I was thinking about a auction mechanic working like this:
Groups of cards (as many as the number of players, think coloretto) are placed face up on the table, and for each group there's a bidding track going from 0 - 5 (or whatever numbers will fit). Player one will place a token on any bid for the desired group, and the next player can either do the same with one of the other groups or make a higher bid on the same group (in which case, player one will get his/her token back). Players with a token placed may not do anything when it is their turn, and the auction will continue until all players have their token on a group of their own. Of course, any player bidding 5 would be certain of getting their desired cards. And the player grabbing the last remaining group of cards will of course always get them for free.
That's it, this is the core I wish to build my game on. So, here are my thoughts on further development.
THE AUCTIONED CARDS SHOULD HAVE RELATIVE VALUE
By this I mean that all groups should not be of equal value to all players, one must value what type of cards they need for this turn. To accomplish this I'm thinking all players should get a few cards dealt to them, and these are combined with the bought cards to form a hand. You have only partial information on what the other player want and can do. Also, I think cards should be able to be combined (like collecting series of some sort for extra value).
Some cards should have actions on them, other cards maybe resources or similar things.
I also think it would be a good idea to have a flow of things on a board, perhaps resources you can grab that get replenished from time to time, making timing of your actions important. Perhaps you work on some larger project on the board (but I think most of the play should really be just generating VP within the round).
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As you all see I'm very vague, and this is because I have absolutely no idea what theme could fit this mechanic. All of my ideas and conclusions above only serve the purpose of making the auction phase more dynamic and full of hard choices. When I say "resources" it doesn't have to be resources, I'm really thinking something that will generate VP for the player in some way. I would really like to produce a real prototype as soon as possible, but for that I need a theme, preferably one that could embrace some of my ideas above. And it would be great if it was a theme that has not been overused like medieval villages... ;)
Any ideas? Do you understand what I mean and what I'm after? Any input is greatly appreciated.
Excellent questions, and they really expose my lack of good explanation of my idea.
Yes, the bidding is only the first part, when the players end up with their finished hands the cards are supposed to be played (in some sort of priority order) in order to gain VP and possible boost some long term goals as well.
In my mind I imagined the groups of cards to be 3 in each pile, all face up. You know the cards in your hand and you know the content of each group on the table, but you do not know the situation of the other players and what they are willing to pay for each group, hence the relative value of the groups on the table.
I thought the players should get the currency for the bidding (let's just call it gold) as an upkeep (perhaps 2 gold each turn) and hand them 5 gold or so before the game begins. I did not have hidden cards in mind, but if I had it would have been an interesting mechanic you suggested. I also think some cards perhaps comes with a gold bonus? For this I was a bit inspired by the way initiative and gold is handled in "Year of the Dragon" where you need to balance the two, but can focus on other things and accept you will pick last.
To try to narrow it down, what I want is groups oc cards that can be combined in different ways and with a few different factors to take into account (like timing, grabbing a few tokens from a pool on the board early is better than being able to grab lots of them later if the pool is allready emptied), making it less obvious what group to buy and for what price. So I'm looking for a theme that would make that easier and feel natural. Yes, the medieval resources/knights/gold/whatever is the first that pops into my mind, but I would really prefer something a little more original. Of course, if it's a them where auctions would be a natural part it would be even better.
So basicly anything part from the auction/play phases are up for potential change. Maybe there is no board at all? Maybe there are no tokens or any long term goals? Perhaps the players are allowed to save a card to the next round? It all depends on the theme. My only concern is to make the decission making for the players the right tough enough to make the game interesting. It should be neither obvious or analysis paralysis.
Once again, thanks for your input!