From:	Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:	Re: Challenge Question
Date:	Sun, 24 May 1998 17:38:54 -0700

Sorrow wrote:

> It says that the Shadowrunning team has the option to either *face*
> a challenge or attempt to sleaze it.

> * Cards like Sabatoged Controls that have a sleaze requirement
> only (no attack/body value). How can you *face* such a challenge?
> Is your *only* option attempting to sleaze? And if they fail and set
> off the alarm? Does the card text kick in and the challenge trashed?
> Or does the challenge stick around until it is successfully sleazed?

Once you set out on an Objective, you have two options: either face the
upcoming challenge, or cut loose and return to the safehouse. If you
continue on to face the Challenge, the Challenge is revealed, and then
resolve any effect it might generate (skill-sleaze or text sleaze or
whatever).

Skill-sleazing only happens when the card lists specific skills
(Hellhound, for instance, has a skill sleaze of Stealth-2). If the
Runners can fulfill this skill requirement, the card is trashed
immediately. Otherwise any text effect has to be resolved -- a fight
starts, or you roll D6 for each Runner, or a random Runner gets blown
up, or, or, or. :) Generally if the card isn't trashed by skill-sleaze
or by special effects, the alarm goes off; any card that is trashed
after its text effect (like Ambushed En Route) should say so.

> Actually, I just thought of another question:
> What practicle use is there for Skillsofts? In order to get just one
> level of skill, you need 2 cards (chipjack and skillsoft). To get either
> of those reliably, you need to include several of each (6 cards?).
> That's 6 cards taking up space something else could be using.
> And if you want 2 or more additional skillsofts?
> Why?

Skillsofts actually work really well, if you design your deck
correctly. A guy like Humbug (or Mafia Runners working the Black
Market) can get skillsofts and chipjacks for free (in nearly all
cases). Once you've got the skills, most Challenges just vanish.
There're a few cards that also assist in getting needed skills (Muscle
Replacement or Stripdown, for instance) and, hopefully, there will be a
few cards that allow Runners to do .. interesting things .. if they have
a particular skill. (No, that's not a spoiler.)

It does make a deck Gear-intensive. It may also mean that rather than
get into a lot of Runenr fights, you just go running every turn, since
you can dodge most Challenges. I used to have a fairly reliable (5 for
8) deck that I tore apart a long time ago; I'll reassemble it and post
the contents .. some day. :)

By the way, your mailer is over-riding the automatic mail-to reply
function of the list. In Netscape, the 'Reply-To' field under
Option-General-Identity needs to be cleared.


- Matt

------------------------------------
In a dark time, the eye begins to see. - T. Roethke

GridSec: SRCard
Teen Poets FAQ: http://pw1.netcom.com/~mbreton/poetry/poetfaq.htm
SRTCG Website: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Station/2189/ccgtop.htm