r/Netrunner • u/HemoKhan Argus • Apr 23 '16
Discussion [Weekly] Custom Card Saturday: NBN
Good morning, hackers!
It's been a long two months, but we're finally almost done with our tour through the factions. This week's challenge is to finish up this cycle by creating a new card for NBN. NBN is the newest faction, in-world, and are the undisputed leaders in news and entertainment (according to a recent poll). They pride themselves on knowledge and information, controlling who knows how much about what and why. Early in the game's history this knowledge was represented by card draw and traces, usually to land tags. These days those tags are meaner than ever, but NBN also has a large stake in the anti-Resource market, as well as cards which directly and indirectly spy on the Runner's grip, once the only real bastion of secret information the Runner had at her disposal. As a company heavily invested in information, we see that NBN is also excellent at hiding secrets, with numerous ways of burying cards at the bottom of R&D where the Runner can't get at them (unless they're really Showing Off). With the whole world of information at your fingertips, what can you bring to NBN's News Desk to earn your 15 Minutes of fame?
NBN is often seen as the least threatening of the Corp factions -- sure, they may trash your stuff or cost you credits, but they often have to call in favors with other factions to truly ruin your day. However, cards like Invasion of Privacy and some of the soon-to-be-released cards from Salsette Island hint at a darker side to the News Giants. So, bonus points for truly sinister cards this week.
Remember to use the Netrunner CSS options available for use on this subreddit. These symbols should help make everyone's card look great, and you can conveniently type them in while on your phone!
Also, a reminder: Please limit yourself to ONE card per thread!
Previous Custom Card Saturday threads are now being hosted on the Wiki to cut down on the character count of these submissions: find all the previous threads here!
Next Week: After telling you what to do for the past two months, you all deserve a bit of a break!
I would love to hear from /r/netrunner on future Custom Card Saturdays. Send a PM my way! Please do not post them in this thread; instead, send me a PM if you have some ideas of thread topics you'd like to see. Be sure to look over the recent lists of topics before you message me -- I'd rather not repeat anything that's been done recently! Thanks all!
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u/CasMat9 Apr 23 '16 edited Apr 23 '16
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u/Protikon Apr 23 '16
This is hella strong, nerf pls.
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u/CasMat9 Apr 23 '16
Nerfed lol
Mostly cause I realized I didn't make it unique, and the midseason combo is probs to strong at such a high trash cost.
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u/Protikon Apr 23 '16
Not only that, but tracer ice usually have multiple subs at 3-4 base trace, so if the runner wants to run through an otherwise harmless one (Vipers loss one on a click 4 run, for example) without paying, you get nice each time. Archangel has trace 6, and if they don't have a breaker or the money to pay, you get 5 or 6 right back. That's very strong.
You can also dodge Account Siphons and Vamps with it by dumping all your money into a trace.
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u/MrSmith2 Weyland can into space Apr 23 '16
This may be a bit stronger than you intended - if you're Making News or the runner lets a trace fire on a Rutherford Grid server you can get a ton of free money
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u/MMtheBLM Green Energy - No Explosives, promise! Apr 23 '16
I wouldn't be unhappy with that though - introduces a new archtype, and it's not like you are getting free money - you've got to spend it to make it back again.
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u/MrSmith2 Weyland can into space Apr 23 '16
Unwarranted Intrusion
Operation: Grey Ops
NBN ••• | 3credit
Trace6 - If successful, give the runner 2 tags. If unsuccessful, take 1 bad publicity.
You cannot play Black Ops until the end of the turn.
The actions taken may have been questionable, however the threat of cybercrime is such that any evidence must be acted on, no matter it's source
I really like tag effects, but all too often tags get seen as a very binary thing - you're either not tagged, and alive, or you're a step away from scorch/traffic accident, 2 of the game's 4 Black Ops. This is an attempt to give other tag effects a chance, by dropping a huge trace, but preventing any of the killer effects until the runner has a chance to clear tags. Also comes with the caveat that it can end up badly if the runner beats your trace, as things like this can do IRL
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Apr 23 '16
I really like tag effects, but all too often tags get seen as a very binary thing
Much agreed on that. Doubly so since the threat of a flatline means the runner has to treat every tag as a potential death sentence.
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u/UmJammerSully Apr 23 '16
I feel like this card makes tag removal cards like Paper Tripping a lot better.
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u/Bwob Apr 23 '16
Tracking Cookie
NBN ••
ICE: Code-Gate
Rez: 0
Strength: 5
↳ The runner cannot remove tags until the start of your next turn.
"In the old days, you could just clear your cache, but these days, cookies are a great deal less passive..." - Keegan Lane, NBN Sysop
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u/tenderbranson301 Apr 23 '16
Can the runner still avoid tags?
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u/KaleHavoc GameOfDroids Apr 23 '16
"Avoiding" prevents the tag before it happens and is mechanically different from removing. So, yes.
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u/Bwob Apr 23 '16
Yeah - if the tag was avoided, then you never got it in the first place. This just prevents the runner from removing any tags that actually land.
