The initial version of my Spark Agency deck did quite well. Which, I guess, isn’t a big surprised: I’d been playing a netdecked fast advance deck before then, so I’d gotten a better at playing that style, and building a deck with those same capabilities but with econ attack and some horizontal assets mixed in turned out to work fine.

In fact, I left it alone for two or three weeks: the only thing I was sure about from the early playtesting was that Adonis Campaign wasn’t the right choice: I wasn’t going to defend it, and it’s too expensive to rez just to cost the opponent a credit. I was pretty sure that a straight up swap with Launch Campaign would have been an advantage, but I mostly wanted to get my deck down to 49 cards instead of do a small tweak. Also, I kept on forgetting to use Team Sponsorship, but I wasn’t yet convinced that that was evidence that the card was a bad fit: it still seemed like a good idea to get advertisements out of the trash.

One of my coworkers was playing an Apex deck, and I was more vulnerable against that than I would have liked: Apex can attack both aspects of Tollbooth just fine, and Wraparound is also no problem. But I didn’t want to focus too much on that, either.

Ultimately, I decided that the big experiment that wasn’t working was Rebranding Team / Media Blitz. Yes, having more assets marked as advertisements is useful, but I don’t have that many non-advertisement assets, and chances are some will already be out before Rebranding Team comes into play; and if my goal is to cost my opponents money, then most of the time NAPD Contract will cost them more money than Rebranding Team would. And, without Rebranding Team, Media Blitz is useless; and, again, it’s not at all clear that Media Blitz will hurt my opponent more than it will cost me, even if Rebranding Team is there.

So I got rid of both copies of Media Blitz and replaced three copies of Rebranding Team with two copies of NAPD Contact (adding to the one I already had). That put me at 51 cards, so I had to get rid of two more to make it legal; I got rid of Adonis Campaign for one, and that freed up some influence that I could use to replace my third NAPD Contract and my License Acquisition with a Global Food Initiative. (I was sad to see License Acquisition go, but not sad enough to want to ditch something else.) That put me at 49 cards, with one influence to spare; I used that influence to swap one Wraparound with an Eli 1.0, and I also swapped my second Tollbooth for a second Assassin. (I’ve really liked how Assassin plays; and I’d doing well enough scoring without a particularly well-defended remote, whereas putting an Assassin in front of a central can really mess up my opponent.)

Here’s the result:

Spark Agency, v. 1

Spark Agency: Worldswide Reach

Agenda (10)

• 3x AstroScript Pilot Program
• 1x Global Food Initiative •
• 2x NAPD Contract
• 3x Project Beale
• 1x 15 Minutes

Asset (12)

• 2x Daily Business Show
• 2x Jackson Howard
• 3x PAD Campaign
• 2x Team Sponsorship • •
• 3x Turtlebacks • • •

Upgrade (5)

• 1x Cyberdex Virus Suite
• 1x Product Placement
• 3x SanSan City Grid

Operation (6)

• 2x Biotic Labor •••• ••••
• 2x Hedge Fund
• 2x Sweeps Week

Barrier (3)

• 1x Eli 1.0 •
• 2x Wraparound

Code Gate (7)

• 1x Archangel
• 2x Enigma
• 3x Pop-up Window
• 1x Tollbooth

Sentry (3)

• 2x Assassin
• 1x Turnpike

Other (3)

• 3x Special Offer

15 influence spent (max 15)
20 agenda points (between 20 and 21)
49 cards (min 45)
Cards up to Data and Destiny

I like it, and it’s been doing well. I can keep my opponent off their game, I can either run horizontal economy or make them spend money trashing that economy. It’s low on icebreakers (once you get ignore the six advertisements), but it’s got enough to slow them down and I’ve got enough money and tools to be able to score agendas without much protection. (I don’t like rezzing a San San knowing that my opponent will trash it next turn, but it turns out that I’ve got enough money to make that work.)

I imagine the next tweaks that I make will be on the ice: e.g. I’m not convinced Turnpike is a great fit, or that I need three copies of Special Offer. And I’m tempted to add in Launch Campaign and/or more copies of Product Placement. We’ll see how the new version does.

