Emails to the Editor:
Golden Loop Revisited

edited by Jens Kreutzer

The following reader comments on the "Golden Loop" article in the last issue have reached me. It's always nice to get some feedback, so please feel free to email me your thoughts.

Kristian Priisholm, Denmark:

A note about Golden Loop: In my local environment, one guy hooked another agenda on to the loop: Black Ice Quality Assurance, taking advantage of the fact that Black Ice Quality Assurance (as far as I know) is the only agenda with two types, Research and Black. Of course it's not a competitive idea, but still quite funny, I think.

Ed.: Though there are quite a few agendas that have multiple keywords (like Asset and Ambush), Black Ice Quality Assurance is indeed the only one that combines two keywords relevant to Golden Loop. Nice one, Kristian!

Gilles Delcourt, Belgium:

I've just finished reading the last TRQ issue (once again: good work), and I am surprised that your Golden Loop article doesn't mention the use of Corporate Negotiating Center.

Considering how many agendas will be in your HQ (and how often), a few rezzed Corporate Negotiating Centers will provide enough bits to power the deck. Therefore you can afford a few more pieces of ice, and if the Runner makes up his mind to trash the CNCs, their trash cost of 3 means that while you won't get richer, the Runner will quickly run out of bits (not to mention that in such a case he'll have to trash any Top Runners' Conference in play).

Moreover, if the Runner decides not to run on suspected CNCs, the Corporation might install a few agendas among the CNCs, allowing their quick scoring on the next turn. It's quite an enjoyable game of teasing and bluffing!

This strategy has been proved viable in tournaments, especially in France, where CNCs have been played a lot in recent years.

A typical deck using this concept could look like this:

6 Genetics-Visionary Acquisition
6 Executive Extraction
6 Artificial Security Directors
8 Corporate Negotiating Center
4 Systematic Layoffs
4 Scramble
4 Haunting Inquisition
3 Asp
4 Banpei

Ed.: Gilles, that's a fascinating addition to the "Loop" strategy I wasn't aware of. Thanks a lot for giving us an update on French and Belgian tech! Now I'm off to my collection to check whether I have 8 Corporate Negotiating Centers...