Stamp Swap: My Favorite Mechanism

[@Ian-R-Wilz]

I love the idea of reserving a stamp. It's such an interesting mechanism. I also like the caveat of not being able to reserve a rare stamp because that would make the reserving mechanism too strong most likely.

[@paulsalomon27]

Hat tip to St Louisan, playtester, and game designer Mark Sellmeyer for the suggestion of reserving a stamp!!

[@jameystegmaier]

Well done, Mark!

[@icyskater9607]

Can't wait for the release. Looks super fun.

[@StevenStJohn-kj9eb]

The goal scoring system sounds pretty cool. It's not at all the same, but for some reason it reminds me a bit of Ezra and Nehemiah from Garphill Games. That game is played over 3 "weeks". At the end of each week you choose 1 card (2 cards during the second week) to "tuck" and score. Unlike Stamp Swap, the thing you choose will be scored each week. So you might think it obvious to tuck first the card whose scoring category is one you are building towards, since it will score 3 times, but the card you tuck is no longer available for game play, and it's likely a card that would really help you build up its own scoring category. I think what reminds me of Stamp Swap then is both games have this tension of deciding when to "cash in" some scoring category. In Stamp Swap the tension is that you only get to score a thing once, meaning you could regret it later if you really gain more in that category. In Ezra and Nehemiah, the tension is that you can't have your cake and eat it too - if you score a particular card, you are most likely sapping your ability to build that category further.

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks for sharing that example! The ongoing scoring sounds neat. That's actually a little like the exhibitor cards (and starting exhibitors on the player mats) in Stamp Swap, as you score them each round.

[@joshuaperham3045]

Just got my copy in the mail yesterday. I tested out a mock playthrough and I love it! Can't wait to play it in a group!

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks for getting it to the table already! :)

[@origenward3845]

This looks fun! My brain keeps wanting to read it as "Stomp Swamp"😬😊

[@jameystegmaier]

I've definitely said "Stamp Swamp" a few times. :)

[@ohnenamen22]

How do you think it compares to the great Split. I am thinking of getting stamp swap, since i like the great split

[@paulsalomon27]

I think the cutting and choosing will have a similar feel to great split, though I think the play space is a bit wider here. There’s more dimensions to what you’re collecting plus powers and a spatial element to consider.

[@ohnenamen22]

@@paulsalomon27 So you're saying i should buy your game? Count me in! Any chance it will be available at Essen Spiel?

[@jameystegmaier]

Stamp Swap will indeed be at Essen Spiel. It will also launch on our regional webstores (including Europe) on September 4, shipping throughout September.

[@Joshua_Tymchyn]

I wonder, did the team play test having five goals with three to choose throughout the rounds? My curiosity is more about the pain of missing out on two goals (over just the current one), rather than having more choice.

[@paulsalomon27]

Do you mean that you might like the pain of missing out on 2? Currently each objective relates to a different thing: color, theme, shape, value (cancellation). The finale relates to arrangement in the album. I’m not sure the game has any more scoring dimensions that wouldn’t feel dramatically different from those. At one point the denomination cards included things like specific values (1,2,3) but I left those behind. Half of the stamps are cancelled, so I wanted a way to give those value through the scoring cards. Maybe someday!

[@jameystegmaier]

Also, to tag on to what Paul is saying, there are currently 5 goals in the game; it's just that 1 of them is a global end-of-game goal that everyone scores. So you already have 5 goals to juggle (even though you end up not scoring 1), which takes the right amount of brainpower.

[@Joshua_Tymchyn]

​@@paulsalomon27 Haha, I suppose I am considering the choice rather than the pain. The choice is nice, but I was thinking about the difference in the struggle to have to miss out on two over just one. Definitely understandable that all facets are already covered in the scoring. Might need a future expansion with more dimensions to start considering alternative ways to score. Thanks for the reply! :)

[@Joshua_Tymchyn]

@@jameystegmaier Thanks Jamey! You nailed it with mentioning "...the right amount of brainpower". I guess I was wondering if missing out on two goals would bring in more brainpower and whether or not that is worth it.

[@joshuaperham3045]

In practice I came to the conclusion that it's actually helpful to have more goals than you need because you have more options to choose what will work best for you with the current state of your collection. It will reduce the amount of analysis paralysis because while you still have to weigh your options to find the best layout and scoring card to use, you don't have that crushing burden of feeling like you made the wrong choice.