The initial version of my Sunny Lebeau deck won sometimes, but not particularly reliably. If it went long enough, then I could get a fair number of credits at the start of each turn, a free run, and a look at the top of R&D; but it took a while for that to build up, and breaking into a scoring remote, while possible, was a bit expensive. Also, it was at 52 cards, making a bloated ID even more bloated.

So I decided that I needed more money, and that I couldn’t count as much on drip economy. I like the idea of Data Folding, but it’s three credits to install and requires me to keep memory, and I’m not leaning quite so much on cloud breakers that I’m sure I’ll always have the memory. So I got rid of the three of those plus the two Dyson Mem Chips. Also, Power Tap didn’t seem to quite be pulling its weight; I used that influence on a Security Testing, since that would dovetail well with Jak Sinclair.

I replaced a Clone Chip with an SMC (fortunately, I had one influence that I hadn’t been using): with a big deck, I needed to get cards out of my deck more often than out of trash, so two SMC and one Clone Chip made more sense than the reverse. To replace the drip economy that I’d lost with the earlier changes, I added in a third Dirty Laundry and a third Sure Gamble, and three Daily Casts. Also, with the loss of Power Tap and Dyson Mem Chip, traces were going to be more expensive again; with Security Nexus, that could be a problem, so I put in two copies of Access to Globalsec. And, finally, I got rid of my two copies of Traffic Jam, to bring it down to 50 cards.

That version felt a lot better: I would typically start off the game with quite a bit more cash than my opponent, and with enough ways to make trouble (an early Jak Sinclair and Security Nexus, say) to keep my opponent a bit on the defensive. (C.f. the first stage of Noah McKee’s Plan.) In the middle of the game, though, it would get a bit bogged down: I wouldn’t have a full icebreaker rig out, and the money could go away surprisingly quickly. So I wanted a bit more draw: I added a Quality Time, getting rid of a Mimic to pay for the influence, I added a second Shrike so I would still have two sentry breakers, and I got rid of an Access to Globalsec to stay at 50.

Then one of my coworkers had a deck with Surveillance Sweep; that really scares me, because it has the potential to destroy my econ advantage, so I decided to add back in my two copies of Traffic Jam as current removal. (And as Astrochain defense.) To make room for those, I got rid of both copies of Overmind: I’d been leaning on Overmind early, but with the Dysons gone, I didn’t have the memory to pull it off, and Overmind really is pretty expensive to use. Also, I had yet to use Deus X, so I swapped it out for a Film Critic. (Shrike helps in some situations where Deus X is important, in particular it’s great against Komainu.)

Here’s the result:

Sunny, v. 1

Sunny Lebeau: Security Specialist

Event (9)

• 3x Dirty Laundry
• 1x Quality Time •
• 3x Sure Gamble
• 2x Traffic Jam

Hardware (6)

• 1x Clone Chip ••
• 1x Plascrete Carapace
• 1x R&D Interface ••
• 3x Security Nexus

Resource (24)

• 1x Access to Globalsec
• 1x Adjusted Chronotype ••
• 3x Daily Casts
• 3x Earthrise Hotel
• 1x Film Critic •
• 3x Globalsec Security Clearance
• 3x Jak Sinclair
• 2x Kati Jones
• 1x Security Testing •••
• 3x Symmetrical Visage
• 3x Underworld Contact

Icebreaker (6)

• 1x Corroder ••
• 1x GS Sherman M3
• 2x GS Shrike M2
• 1x GS Striker M1
• 1x ZU.13 Key Master ••

Program (5)

• 2x Datasucker • •
• 1x Parasite ••
• 2x Self-modifying Code ••• •••

25 influence spent (max 25)
50 cards (min 50)
Cards up to Data and Destiny

It’s been doing pretty well? I like the economy; I would say 6 icebreakers feels small in a 50-card deck, except I have three copies of Security Nexus, so it’s really 9 icebreakers. Security Nexus and Shrike are more expensive than I would like, but so far I’ve had enough economy that I can get out Security Nexus without destroying my economy. And the increased economy means that I’m now happy to see an Earthrise Hotel instead of worried—in earlier versions, just playing Earthrise Hotel would use up lots of my money, which would mean that I wouldn’t have the money to install the cards I was drawing, but with more money it turns into a happy cascade.

