Territory Bounties — next iteration (I want your vote)

Thanks to everyone who jumped into the first test. The big takeaway: the fight can be exciting, but defenders felt heavily disadvantaged, and some ticket farming felt unfair.

Before the next round, I want your preference on how map stakes should work. All three options below would also get clearer combat rules:

• Ticket steal — beating someone in your tier who already has bounty tickets takes from their total first, then creates new tickets only for any shortfall.
• Fair fight gate — if you’re far too strong for your target (fair fight), that win earns no tickets. Protect newer players from overwhelming targets accumulating tickets against them.
• Bounty-focused cartel perks — optional upgrades aimed at these events (details later).

Please reply with 1, 2, or 3 (and a short why if you want). Mix-and-match suggestions welcome.

Option 1 — King of the Hill

Four special bounty territories (one per strength bracket). Each week that bracket races for the hill; the winner holds it until the next event.

• Pros: your normal map tiles aren’t on the line; clear “crown” to fight over.
• Cons: less “we just redrew Bolivia” drama; special tiles need to feel worth caring about.

Option 2 — Free for All (land on the line)

A normal territory is contested for the event. When it ends, the winner takes the territory (if you’re at cap, you’d need room — same idea as other territory gains). Mid-event it’s more of an open scramble than “defend your home.” With this, the territory bounty would land on a random territory, if that territory is owned the owner would be vacated and it would become a free for all for that territory.

• Pros: highest map stakes; wins change the map.
• Cons: more upheaval; hosting / living near that tile is riskier.

Option 3 — Keep the land, take the perk

Bounties still use real territories, but resolving one does not flip ownership. Winners get the usual rewards plus a portable prize: park a limited-time perk on one of your own tiles, and/or a short cartel-wide buff.

• Pros: real map flavor without losing home tiles; easier soft iterations while combat rules settle.
• Cons: less conquest fantasy than Option 2; perk has to stay meaningful.

Quick compare

• Want safe home tiles + a crown? → 1
• Want land transfers? → 2
• Want fights + prizes without map flips? → 3

All options keep the ticket steal / fair-fight ideas above. Which direction should we build toward?

Once we’ve got a clear favorite path, I’ll put together a more detailed outline of that option for another round of feedback before we build it.