Nova TCG (9/5 - Equipment and Conditions)

[AgentDrake]

Alright, I gave Declassified an initiative requirement. That should make it a bit more interesting, too, since you have to shuffle your own cards in, now, too, instead of just waiting until your hand was completely empty then drawing four.

Okay, just as a side note, as I'm looking back through some of my stuff, I'm probably going to go back through eventually and bump up the rank on a bunch of characters. Won't really make any real difference on what you've seen so far; I was just dishing out the Gold rank a little too sparingly is all. Anyway, hereafter, everything has the updated ranks.

First card is a nice, fancy security guy. No, he's not wearing a red shirt.

Atlantic Security Officer [Atlantic]
Companion – Man
Strength – 6
Vitality – 3
Rank – Bronze
When you play this companion (except in your starting company,) you may add to make each other [Atlantic] companion strength +2 until the regroup phase.
"'You all right, Sir?'"

Atlantic Sidearm [Atlantic]
Possession – Ranged Weapon
Bearer must be an [Atlantic] companion.
Bearer gains sniper.
While bearer is a Lord, he or she is strength +1.
Sniping: Exert bearer to exert a minion. The company sniping total is -1.
"‘If everything were as hunky-dory as they claimed, what were the weapons for?'"

...and a weapon for him. I opted to leave the standard weapon for another time, when I'll post a few more weapons all at once.



• Televic, Representative's Aide [Atlantic]
Follower
Strength/Weapons +1
Rank + Bronze
Aid – Discard a card from hand.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish or a combat, you may exchange an [Atlantic] event in hand with an [Atlantic] event in your discard pile. Then add or discard Televic.
"‘You haven't heard this, and you're not hearing it from me, got it?'"


Some people talk too much. Sometimes that's actually a good thing. The Rank+ means that while borne by a starship, that ship is considered to have another [Bronze] ranked person aboard (Televic). While borne by a companion, that companion is considered to have the [Bronze] rank, and whatever they already have. (Televic is pushing his little rank as support for what its worth.) So they would be considered to have two ranks.


• Held in Reserve [Atlantic]
Condition – Support Area
Toil 2.
At the start of each maneuver phase, you may add a threat to take a card stacked here into hand.
Response: If you are about to discard an [Atlantic] card from hand, and you cannot spot two cards stacked here, you may stack that card here instead.
"‘They'll get the information as soon as I know that it's safe for it to be revealed. I don't want to make it any easier for the traitor, whoever it is, to cover her – or his, whichever – tracks.'"

And another way to keep some control over all the discarding you end up doing with the Atlantia.

[Elf_Lvr]

Atlantic Security Officer [Atlantic]
Companion – Man
Strength – 6
Vitality – 3
Rank – Bronze
When you play this companion (except in your starting company,) you may add to make each other [Atlantic] companion strength +2 until the regroup phase.
"'You all right, Sir?'"

Eh. You probably don't need to add . Just would be fine. There's a guy that does this for no (additional) twilight, but he has only 5 strength...

Atlantic Sidearm [Atlantic]
Possession – Ranged Weapon
Bearer must be an [Atlantic] companion.
Bearer gains sniper.
Sniping: Exert bearer to exert a minion. The company sniping total is -1.
"‘If everything were as hunky-dory as they claimed, what were the weapons for?'"

Hmm. I like that fact that if you use it more than once, other companions' archery is nullified. This keeps it balanced, methinks.

• Televic, Representative's Aide [Atlantic]
Follower
Strength/Weapons +1
Rank + Bronze
Aid – Discard a card from hand.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish or a combat, you may exchange an [Atlantic] event in hand with an [Atlantic] event in your discard pile. Then add or discard Televic.
"‘You haven't heard this, and you're not hearing it from me, got it?'"

Fair enough. I'd have to see about what skirmish/regroup events this culture gets, but it really seems fine.

• Held in Reserve [Atlantic]
Condition – Support Area
At the start of each maneuver phase, you may add a threat to take a card stacked here into hand.
Response: If you are about to discard an [Atlantic] card from hand, and you cannot spot two cards stacked here, you may stack that card here instead.
"‘They'll get the information as soon as I know that it's safe for it to be revealed. I don't want to make it any easier for the traitor, whoever it is, to cover her – or his, whichever – tracks.'"

Very neat.

[Thranduil]

Atlantic Security Officer [Atlantic]
Companion – Man
Strength – 6
Vitality – 3
Rank – Bronze
When you play this companion (except in your starting company,) you may add to make each other [Atlantic] companion strength +2 until the regroup phase.
"'You all right, Sir?'"

In fact, there's no reason for him to add any extra twilight at all - compare him to other cost companions.