I haven’t been getting as much use out of Datasucker as I expected; I’m still leaving them in there, partly because it’s good to get active benefits out of runs and partly because, with the tanks, one Datasucker token can frequently save two credits. I’m still not convinced that I need all three copies of Security Nexus, Jak Sinclair, and Globalsec Security Clearance, but they’re all actively helpful and in-faction, so I’m sticking with them for now.

I got Spark Agency when we divvied up the corp Data and Destiny identities at work; I like hurting my opponent as the corp, so it seemed like a natural fit, though looking through the cards I’m actually getting a bit curious about SYNC as well.

When building the deck, I initially went into too many directions. I thought about going horizontal with a bunch of traps and no remote ice; I thought about having a bunch of tags. But when I threw in all the cards that came to my mind, I had close to 100 cards, so obviously I need to figure out a plan and pare things down.

I’ve been doing a netdecked NEH fast advance deck recently; I’m not very good at it yet, which I’m taking a sign that I have a lot to learn and that I should stick with that until I learn how to play it. So I decided to ultimately give up on the punishment / fake ideas that I was floating around, and stick with a fast advance that’s more horizontal because of all the advertisements.

Speaking of advertisements, I only included one Adonis Campaign and no copies of either Eve Campaign, Launch Campaign, or Rex Campaign. But I have 3 each of PAD Campaign, Pop-up Window, and Special Offer, and one Product Placement. And I’m doing Team Turtlebacks; I also three copies of Rebranding Team to try to turn those cards into advertisements, plus a couple copies of Media Blitz to let me activate Rebranding Team when it gets stolen.

It’s light on ice (16 of them, but 3 are Special Offer that is only econ plus (probably) a one-time 1-credit Runner tax); I’m hoping that that will help me commit to advancing quickly. 54 cards for now, though of course I’ll bring it down soon.

Spark Agency, v. 0

Spark Agency: Worldswide Reach

Agenda (12)

• 3x AstroScript Pilot Program
• 1x License Acquisition
• 1x NAPD Contract
• 3x Project Beale
• 3x Rebranding Team
• 1x 15 Minutes

Asset (13)

• 1x Adonis Campaign ••
• 2x Daily Business Show
• 2x Jackson Howard
• 3x PAD Campaign
• 2x Team Sponsorship • •
• 3x Turtlebacks • • •

Upgrade (5)

• 1x Cyberdex Virus Suite
• 1x Product Placement
• 3x SanSan City Grid

Operation (8)

• 2x Biotic Labor •••• ••••
• 2x Hedge Fund
• 2x Media Blitz
• 2x Sweeps Week

Barrier (3)

• 3x Wraparound

Code Gate (8)

• 1x Archangel
• 2x Enigma
• 3x Pop-up Window
• 2x Tollbooth

Sentry (2)

• 1x Assassin
• 1x Turnpike

Other (3)

• 3x Special Offer

15 influence spent (max 15)
22 agenda points (between 22 and 23)
54 cards (min 45)
Cards up to Data and Destiny

At work, we divided up the Data and Destiny IDs; my runner ID was Sunny Lebeau, by far the most normal of them. I’ve been playing a netdecked Prepaid Kate deck recently, but when I started to put it together, econ resources jumped out at me more: Underworld Contact, obviously, but also I’m hoping that cloud icebreakers gives me the memory for Data Folding.

Speaking of cloud icebreakers, I looked into the disposable Criminal suite, but they eat up a fair amount of influence, especially since I’d want Clone Chip to pull them back. (I did pull in ZU.13, though.) Also, when looking at suggested cards, I noticed Power Tap; it can pay for the Security Nexus uses, and I even threw in couple of copies of Dyson Mem Chip both to help with Security Nexus and to keep Data Folding working. And, going with the “lots of memory” theme, I threw in a couple of copies of Overmind as my general-purpose icebreaker.

Of the in-faction cards, I didn’t end up including Security Chip: a slight boost from disposable hardware didn’t seem like the way I wanted to go, Datasucker seemed like a better route there. (It seems more useful in a cloud criminal build.) I only included one of each tank, for better or for worse; I’m hoping Overmind or standard breakers will work better. I did include all three copies of both Jak Sinclair and Globalsec Security Clearance (with one Adjusted Chronotype to help him), until I get a feel for them.

