| From: | Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Evil things... Challenges |
| Date: | Wed, 30 Dec 1998 00:25:52 -0800 |
> Here is the list of evil things challenges that I have right now.
> Challenges (next to contacts) are some of the hardest cards to come up
> with. There is so much balancing that needs to take place. I would
> hate to have created 14 other guardian dracoforms or widows traps. Som=
e
> can be nasty, but over all I tried to keep them at a level that a simpl=
e
> merc team or a group of elves could punch through (with some difficulty=
> but still manage it) with the right skills.
Merc teams and elven decks can be _nasty_. The lowest lifeform at the
moment is _probably_ a Mafia deck, although I wouldn't stack my chips
for that one.
> Name - Astral Disruption Field
> Name – Customs Check
> Name – Dawn
> Name – Electrical Storm
These are, honestly, just hose-a-particular-deck Challenges; like
Anti-Astral Barrier or SecRigger, they're not likely to see much use. =
The problem with hosers is that if the deck type they hose isn't
particularly strong to begin with, there's no reason to use the hoser;
if they're too strong (as the Vampires are in danger of becoming)
there's no reason _not_ to use that particular card, and so you've just
created a must-have.
Most of these could probably (maybe) be fitted with a secondary benefit
that makes sense, although (to be both blunt and honest) I'd rather see
a Challenge that weighs in evenly against all comers, rather than
_really_ slamming some and lightly touching others.
> Name – Blocked Passage
> Type – Barrier
> Threat – None
> Sleaze – Demolitions 1
> Text – Shadowrunning team pulls out. Trash after revealed.
Mmm, fair, but (given that a lot of decks already include Dem-1 to stop
Booby Traps), not a real big deal. Hellish Traffic is still harder.
> Name – Corrosive Spirit
> Type – Unique
> Threat – 6/6
> Sleaze – Sorcery 2 or Conjure 2
> Text – Owner of Corrosive Spirit may do any of the following. Loose =
5
> reputation to make it unsleazable. Loose 5 reputation to trash any gea=
r
> card present before combat (this action may be done more than once.)
> Loose 10 reputation to have it do its damage first in combat.
> Name – Toxic Elemental
> Type – Unique
> Threat – 9/3
> Sleaze – Sorcery 2 or Conjure 2
> Text – Owner of Toxic Elemental may do any of the following. Loose 5=
> reputation to make it unsleazeable. Loose 10 reputation to make damage=
> armor piercing. Loose 20 reputation to return Toxic Elemental to your=
> hand if it is trashed.
These are both alright, but Rep is just far too nice to have to lose
that much of it. (Lose 20 Rep to return Toxie to my hand? When I can
spend 5Y and bribe a Squatter?)
I'd streamline Toxie, make the costs 5/5/10 (just like the Corrosive
Spirit), although I'd suggest something more like "Lose 5 Reputation and
frag a card from your hand to return Toxic Elemental to your hand"
(leaving it at that: open enough that you can scoop it back up if you're
forced to face your own Toxie).
Similar, Corrosive Spirit ought to be _bad_ to use, and damaging to the
deck; I could probably see the costs being re-arranged to
0-Rep,-frag-top-card-of-drawpile-or-trash-pile,
5-Rep,-frag-card-in-your-hand,
5-Rep-frag-card-in-play-or-10-Rep-and-'free'. Thre Threat Ratings
should both be comparable to a Greater Elementals, although _another_
possibility is to make the Threat Rating dependent on the owner's
(negative) Reputation.
> Name – Insect Swarm
> Type – Outdoor
> Threat – 10/2
> Sleaze – Sorcery 2
> Text – Damage from insect swarm must be divided as evenly as possible=
> among all runners present. Before armor is taken into account.
This is okay, but I really can't imagine any insect swarm taking out a
bunch of Runners like that. (Yeah, yeah; Insect Spirits. I get it.) =
Another possibility might be to force the damage to be split as evenly
as possible, with no more than 3 damage being assigned to a single
Runner.
> Name – Naga Guard
> Type – Awakened
> Threat – 5/5 (A1)
> Sleaze – Sorcery 1, Stealth 2
> Text – Owner of Naga guard may trash any number of gear/spell or
> gear/spirit cards from his hand to give Naga Guard a +2/+1 bonus until
> end of combat.
(...Naga got Cyberware? Cyberware _and_ Spells_? Cyberware, Spells,
_and_ it drives a Big Rig?)
> Name – Sacrificial Lamb
> Type – Miscellaneous
> Threat – None
> Sleaze – Sorcery 3 or Gunnery 2
> Text – Trash 1 runner present and trash challenge. Or entire
> shadowrunning team pulls out, and turn over Sacrificial Lamb.
> Picture – Small running team hugely outnumbered and cornered. All
> looking at some poor twonk to send out to the masses.
Random Runner? Target Runner? (And why those particular skills to
sleaze?)
- Matt
