Glen Slagle
@powertrout.bsky.social
Terminal hobbyist and dilettante.
Next month:
-Develop a player board for better tracking of upgrades and points. I'm imagining Scythe-style spaces that show points underneath when you buy upgrades.
-Try Offerings as tokens that can be bought and charged instead of random one-time-use cards. Less input randomness, more choice.
-Develop a player board for better tracking of upgrades and points. I'm imagining Scythe-style spaces that show points underneath when you buy upgrades.
-Try Offerings as tokens that can be bought and charged instead of random one-time-use cards. Less input randomness, more choice.
February 2, 2026 at 2:33 AM
Next month:
-Develop a player board for better tracking of upgrades and points. I'm imagining Scythe-style spaces that show points underneath when you buy upgrades.
-Try Offerings as tokens that can be bought and charged instead of random one-time-use cards. Less input randomness, more choice.
-Develop a player board for better tracking of upgrades and points. I'm imagining Scythe-style spaces that show points underneath when you buy upgrades.
-Try Offerings as tokens that can be bought and charged instead of random one-time-use cards. Less input randomness, more choice.
5: Now all upgrades count for a points. In the picture, Green got 1 for the Favor cube in the market, 2 for moving their Fort up twice, 3 and 4 for additional Meeples and Cargo spaces, and 5 for Ambrosia and Trophies, for a total of 15. I need to make it easier to track...
February 2, 2026 at 2:33 AM
5: Now all upgrades count for a points. In the picture, Green got 1 for the Favor cube in the market, 2 for moving their Fort up twice, 3 and 4 for additional Meeples and Cargo spaces, and 5 for Ambrosia and Trophies, for a total of 15. I need to make it easier to track...
4: More Expedition tweaks. Thematically, Pan curses you more for trespassing deeper into his territory. You don't want to get caught by Medusa (or do you?), so it's possible to sneak by her entirely with luck or clever use of The Fates. Dionysus throws a party that ends with terrible violence.
February 2, 2026 at 2:33 AM
4: More Expedition tweaks. Thematically, Pan curses you more for trespassing deeper into his territory. You don't want to get caught by Medusa (or do you?), so it's possible to sneak by her entirely with luck or clever use of The Fates. Dionysus throws a party that ends with terrible violence.
2: I tweaked a couple offering cards and added Harvest (Demeter) and Cornucopia. I'm not keeping the current effects of either. The gist of Harvest is that it allows you to gather resources from the board in a non-standard way. Cornucopia is only useful if acquired in the beginning of the game.
February 2, 2026 at 2:33 AM
2: I tweaked a couple offering cards and added Harvest (Demeter) and Cornucopia. I'm not keeping the current effects of either. The gist of Harvest is that it allows you to gather resources from the board in a non-standard way. Cornucopia is only useful if acquired in the beginning of the game.
2: 12 islands didn't last a week of playtesting. Back to 9! One good thing that came out of it was adding a meeple exchange to the end of the map (Zeus). Surviving meeples can be transformed into your choice of resources, wine or Ambrosia. It's a tire patch solution that I'll keep working on.
February 2, 2026 at 2:33 AM
2: 12 islands didn't last a week of playtesting. Back to 9! One good thing that came out of it was adding a meeple exchange to the end of the map (Zeus). Surviving meeples can be transformed into your choice of resources, wine or Ambrosia. It's a tire patch solution that I'll keep working on.
1: Trophies are neat but create a significant first player advantage. If you are in the lead on an upgrade, you get a temporary point until someone else passes you. BUT, if all they do is tie, you'll have a chance on your next turn to widen the gap again. I might cut them by the next update.
February 2, 2026 at 2:33 AM
1: Trophies are neat but create a significant first player advantage. If you are in the lead on an upgrade, you get a temporary point until someone else passes you. BUT, if all they do is tie, you'll have a chance on your next turn to widen the gap again. I might cut them by the next update.
