Imaginary Cards

I was just worried that, at too low of a cost, it makes asset play impossible. I figured, if playing against asset spam decks who typically run little ice, getting into centrals is slightly easier. Also, the value of paying 4 clicks and 7 dollars to kill potentially 5 to 10 assets at once seems decent. But I think you’re right. Maybe 5 install cost?

I think 5 is a better price. Consider the current major asset spam decks, IG, RP, Gagarin, and I guess some variants of CTM.

RP is icing their centrals fairly well anyway, usually all 3. Its going to be super expensive to get in to all 3 (other than early game) and then drop a 7 cost resource.

IG, less Ice but then you are hitting Archives (with all its shocks), hoping to not lose the resource from random net damage, and then spending 7 to reduce the number of cards in your hand by 1 more (any unrezzed Bio-ethics would be safe and Neural is sometimes a thing in IG)

Gagarin - Ok this probably hurts Gagarin the most. They would be the least likely to have Hostile and their tax doesn’t matter at all against centrals. The problem, a 7 install would probably put you far behind in cash and possibly in Stinson range.

CTM - Also useful as you would only need to take the one tag to trash everything and you (hopefully) have some sort of end of turn tag removal or Aaron about. 7 is still a lot tho.

Sorry for the over analysis to basically agree that 5 (or maybe even 4) would be a better cost. I just super like the idea of the card ( a less destructive, but more targeted Apocalypse to smash up assets along the same themes of Drive By)

No those are all valid arguments. The card would probably be worst against IG (for all the reasons you mentioned), but I still think that it would be pretty good against RP. I see it as a “swing card”. You wait to play it until you are ready to run all their ice (making them spend money) and then killing their economy cards. Plus, since runners are rich right now with Timmy J contract money, I think its not a bad investment.

Potentiometer
Hardware - Shaper
1 cost 3 inf.
Host Potentiometer on a piece of Ice or on an Icebreaker

1c : Host card gains +1 str
1c : Host card has -1 str

Trash potentiometer at the end of the turn if you used it 3 or more times in a single run and if i’ts installed on a pice of ICE,if is installed on an icebreaker, thrash the Icebreaker instead.

-Be careful!

Well, this could have a ton of uses (atman, d4v1d, bad ratio icebreakers, or fixed strength) I don’t know if its good but always wanted a card like this.

Cornered
Weyland Operation-Grey Ops
Play: X
Influence: 4
Play Only If The runner is Tagged. Give The runner X Tags.
Come out, come out… -Chief Slee

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[quote]Non-Stop News Casts
Upgrade: Cast - Rez 1, Trash 3, NBN Inf ●

When you rez Non-Stop News Casts, trash an active Current. Gain credits equal to its play cost.

Trash: Search R&D for 1 Current, reveal it, and add it to HQ. Shuffle R&D.

News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising.[/quote]

My take on something to knock Rumor Mill down a peg, without all the dumb interactions of instant speed Current plays.

As an added bonus, it is super good in Sol (my favorite ID by far). Lets you play a true toolbox style with Currents.

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Would you have to reveal the current that you pull from R&D?

Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that. Absolutely. I hate cards that do something with a specific type of card and don’t force reveal.

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Lavaflow
Criminal Program-Virus
Install: 3
MU: 2
Influence: 4
When your turn begins, place 1 Virus Counter on Lavaflow.
3 Credits X Virus Counters: Bypass a piece of ICE with strength equal to or less than the number of virus counters just spent.

A thought on 2/0 agendas as, effectively, Triples that turn on forfeit, score, and steal effects:

Red Level Clearance - 2/0
HB Agenda: Security
When you score Red Level Clearance, resolve two of the following in any order:

  • Gain 6c
  • Draw three cards, then trash a card from HQ
  • Gain [click]
  • Install an agenda, asset, or upgrade from HQ

It’s a bureaucratic nightmare to get public-level security clearance, but the fact that it’s transferable can make it worthwhile if you know someone who wants it.

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Selachii Ventures
Jinteki ID - Division
45/12
Ambushes from R&D and HQ are accessed as if they have one advancement counter on them.
Blood in the water.

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Format-wise, do you intend for this to make Junebug/Overwriter/Agsec/etc. fire from R&D? Because right now the runner doesn’t have to reveal them.

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Aha! You’re right! I knew there was an issue with the formatting that I couldn’t quite pin down:

Selachii Ventures
Jinteki ID - Division
45/12
Whenever the runner accesses an Ambush from R&D or HQ they must reveal it. Ambushes from R&D and HQ are accessed as if they have one advancement counter on them.
Blood in the water.

edit: err eyeballing the wording on Snare! it might just need to say R&D?