Atlantic Sidearm [Atlantic]
Possession – Ranged Weapon
Bearer must be an [Atlantic] companion.
Bearer gains sniper.
Sniping: Exert bearer to exert a minion. The company sniping total is -1.
"‘If everything were as hunky-dory as they claimed, what were the weapons for?'"

Sniper is archer? Compare to Elven Bow - I'd use this one any day. Perhaps make it cost with some other bonus like a conditional strength pump?

• Televic, Representative's Aide [Atlantic]
Follower
Strength/Weapons +1
Rank + Bronze
Aid – Discard a card from hand.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish or a combat, you may exchange an [Atlantic] event in hand with an [Atlantic] event in your discard pile. Then add or discard Televic.
"‘You haven't heard this, and you're not hearing it from me, got it?'"

Very interesting.

• Held in Reserve [Atlantic]
Condition – Support Area
At the start of each maneuver phase, you may add a threat to take a card stacked here into hand.
Response: If you are about to discard an [Atlantic] card from hand, and you cannot spot two cards stacked here, you may stack that card here instead.
"‘They'll get the information as soon as I know that it's safe for it to be revealed. I don't want to make it any easier for the traitor, whoever it is, to cover her – or his, whichever – tracks.'"

Fair enough. I'd probably put some toil on there, though.

Thranduil

[DáinIronfoot]

EL and Thran already pretty well covered it.

[AgentDrake]

First off, to el. Thanks for the reviews, guys!

Here we go, another set of four cards to consider.
First off, we have another companion: The Atlantic Security Captain. Now what sort of security captain would he be if he was like one of them Star Trek security guys who never has a weapon when things go wrong (and when he does have a weapon obviously has no idea how to use it....)?

•• Atlantic Security Captain [Atlantic]
Companion – Man
Strength – 7
Vitality – 3
Rank – Silver
When you play this companion (except in your starting company,) you may add to play a weapon on him from your draw deck.
"The five guards around her pushed her forward into the small room in the transport vessel with an energy weapon at her back."


Of course, one must needs have a weapon to give him. Could use the Atlantic sidearm...
Or you could give him a typical kick-rear str+2 weapon:

E-M9 Energy Rifle [Atlantic]
Possession – Ranged Weapon
Strength +2
Bearer must be an [Atlantic] companion.
While you have initiative, at the start of the sniping phase, you may add a threat to make the Company sniping total +1.
 "The Atlantic Council had advocated a strong suppression of the Scylla Field's pirate nests."

With this little blighter, if you really feel like it, you can add back to the sniping total that you're chopping off with the sidearm, or you can just forget the sidearm and fire away.
Or you can just whack minions upside the head with the thing. It's all good.



E-M9-B Military Bayonet [Atlantic]
Possession – Hand Weapon
Strength +1
Bearer must be an [Atlantic] companion.
At the start of each skirmish involving bearer, you may add a threat to make bearer damage +1.
"‘…With the armored scales acting as a bullet-proof vest, a knife is more likely to kill one of these things by getting between the scales than a dozen rounds of bullets.'"

Yeah. And who says knives are useless, eh?


Last card isn't technically a gun or a knife, but it fits the theme well enough:

Zealotry [Atlantic]
Condition – Support Area
Strength/Weapons +1
Limit 1 per bearer.
Skirmish: Transfer this condition from your support area to an [Atlantic] companion in a skirmish.
Combat:Transfer this condition from your support area to an [Atlantic] starship in a combat.
Regroup: Remove this condition from the game to shuffle up to two [Atlantic] cards from your discard pile into your draw deck.
"‘…every conceivable extreme reaction to the situation is flying around.…'"

Little strength +1 that can recycle some of those cards expent by all that discarding.

[DáinIronfoot]

•• Atlantic Security Captain [Atlantic]
Companion – Man
Strength – 7
Vitality – 3
Rank – Silver
When you play this companion (except in your starting company,) you may add to play a weapon on this companion from your draw deck.
"The five guards around her pushed her forward into the small room in the transport vessel with an energy weapon at her back."

You could probably say "him" instead of the second "this companion", but it's fine otherwise.

E-M9 Energy Rifle [Atlantic]
Possession – Ranged Weapon
Strength +2
Bearer must be an [Atlantic] companion,
While you have initiative, at the start of the Sniping Phase, you may add a threat to make the Company sniping total +1.
 "The Atlantic Council had advocated a strong suppression of the Scylla Field's pirate nests."

Got a comma where you should have a period, chief. And "Sniping Phase" probably doesn't need to be capitalized. Otherwise good.