6. For January, I'm focusing on balancing Dionysus (new god), the pesky 2:1 exchange rate, and what happens when players reach the 12th and final island. Each surviving meeple on your boat can be transformed at your discretion. 1 Meeple = 1 Resource. 2 Meeples = 1 Wine. 4 Meeples = 1 Ambrosia.
January 4, 2026 at 9:21 PM
6. For January, I'm focusing on balancing Dionysus (new god), the pesky 2:1 exchange rate, and what happens when players reach the 12th and final island. Each surviving meeple on your boat can be transformed at your discretion. 1 Meeple = 1 Resource. 2 Meeples = 1 Wine. 4 Meeples = 1 Ambrosia.
5. I picked up Agent Avenue recently, and was inspired by how clean card layout was. So, I got rid of the text description (it can live in the rule book) and cleaned up the effect icons. Black borders provide resources (or nothing) without hurting you. Red borders curse your soldiers like normal.
January 4, 2026 at 9:21 PM
5. I picked up Agent Avenue recently, and was inspired by how clean card layout was. So, I got rid of the text description (it can live in the rule book) and cleaned up the effect icons. Black borders provide resources (or nothing) without hurting you. Red borders curse your soldiers like normal.
4. Players tend to delay ending the game on their own. They'll engine-build indefinitely, maxing out every upgrade, unless and until someone guns for points. Games can run really long... So, I made the game 6 rounds long (ex, orange marker around "3"). Most points wins. Simple and effective!
January 4, 2026 at 9:21 PM
4. Players tend to delay ending the game on their own. They'll engine-build indefinitely, maxing out every upgrade, unless and until someone guns for points. Games can run really long... So, I made the game 6 rounds long (ex, orange marker around "3"). Most points wins. Simple and effective!
3. I still wanted a wild resource, and I want Favor to be different from the other upgrades. So, I replaced gold and silver coins with Wine. Ply the merchants with wine and they'll look on you with Favor, and give you a better price than other players.
January 4, 2026 at 9:21 PM
3. I still wanted a wild resource, and I want Favor to be different from the other upgrades. So, I replaced gold and silver coins with Wine. Ply the merchants with wine and they'll look on you with Favor, and give you a better price than other players.
2. Treasure was in the game as a generic/wild resource. Now they're in the role of the old 4-slot Ambrosia tokens. It takes up A LOT of room on your boat, but they're still worth a point, and you don't have to work as hard to get them. Ambrosia is rarer but easier to carry back (only 2-slots).
January 4, 2026 at 9:21 PM
2. Treasure was in the game as a generic/wild resource. Now they're in the role of the old 4-slot Ambrosia tokens. It takes up A LOT of room on your boat, but they're still worth a point, and you don't have to work as hard to get them. Ambrosia is rarer but easier to carry back (only 2-slots).
1. Trophies are a type of point that you gain by having the most of a certain upgrade. They will get acquired in the normal course of the game, but they make the holder a target for other players. Passing someone and claiming their trophy is a good way to even out the score of a runaway leader!
January 4, 2026 at 9:21 PM
1. Trophies are a type of point that you gain by having the most of a certain upgrade. They will get acquired in the normal course of the game, but they make the holder a target for other players. Passing someone and claiming their trophy is a good way to even out the score of a runaway leader!
Instead of buying Offering cards out-right, any resources you spend on upgrades go into a bowl. At the end of your turn, you can respend them to draw an Offering card for each set of Stone/Wood/Pig you in the bowl. From the pic, they can draw 2 cards because they have 2 stone (Silver is wild).
November 30, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Instead of buying Offering cards out-right, any resources you spend on upgrades go into a bowl. At the end of your turn, you can respend them to draw an Offering card for each set of Stone/Wood/Pig you in the bowl. From the pic, they can draw 2 cards because they have 2 stone (Silver is wild).
I also added four "Trophy" points that go to whoever has the most Favor, Meeples, Cargo Spaces, or the highest Fort position. If another player passes the leader, they take the point. They're easy to get, but they're very hard to keep.
November 30, 2025 at 11:52 PM
I also added four "Trophy" points that go to whoever has the most Favor, Meeples, Cargo Spaces, or the highest Fort position. If another player passes the leader, they take the point. They're easy to get, but they're very hard to keep.
