Bills: Public and Private Victory Point Conditions in "Spheres of Influence"



I'm still thinking about this card-turning Triple Triad-inspired game about lobbying an alien senate. This time, I'm thinking about some victory conditions outside of simply turning as many senators to your direction as possible. That in itself may earn you some points, but I would like to introduce a simple mission system in the spirit of Ticket to Ride or Takenoko.

Assume the game begins with an arrangement of senators on the table already. Each player is dealt a hand of five senators to play one round. The senators have various personal interests several issues, including logistics, military, culture, science, exploration, plus whatever caucus to which they identify. These would be represented by icons on their card.

At the start of the game, players also get a certain number of "Bills" that they're trying to pass through the senate. Normally, after each round, each player collects any senators pointing in his or her direction. This is the mainstream way to earn points. However, at any point during the course of the game, players may redeem Bills for which they are qualified. These are based on the game state, generally which senators are pointing in any particular direction. Here are some examples:

  • Make First Contact with Ancient Artifact: Each trio of Science, Military, and Exploration pointing your direction.
  • Explode Planet for Highway Construction: Each trio of Logistics senators pointing your direction.
  • Vote of No Confidence against Solar Federation: No Solar Federation senators pointing your direction.
  • Pledge of Impractical Idealism: No senators pointing in your direction.
  • Campaign for Speaker Seat: At least one senator of each Caucus pointing in your direction.
You have to get the card arrangement just right. Even if it's another player's turn, as long as the senators are arranged correctly, you can redeem your bill and earn those points. I would imagine this keeps all player's engaged with the board throughout the game, as they try to watch each chain reaction like a hawk.

Furthermore, I think some Bills ought to be public and out on the table, so all players are eligible to redeem them. This might divert attention in too many directions, but it's worth exploring.

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