More Ideas

[Ninisty]

Maybe better stacking bonuses. Like if you have two exploration cards, the rewards proc twice, but the chances of double monsters is always there. Stacking villagers to stacked location can help with encounters like this, The alternative is just having two villages each on two exploration cards.

Semi Automation. Stacking the Lumberyard/Sawmill with a Villager ontop of each other would combine both their times but produce a plank. Same with Quarry/Brickyard.

Shed/Warehouses can have a singular card stack put on them that can also lower card amounts. Or at least another structure that can do the same and has a larger range of pulling cards produced that are stored in those. For both food and building materials. +10 of each food item gets expensive. +5 sheds +5 warehouses compared to other buildings.

Breeding Stable. Putting two farm animals will work like Housing and Offspring to create more.
Pig Animal produces Raw Meat when killed.
Sheep Animal materials to create a map? If not clothing to change units back to villagers.
Fox Animal kills your livestock if left unattended.
Horse Animal increases exploration time alternative combines with explorer for horse rider unit.

Worker Villager - Iron/Wood? Creates a tool to make villager with lower hearts but faster production.

Medic Villager - Medic Villager can restore hearts when stacked with hurt villager. Less production. Less Hearts. Can convert corpse into Gold or Goods.
Tome + Explorer Map = Medical Item

Poop to Soil to Garden to Farm. Rather then Soil to Garden and Garden to Farm.
Poop + Poop + Food? = Soil
Change Farm's soil requirement to Garden.

Thumb Tack/Pin a card you make that can be stacked and and won't move when pushed.
Stone or Iron Ore + Villager = Item

Peaceful Mode Conversion. Making the Temple and putting the Relic inside will convert the game to standard mode.
Semi-Peaceful. Monster encounters in exploration cards still occur.

Enemy Thief - Disguises as a Villager. Takes coin then turns to red enemy. Dogs counter this mechanic.

Foiled Exploration Cards - Yields two rewards, but has a chance of spawning enemies even when not in use. Put a Dog on to disable card spawning.

Foiled Bonuses - Instead of selling Foiled Cards, they give twice the reward.

Foiled Villagers - Increases Stats or Production.

Foiled Trader - Costs 3-4 Coins instead of 5.

Market Card - Stacking two Market Cards will produce a Trader for a turn or two.

Berry Alcove - A reusable berry farm.
Garden + Berry Bush 3?

Orchard Woods - A reusable apple farm.
Forest + Apple Tree 3?

Bad Exploration Cards - Cards that can't be sold and stays on the map until a party is sent to explore it.
Fox Hole - Spawns foxes until dealt with.
Catacombs - Moved to one of these. Spawns skeletons
Bear Den - Spawns bears.
Troll Cave - Spawns a troll.
Dragon Nest - Spawns a dragon.
Dragon Sword = Sword + Dragon Scale
Dragon Sword + Villager = Hero

[Maffew]

Lots of REALLY great ideas here, especially the Bad exploration cards! I think that would provide something for your swordsmen to do while you wait for each wave. I also agree with the poop to soil to garden to farm idea. It can be pretty hectic at the beginning, just trying to get enough food, and soil is so random. Then later you have at least one garden just kicking around when you are able to make multiple farms... Feels bad to sell it when money means nothing at that point.

[YetiChow]

I agree, lots of good ideas here! I'd definitely give +1/support votes to:

- berry alcove and orchards (even if the cost is a farm + 3-5 trees/bushes, for late-game QoL it would be worth it)

- negative exploration cards with continual effects until cleared

- foxes/enemies attacking livestock, and enemies stealing coins (the goblin or troll could do that, which saves having to implement a new enemy and adds variety to the existing list)

- gardens -> farms, I love this idea although I'm not entirely sold on making soil out of food + poop. Maybe instead it could be that soil -> garden requires 1 poop in addition to the current recipe, and then garden -> farm requires an additional poop?

- a medic/healer role, although I think this would be super powerful (especially since we can now pause the game to re-organise the battle lines!) and so should maybe require a chalice + tome to create?

- as a side note/new suggestion, to complement the healer I'd love to see a knight/"designated tank" unit with high health but low attack (a low chance to hit, and 1 damage) -- the item could be a shield and the recipe for it could be 1 wood + 2 iron bars, making it marginally more expensive than a sword; and this troop wouldn't be much good on its own since multiple enemies will still wear it down but it would be good for slowing enemies while you muster high-damage counterattackers

- stacking market stalls to create a trader -- there could even be a chance to create a range of things, e.g. a treasure chest or key, an explorer, a map, or a livestock animal, so it's more of a "hold a fair and see what comes" (although the trader is the most likely outcome by a fair margin)

- improved worker speed by giving them a tool: I love this idea, but I feel like they'd be significantly more powerful than first appearances; so I'd propose they should also move up to consuming 3 food per moon like soldiers do. The cost increase would still pay for itself if you're using them to produce food, but it means you have to have reliable food production to support them.

Speaking of reliable food production, I'd love to see a crop like wheat added which can't be eaten directly, but is cheap (sells for 1 gold) and quick to grow and can be cooked with other foods in order to make decently filling meals. Wheat + egg + apple @ campfire = apple pie (3 fill value), 2 wheat + egg + milk + berry @ campfire = cake (5 fill value), wheat + egg + raw meat @ fire = meat pie (5 fill value)