#2. I'm still working on that. 😅
Rather than rely on players taking points manually, I'm working on "achievement" style events where players will generate points as part of engine building. Once someone starts collecting points, others want to catch up.
Updates to follow.
Rather than rely on players taking points manually, I'm working on "achievement" style events where players will generate points as part of engine building. Once someone starts collecting points, others want to catch up.
Updates to follow.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
#2. I'm still working on that. 😅
Rather than rely on players taking points manually, I'm working on "achievement" style events where players will generate points as part of engine building. Once someone starts collecting points, others want to catch up.
Updates to follow.
Rather than rely on players taking points manually, I'm working on "achievement" style events where players will generate points as part of engine building. Once someone starts collecting points, others want to catch up.
Updates to follow.
It is difficult, but quite possible (especially with the help of Favor), to reduce the cost to zero! Eventually, you'll have to pull cost tokens that affect you, but you can take it pretty far. And it is possible to max out an upgrade, like buying all the available meeples, so there is a hard limit.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
It is difficult, but quite possible (especially with the help of Favor), to reduce the cost to zero! Eventually, you'll have to pull cost tokens that affect you, but you can take it pretty far. And it is possible to max out an upgrade, like buying all the available meeples, so there is a hard limit.
Player cubes can be moved from one upgrade to another as well. ex: Red purchases a Meeple for 4 pigs. After purchasing, they must move a cube from somewhere else to Meeples. They take the red cube from Cargo, giving up their discount there, but maintaining the 4 pigs cost on Meeples.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Player cubes can be moved from one upgrade to another as well. ex: Red purchases a Meeple for 4 pigs. After purchasing, they must move a cube from somewhere else to Meeples. They take the red cube from Cargo, giving up their discount there, but maintaining the 4 pigs cost on Meeples.
A further wrinkle I've been playing with is "Favor" tokens. For a price, you can replace a generic cost token with one of your color (blue & red cubes). When you buy an upgrade, you ignore your own cubes. ex, Cargo would cost Red 4 wood, but everyone else would pay 5 wood.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
A further wrinkle I've been playing with is "Favor" tokens. For a price, you can replace a generic cost token with one of your color (blue & red cubes). When you buy an upgrade, you ignore your own cubes. ex, Cargo would cost Red 4 wood, but everyone else would pay 5 wood.
This forces players to consider how much they're willing to spend to achieve a particular goal, or if they can work the market to achieve it anyway. ex: A meeple costs 4 pigs, but Cargo costs 3 wood. If I spend 3 on Cargo Space, I can move a cube to Cargo from Meeples, making Meeples cost 3.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
This forces players to consider how much they're willing to spend to achieve a particular goal, or if they can work the market to achieve it anyway. ex: A meeple costs 4 pigs, but Cargo costs 3 wood. If I spend 3 on Cargo Space, I can move a cube to Cargo from Meeples, making Meeples cost 3.
1. I changed the upgrades from the basic "4 pigs for a meeple" to fluctuating costs, marked by tokens (green cubes). Whenever an upgrade is purchased, the player moves a token from a DIFFERENT upgrade to the one they just purchased, raising the cost of one, while effectively discounting the other.
November 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
1. I changed the upgrades from the basic "4 pigs for a meeple" to fluctuating costs, marked by tokens (green cubes). Whenever an upgrade is purchased, the player moves a token from a DIFFERENT upgrade to the one they just purchased, raising the cost of one, while effectively discounting the other.
It's a surprisingly toothy game now. Anticipating whether another player is going to block a threat, so you don't have to waste a card, or deciding whether to leave for a few points or stay for a ton is delightful. I'm very happy with it. Next I need to work on balance. [END AUGUST UPDATE]
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
It's a surprisingly toothy game now. Anticipating whether another player is going to block a threat, so you don't have to waste a card, or deciding whether to leave for a few points or stay for a ton is delightful. I'm very happy with it. Next I need to work on balance. [END AUGUST UPDATE]