Voodoo Equalizer or OP?

[The Lamb]

I was looking less at the idea of reducing the strength of voodoo, as i was trying to see if there were ways to make them tie into other mechanics to get more ships in the water and make people think twice about the voodoo the use, vrs. cast and forget.

[Vane]

Which is great, voodoo should tie into battle to make combat more intriguing but it needs to be done in a way that it does not hinder those who choose to run fewer fleets for their style of play. Your OP cripples them.

[The Lamb]

Thats a good point.

[William one eye]

Those who wanted this to be an incremental build game will be dissapointed, excepting hideout structures you can lose any asset. If your going to play the game you need to accept that.
Many cant and they quit. Some even quit if they are raided to much. The thing you can do to hurt a pirate more than anything is either get off the sea, protect yourself, or make it to costly to attack you. Your assets are their livelyhood, and taking it their game. Why not make it your game to make it hard for them.
It is possible.

If you are expecting an action pirate game you will also be dissapointed. There are not enough players for pirates to chase. They quickly expend all targets and start again. This cant continue long or merchant get super pissed off. Many raid pirates just quit because they are either bored from not being able to constantly raid, they are unsucessful at profiting from it or it just beome un fun because everyone hates them.

If you are expecting an action naval combat game, this is a dissapointment. You can fight those on the danger board or skirmish merchants but their is no real option for basic elective fleet to fleet combat between two willing players.

The way i see it your profession is not as relevant as how ypu play the game.
This is a game of relationships and rivalrys. If you realize that is more important than anything else, then you can start building something. The relationship between your allies, nation mates and guild mates should be rewarding. You should even try to build freindly relationships with you rivals. This may not alway be possible. Often it can change the way you view your rival.
This may not make you suddenly become allies, but it make future conflicts either less likely or change them to be more of a mutal game between you for sport. Remeber everyone is here playing a game to have fun. If your not having fun you are either not doing it right or this is truely the wrong game for you.


Those who say voodoo is over powered do not know how to use it and defend from it. This i mean in a player to player sense.
I do think voodoo plays to big a role in game functions.
I think more should be possible to acheive without it.

If voodoo was removed from the game, the dynamic between incremental players and action players would not change.

[Stan Rogers]

Voodoo is necessary in the game to do one essential thing and that is, promote conflict.
Unfortunately, it has become the prime ammunition during war.

Should it be this way ?
I for one don't think it allows what the essence of the game was intended.
Battles are not fought with ships, it's fought with voodoo.

If we can agree on that one thing, we can then move on to the best way to change it or, do we even want to change it ?

Myself, I would like the voodoo to become the spark, not the flame where the battles are again fought with ships and the voodoo plays a supporting role.

Should we put tighter limits on voodoo to curb it's use but it can still be used to light up a fleet or 50 fleets but with tighter limitations ?

When I first started, there was much more ship action and the voodoo action was much less. If you had a 5000 card chest of voodoo, you were not to be toyed with.
Now, 5000 cards is a small voodoo chest because of increased spending to have in limitless quantities of voodoo at hand.
Available turns were reduced to help combat the upswing of voodoo usage but I don't think that is enough. Other measures may have to be considered as well.

My 2 cents worth.

[Vane]

I for one like the idea posted in another recent thread that suggested a chest limit size. This would require more planning and strategy on the types of cards one wants to hold for their chosen ventures. The need for a voodoo trash bin would then be required for cards that dont sell and take up room you may want another card to occupy.

[William one eye]

I for one like the idea posted in another recent thread that suggested a chest limit size. This would require more planning and strategy on the types of cards one wants to hold for their chosen ventures. The need for a voodoo trash bin would then be required for cards that dont sell and take up room you may want another card to occupy.

Isle of man. Voodoo trash bin, we take your cons, props and death. Happy we could be of service.


In all seriousness, some version of this might not be a bad idea.
I like the idea of having to choose what you are able to hold based upon a chest size limit.

Methods for port combat without voodoo is needed.
Methods to attack ships outside the danger boards and gossip page would be useful.

[Stan Rogers]

Or increase the turns needed to cast a curse.
There was a reduction of turns usage in some cards a while back and perhaps it was a good idea at the time but maybe now we are seeing some of the result?
I can't remember the cards that were turn reduced and not going looking right now.
It would be another way to limit voodoo usage if that was to be a desired effect

[William one eye]

I have suggested before having a number of turns for naval and hideout building functions and a separate set of turns that are only usable for casting. The casting turns could be limited to any level that makes sense.

[The Lamb]

Same idea as plunder turns vrs Skirmish points