Card draw simulator
| Derived from |
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| None. Self-made deck here. |
| Inspiration for |
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| None yet |
Krysmopompas · 363
Well here's my first crack at a theme deck, ripped from today's headlines.*
Excuse any formatting issues...
Bottom line: BUDGET CUTS AT THE COP SHOP! Intended as a 4-player encounter deck sponge who just doesn't have any expensive gear.
Background: Meant to be incredibly cheap especially since we're Indebted to start, and can only use cards with a cost of "0" or "1" - except of course, for Becky, which we'll try to use as much as we can.
- Although I personally favour a diverse funding model for public safety that includes big investment in education and health care (I'm Canadian), the title of this one is not a political manifesto. Just want a deck build challenge.
OK let's see if this works.
NOTE: (after reflection, exchange the 2xAct of Desperation with 2xGuts. Tommy's never desperate and is cocky enough to take on anything - and hopefully survive some more encounter cards).
Weapons: Tommy get your gun, but if not…
Becky is the preferred choice obviously. Only have room for one Prepared for the Worst, but in the meantime Tommy still has friends in the comparatively better-off Fire Department, so borrowed a couple of Fire Axes. Also has a Knife he must have pocketed from whatever crackdown he was on most recently.
Other Assets: Best intentions, unresolved issues
At 0-level not a lot of options. So to try and trigger his Becky ammo, we'll just load up on the teddy bear coat combo. Lots of stuff to talk about in that regard with the psychologist on retainer at the station... Also adding Solemn Vow - as whatever training he had, I'm assuming he's going to have to have promised to protect the innocent. Who's innocent? That's another question. Whomever it is will help him take some hits to cycle those other items in.
Events: I'm over here, Chief!
Speaking of taking hits, let's try to get Tommy as much attention as he can take. A couple of "Let me handle this!" and First Watch will help draw attacks and such to him, and some Dodges will help when things get tough. Despite his rookie awkwardness he still means well, so an Heroic Rescue in there may come in handy (and lead to a promotion down the line). If Becky's out of Ammo, time to chuck it at a hopefully-appropriate target, and Tommy may even get to some detective work purely by accident with some Evidence! that lands in his lap. Hope he didn't plant it on whatever sod he defeated. As for Lucky!? He's not "too old for this @#$@" yet, so luck is still with Tommy boy. (remove 2xAct of Desperation here).
Skills: Bon cop/Bad cop
Unfortunately the "good cop" side (Steadfast) is currently outweighed by the "bad cop" side (Overpower and Vicious Blow) but as Tommy grows we'll provide plenty of debate fodder as to which is the more effective policing strategy. (Add 2x Guts here to balance that out).
Reducing player counts:
ditch however many Solemn Vows you don't need, double up on Heroic Rescue and maybe get another Blackjack/Knife/Prep for Worst, a neutral skill card with draw, or cover an accidental loss of Becky with Scrounge for Supplies. Not intended to be a solo deck for obvious reasons (Evidence only gets you so far...), and probably bad for 2-player too!
Note on Healing:
there's no built-in healing here, mainly as most of it is too expensive! If you wanted to heal you could nab a couple of Second Winds to start, swapping out what you wish. You could upgrade to an Empty Vessel with 4 xp, but that feels a little too mystic-y for this deck. Still, it's one of your only options. You can't even get First Aid with this 0-and-1-only setup!
Upgrades:
• Keen Eye (3). Despite the budget cuts, pretty quickly into a scenario you're going to have some resources to spend and will be consistently flghting, why not get a permanent like this and be able to grab a couple of clues too? You're getting better at your job Tommy, you putting in for detective?
•Heroic Rescue (2). upgrade 1, and ditch an Evidence for the second one. Moving around the board is a bonus.
• Stand Together (3). try to improve police/citizen relations! Get more money for your Keen Eye! Ditch the other Evidence and maybe a Steadfast or a Dodge for the 2nd copy.
• Stick to the Plan (3e). Throw 2 of Dodge/Heroic Rescue/First Watch along with your Prep for Worst under there to try and nab Becky early. Plus it's a permanent, very nice. PS with this cheap deck who needs Ever Vigilant? Take the time to get a donut!
that's mostly it...you could also go for the following, swapping out others at your leisure:
• Reliable(1), 1-2 copies just for Becky. Might be a good idea as it gets your base fight with Becky to 7, and I hate Tarot cards in anything but TCU.
• Taunt(2), Vicious Blow (2), Brute Force (1)...only if you want to embrace the bad cop in you.
• A Test of Will (1)...a couple of copies for a staring contest against (insert reference here).
• Lucky! (2) for some draw...swap it out with Lucky! (0), if Tommy still happens to be lucky...
