current season (then shuffle them), or replace a bad card, repeat a good one, etc.

Regarding Grandpa's goals, there is a wide range of player skill level between video game players trying their first co-op, and BGG veterans complaining it's too easy. I think there's an opportunity have easier and harder goals, and perhaps to add a couple more goal cards. Yes, the friends card is too easy, but its hard side could be 4 or 5 friends per player. Similarly, an easier mining card could be 3 floors per player.

Regarding Season card luck, I think there are a few potential approaches:
1. Mark the cards with difficulty level, let players decide their own fate. Difficult cards still need to have gifts, water, etc, but could have more crows & Joja's, especially later in summer & later.
2. Rebalance season cards so that bad events come with good events, reduce variability in festivals
3. Add a purchasable calendar that lets you see what's coming, or modify it.
4. Allow a player going to Pierre's and/or any Pelican Town site, to "check the calendar" and see the next season card a turn early.
 
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