Frisky's Corner

Mailbag

I get mail commenting on my words here at the Card Place and on the Wizards listserv. Some of the questions make up this, the first Frisky AI FAQ:

Do you think Wizards will release another NetRunner expansion?

Yes.

Do you, really?

Yes. I don't know *when*, but I think that Wizards will eventually see NetRunner the way television executives look at shows which are critically-acclaimed but get low ratings. They're scared to give the show to a rival network -- where its ratings could skyrocket -- and maybe they'll call for more of it to be produced rather than commit to an entirely new production. Sometimes the small TV audiences which are loyal and vocal keep their shows on the air, and in time, maybe the greater public comes around.

What would you like to see in an expansion?

Anything, as long as the new cards aren't as powerful as the Proteus viruses and some of the Proteus resources. Time to Collect, Death from Above, Precision Bribery...

Want to see these cards I designed?

No. I'm sorry, but I'd rather see your plans for cards which are really available.

Don't you think it's fun to think of new cards?

Sure. I'd like to see a prep which hits the corporation with bad publicity after it scores a Black Ops agenda. It makes "real world" sense, and it has the same balance in the play environment as Terrorist Reprisal. Still, I think we can do more for the game by tinkering with real cards, especially cards which no one else plays with.

What is your thing about bad cards, man?

I think people get bored looking at the same cards repeatedly -- I know I do. Also, it says something about your skill if you win with bad cards. It doesn't take much acumen to Systematically Layoff an Artificial Security Directors, and then gain bits while you wait to draw Corporate War.

Hey! I built a rawkin' deck with Corporate War! Want to critique it?

No, I want you to get a life. Corporate War is bullcrap. Three agenda points for three difficulty, plus a 12-bit reward, *and* its difficulty can be reduced. Come on, even if Corporate War said, "when you score Corporate War, lose all your bits," it would still be a good card for its difficulty-to-points ratio and reduceable difficulty.

Well, then, look at my new runner deck! It's a bankrupt-the-corp, big-dig, reduce-corp-hand-size, increase-agenda-difficulty deck!

I don't have to look at all the cards. I can tell already that it doesn't work. You're trying to do too much. An effective deck works towards a single idea. NetRunner is like chess in that way. If you ask an average chess player what his plan is in a given position, he might say, "I want to line up my rooks against his queen, and trap his knight, and disrupt his pawn structure, and checkmate him." A grandmaster in the same position might say, "I want to centralize my knight." Outstanding chessplayers aim for very little in any position -- the control of one key square, or the improved placement of one piece. Well-designed NetRunner decks are tightly focused.

Can you recommend a place to buy cards?

I enjoy reading rec.games.trading-cards.marketplace.misc. There are as many bargains as there are dealers who list Pox and Butcher Boy for sale for $1.25. So, I can't recommend any one vendor, because I like shopping so much.

Do you think there will ever be a marketplace for NetRunner like there is for Magic?

I hope not. My best-loved deck contains11 rares, worth about $33. I feel sorry for players who find they *really love* Magic, but can't afford to explore their ideas.

I think your ideas about a World Domination deck suck. I would...
I think your ideas about a Siren deck suck. I would...
I think your ideas about Hijack suck. I play it this way....
I think you're wrong about Joan of Arc. I install....

You're absolutely right to examine my ideas critically. Keep those cards and letters coming.