From:	"Abadia, Teos" <Teos.Abadia@****.COM>
Subject:	Re: Chipjacks (was more questions, less controversial)
Date:	Thu, 11 Dec 1997 17:50:36 -0500

[snip my contact idea]
> I like this alot
>
Thanks! Hopefully FASA will like Matb and my ideas. I see a lot of
potential here.

> <I agree. Chipjack 3 would be a particulalry useless card if =
you
> <could have a few chipjack 2s and/or 1s and a lot of skillsofts.
> <Currently, I see no strategic benefit to having skillsofts,
> except to
> <increase a rigger's piloting or to add firearms if you want to
> have
> <one or more Ranger Arms sniper rifles in a deck. Even in a
> firearms
> <deck, you are better off using laser sight than skillsofts.
>
> I disagree that Chipjack 3 would be useless. think about it. you
> can
> have all the Skillsofts you need. but if you only got one slot.
> you
> only can use one.
> grant it will take some time and Nuyen to get them out. but oh
> the
> sleazing you could do.
>
My feeling is that Chipjack 3 is an expensive card, and it takes up
essence. In a 60 card deck, how many of these are you going to put in
the deck? 4? And how many skillsofts? 12? What are your chances of
getting a skillsoft, vs. getting a chipjack? If you get softs but not
the chipjacks, you are hating life, and your hand is holding cards. =
The
price of real estate in my hand is mighty high when I have to consider
drawing more cards instead of taking money and one card. For the price
of chipjacks and skillsofts, I can put some pretty impressive gear =
cards
in my deck, or even more expensive runners. For example, a mage deck,
with sleep spell, can already sleaze a ton of challenges if you roll
right (and sure, the rub is in the D6).

Don't get me wrong, I like playing decks just for fun too, and chipjack
decks can be very fun when you just skate through to a challenge, but
this is just not all that easy with a chipjack deck. I mean, the cost
of 4 chipjack 3's and say 8 skillsofts, vs. just putting 4 runners in
your deck that have a lot of skills and can also kick butt!

Take the cost of a Chipjack 3 and three skillsofts: 3 Nuyen plus (2-3
Nuyen X 3). Say 10 Nuyen all told.

Would you rather have someone like Drake, who is one card, and has
Demolition, Firearms, Leadership, Melee. 4/5. Stamina. for a cost of =
6¥
?

Or, Tempest, just 4 Nuyen for three useful skills, the ability to take
spells, and the ability to inflict damage for 3 Nuyen?

See, take the 12 gear cards you were thinking of assigning to =
Skillsofts
and jacks, put in 3 runners with lots of skills (Drake, Tempest,
Hatchetman, Sam the Sleuth) and put in three Thrash to cover the
increased cost. This still leaves you with 4 other cards you =
eliminated.
If you want more money, play Fame or Fuchi and 2 statics. If you want
more offensive power, put in three weapons. Either way, you are better
off than with skillsofts.

One of the biggest problems with skillsofts is the following: you need
two many gear cards to really make a difference. 5 skillsofts
spread-out across a 60-card deck just aren't enough to matter. 5
weapons do, because one alone makes a ton of difference, for 80% of the
challenges, plus against Z-Zone, etc.

I don't like the way things are with regards to chipjacks. I think a
chipjack deck should be hard, but not this hard!



> once again only my thought on the matter at hand.
> Noah
>