I have posted a few questions about my game "The Outfit" and had nothing but GREAT SUGGESTIONS. So I thought I would throw out another question I am wrangling with after my playtesting. I disagreed with all of my playtesters on this.
Game Summary: Each player moves their crime boss around the prohibition-era city building a criminal empire. There are 4 levels of buildings in each of 4 "vices" (working on a better term). Gambling, Booze, Money Laundering, and Labor Unions. Buildings create income during the payoff phase. Every time a player builds a building, they leave behind evidence unless they pay extra to do the criminal act "clean". When leaving evidence, ,they place a card of their color face down into a pile for that "vice". Once a vice pile reaches 7 cards, an investigation is started. The player with the most evidence in that vice pile is busted and loses everything in that vice. Other players can also takeover your existing buildings at a reduced rate (it is cheaper to takeove another's building than start from scratch) but you cannot do it without leaving evidence. Once 7 busts have ocurred, the game is over. The person with the most money wins.
The Question: At the end of the game, are buildings an asset or a liability?
Are there any games that you can think of where the very thing you use to build you success hurts you at the end?
BTW, a simple vote is fine.