From:	"James E. Frazer" <jimmicane@**********.COM>
Subject:	Re: Rule Modification: The Armor Flaw
Date:	Thu, 21 May 1998 10:20:04 -0700

>xanatos wrote:
>
>> Hey all.
>
>> I have been considering the ongoing discussion concerning "Bruiser
>> Decks" and as I gave them some thought I realized that one of the
>> primary factors in these decks is armor. That is, the fact that a
>> group of Runners can hit an 11/11 A3 spirit and bounce 10 points of it
>> off of armor.
>
>> My fix to this would be to weaken the effect of armor by making it
>> applicable only once in the course of a given combat (in a way similar
>> to the Battletch CCG for those who are familiar with it).
>
>Okay: What's the difference between new Armor and a straight increase
>in the Body rating? (The *only* difference I can come up with is Bounty
>Hunter.)
>
>I do agree that there are enough (A2) and (A3) Runners in the game. Add
>in some Armor or effects from other cards, and you get massive damage
>resistance. I'd counter this by creatig more ways to thwart armor,
>rather than rewrite the rules.
>
I think the way armor works was to prevent the old M:TG "White Weenie Rush"
where you just get 6 little displosable guys to take on a challenge. If the armor only
worked once, even a group with only an average attack value of 3 couple take out a Hive
Queen. That just doesn't sit right with me. Imagine sending in 4 Thrashes and 2 Glitzes
into the center of a Hive. They wouldn't stand a chance with the current armor system,
but if we changed it they would do 18 points - 3 for armor for a total of 15, thus killing
the Queen and having a bunch of them survive (you would lose 1 Glitz or Thrash and the
other 5 would survive with 1 point left each).

They've been introducing more ways to get past armor. At least, as far as the number of
AP challenges are concerned. I only know of 2 armor piercing effects that runners
themselves can use: Shuriken and APDS, but there might be others I'm forgetting (oh yeah,
and I think a Monowhip should be AP, but that's just my opinon).

To summarize (ack, I'm back in english class), without the current armor system,
challenges would be too durn easy. Fusion Gates would be thrashed like tin foil, Hive
Queens would be killed by rockers and deckers, and Elite Security Mages (3Nuyen: +3/+3
(A+1)) would become worse then Security Guards (1 Nuyen: +1/+2).

Then again, that's just my opinon, I could be wrong...
Hurricane



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