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Yes, because you always know what cards the Runner accesses from HQ.

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Love the ID, could maybe have standard influence as the ability is nifty but not completely oppressive. You could make it even spicier to justify that 12 influence by changing it to “When the runner accesses Ambushes treat those as if they had one additional advancement counter on them”

This would make IAA plays have more bite and make Mushin plays super scary.

Amusing fringe case (that would likely never happen) - A Fetal AI or Obokata Protocol accessed in HQ or R&D after a scored Utopia Fragment would cost an additional 2 Credits to steal (in addition to their other costs)

I would argue against standard influence for it, because Overwriter and AgSec are really strong if you can fire them from HQ/R&D. The potential for brain damage on every access is rough, and maybe losing a key breaker if the corp has at least 2c could be crippling if you’re not playing conspiracy breakers or plenty of recursion. Shattered Remains is only 1c to trigger, too. If anything, I’d suggest maybe adding a small cost of 1c or 2c for the corp to trigger it.

You’ve nailed the reason I kept it at 12 influence. I think AggSec is the real threat here but I will say I think the ID is a bit boring with 12 as you’re imports feel sorta predictable.

Maybe having a “first time each turn” clause would be better.

It could be “once per turn”, per Skorpios, to let you choose.

I agree that breaker trashing is a bigger threat than a point of brain damage.

You could be unpredictable with tag punishment combined with Ghost Branch: only 1 influence!

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I had actually forgotten about AggSec, in a previous meta I would have worried about it more but everyone (sans crim) is packing a ton of recursion and this does not seem likely to change. I do like the thought of adding an economic cost to using the ability (or a once per turn restiction as @ppang suggests) The econ cost would make the strategy of bankrupting the corp and then hitting R&D and HQ viable. I think 2c seems about right. It would be a decision to pay that 5c total to trigger cerebral out of R&N rather than only paying the 3c cost. Decisions are fun so 2c seems good!

Here’s an idea that’s been bouncing around in my head: Criminal breakers that play on the “rich criminal” idea by being very inefficient (also very criminal) up front, but giving you a bunch of money back if you break all subroutines. The big problem with the idea is working out the numbers.

Augustus - 3c
Criminal Program: Icebreaker - Killer
Strength 0
When an encounter in which you use Augustus to break all subroutines on a sentry ends, gain credits equal to the rez cost of that sentry.
3c: +4 strength
3c: Break up to 2 sentry subroutines

So, some price points: vs. Archer, net 8c cost (12c to break, 4c return); vs. Assassin, net 2c cost (9c to break, 7c return); vs. Cobra, net 2c cost (6c to break, 4c return); vs. Ichi 1.0, net 4c cost (9c to break, 5c return); vs News Hound, net 4c (6c to break, 2c return). Assuming 3 or 4 cards in hand, you can break even on Brainstorm and pay 4 to get through Komainu. My biggest problem is that it further discourages expensive sentries.

Crassus - 2c
Criminal Program: Decoder - Icebreaker
Strength 1
When an encounter in which you used Crassus to break all subroutines on a code gate ends, gain credits equal to the rez cost of that code gate.
3c: +2 strength
4c: Break any number of code gate subroutines.

Examples: Tollbooth: Threshold 13c (including encounter ability), net cost 5c; Fairchild 3.0: Threshold 10c, net cost 4c; Aiki:threshold 7c, net cost 6c (ouch); Enigma: threshold 7c, net cost 4c. Again, much better vs. pricier ice.

Croesus - 1c
Criminal Program: Fracter - Icebreaker
Strength 2
When an encounter in which you used Croesus to break all subroutines on a barrier ends, gain credits equal to the rez cost of that barrier.
5c: +4 strength
4c: Break up to 2 barrier subroutines

So, here I’m being deliberately super clunky because it’s a criminal fracter. It’s just plain awful vs. cheap gear check barriers, as well as many of the newer barriers, but you can get through an outer Curtain Wall for 4c or Heimdall 1.0 for 5c.

Honestly, yeah, the numbers could use tweaking, and maybe there’s some value in basing some of the returns on strength or subroutines instead of rez cost (but that does mean more direct cost/return interaction, because you’re already paying based on strength and subroutines). I’ll give it some more thought, but feedback is welcome if it seems like an interesting set of breakers.

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