Hello everyone, it’s time for the fourth installment of design challenges for you all to ponder over! For this one, I’d like to address the runners who do not have “canon” consoles to call their own. While most runner’s in the game have a console that is officially “theirs” in the story, there are a few that have been overlooked, and since consoles are some of the most important and fun cards in the game, I think it would be a good idea to try to give some of those lonely runners a new toy to call their own. However, there are enough console-less runners in the game that I decided to split this exercise up into parts for each faction. Last is Shapers.
THE RULES
It must be a shaper console (duh).
It must be designed specifically with Exile, Kit, The Professor or Nasir in mind.
I will also allow Akiko.
My submission:
Recoder (kit’s console)
Shaper Console - Hardware - 3 inf
4c install
.+ 1MU. (click)(click): Make a run. Once during this run, you may add Code Gate subtype to a piece of ice currently being encountered. You cannot make a run on your next turn.
The Archive (The professor’s console)
Shaper console - Hardware - 5 inf
2c install
+3 MU
When you install the Archive, you may trash any number of programs. Add one program from your stack to your grip for each program trashed.
3c: Place one power counter on Almhavzh. Use this ability only during a run and only once per run.
Hosted Power Counter: gain 4 credits or draw 3 cards.
I wanted to make something that Nasir could “offshore” some money onto before he lost it to his ability. Google Translate says almhavzh is arabic for wallet, so the idea is that the runner is shifting their Titan Transnational Credits into some kind of Crypto currency during the run.
Whenever you install a program place one virus counter on Tarball.
The rez cost of the first ICE rezzed each turn is increased by 1 for each virus counter on Tarball. Remove all virus counters when the first ICE is rezzed each turn.
Yes, but that leaves literally just exile for the design exercise, and obviously that’s not enough. Omni-Drive isn’t technically a console, and monolith is the most unplayable console in the game. Astrolabe might be Nasir’s console, but it really doesn’t sync with him in particular at all and it’s so all-purpose saying it’s “his” is a bit of a joke. I had to take a few liberties with shapers to give us something to work with, hence why I included Akiko.
i mean that’s all fine, but you said in the OP that they didn’t have consoles, not that they didn’t synergise with them or were unplayable or whatever (i was just posting an aside for extra information, not trying to be dismissive or rude)
anyway, here’s some from me
Quadrant
Shaper Console - 3 inf
3c install
+1 MU
The first time the corp installs a piece of each turn, gain credits equal to the install cost of that ice.
keeping in mind that you’ll still gain credits even if the corp doesn’t pay for it, they just ignore the install cost, but it’s still there. they can of course layer their ice horizontally, but that’s fine if they want to spread it out thinly
They’ve been getting better at designing complimentary or thematically resonant consoles - Knobkierie, Zamba, Sifr, Mirror, etc. It wasn’t always that way, as the early sets demonstrate (Spinal Modem? Doppelgänger? Etc.)
For the Prof
De Vermis Mysteriis
Hardware - console
Shaper - Influence 5 - Cost 5
MU 3
Take 1 Brain Damage when you install this card
When you overwrite a non-Virus program, you may return the overwritten program to your grip rather than trashing it.
For Naz
Haven
Hardware - console
Shaper - Influence 3 - Cost 4
MU 1 - use this memory only for the hosted program.
This card can host a single program of MU 1 maximum.
When you encounter a piece of ICE that was just rezzed, you may install the hosted program, lowering its install cost by the Rez cost of that piece of ICE. Use this ability only once per turn.
(click): Choose a server and make a run on that server. The rez cost of each piece of ice protecting this server is increased by 2 during this run.
So this is Rook as a console. In Nasir, this serves two different paths: The corp is getting taxed out which buys Nasir some setup time. Plus, the ID gets better and now even a Pop-Up Window brings some cash. Facechecking is safer and runner interaction is encouraged.
Noise’s console is Turntable
Whizzard’s is Grimoire (but it was clearly meant to work with Noise mechanically)
Hayley and Comet do similar things so they work thematically well or at least it’s obvious where the design space was going in how they’re related… they’re just not very good strategically together because then your deck is doing too many things at once
but i think these design challenges are fine for trying to find consoles that work mechanically with their counterparts. it’s kind of fun. without trying to link them mechanically and just thematically, all we’d really need to do is find the name and then literally pick any kind of console design we wanted
The first time you make a successful run each turn, instead of accessing cards, you may install a Program or Hardware from the Heap, paying all costs.
Seriously, Exile needs something that actually will dig cards out of his Heap to become playable. The biggest problem with Exile is that anything good for him is going to also be good for other runners. Making it only once a turn, require a successful run, and no card access, is as stringent a limitation as I can place on this effect. I’m wavering on allowing Hardware, but definitely not Resource. (Same Old Thing recurring endlessly is probably not a great idea.)
Mostly this makes me think of the Street Chess style of Exile that wanted to make runs to recur programs. I always thought that was an enjoyable and interactive play pattern.
Hmmm…Exile is definitely a tough one to design a console for…I think it’ll take a lot more than just 1 card to make him a well-rounded archetype. How about this?
Road Eagle
Console
2c Install, 3 inf
+1 MU. The first time each turn a runner card is trashed from anywhere, gain 1c. The first time each turn a runner card is played or installed from the heap, gain (click).
Some kind of skorpios-like tempo effect seems to do well for Exile. I could see these two effects being split into two different cards though. This would give Exile a nice tempo edge, especially against damage decks.
Herne
Hardware console
Shaper - 4 influence -
Cost 4
MU 1 Link 1
[click] 1C: Install a non-Virus program from your heap (paying all costs). Use this ability only once per turn.
It’s for Exile, obviously, but I think Shaper could do with a link console in general. The obvious use would be to keep refreshing Lady. It’s a bit slow but probably needs to be to be balanced.
A different take. Good for Exile and Nas.
Nymue
Hardware - console
Shaper 4 Influence
Cost 5
You may host one Icebreaker on this console, ignoring its MU cost.
The first time you encounter a piece of ICE each turn, you may install an Icebreaker from your heap onto Nymue (paying all costs). For the rest of the turn, whenever you access cards from HQ or R&D, access 1 additional card.
