Cards Review and the Home City
“Tribal Leader” - Just call them the Chief. Good lord. Itanchan Iyotan would be more accurate, but whatever. Tribes were led by the entire Council, not one person. The Chief’s main job was to get the Council into one tipi and then make sure they stayed on topic and didn’t spend the whole time gossipping like old women… because they mostly were old women.
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Team 2 Surgeons
a. The Surgeon shipment weirds me out. During this time period, Native medicinal practices were often better than their Western counterparts, such as those of the US or Canadian Gov’ts. Make it a Team Advanced Healer card instead, letting the healers build cute little healing huts or something and giving allies one. -
War Chief
a. Oddly enough, this shipment and name is a good one… but provided a very important change happens with the Lakota explorer; They need to be remade into a Heyoka, not a Warchief. A Warchief’s duty was to lead warriors and nothing else - the game starts off with no warriors to be led, so there would not be a Warchief in the first place. On the other hand, Heyoka are very important figures and a band would often only have 1 or 2 Heyoka in their numbers. Heyoka performed important duties like scouting, offering guidance, and generally being a nuisance. This fits very well with what the explorer-type unit does in the game, and it would bring the plus side of being a humorous figure to animate - Heyoka are, first and foremost, clowns. They would ride their horses backwards, wear summer clothes in the middle of winter, or claim a bowl of cold water was steaming soup. Their job is to remind people not to take life too seriously, and that we all die in the end anyway - in-game, the Lakota explorer could ride their horse backwards, throw a lance as a special attack, then use a bow in melee combat. The War Chief card could remain the same way it is, promoting the player’s Heyoka to that of a War Chief. This would make a lot of sense - Heyoka were expected to be the best of the best among the people, which is part of why there were often only 1 or 2 in a band. Thatanka Iyotake - Sitting Bull - was Heyoka. A fun model change with the card would be to grant a warbonnet with it being sent. -
Center of Power
a. Stealth mode is fun. The name is weird, and doesn’t really relate to anything about the culture - might I suggest renaming it “Wisdom of the Great Hearts”? The Great Heart Akicita were known for their self-control in their thoughts and actions and valued it as one of their core ideals. This would make sense for the card’s image and upgrade - stealth being the epitome of self-control. Granted, if this was done, it would also imply that any Great Heart units would also have self-control, which might be a little odd if the Great Hearts are made as tanks with high health, but little damage.
b. Alternate name could be “Silent Eater,” and let it do the same thing. The Silent Eaters were known for… well, being silent. Lol. They would make a poor unit, however, because they consisted of veterans too old to fight anymore, and were often the most heavily decorated soldiers, but well past their prime (I’m talking in their 70’s and 80’,s these members were old enough that they were having a hard time riding their horse anymore). (The name “Silent Eater” comes from them not having an Akicita tipi, so they’d just pick a member’s tipi and converge there. Hence, their Akicita’s tipi was silent because… well, it didn’t exist.)
c. If the portrait of igmuthanka is used for the stealth upgrade instead, this card could be used as a general upgrade for the Great Heart units. -
Command Skill
a. This name is so bland, a British cook thought it wasn’t spicy enough for their food. If possible, edit the background of the picture to be stormy in weather and call it Thunder Dreamer, then have it send a second Heyoka with the aura. (Note that my suggestions heavily involve removing the Community Plaza, so a second Heyoka with the same aura wouldn’t be as strong as you think.) -
Morning Star
a. Anpao is the spirit of the morning and is the morning star, Venus. Rename it to “Anpo Wichapi,” but Anpao herself isn’t really associated with anything in particular, beyond the morning sky itself. The card’s function is… functional. -
4 Native Scouts/Advanced Native Scouts
a. Personally, I think the Native Scouts should be reworked into a Native-style mercenary system, where there are different types of scouts from different nations that do different things, but otherwise the card is… fine. -
Fur Pelts
a. The renaming and icon is bland AF. Oddly enough, this card could be renamed “Silent Moccasins” and be the stealth card for the Heyoka, allowing the other card to be another upgrade for the Heyoka. Igmuthanka can be described as “having the right moccasins’’ to be stealthy and quiet, and she never gives you a chance to fight back before she strikes. Stories of igmuthanka mostly revolve around her being mysterious and elusive - even the Natives rarely saw igmuthanka, mostly just evidence that she was around. -
Team Conestoga Wagon
a. What? -
Evening Star
a. The Lakota didn’t name the evening star. Rename to “Star That Doesn’t Move,” (referencing Polaris, whose Lakota name literally translates to “Still Star”) or rename to “Dried Willow” (an important constellation) and give it a purpose more relating to medicine. A card specifically to improve Healers would be nice, or have this as a card to give the Heyoka the ability to heal. Dried willow bark is an important medicine to the Lakota.
b. Alternatively, could replace the “Adoption” card with this and rename it to “Blue Woman,” the Midwife spirit, and do the same thing as the Adoption card.
the system crapped out and posted it at this point, so edits will be made past this. I don’t know why?
“Warrior” - Warchief would actually be a fitting title for this one lol
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Uprising
a. What uprising? What is this even referencing? Where did this name come from? Call it “Akicita Assemblage” or something. Could do the same thing, provided it only sent Akicita. -
Wind Runner
a. Again… what? Where did this name come from? If you really must, call it “Tamakoce Te’hila” with the same effect, or just give it a new name and purpose. I’m lost as to the origin of this. -
Marauders
a. A marauder is someone who raids. Neat. Could have referenced something more interesting here. No suggestions, since this card needs to reference a specific unit and/or tribe. It’s situationally necessary to be renamed. -
Mustangs
a. Our word for mustang is “sungnuni,” which generally refers to an untamable horse that isn’t to be bothered with, soo… this seems like a really poor choice of words for the card’s effects. If anything, it implies it should increase costs and training time. I’d suggest “Iglawamna,” or fresh horse or similar. -
Onikare
a. I have literally never come across this word or any reference to it. Whoever came up with it must have found some extremely niche ceremony only mentioned once or twice in some vague book, or they just made it up. Could call it Akicita Dance and make it improve Akicita units, assuming they’re implemented.
I wanted to do the Tribal Leader and Warrior in one comment, then the Elder and Wise Woman in another comment. The Messenger will require its own comment, as the Support cards are in dire need of addressing.