E-M9-B Military Bayonet [Atlantic]
Possession – Hand Weapon
Strength +1
Bearer must be an [Atlantic] companion.
Each time bearer wins a skirmish, you may add a threat to make bearer damage +1.
"‘…With the armored scales acting as a bullet-proof vest, a knife is more likely to kill one of these things by getting between the scales than a dozen rounds of bullets.'"

I'd make that b]damage[/b] adding trigger at the start of the skirmish instead, thus making it a little riskier to use in case you lose the skirmish. It's a little too good for right now.

Zealotry [Atlantic]
Condition – Support Area
Strength/Weapons +1
Skirmish: Transfer this condition from your support area to an [Atlantic] companion or starship skirmishing or combating.
Regroup: Remove this condition from the game to shuffle up to two [Atlantic] cards from your discard pile into your draw deck.
"‘…every conceivable extreme reaction to the situation is flying around.…'"

"...to an [Atlantic] companion in a skirmish or an [Atlantic] starship in a combat" is clunkier, but clearer. I think it's balanced enough, though you have a potential loop if one of the cards you pull back is another copy of this card. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something to consider.

[Elf_Lvr]

•• Atlantic Security Captain [Atlantic]
Companion – Man
Strength – 7
Vitality – 3
Rank – Silver
When you play this companion (except in your starting company,) you may add to play a weapon on him from your draw deck.
"The five guards around her pushed her forward into the small room in the transport vessel with an energy weapon at her back."

Very nice.

E-M9 Energy Rifle [Atlantic]
Possession – Ranged Weapon
Strength +2
Bearer must be an [Atlantic] companion.
While you have initiative, at the start of the sniping phase, you may add a threat to make the Company sniping total +1.
 "The Atlantic Council had advocated a strong suppression of the Scylla Field's pirate nests."

Pretty cool.

E-M9-B Military Bayonet [Atlantic]
Possession – Hand Weapon
Strength +1
Bearer must be an [Atlantic] companion.
At the start of each skirmish involving bearer, you may add a threat to make bearer damage +1.
"‘…With the armored scales acting as a bullet-proof vest, a knife is more likely to kill one of these things by getting between the scales than a dozen rounds of bullets.'"

Looks cool to me.

Zealotry [Atlantic]
Condition – Support Area
Strength/Weapons +1
Skirmish: Transfer this condition from your support area to an [Atlantic] companion in a skirmish.
Combat:Transfer this condition from your support area to an [Atlantic] starship in a combat.
Regroup: Remove this condition from the game to shuffle up to two [Atlantic] cards from your discard pile into your draw deck.
"‘…every conceivable extreme reaction to the situation is flying around.…'"

If you have room for the text, maybe limit it to one per bearer. Otherwise, fine.

[AgentDrake]

Well, been awhile since I updated this.

Customary to Dain, then to the new cards for today.
This time around, I have four cards borne by starships:

• Advanced Sensors [Atlantic]
Possession – Equipment
Must be equipped by an [Atlantic] starship.
Each time the equipped starship wins a combat, you may look at the top X cards of your draw deck, where X is the equipped starship's systems. You may discard one of those cards to take another into hand. Replace the rest in their original order.
"'Definitely enemy ships, sir. Only two. We just identified moments ago. They don't seem to have detected us yet.'"

Sensors naturally suggest looking at, revealing, et cetera cards. Potentially some discarding as well. Hence the logic behind this one. Also, the Possession class "Equipment" is loaded, meaning it must be borne by a starship. Starships may bear more than one equipment; the only limits are their Systems and any "limit X per starship" type text.


•• Bombardment Cannons[Atlantic]
Possession – Equipment
Weapons +2
Systems -1
Must be equipped by an [Atlantic] starship. Limit 1 per starship.
Response: If the equipped starship wins a combat, discard this possession to wound up to two minions.
Heavy projectile cannons were a mainstay of the Atlantic fleet's armory.

Some heavy-hitting weaponry for a starship, and potentially very useful if your Company is in trouble. Since Combats occur before Skirmishes, you can win a combat with your starship, then proceed to bombard away at two minions fighting your company. Or you could choose to gun for two minions staffing an opponent's starship, if it will help you avoid a potentially dangerous Shadow ability. Or you could just keep your Bombardment Cannons floating there for the Weapons +. Note that since it's Systems -1, and bearing a card reduces a starship's systems by 1, this card essentially counts double against any starship's Systems.


Compulsory Enforcement [Atlantic]
Condition – Starship
Must be equipped by an [Atlantic] starship.
Each time an opponent's starship wins a combat against the equipped starship, that opponent may remove a threat to take a card into hand from his or her discard pile.
Each time the equipped starship wins a combat, you may add a threat to make each opponent discard a card from hand.

