Name: Savoir Faire
Cardtype: Action
Cost: none
Capacity: none
Discipline: none
Clan: none
Lock any card that is not a minion as a -Action. If this acting minion is Black Hand the action is at +1 stealth.
If the action is successful, this acting minion may burn 1 blood to unlock (after resolving the action).
Anarchs get -1 intercept on this action.
Flavor text: Do you speak French?
Art notes: A well-dressed lady standing aside of an obviously sabotaged limousine talking to a mechanic.
World of Darkness reference: n/a
How does this card address a compelling game need?: Make possible interaction with permanents in play that are not minions.
Created by: Rudolf Garski
National Coordinator Germany nc [dot] germany [at] magenta [dot] de
The first thing I think of when I see this card is that this might be rules nightmare. If I have locked event does it still function? Can I lock a card in the uncontrolled region? What if it is a card in play but not controlled by any player, who can respond to the D action?
It wouldn't be any worse than Remover.
www.secretlibrary.info/index.php?lib=1244
I wonder if it would see much play. You'd target mainly Enkil Cogs and media locations. What else? I'm missing my thought stocks...
Narrow silver bullets are okay though. The unlock at one blood is fine.
"Oh, to the Hades with the manners! He's a complete bastard, and calling him that insults bastards everywhere!"
-Nalia De-Arnise
garourimgazette.wordpress.com/
www.vekn.net/forum-guidelines
Wow, I forgot Remover was in the game. I have never seen anyone play that card. Okay, rules questions aside. The goal is: "Make possible interaction with permanents in play that are not minions." So the question is how do we temporarily disable a non-minion library card permanent on the table for a turn even if the card still functions while locked?
Here is my suggestion:
Savoir Faire
-Action flip a non-minion library card in play face down (face down cards do not affect on cards in play). The card flips face up during the controller's unlock phase. If this action is successful, the acting minion may burn a to unlock. Black Hand gain +1 stealth and Anarchs gain -1 intercept during this action.
Flavor text: Do you speak French?
Yes, »Savoir Faire« is inspired by »Remover« (and by »Fiendish Tongue«).
Thank you for your feedback, I now know what this card needs to be worth playing ...
Name: Savoir Faire v1.1
Cardtype: Action
Put this card on any card that is not a minion.
If this acting minion is Black Hand the action is at +1 stealth. Anarchs get -1 intercept on this action.
Lock that card; it does not unlock as normal during its controller's untap phase.
If the action is successful, this acting minion may burn 1 blood to unlock (after resolving the action).
Burn this card during your next unlock phase.
Of course, »Enkil Cog« is one of the worthiest targets for »Savoir Faire«, but (now) also »Dreams of the Sphinx«, »Helicopter«, »Tattoo Signal« become worthy targets (even if already locked).
National Coordinator Germany nc [dot] germany [at] magenta [dot] de
Excellent addition.
Loving the card.
Enkil Cog hasn't had a silver bullet yet, and one of the design principles was apparently supposed to be to include silver bullets to most cards, played or not.
"Oh, to the Hades with the manners! He's a complete bastard, and calling him that insults bastards everywhere!"
-Nalia De-Arnise
garourimgazette.wordpress.com/
www.vekn.net/forum-guidelines
> jblacey wrote:
> Are crypt cards in your uncontrolled region considered minions?
>
These are uncontrolled minions. But they can't be targeted unless stated otherwise:
> Rulebook wrote:
> Targets. If a card is played on another card, or selects or chooses or otherwise targets another card, the target card must be in play (i.e., controlled). Vampires in the torpor region are eligible targets by default, but vampires in the uncontrolled region and contested cards are not.
>
Prince of Paris, France
Ratings Coordinator, Rules Director
> Kraus wrote:
> Enkil Cog hasn't had a silver bullet yet, and one of the design principles was apparently supposed to be to include silver bullets to most cards, played or not.
>
But...
a) I have no idea where you're getting that principle from. Why would anyone create a design principle of creating silver bullets for cards that aren't played?
b) The proposed card isn't a silver bullet. Silver bullets have very narrow effects (such as silver bullets hurting werewolves, but not other supernatural things). The card as proposed is very broad in its effect. Yes, it might be suitable for hitting Enkil Cog, but it could affect a whole bunch of cards with 'tap to...' effects, and similar. This is pretty much not silver at all.
> jamesatzephyr wrote:
>
> > Kraus wrote:
> > Enkil Cog hasn't had a silver bullet yet, and one of the design principles was apparently supposed to be to include silver bullets to most cards, played or not.
> >
> But...
>
> a) I have no idea where you're getting that principle from. Why would anyone create a design principle of creating silver bullets for cards that aren't played?
>
Yes, that indeed would be nonsense. But read the post again. "Played or not" is obviously referring to "silver bullets," not "most cards." Did you really misread the post, or are you being disingenuous and just wishing to argue with the poster? The next part of your reply makes me think the latter.
