Smelter & Saw Mill

[Hannibal]

So one thing that came up in our recent campaign was the smelter & saw mill.  Since we had half the campaign turns, it provided +2 gold and players were getting twice as much gold on the income table.

But the opinion of these two was roughly the same:  basically not worth it.  The only reason it got taken by two of the players was because with the accelerated income you could buy the smelter + another item.  However, if we were playing a normal game and the choice was between the smelter or using the gold towards a Bank or Keep, the smelter/saw mill doesn't get purchased.  And by the time people get around to having all the other stuff it'd be late in the campaign (turn 4 or 5) where the benefit is minimal.

So I was thinking that they should be tweaked.  Instead of just providing flat gold, what about they let the player make an additional roll on the income table and then the player can choose between his roll or the roll everyone else had.  If you buy both you get two additional rolls or on the additional you treat any result lower than 7 gold as 7 gold.

Another idea was that a player with the smelter/saw mill never gets less than 7 gold a turn.  Buy both and the player never gets less than 8 gold.

[gull2112]

I like the last idea, never less than seven. It prevents the player from pulling way out ahead, but insures against getting as hosed as everyone else. Putting it on equal footing with other purchases also makes for tougher decisions which equals more fun.

[ajax98]

Depends on your build strategy. My spreadsheet says don't leave home without at least one.

[richie6duchon]

The Campaign totally depends on the strategy of the battle.
But the idea that a player with the smelter/saw mill never gets less than 7 gold a turn. 
Buy both and the player never gets less than 8 gold. 

[Hannibal]

Depends on your build strategy. My spreadsheet says don't leave home without at least one.

Yeah I don't see how it works out.  In a 10-game campaign, the earliest you can buy it is after rd 2.  If you do, you get 7 turns where it generates money for a net of +2 gold.  That's a terrible return on investment in the best case scenario.

In our 6-game campaign it made slightly more sense.  We doubled income earned every turn and income earned from the smelter/saw mill.  In this case, if you buy after rd 1, you have 4 turns of earning 2 gold a turn for a net of +3 gold by campaign end.  That's just barely acceptable, and only if you buy it after turn 1.

[Hannibal]

The Campaign totally depends on the strategy of the battle.
But the idea that a player with the smelter/saw mill never gets less than 7 gold a turn. 
Buy both and the player never gets less than 8 gold. 

I'm sorry I'm not following you by what you wrote.  Do you like the idea or hate it?

[ajax98]

Depends on your build strategy. My spreadsheet says don't leave home without at least one.

Yeah I don't see how it works out. 

It's a simple hedge against low Earned Gold comps.
You immediately start earning it back, so it is relatively neutral. In the end I was ahead by an outpost and had the majority of my builds on time. The average Gold for our last 10 rd campaign was 7.33.
If things get rich, there is a greater potential to buy better earlier with the +1.

Depends on your strategy.