Card idea: Surveillance Notes

Hi all,

It can be quite difficult to add new, interesting, effects to the core Disciplines without blurring the boundaries between them. Hopefully this is something sufficiently distinct yet also thematically consistent;

Surveillance Notes

Contract.
Only usable by a vampire who has successfully blocked an action. Cancel the block attempt and tap this reacting vampire; the action continues as if unblocked. Put Surveillance Notes on the acting minion. This reacting minion may enter combat with that minion as a +1 stealth action.
as above, and the acting minion has -1 stealth for the remainder of the current action.

The concept is that the acting minion is being tailed by an Obfuscated vampire.

The question might be; if I'm a combat deck, why wouldn't I just want to enter combat with them now before they can act again? Well, you might not have the cards in hand, or you might want to wait until a crucial moment before you bin them. Maybe they are a flicked bleeder, and you don't want to screw them over (yet) - so, think of it like an oddly reversed Spying Mission for combat decks!

The Contract keyword can easily be dropped, but I figured that Khabar: Punch for Lots decks need all the help they can get, plus it could work nicely with Open Dossier.

The superior may not be strong enough; a trade-off could be the acting minion also gets -1 bleed, but that would probably need to be balanced by dropping the stealth off the rush action. Alternatively, you could make it a dual-discipline card with , which would thematically justify a bleed reduction at superior but limit its pool of likely users.

cheers
Disco Stu

Yeah. Awesome idea.

Contract keyword is great: Contract requirement cards need a significant boost - they're kinda wallpaper, or at least i've never seen them played in the last 5 years.

It may need some finite lifetime - otherwise it could be staggeringly good for any combat deck w Obf. At least make it burn on the minion entering torpor. Burning in either the next untap or discard is also too short-term to be worthwhile tho, so its a tricky one. Maybe make another minion taking 1-2 actions costing 0-1 blood at +(0-1) stealth could cover this?

Might it be worthwhile to specify a few specific actions? EG: "... successfully block a action or a political action ..."

The "successful" block requirement may make it a bit tricky tho such that perhaps on Nos/!Nos get the most benefit, tho the Contract bit does help lend more benefit to the Ass's.

Overall the basic concept is v g. It gives combat decks a boost, but in a reactive way rather than the standard "take action to beat down" method. Contract is a nice angle.

Could a requirement like Sabbat be useful? (working on the current inclination to Sabbat-focused cards...)

I really like the idea. I would also like to add some burn effect (tap and burn blood during discard phase or something). Superior version could use some cool effect instead, not fan of just -1 stealth. Minion with this card gets -1 stealth seems better.

Another wild idea for sup version is use it as bleed bounce if you block the action but not granting rush. It would make card multipurpose. Do you want bounce or rush next turn.

Great concept, I like it.

Playability is a question though.

What if it was a combat card?

Surveillance Notes

2
Contract
Strike: combat ends. Put this card on the opposing minion. This striking vampire may enter combat with this minion as a action.
as above, <insert something here that is fair and balanced>


My initial idea was to give the vampire +1 intercept against the opposing minion, but that seems to strong. What makes sense? (I mean, besides deleting this post altogether?)

Anyway it's just a thought. It should probably be a reaction card, but it might work as a combat card worded properly. (just think of the abuse with Psyche!)

direwolf wrote:

Great concept, I like it.

Playability is a question though.

What if it was a combat card?

Surveillance Notes

2
Contract
Strike: combat ends. Put this card on the opposing minion. This striking vampire may enter combat with this minion as a action.
as above, <insert something here that is fair and balanced>


My initial idea was to give the vampire +1 intercept against the opposing minion, but that seems to strong. What makes sense? (I mean, besides deleting this post altogether?)

Anyway it's just a thought. It should probably be a reaction card, but it might work as a combat card worded properly. (just think of the abuse with Psyche!)

It's not a very effective combat deck if it wants to rush the same target more than twice. As for the intercept, look how little play Tracker's Mark sees. If you're deliberately getting into combat with a minion it's easier and more effective to get rid of the target in the first combat than it is to apply miscellaneous debuffs on that minion.

Disco_Stu wrote:

Surveillance Notes

Contract.
Only usable by a vampire who has successfully blocked an action. Cancel the block attempt and tap this reacting vampire; the action continues as if unblocked. Put Surveillance Notes on the acting minion. This reacting minion may enter combat with that minion as a +1 stealth action.
as above, and the acting minion has -1 stealth for the remainder of the current action.

I like it. It could be very nice in an Assamite deck with its contractness. Aren't there Assas with aus/AUS or at least Black Hand, who could play Ministry?
This card is not particularly strong, as often enough you can't block AND fight good at the same time with a deck. But in the right circumstances it could be very handy.