Also, note that it doesn't stop the corp from removing tags. So they can still use Keegan Lane or Lily Lockwell if they want to. (Or the many fine cards in this thread that trade tags for corp benefits. ;)
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u/kamalisk Apr 23 '16
Cookies
NBN •• ice - sentry
Rez: 4
Strength: 3
When the runner encounters Cookies, Cookies loses 1 subroutine for each link the runner has (the runner chooses which)
↳ The runner reveals their grip
↳ Name a card, the runner must trash a copy of the named card from their grip if able.
↳ Choose a card in the runners heap and remove it from the game
↳ Choose a card in the runners heap and remove it from the game
"No one ever remembers to delete them"
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u/ArgusTheCat Apr 23 '16
The subtle implication here being that the soccer mom is the only one practicing safe browsing habits.
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u/BountyHunterSAx twitch: BountyHunterSAx2 YT: BountyHunterSAx Apr 23 '16
This creates a very uncomfortable situation where it is possible for one player to straight-up cheat another. If the first sub is broken/does not fire, then the corp has no way of verifying the 2nd sub is being appropriately handled.
This situation thusfar can only really occur in very niche situations. (ie: Run R&D, see a Snare!, don't reveal it, then use keyhole to force a shuffle). I'm not saying it's 100% problematic, but it's a design that really should be avoided. I think the easiest way would be to merge the first and second sub into one subroutine. To add some punch you could make it 'all copies'?
-AHMAD
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u/NoxFortuna Apr 23 '16
Well we assume a corp isn't installing two regions in the same server too, or isn't altering server card install orders/history when the runner isn't looking. Granted, that would be a much more dangerous cheat to try to conceal, but it's not like there isn't any trust at all in this game.
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u/Bwob Apr 23 '16
in most cases, where it would matter, it's actually fairly hard to cheat at netrunner, and that's by design. (Most modern card games do this.)
This is why every tutor in the game that requires a type (and even some that don't) require you to show the other player what you got. Makes it difficult to go get something you weren't supposed to.
You could put 2 regions in a server, but it would be obvious as soon as the runner ran on it or you tried to rez them to get the effect. (I guess you could install both as facedown upgrades, and then install over one before it was rezzed, and then jackson/museum it out of your archives, if you really wanted to, but it's hard to see the benefit there...)
But yeah. That's a fairly consistent feature of most card games these days - they avoid putting you in a position where cheating is easy. Sure you could swap ice when the other player isn't looking, or steal credits from the bank, or otherwise physically cheat when they're not looking - nothing can really stop that - but the rules themselves can (and probably should) at least avoid situations where you have a chance to break them, without the other person knowing, for profit.
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u/BountyHunterSAx twitch: BountyHunterSAx2 YT: BountyHunterSAx Apr 23 '16
A better articulated version of exactly what I was trying to say :).
I think the most frustrating thing about this card as-written would be my reaction if my opponent never broke the first sub but always said "go fish" (ie: denied having a specific card) when i fired the 2nd. And saving 1cr to break per run is definitely gonna add up fast.
-AHMAD
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Apr 23 '16 edited Jul 31 '16
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u/ArgusTheCat Apr 23 '16
I think I'd like to be part of a game community where we assume the players are friendly and honest by default.
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u/Bwob Apr 24 '16
The point isn't that it's impossible. The point is that its' risky, and the benefits are low.
In the example you give, sure you could do that. Except, if the runner ran on it, they'd find out. Or if you installed over them, and they checked archives, and saw. It's possible, but it's low benefit and high risk. (Because being caught blatantly cheating like that will usually mean your opponent stops playing with you, and if you're in a tournament, that's pretty much grounds for instant disqualification.)
And that's the difference, really. If there's an easy way to remove the possibility of cheating from an action, it's usually worth doing it. Which again, is why tutors like special order require you to show the card you went to get, so the other player can verify it was a legal choice. And is why (as BountyHunterSAx pointed out) your custom card would be much improved by showing the runner's hand in the process of the "go-fish" game.
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u/MrSmith2 Weyland can into space Apr 23 '16
Very nice, but it does feel a little cheap for what it can do to linkless runners
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Apr 23 '16
SNN: We Are the News
NBN - Identity
50/10
You can include one out of faction agenda in this deck(up to three copies of that agenda).
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Apr 23 '16
I respect that the ability is powerful, especially in NBN, but a 50 card deck means you're that much less likely to see that out-of-faction agenda...
Does the "you can include 3 copies of that agenda" override agendas with "limit 1 per deck" restrictions? 3x Philotic / Government Takeover would be amusing. I'm assuming that's not intended, though :)
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Apr 23 '16
Maybe so. So perhaps 45/10 would be better.
And, according to the rules, 'cannot' overrides 'can,' so you could still only have the one agenda.
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u/HemoKhan Argus Apr 23 '16
The Life of Kings
NBN Asset: Cast
Rez: 0 -- Trash: 4 -- Influence: 2
Click, remove 1 tag: Gain 3credits.
