Suggestive responses
The Slow Start is probably the easiest of the two problems to address, at least initially.
Proposal:
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Players start the game with 2 explorers. More cannot be bought. The Explorer track is removed/defunct. Prestige can still be used to buy a third explorer for the current turn only.
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Players start the game by claiming two free routes. This would be done settler’s style with the first-to-last and then last-to-first. Once the free claiming was done exploring a single new route (and bidding on it) would happen in the normal fashion
This would tend to have the effect of making the big islands with many exits a bit more valuable than they already are in the early game and it may (slightly) accentuate the value of the centre of the map, but I suspect these factors are counter balanced by the values of tieing in with those centre placements from the fringe. It is a tough call but it feels about right.
Solving Opaque/Confusing is harder. Ben Keightly pointed specifically to the currency translations surrounding kula as being a little over-wrought. I suspect he has a point. His proposal was to lose the kula fish/shell typing entirely but that seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Something a little more delicate and incentive grid torqueing is needed – something that maintains the value justification for shells as well.
Proposal:
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Same kula tokens, same VP values and costs (I’m uncertain on the costs – I’ve not run the production volume models yet)
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No more mixed fish/shell kula items. Every single token is now a kula item
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When a kula item is given the recipient may also give the giver a gift of opposite fish/shell type that’s also of lesser value
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Both directions receive the normal VPs/prestige for their gifts with the addition that the initial giver receives an extra prestige if they receive a return gift
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All other kula rules like rot and upgrades remain unchanged except for those aspects sundered by splitting the kula token/item concept
I’m nervous about this last proposal. It feels about right but I’m quite uncertain the numbers actually work out. I’m particularly concerned about excess Prestige inflation from the new give-back prestige. Tough call. I’ve a hunch that the costs and rewards both will need adjusting. I’ll try and run some models on Sunday.
BTW: The new kula model is rather thematic. Kula primarily consisted of shell armbands (mwali) and necklaces (veigun or soulava). The armbands moved one way around the kula ring and the necklaces the other. Upon receipt of a pair of armbands one was supposed to give a set of necklaces and visa versa. Theme baby!