> b) The proposed card isn't a silver bullet. Silver bullets have very narrow effects (such as silver bullets hurting werewolves, but not other supernatural things). The card as proposed is very broad in its effect. Yes, it might be suitable for hitting Enkil Cog, but it could affect a whole bunch of cards with 'tap to...' effects, and similar. This is pretty much not silver at all.
>
You are making up your own definition of silver bullet. A silver bullet is a simple remedy to a problem. It does not mean "something that has a narrow effect."
The proposed card is a silver bullet against Enkil Cog but also interacts with all other "tap to" effects. The same way Entrancement is a silver bullet against Carlton but interacts with all other allies. And Scourge of the Enochians is against The Embrace but interacts with all other cards with 1 or 2 capacity. And Canine Horde is against Ivory Bow/.44 Magnum but interacts with all other weapons.
> TwoRazorReign wrote:
>
> Yes, that indeed would be nonsense. But read the post again. "Played or not" is obviously referring to "silver bullets," not "most cards." Did you really misread the post, or are you being disingenuous and just wishing to argue with the poster? The next part of your reply makes me think the latter.
>
I read it the way I did - I am not a disingenuous liar. To read it the way you assert is apparently obvious is frankly completely ludicrous. I didn't think he meant that there was a design principle to create cards thaso just won't be played. That would require someone to be a drooling moron - we have limited resources, art etc., and a need to convince new White Wolf of commercial viability, so let's create a design principle that doesn't care whether cards will be played. That's just such utter nonsense. So I wouldn't assume he meant something that is obviously wrong.
> TwoRazorReign wrote:
> You are making up your own definition of silver bullet. A silver bullet is a simple remedy to a problem. It does not mean "something that has a narrow effect."
>
The whole point of silver bullets is that they specifically demolish werewolves but not, say, zombies or genies or fairies or dragons or beholders or cyborgs, and are probably pretty much crap against them. (Otherwise everyone would just use all silver bullets all the time.) That is literally what the silver bullet metaphor is about - demolishing werewolves with highly specialised tech that is pretty terrible in most other scenarios. This is not me making anything up - this is me understanding what silver bullets are, a simple fix for a specific problem, not a wide-ranging, widely-applicable tool to dozens upon dozens of different problems.
Want to know who else thinks this? Ben Peal.
The Other Metagame
>
> Ben wrote:
> >The trick is getting the "silver bullet" to hit the target just right.
> >Make the new cards too weak (Dark Influences?) and the new card
> >doesn't change anything. Make it too strong (Villein?) and you've just
> >replaced one strong card with a stronger card (actually, I think
> >Villein is quite well designed. I just wish it was easier to get.).
> >
> >So, no, I haven't played with a local banned list. Nor do I recommend
> >one. But the changes I advocated for are occurring. Slowly. And by
> >targeted design.
>
> The problem I see right now with V:TES is that this "evolution" you
> talk about is actually creating a class of cards that exist merely for
> the sake of countering each other. It's created a game layer on top
> of V:TES that ends being its own minigame.
>
> ...
>
> This doesn't feel like V:TES to me. It just feels like a mini-game
> of magic bullets and magic bullet counters. I understand that there's
> always going be an "A" and "Counter-A" aspect to the game (ex. stealth
> vs. intercept), but it's the degree of it that's the difference here.
> Stealth vs. Intercept and Damage vs. Prevention and such are mechanics
> with a broad range of cards, as opposed to the extremely narrow scope
> of Scourge vs. Uncoiling or Pentex vs. Wash. I don't like the silver
> bullet mini-game we have, and I don't like the continued silver bullet
> direction in which we're headed. I'd rather play V:TES.
>
The "class of cards that merely exist for countering each other" to a much greater degree than V:TES's generic mechanics (e.g. stealth vs intercept) are the silver-bullet mini-game.
So no, it's not me making anything up.
To be fair, I'm not sure if arguing about the exact definition of a silver bullet has that much relevance here.
If it leaves the card unlocked for a turn, it makes it much more playable against plenty of other targets, most of which are utility masters (Media locations, Stealth locations, Pool locations, Dreams of the Sphinx, Barrens/Ennoia's theater), some high-cap untap mechanics (Alastor+Helicopter) or Enkil Cog combo pieces (Enkil Cog, Metro Underground).
Frankly, I'm fine with that. We've only had contesting and 'burn location' effects to deal with those this far.
It won't be effective enough to win you games, most of the time, but there are plenty of 'wallpaperish' cards out there with niche effects that belong in the game and have a right to be there.
About the design principle, I'll admit I'm not exactly sure where I heard that from, so take it with a pinch of salt. Or a bucket load, whichever - I'm not here to back up anything because I can't recall the source, like, at all. I should've probably added 'afaik' to even further emphasize how 'imo'-loaded that part was.
If it really escaped someone.
Simply put, I'm all for this card, as there's a very real real niche in the game for it, and it seems really balanced with lore-reinforcing thematics bound to it.
Krausedit\\ Whatever comes to the link James posted and it's arguments, that's a whole another topic.
"Oh, to the Hades with the manners! He's a complete bastard, and calling him that insults bastards everywhere!"
-Nalia De-Arnise
garourimgazette.wordpress.com/
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