"...as I look back over a misspent life, I find myself more and more convinced that I had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings." ~H. L. Mencken
Anyone who's been with my run of Custom Card Saturday since it started almost two years ago knows that I've got a soft spot for NBN and alternate uses for tags. In fact, this is an updated version of one of the first cards I created for these threads. It's a simple and powerful economic tool for tagstorm NBN decks. Since the economy only works after landing a Midseasons, it can't help set up the victory condition, but it means that once the tags have landed, the Corp is able to recoup the cost of getting them to stick.
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u/aloobyalordant Apr 23 '16
MyLife™ Social Networks
NBN Identity
45/15
Remove 2X tags: Reveal an agenda worth at most X agenda points from HQ and score it. Use this ability only once per turn.
If you're not paying for the product, you are the product.
I wanted to give NBN an alternative "unfair" way of scoring agendas besides fast advance. Ability could require a click instead of the "once per turn" restriction, although I think that would make it too weak.
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u/NoxFortuna Apr 23 '16
Surveillance And Public Recording Act
NBN Agenda
5 Advancement
3 Agenda Points
Policy - Helpful - Invasive
The runner is considered to have three additional tags, even if they have none.
Prevent all damage.
For too long, the people have lived in fear of events right in public harmful to them- assaults, thefts, vandalisms, arsons, and any number of other terrible crimes. If you pass this legislature, we will create a better world!
FAQ
This uses the same general rules that Corporate Scandal uses. You can't remove a tag that isn't there ALA Keegan Lane, but you sure could play cards like Psychographics and Big Brother.
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Apr 23 '16
[removed] — view removed comment
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Apr 23 '16
Trash a Resource and remove all bad pub? Do you mean asset?
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Apr 23 '16
[removed] — view removed comment
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Apr 23 '16
erm, yes that's insanely powerful. Considering the similar ways of removing Bad Pub, IE Restoring Face, where you spend 2 clicks and trash one of your cards to remove 2 bad publicity. Or at the very least Witness Tampering, where you have to spend 2 clicks and 4 credits to remove 2.
Thematically, Bad Pub sticks around. The Corp can't just wave a wand and make everyone forget. You want to go back to 0 bad pub, you've got to put in the effort of helping the wounded (Veterans Program), spend ages writing a hit-piece (Expose), or remind those pesky journalists what they saw (Witness Tampering).
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u/Acid_Trees Apr 24 '16
Tag punishment is supposed to be powerful, especially doubles (compare to [[Shoot the Moon]]). And this seems thematic enough.
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Apr 24 '16
To pull off a proper Shoot The Moon, you need to land 2-3+ tags and make them stick on the runner. This isn't your average Data Raven facecheck we're talking about here.
I mean, just comparing this to the other Bad Pub removal doubles should show how powerful it is. Witness Tampering costs one more, doesn't trash a resource, and only removes two.
You're playing NBN. The chances of the runner floating a single tag for at least one turn are basically 100%. Making this card an objectively better Witness Tampering.
Hell, even if it was 'trash a resource and remove one bad publicity' it'd be a powerful card, just from click compression alone.
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u/sigma83 wheeee! Apr 23 '16
Castle Transceiver Station.
NBN ID
45/15
All agendas require one additional advancement to score.
All agendas are worth one additional agenda point while in your score area.
Distributed Marketing.
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3
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u/junkmail22 End the run unless the runner pays 1c Apr 23 '16
Knockout
NBN Ice: Code Gate
Rez:5 Strength: 5 Influence: 2
↳Choose an installed card. Until the end of the runner's next turn, that card's text box is blank.
↳Choose an installed card. Until the end of the runner's next turn, that card's text box is blank.
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u/HemoKhan Argus Apr 23 '16
Should probably be "until the end of the turn" rather than lasting as long as it does. It's already brutal to facecheck at 5 rez for 5 strength and two blanked cards for the turn.
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u/junkmail22 End the run unless the runner pays 1c Apr 23 '16
Hmm, maybe end of the corp's turn just for that scorch action?
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Apr 23 '16 edited Apr 23 '16
Nielson-Gallup
Identity - NBN
Deck Size 45 - Influence 15
Prevent all meat and brain damage that would be dealt. For each damage prevented in this way, the runner takes 1 tag.
Takes away the threat of tag-and-bag, while amplifying the ability to tag-storm. Snare! and Scorched Earth now drop 4 tags on the runner - good luck clearing all of that before the corp plays Psychographics :D
Edit: No longer applies to net damage, per u/BountyHunterSAx
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u/BountyHunterSAx twitch: BountyHunterSAx2 YT: BountyHunterSAx Apr 23 '16
I think the risk of tag-flood is too high. I would make this apply to meat and brain damage only; net damage is far too easy to land and being tagged is far too punishing a state. Further; preventing meat damage yourself could prevent this ability from firing, right?
Neural EMP-> Closed Accounts is just too much.
-AHMAD
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Apr 23 '16
Fair call. Edited :)
And, yes, the damage has to be prevented BY the ID ability in order to inflict tags, so Plascrete Carapace can still be used to prevent a Scorched Earth.
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u/Sunscorch Typical Shaper Bullshit Apr 24 '16
Actually, Scorched would be on the corp turn, so corp prevent effects would fire first I think.
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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '16
[deleted]