Another use for starships: law enforcement. Supressing the badguys by discarding cards from their hand. Of course, if the starship loses, that's bad for good guy morale... and good for bad guy morale.


Delegated Command [Atlantic]
Condition – Starship
Rank +Gold
To play, spot a [Gold] [Atlantic] companion.
Limit 1 per starship.
"Now the Corrinia were gone, disappeared into the black emptiness of space. And the Lord-Captain was one of many tasked with the job of finding them."

So what this one does is play to a starship, and then that starship has another Gold rank aboard, allowing you to staff starships with fewer companions if you're getting bad companion draws, or you need that high-ranker to appear in the company for some reason or another without losing your ship's operability.

[Thranduil]

• Advanced Sensors [Atlantic]
Possession – Equipment
Must be equipped by an [Atlantic] starship.
Each time the equipped starship wins a combat, you may look at the top X cards of your draw deck, where X is the equipped starship's systems. You may discard one of those cards to take another into hand. Replace the rest in their original order.
"'Definitely enemy ships, sir. Only two. We just identified moments ago. They don't seem to have detected us yet.'"

Sensors naturally suggest looking at, revealing, et cetera cards. Potentially some discarding as well. Hence the logic behind this one. Also, the Possession class "Equipment" is loaded, meaning it must be borne by a starship. Starships may bear more than one equipment; the only limits are their Systems and any "limit X per starship" type text.

Fair enough, but it looks like "Equipment" is a sub-type and therefore you can bear only 1. Also, this card says in the text that it can only be borne by a starship. I'd prefer "Equipment" as an actual keyword for clarity, and then there's no reason why you can't do something like "Equipment - [Atlantic]" to show which ship it can be borne by.

•• Bombardment Cannons[Atlantic]
Possession – Equipment
Weapons +2
Systems -1
Must be equipped by an [Atlantic] starship. Limit 1 per starship.
Response: If the equipped starship wins a combat, discard this possession to wound up to two minions.
Heavy projectile cannons were a mainstay of the Atlantic fleet's armory.

This is very useful, but because starships and even more so stuff that plays on starships are not that useful, I would make it cost .

Compulsory Enforcement [Atlantic]
Condition – Starship
Must be equipped by an [Atlantic] starship.
Each time an opponent's starship wins a combat against the equipped starship, that opponent may remove a threat to take a card into hand from his or her discard pile.
Each time the equipped starship wins a combat, you may add a threat to make each opponent discard a card from hand.

If you're going to put the location in the type/sub-type bar, why don't you save yourself some text and include all the information ie. "Condition - [Atlantic] Starship". The card's alright, I might make it cost .

Delegated Command [Atlantic]
Condition – Starship
Rank +Gold
To play, spot a [Gold] [Atlantic] companion.
Limit 1 per starship.
"Now the Corrinia were gone, disappeared into the black emptiness of space. And the Lord-Captain was one of many tasked with the job of finding them."

It's good, but I want a stat bonus or it to cost . I really don't think that stuff for Starships can be priced on the same scale as stuff for companions.

Thranduil

[Elf_Lvr]

• Advanced Sensors [Atlantic]
Possession – Equipment
Must be equipped by an [Atlantic] starship.
Each time the equipped starship wins a combat, you may look at the top X cards of your draw deck, where X is the equipped starship's systems. You may discard one of those cards to take another into hand. Replace the rest in their original order.
"'Definitely enemy ships, sir. Only two. We just identified moments ago. They don't seem to have detected us yet.'"

Ditto Thran.

•• Bombardment Cannons[Atlantic]
Possession – Equipment
Weapons +2
Systems -1
Must be equipped by an [Atlantic] starship. Limit 1 per starship.
Response: If the equipped starship wins a combat, discard this possession to wound up to two minions.
Heavy projectile cannons were a mainstay of the Atlantic fleet's armory.

Double ditto Thran.

Compulsory Enforcement [Atlantic]
Condition – Starship
Must be equipped by an [Atlantic] starship.
Each time an opponent's starship wins a combat against the equipped starship, that opponent may remove a threat to take a card into hand from his or her discard pile.
Each time the equipped starship wins a combat, you may add a threat to make each opponent discard a card from hand.

Again, agree with Thran.

Delegated Command [Atlantic]
Condition – Starship
Rank +Gold
To play, spot a [Gold] [Atlantic] companion.
Limit 1 per starship.
"Now the Corrinia were gone, disappeared into the black emptiness of space. And the Lord-Captain was one of many tasked with the job of finding them."

If you go for a stat bonus, maybe make it add to systems?