by shoefly
This idea could very well have been mentioned in some form elsewhere in these forums, but I didn't see it on any thread name.Its pretty simple. At the start of the game everyone is dealt 4 upgrade cards at random. If anyone gets Mimic or Parasitic Tentacles(we picked these 2 because we feel they can be overpowered to start the game with, you can add or subtract any other cards from the list you feel are too powerful) they can trade them in for 2 other cards to choose from. If someone receives no Keep cards they can trade in all 4 for a new set of 4. Everyone picks 1 keep card and places it face down next to their monster. That power is considered their innate power and they can turn it on during a normal buy step by paying half of the normal cost, rounded down(3 energy becomes 1, 5 becomes 2). That power can never be sold, or stolen(it can be lost however if the power requires it, a la Psychic Probe). And if the player dies and comes back via "It has a child!" the power remains but is flipped back over and has to be paid for again(still half price) during a normal buy phase.
Playing with my family we have found that this rule really helps to spice up the core game with many more cards hitting the table and far fewer games turning into a straight punch fest with no cards.
We just ordered the expansion so I don't know that we will still use this rule when playing with the expansion given the new Evolution mechanic, but for someone with just the base game this can add a little spice to the game.
Mike C.