Versatile option:
If you wanted to risk diluting your deck, you could go non-thematic and get Versatile, which would allow you to nab a copy of Dr. William T. Maleson - cheap and great soak. I’d fill the other slots with some draw and encounter card help with 2x Guts (or 2x Resourceful if Guts are already in there), get another Heroic Rescue if you haven’t already upgraded to two level 2 versions, and a 5th depending on campaign - Fine Clothes, Manual Dexterity, take your pick.
Time to go on patrol! Let me know what you think...rigorous feedback welcomed, but be kind, like Tommy I'm a rookie (in deck publishing anyway:)
| 6 comments |
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Jul 15, 2020 |
Jul 15, 2020Hey thanks, it is light on Horror but the only other ally you could get (Stray Cat) has no horror soak -looking at it again I'd swap out Act of Desperation (keep Becky if you've got her) and insert two Guts right off the bat. Versatile is probably a good idea in this deck and I'm sure WT Maleson can have some thematic reason to be in there - then you could add your 1-2 AoD with Well-Maintained in there as outlined in possible upgrades. I was considering Teamwork but since the police are trying to improve their reputation here, I think that comes later! |
Jul 16, 2020So... a 'moneyless' deck is different from a 'cheap' deck. Looking at your deck, and it grand total cost of 15 resources, this deck will paradoxically be swimming in cash, even with Indebted, because you have so few outlets for all those resources you'll be getting during the upkeep phase (and the rebates from Tommy's ability when you play Cherished Keepsake and Leather Coat). So I'm not sure whether your 'theme' is going after an empty resource pile, or a budgetary deck, and whichever is the case, I have distinct advice: If you're after a constant state of having no resources, there's a trio of survivor cards that you might be interested in. I call them the 'poverty' suite; cards that have effects that trigger when you have no resources. Fire Axe, what with it's extra damage condition; the other two are Madame Labranche, and Dark Horse. Dark Horse allows you to really stick to that zero resource theme, and Madame Labranche can provide small stipends when you need to play a one cost card, or get +2 on Fire Axe. If instead, you want a budget deck, you'll want one or two more 'money-sinks', to guarantee you get one early. What's a 'money-sink'? Physical Training is the classic example of one; a card which provides an additional (and preferably unlimited) option to spend your excess resources. This type of card pairs well with cheap decks because they ensure those resources you saved still find a use. These two types of deck are not mutually exclusive, so you can have a cheap, moneyless deck. There is a third consideration though; I not really feeling the 'police' part of your 'defund the police' theme. There's a Police trait for crying out loud, that you've managed to not feature any cards from. At least include one Police ally of your choice: Alice Luxley, Beat Cop, or Tetsuo Mori, and Handcuffs. I myself also consider Blackjack a Police card; it certainly makes more sense for a cop to carry than a Fire Axe. |
Jul 16, 2020Thanks for the comments `@Lucaxiom. The intention is o have a deck where you start out with few resources, and joy have access to cards that cost “0” or “1” the whole way through - with the exception of Becky who of course comes with Tommy. Budget cuts at the cop shop, so no expensive gear. So many of the cards you mention (Luxley, Labranche, Physical Training etc) coast more than we can include. I can see Blackjack in there especially as it’s multiplayer (remove knife), To address your resources later in the scenario question, once Keen Eye is purchased that’s less of an issue. Teamwork could certainly work as you guys mention if you’re in “good cop” mode. ...and maybe some cards from the new investigator packs once they’re out... |
Jul 16, 2020Lol a few typos in my last post - can you delete or edit those? |
Jul 16, 2020Not to my knowledge, no. |
Very cool deck :) Super evocative, I think it'd work well in practice, and it'd certainly be fun to play. I think maaaaaaybe if you're looking for mechanical feedback, I might be a bit worried about horror? There's not a lot of soak there, and Cherished Keepsake is kinda vulnerable to getting Rookie Mistake'd/Corrosion'd/discarded from your deck, but there's also not a huge amount of ability to pass will tests either?
For some scenarios, like Lost in Time and Space/The Unspeakable Oath etc, there's a lot of horror flying around and I dunno if Cherished Keepsake + Let Me Handle This/Steadfast/Lucky is enough to stay on top of it. I think if you wanted to mitigate against that a bit you could look at cancellation cards? Devil's Luck/Stroke of Luck/lvl 2 I've Had Worse? Fool Me Once could also fit in ok, I think. You're gonna be drawing a lot of encounter cards with First Watch and Let Me Handle This and so I think you've got a solid shot at using it effectively. Even if you just stop a second copy of Rotting Remains, I think that's not a bad use of the card.
Hmmm, also , your restrictions would allow for Teamwork, right? That could be fun...