Official Rules Question Thread

many thanks for the clarification

Does the newly spoiled Adjusted Matrix require the strength of the ICE is matched?

I think the better question is: what the hell does Adjusted Matrix even do?

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Barring some errata, you should be required to match strength - which would make it pretty worthless. Personally, I’m more weirded out by the strange use of plurals. The way it is written now would suggest that one click can break more than one sub, but if that had been the intent I imagine they would have used the more familiar “any number of subroutines.”

I thought that was the point given also the high install cost: you pay to match the strength and click through all the subs you want at once.

If instead it is meant to break only one sub per click, well, replying to @RTsa’s question

becomes very easy: Adjusted Matrix simply sucks.

An interesting point brought up on Reddit that I hadn’t considered was that it might be 1 click to let you use the breaker to break the subroutines as if it could. It would explain the odd use of plurals (though, definitely not forgive the horrendous wording on it in general). For example, you could attach it on switchblade, then spend a click during an encounter with DNA Tracker to let you break it for 2 stealth credits.

I don’t think I buy that theory, but honestly the cards a mess so i don’t know what is actually correct. I do think it would require strength regardless, as icebreakers need strength to affect ICE. I think, until ruled otherwise, I’d play it as if it has the 1.0 bioroid effect (if at strength). “Subroutines” is too ambiguous to assume it breaks multiple, and the Reddit theory, while interesting, is quirky, and I feel like if they were introducing a quirky effect, they’d put more effort into making sure it wasn’t an incoherent mess.

Regardless, how this wording made it through to production baffles me.

I’m personally rooting for the Reddit theory as it makes the card most interesting. And it does make the most sense considering if it was supposed to work any of the other suggested ways, it probably would have been worded differently.

Anyway, my point is there is like four different interpretations on how it works. I’m not convinced it’s necessarily any of those. I still remember IT Dept. baffling everyone on what it does.

In my original interpretation I identified “subroutines” = “any subroutine”, that’s why I thought it worked that way.

interesting idea which also explain why the host ICE-breaker becomes an AI. In this interpretation we would certainly need to know if the strength of the encountered ICE must be matched or the card allows you to disregard both strength and ICE subtype.

Could not be binder fodder after all.

I think that, minimally, Apex is running this no matter what.

Strength would likely need to be matched if the Reddit theory was to hold. Icebreakers cannot use paid abilities to affect ICE if they are below strength. AM modifying the break types allowed should not change that.

But, again, in not really certain on anything when it comes to this card.

The only thing that has me doubting my own answer above (which agreed with your assessment) is that AM says “You may spend…” which is closer to the wording on Bioroids than the Cost:Effect form of most icebreakers and thus suggests that it may be the runner (rather than the breaker) doing the breaking. But if that were the case, it seems bizarre that this would be hosted on an icebreaker and would add AI.

I’m skeptical of the reddit theory because this is awful wording to achieve said effect. I think under RAW you would need to say something about ignoring subtypes or the like – otherwise, having the ability to “break subroutines during encounters with pieces of ice” still doesn’t mean that “1c: Break barrier subroutine” can do anything against a non-barrier ice. OTOH, this seems like awful wording to achieve any effect at all, so who knows?

Problem is that, even if the wording was exactly the same as bioroid, it’s still a different situation. Bioroids giving the runner the ability to break them circumvents any icebreaker interactions. But AM giving an icebreaker the ability to spend clicks to break ICE means that there is an interaction in which the icebreaker is affecting the ICE, and any such interactions require the icebreaker to be at strength.

These interactions have been limited to paid abilities (up until now), so maybe you could make an exception for whatever this bioroid/AM effect is (some sort of conditional ability occurring in a paid window). But until such an exception is made, I’d assume it holds, and thus strength is required.

Note that strength would not necessarily be required for the Reddit theory, as the ability has no effect on the ICE, but rather the icebreaker. But that’s relatively moot because the icebreaker itself would then require strength to use its break abilities.

Realizing I glazed over the distinction in the initial question of “you” versus “the icebreaker”. That’s something I didn’t consider. The icebreaker gives you the ability, and then you use that ability to break the ice, so is strength required?

I don’t know. I want to say that the breaker is actually providing/using the ability, and it’s just wording it in that manner to say that you can spend to activate it, but I think we should probably sit on this one awhile. The card is so ridiculously ambiguous that I don’t think we’ll reach a conclusion. Needs clarification.

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My completely unfounded hunch is that they probably wanted it to read something like “Add a new paid ability to the icebreaker which reads “Click: Break ice subroutine”” (this would require matching strength, but let you break anything). But they couldn’t word it like this because you can’t use click paid abilities in the middle of a run, so they came up with this mess instead (and any editorial oversight was asleep at the wheel).

Anyway, this is generally OT for the rules question thread until we get some sense from Damon of how this is actually intended to work, so I’m going to bow out until we hear more. =)

The only thing that should have been different is it saying “spend [click] to break any subroutine” to make it clear that it’s a 1:1 ratio.

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Is that the intended interaction?
[click] break any 1 subroutine (without needing to boost?)

With needing to boost. That’s a fundamental rule of icebreakers

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Hey, it makes sense to me!

Now, last question (I hope) the subroutine can be on any type of ICE, right? so my Houdini could break a Cortex Lock with a click (assuming it was previously boosted), right?

On firing the Mind Game subroutine with Wormhole:

“You and the Runner secretly spend 0, 1, or 2. Reveal spent credits. If you and the Runner spent a different number of credits, choose another server. The Runner is now running on that server instead of passing Mind Game. For the remainder of the run, the Runner must add 1 installed card to the bottom of his or her stack as an additional cost to jack out.”

Am I right in thinking that if this is fired with Wormhole and the corp wins the psi game, the runner does not get moved to another server because there is no ‘passing Mind Game’ to be replaced? But the runner would still need to add a card to the bottom of the stack in order to jack out?