Here’s the result. I only ended up using 24 influence, and I’m at 52 cards, so clearly there’s room for improvement. And I suspect it will be the sort of deck I’m overly fond of building that will be unstoppable once everything’s out, except that I’ll already have lost by then. We’ll see; I’m tentatively planning to try to stick with this one for a while.

Sunny, v. 0

Sunny Lebeau: Security Specialist

Event (6)

• 2x Dirty Laundry
• 2x Sure Gamble
• 2x Traffic Jam

Hardware (9)

• 2x Clone Chip •• ••
• 2x Dyson Mem Chip
• 1x Plascrete Carapace
• 1x R&D Interface ••
• 3x Security Nexus

Resource (24)

• 1x Adjusted Chronotype ••
• 3x Data Folding
• 3x Earthrise Hotel
• 3x Globalsec Security Clearance
• 3x Jak Sinclair
• 2x Kati Jones
• 3x Power Tap • • •
• 3x Symmetrical Visage
• 3x Underworld Contact

Icebreaker (9)

• 1x Corroder ••
• 1x Deus X •
• 1x GS Sherman M3
• 1x GS Shrike M2
• 1x GS Striker M1
• 1x Mimic •
• 2x Overmind
• 1x ZU.13 Key Master ••

Program (4)

• 2x Datasucker • •
• 1x Parasite ••
• 1x Self-modifying Code •••

24 influence spent (max 25)
52 cards (min 50)
Cards up to Data and Destiny

In the October Minecraft session, I continued building out the cave that I’d been working on in September. I’d been vaguely thinking that I would build a room on the other side of the water from my earlier room, but there really wasn’t a good space there for a room; while figuring that out, I decided to at least build a passage from the right side of the water (if you’re facing up the waterfall to the entrance) to the left side.

The left side was somewhat lower; I decided the best way to connect the two was to dig a passage through the rock behind the waterfall.

The entrance to the back hallway

Inside the back hallway, with stairs down to the far side

Needs a door

Here’s the exit on the other side

I still wanted a room, though; I’d been digging through a fair amount of stone, so I wondered if I could fit a room in there, with a glass front that you could use to look out through the waterfall.

Starting to dig out a room behind the waterfall

First version of the glass wall

That was too cramped, let’s go three blocks deep

Add a bit of a fence to demarcate the entrance in the back

At this point I had to deal with Minecraft fluid dynamics. I tried various locations for the cutoff, and I was frustrated by the fact that, as far as I can tell, adding a block and then remove it can permanently alter the water flow. So, while I don’t think the front of the room stuck out more than had been there before, the water didn’t flow as gracefully as I remembered it.

Here’s a view again from the earlier room

Here’s a view from a higher angle, so you can see the glass

Once I had the outlines fixed, I added some more decor.

Adding some furniture

The view towards the rear

The bottom of the stairs needs a door, too

With that finished, I needed to figure out how to use the space at the bottom of the stairs. The part next to the water was pretty narrow, so while it made a nice viewing area, it wasn’t going to turn into a room. But when I turned around and faced the back wall, I realized that there were a series of passages there that I could turn into a wide, graceful set of stairs that ended up curling back to the water, beneath the new viewing area.

The water viewing area by the bottom exit from the passage behind the water

In the other direction, there’s a place for a passage to start curling around to the left

The stairs continue to curve

The bottom of the stairs

At the bottom of the stairs was a lovely little pond. If I’m remembering correctly, the dirt was already there, but I added the grass. And then if you follow the water along there, you’ll see where it starts connecting back to the end of the waterfall.

A pond at the bottom

Following the water back

Standing on the stairs, so you can see both the pond and the viewing area above

The view from the viewing passage up top, facing the stairs instead of the water

That’s what I spent my time on; Pat was also there, and he finished detailing his pyramid:

The finished pyramid

Then he followed me to my cave, stopping off at the fort (which I think we’re calling Pinetown?) to make sure villagers were doing okay and rescuing some golems from the water.

Rescuing golems

This lookout pig does not, however, need rescuing

After looking at my cave, he poked around a bit in the surrounding terrain, and found some places where he’s considering building next.

A dramatic floating island

A mountain rabbit

I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do next, but I think I’ll continue with the cave: I suspect that there are more spaces that are worth paying attention to, and for that matter some of the spaces that I mentioned above could probably use some refinement. I’m also going to look up and see if there’s scope to do something interesting there, with bridges crossing the space.