Three Hags needs work
Here are my thoughts on some potential changes I would like to make to Three Hags. When I first put this game together, flavor and gameplay sort of developed at the same time. Although it was a fun design challenge, I don't think it made for the best game. There are a few this is good but... examples I would like to address in a future revision. There are two hooks to this game that are what set it apart from other shedders: getting rid of the lowest ranking card last to empty your hand earns you bonus points, and the three lowest cards have the most potential for combos while also being worth the most penalty points.
The lowest cards being weak on their own, powerful when played with other cards, and worth the most penalty points is good, but... messing with the traditional rank of cards to accommodate the theme is a mistake. I think going K Q J A 2 3 4 5 and so on OR going J Q K A 2 3 4 ... is a good fix to the overall flow of the teach and gameplay. Yes, the face cards are usually at the top of the order, but at least they are still together and in their typical order. Mechanisms need to drive gameplay more than theme, and this is a simple fix that will help with the overall flow of gameplay. This means I may have to abandon the theme of three hags (which is fine).
I think the wild card is a lot of fun, but... it might be even more fun if it is allowed to represent any card including the other face cards. This would allow for more sweeps potentially, and adding a touch more chaos to game fits my overall design philosophy.
Three suits works very well for a three player game, but... the game is then limited to being great for three and so-so for the other player counts. My potential solution to this (that needs plenty of testing) is to limit the deck to one suit per player. So, spades and hearts for two, those plus clubs for three, and add the diamonds for four players. How fun will a two player game be with 26 cards and combos limited by two suits? Don't know yet! But it is in my blood to pare games down as much as fun allows, so I am willing to try it. On the other end of the spectrum, adding a fourth suit expands the combo possibilities for the four player game. Foursies are possible, runs of four are possible, and there are more sweep combos possible because of the added suit. Add the idea that wilds can be any card, and you have the potential for many different types of combos and sweeps in a player's hand. Is this more fun? Don't know! But I am willing to try it.
I thought my change to how runs work (being determined first by suit, then rank) was a nice twist, but ... this is turning out to be a flawed decision. Doing it this way really stretches out the run as a combo, and it makes the highest ranking suit in the game incredibly powerful. It also goes against how the other combo types work. This needs to change. When a run is played, the highest number in that run determines the strength. If two runs with the same highest number are played, the higher suit wins. So a 7-8-9 of clubs beats a 7-8-9 of hearts or spades.
So this is where I am at with the game. These changes need tested, and I will update here once I am able to do so thoroughly. If anyone reading this feels like testing and tinkering, feel free! Just let me know what you discover here. Thanks to all who are sticking with me on this one. =^)