| From: | Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Firearms and Gunnery Brute Force Deck |
| Date: | Thu, 15 Jan 1998 23:56:43 -0800 |
>
> Here's a deck I put together last night, and I'm looking for criticism
> and ideas for improvement. What would you add or subtract from this
> deck, and why? I haven't played with this one yet, so I can't offer
> historical assessment.
Strangely enough, I find I usually put decks together based on skill,
rather than profession or race (although I have used all-elf and
all-dwarf decks in the past).
> The main idea was to use the hard-to-use "Ranger Arms SM-3" card, which
> kicks butt and is cheap, but requires Firearms-2 to use. Then I threw 2
> Panther Assault Cannons, and on the deck went.
> Runners: (19)
> Cannonball x2
> Glitz
> Gore Tusk
> Kromagnus
> Stomper
> Thrash x4
> Domino x2
> Kracker Jack
> Drake
> Grizzly
> Iron Mike
> Lord Torgo
> Moon Shadow
> Ravage
> Notes: The dominoes, iron mike, and gore-tusk have the firearms 2
> required for the Ranger Arms SM-3.
Hmm. For whatever reason, you passed up Flatline, Ghost Who Walks, and
Shellshock.
Shellshock is the most critical of these (and most common), especially
with the joint Firearms-2 and Gunnery skills -- and as an added bonus,
he makes the Panthers slightly cheaper (darn good merc connections, I
guess). I'd probably choose him over Ravage; her Stamina and
double-strike ability are kinda cool, but the upkeep makes her much more
expensive in the long run. (Another choice might be Grizzly.) It does
mean focusing a bit less on the Katanas; with the exception of Razorhead
Turf (which you should walk all over) I don't see that being a real
menace to the deck's effectiveness.
> Gear: (11)
> Katana x3
> Dermal Plating
> Harley Scorpion
> Ranger X x2
> Panther Assault Cannon x2
> Ranger Arms SM-3
> Maglock Passkey
> The gear capitalizes on lots of bang without too much cost, although I
> might take out one of the panthers. What do you guys think? The
> Passkey can be nice, but otherwise takes up space. The Harley further
> extends my armor.
I'd remove at least one (possibly more) of the Katanas and replace them
with Laser Sights. This opens up the number of people who can use the
Ranger Arms by quite a bit. Because it can only be used once per turn,
you want it to be given to the least effective Runner out there --
though one who can still handle some damage, just so Riots and Tempest
don't turn out to be a problem after the run. The Laser Sights also
make the Ranger-X a bit more efficient (guaranteeing the bonus +1).
That being said, I'm tempted to go for FN HARs instead of the Ranger-X,
but only so long as you're using Shellshock -- mo' money, mo' money.
> Contacts: (2)
> Media Chick
> Mr. Black
> I may take out media chick. Mr. Black works well. Any comments?
Mr. Black works very well. Media Chick.. not so good. The deck
already runs pretty expensive; while the Rockers increase your nuyen
intake, I don't see having that much money to blow around until later in
the game. Later in the game is usually a bad spot to make the Big Run,
as your opponent has had time to store several GAQS or Wild Goose Chases
in his hand, ensuring a big Media Wipeout. :)
I haven't tried using the Shopping Cart Lady yet. It seems like a cheap
way to get the expensive toys back into play. Most of your Runners can
handle three damage, too, but I'll leave it up to you.
> Locations: (2)
> Shadowland
> Z-Zone
> The Shadowland I like to replace the need for deckers while still
> reducing unexpected suprises. Would you guys replace this with an Iron
> Lung? Z-Zone works well, as I can send a bunch to Shadowland, and keep
> the strongest to go attack another player. With a Panther and a Ranger
> weapon on two runners, I can make mincemeat of several runners.
The Z-Zone works, though it's expensive; I'm waiting for the corrected
version to come out before I start playing with it, though :)
Shadowland.. tough call. The "quasi-Recon" is needed, as I expect
Kraker-Jack to be wearing several different hats as the game progresses,
and not always able to Recon. Since you're worried about draw (and I am
too), you might want to look into The Warehouse, to help stash cards
that are waiting for combos to appear.
<bash> Like, say, Shellshock? :) </bash>
A pretty good selection of Objectives and Challenges. I don't have that
much to say about them. (Me? Out of words?)
> Stingers: (5)
> GAQS
> Change of Plans
> Wild Goose Chase
> Sudden Goblinization x2
Pretty cool choices. While the Goblinized Thrash combo seems pretty
cool, for some strange reason I've never ended up briging him on a Run.
I supose it helps if you get stuck early in the game with only Thrashes
in play, and want to make up lost time; the other strong candidate is
Moon Shadow, since the Goblinization doesn't take away her Biotech
ability, and her Conjuring and Street are, more or less, going to pot in
this deck. Kraker Jack, Iron Mike, and Ravage are also susceptible, but
I imagine you'l want to keep their skills in play. (Which is why the
Goblinization is a useful card, since you can also go the Ork route.)
> Specials: (3)
> Wanted x2
> Riots
Owch. :)
It's a cool deck; I might have to put it together myself and see how she
runs.
-Matt
------------------------------------
With nomads I am numbered. -- E. MacColl
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