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Copyright Eric Pietrocupo

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Board Game Variants

Page: Variants.Variants - Last Modified : Sat, 08 Jan 22 - 29818 Visits

This is where I list all the game variants that I have designed and written so far. On board game geek, I keep a geek list of games I once intended to modify but it contains many games where most of them does not have any rule set. Most of the time, I design a full written game variant of games that I own in order to be able to test the game myself. Else I submit a rule draft on this geek list.

I have much less time for variant design, so I am fixing less and less game, since I intend to keep less and less games. I will mostly do variants for games I now own and intend to keep.

Variant List

Age of Mythology: Melting Pot

A series of variant that was designed according to many board game geek user ideas

Arena Maximus Variant

The goal of this variant is to speed up the game and make it more convenient to play.

Arkham Horror: Gate Crack and Simultaneous Play

The goal of the variant is balance the game with any amount of players and to allow players to play simultaneously. Indirecly, there is much more things that happens every turn in this variant. This variant is based on another variant called "Consistent Difficulty".

Battle Masters pseudo-variant

various variants and test I have designed for that game

Big Idea, the: Reward for creativity

Reward creativity by giving more money.

Carcassonne: No Farmers

A simple variant for newbies or to make the game easier.

Cleaopatra: Fixed bidding denomination

summary of the variant

Cleopatra: Corruption & Auction Less variant

A small variant that replaces auctions from the game.

Dune Express: Alliances

The primary objective of this variant is to increase the level of diplomacy by allowing shared victory. But there are also a lot of other rules which has been changed

Dungeon Twister: No Cards and Gem collection

The objective of the no card variant is to reduce the level of brain burning and speed up the game by replacing the cards with dices. The gem collection variant is a different mode of play to enjoy the game differently.

DungeonQuest: combat and deviation table

The objective of this variant is to convert the Rock-Paper-Scissor system of the original game into a table and to supply a deviation table for the catacombs.

DungeonQuest: Determination XP

This variant allow player to accumulate determination token and use them when they want. They also gain tokens when defeating monster as if it was experience.

DungeonQuest: Dice Combat Variant exp(3)

This is a dice combat variant to replace the card combat in dungeon quest.

Eclipse: Number of player balance (Alternate Setup)

This variant change the setup to make the games with a low number of players have the same gameplay than games with a high number of players.

Hecatomb: variant

A very simple variant that makes the game works

Leonardo Da Vinci variants

The principal modification have been done to the scoring and bidding system

Lord of the Rings: Confrontation : Dice Variant

The combats are resolved with dice. The level of randomness is adjustable to player's tastes.

Mahjong: Mahjong Rummy

Use the Mahjong tileset to play a game similar to rummy.

Micropul: Blancing scoring

This change the scoring by promoting the closing of areas to get more points rather than simply stacking tiles.

Oceania: Scout Exploration

The objective of this variant is to add a bit more strategy, reduce a bit the randomness of the game and make the reserve tiles more useful.

Puerto Rico: Another 2 player variant

This is the variant I am using when playing with 2 players.

Puerto Rico: one gold per player

This variant makes sure that the number of gold that comes into the game will always be one gold per player what ever the number of players

Rune Age: Development Cards

This variant gives to each race a series of development cards that can be build with gold and influence. These cards does not go into the players deck and can be used in different ways.

San Juan: Doubloons on the prospector

A small variant that add doubloons on the propector when not used to make it worth taking.

Scarab Lords: Action Point Variant

This variant makes a few modifications to the rules in order to make the game easier to teach, allow the losing player to catch up and react to his opponent, allow to use the white cards in the base game without customizing decks and gives you more time to build your empire. On the other hand, the game is longer, probably around an hour, and it could be harder to win by supremacy, so the game is more likely to end by lack of cards.

Settlers of Catan: 2 Player variant without a fake 3rd player

Allows 2 players to play a game of settlers of Catan without the need of an artificial 3rd player controlled by an artificial intelligence or by both players.

Settlers of Catan: 5-6 player expansion: Larger hand size.

Replaces the rules where you can build on other people's turn by increasing hand size.

Shadow over Camelot: Player balance

The goal of this variant is to attempt to balance the game whatever the number of players and also balance the game if there is a traitor or not.

Starcraft Invasions: a solitaire game

This variant is a solitaire adaptation of the Starcraft board game. You try to control planets while invaders are constantly attacking the galaxy.

Starcraft: Hexagon Map

The objective of this variant is to be able to play Starcraft the board game on a battle field map rather than a space map.

Starcraft: Starcraft Lite

The primary objectives of this variant is to reduce the amount of brain burning created by the game. The secondary objective is to make the game looks closer to the original video game.

Stratego Duel Masters: Special abilities

This variant consist in changing the special powers of every unit on the battlefield to make them more balanced than the original rules. This variant can also be played with a regular stratego game

Viktory II: Delayed reserve

The objective is to make sure that the units you lost when attacking does not come back immediately at the end of the turn.

Vinci: Homemade Edition

This is a part variant part do it yourself edition of Vinci. The primary objective is to remake the game as a print and play game. The secondary objective is to change, add or removes some elements in the game to improve it or add more variety.

W1815: No selection of unit twice in a row

Prevent selecting the same unit twice in a row to avoid dominant strategies.

To do List

This is the list of variants I want to design or update. Many of them are recopied from my geek list. But those variants are more likely to occur because I own the game. While the geek list only contains ideas.

I am looking back at this list and I am not sure I am going to get through it. There are a lot of games that I will never have a change to play, or play enough to be able to test the variant. One thing I might work on is solitaire variants to some of the game I have. I might be more tempted by adaptations, take huge complex games and re-implement them in simpler and smaller games. Which makes the game "almost" a new game.

Age of Mythology: Update the VP given for building the wonder and add a extra label for a card that I forgot. I am also considering making a solo variant. I could also design new game with a different theme with similar mechanism.
Battlegroup: Clarify the rules and make some changes. The ideas are there, just need more testing.
Elder Sign : When I get the game, I intend to test a variant (Scavenger) where choosing the right discarded die matters.
Hacker : A long time ago I designed a variant, I might stream line the rules and simplify a few things and write it. Another idea is to create a solitaire game.
Heroscape : A long time ago, I had an idea to fix range units. I might have to do some testing for it.
I'am the boss : I would like to do my own rethemed I am the boss game with certain modifications. Maybe I could make a new game out of it instead.
Rune Age - ??? : Make monster hoard cards with various scenario where players can fight stacks of monsters. The idea is to create a solitaire scenario where the opposition is made out of monsters so that the unit that can destroy unit can be used in solitaire mode.
Shadow over camelot: Update my rules with the merlin's company expansion. I also want to try a solo expansion, early playtest proved it could be successful.
That's Life : Design my homemade that's life expansions since they are not available where I live. Or use inspiration from those expansion to make an expansion of my own.
To Court the King (New): Test a variant limiting the number of rolls forcing players to use manipulators. Still the game plays relatively well as it is.
Victory II: Fix and error in my new variant design by making harsh terrain cost 1.5 movement.

I cleaned the list a bit after cleaning up my collections. As my collection get purged, ideas will be discarded and I'll probably only focus on my favorite games.