Belle of the Ball - Prototype L

» Download the Current Beta Rules PDF [Prototype L]
» Download the Print-and-Play Cards PDF
» Follow the conversation on BoardGameGeek

Sorry for releasing a new prototype so soon after the last one. There were some real inelegant features from that prototype that I would rather replace than leave out in the wild too long. Here are the new changes.

• Each guest's three characteristics are consolidated into one circle at the top left of their card. Each circle is divided into three suits.
• The "Sword" suit is replaced with a "Book" suit.
• All the County suits are replaced with icons. The letters were just not registering as an icon like the other suits. Instead, those six suits are show Fish, Tree, Sun, Moon, Shield and Gem.
• Removed base popularity from all guests. The only way to score points is to get the group points. This emphasizes building optimal combos and streamlines scoring.
• There are many more opportunities for group points now. 36 guests grant 1 group point for being grouped with chat, snub or flirt. (12 of each.) 24 guests grant 2 group points for being grouped with music, book, cake or tea. (6 of each.) 12 guests grant 3 group points for being grouped with Fish, Tree, Sun, Moon, Shield or Gem. (2 of each.)
• The "Insults" are consolidated into the general listing of "Charm" and revised so that they do not have an additional cost. That was just too much information to convey. Instead, these charms simply require that they be discarded from your clique instead of from your hand. So, there is still a timing strategy to consider rather than resource management. 
• The text of each charm is now displayed directly on the card. It was easier to do this than to force players to refer to an icon glossary. Once you know the game, the text is unnecessary and you can figure out all the necessary info along the left edge. Unfortunately, this makes the cards less international than I had hoped, but I have to be realistic about my sales goals.

Hope you dig it!