I thought i’d post my current rewrite of Clone Chip that i’m tentively thinking of including in a later version my Hack.
Clone Chip Rewrite
Shaper [ 3 Influence ]
Hardware [ $1 ]
Clone Chip can host 1 program. Trash Clone Chip if a program hosted on Clone Chip is uninstalled.
When your turn begins you may install a program from your heap ( paying the install cost ), host it on Clone Chip, and place power counters on Clone Chip equal to its install cost. Then, remove one power counter from Clone Chip or trash a program hosted on Clone Chip, if able.
Useful, if you can put up with it’s instability issues.
Key things to note:
- Because you need to host a program that you install from your heap using Clone Chip Rewrite on Clone Chip Rewrite, programs that need to be hosted elsewhere when they are installed can’t be targeted by Clone Chip Rewrite. Specifically this means Parasite ( and the new Terminal Directive card Egret, though i doubt i’ll do a version of my Hack that includes Terminal Directive, but i include it for standard ANR ).
- Because Clone Chip Rewrite hosts the program it installs and can only host 1 program, it is ‘tied up’ whilst a program it installs is still installed.
- Because Clone Chip Rewrite trashes as an effect and is not a cost, it means that it can be prevented from trashing by Sacrificial Construct and indefinitely by LLDS Energy Regulator. Whilst this can get pricey it does potentially provide an opportunity for Exile to get some more use out his trigger ability. ( Also, nb. Technical Writer ( x1 to 3 ). )
- As with Clone Chip there is no click cost to installing a program from your heap using Clone Chip Rewrite, but trigger timing has moved to the beginning of the Runner’s turn. This means that Clone Chip Rewrite is pre-emptive rather than reactive to cards and effects that the Corporation may have lying facedown in wait ( something that i very much disliked about Clone Chip. ).
- The wording and the power counter mechanism on Clone Chip Rewrite means that a program installed by and hosted on Clone Chip Rewrite will remain in play for as many Runner and Corporation turns as it is credits for that program’s install cost. Install cost 0 programs, with the exception of Harbinger, will be trashed before they can be used.
Other cards that install programs from the heap ( up to and including the Mumbad Cycle ) that i’ve tried to balance and ‘compliment’ ( that is, not make redundant by ) Clone Chip Rewrite with are: Test Run; Scavenge; and Retrieval Run.
( Also note that i’m giving errata to the cerberus programs. I’m still thinking on those. )
I think that that’s everything. Would be interested if anyone else spots any other synergies and anti-synergies.