Semak-samun feels like “red Turing” (a design I love). They both:

• can't be broken by AI (though Turing can be broken by Botulus, which Semak-samun is immune to).
• end the run unless the runner pays three “units-of-value” (though Turing’s clicks are generally more valuable than Semak-samun’s cards).

Notes

In particular, while protecting Fujii Asset Retrieval, its End the Run or Lose Cards-in-Grip becomes “hardened” into just an EtR; ditto Turing’s End the Run or Lose Clicks while protecting Ikawah Project. This makes it a “true Barrier” (the ice-type defined by almost always having at least one Hard-EtR subroutine). And its 1inf/5 (like Wraparound) makes it a splashable as tech/hate.

The Runner cannot break the printed subroutine on this ice except using a fracter. is invulnerable to:

• Boomerang(!)
• Botulus
• AIs: like Audrey v2 or Matryoshka.
• “Painting”: like Chromatophores (since it makes this Barrier into a Code-Gate, it won't make your Decoder into a Fracter).
• Physarum Entangler (just by being Barrier).

but is still vulnerable to:

• Tsakhia "Bankhar" Gantulga
• an Arruaceiras Crew pair
• Malandragem (having 3 strength or less).

Custom

This implicit ↳ End the run unless … is what makes Barrier Bioroids (like Brân 1.0) more interesting. (Even when the … is too steep price to pay in most games, for you *not to immediately prioritize finding/installing the Fracter.)*

Relatedly, I was playing around with “Clone ICE”: that are breakable by “spending your grip” (suffering net damage, trashing specific cards from hand, or so on); as Bioroid ICE are by “spending your turn” (a resource that's always available but never abundant). For example, Nisei II Engram :

[$6] ICE [6s]: Code Gate - Clone
[jinteki 3/5]

Suffer 2 net damage: Break 1 or
2 subroutines on this ice. Only
the Runner can use this ability.

↳ Purge virus counters. Gain 1[$]
for each counter removed and
program trashed.
↳ You may install 1 facedown
card from Archives, ignoring
all costs.
↳ End the run.

Flavor

• semak-samun, means “thicket” (and the plural “thickets” would be initially-reduplicated, “semak-semak samun”?), being pronounced like SUH-ma’ SA-mon: You need a machete (Fracter) to bushwhack through, since most tools (AI/Viruses/etc) can't deal with such a non-solid & high-area terrain-obstacle (Barrier). Even without one, you can still crawl (facecheck) through the thorns (subroutine), but if you don't turn back ("end the run unless …"), it will severely lacerate you ("… unless you suffer damage").
• [EDIT (HT @StaticSky)] Also, semak samun is a pun, “check for bandits”, where semak as a verb means “check/examine”, and samun as a (non-compound) noun means “bandit/robbery”: against the banditry of netrunning.

PS. Under the artist credit, NetrunnerDB now includes the pronunciation guide! (Both an English approximation and the International Phonetic Alphabet notation.) You can even listen to an automated text-to-speech, by copy-pasting its IPA into a website:

• ˈsə.maʔ ˈsa.mon
• ipa-reader.com

or with a direct link:

• ipa-reader.com/?text=%CB%88s%C9%99.ma%CA%94%20%CB%88sa.mon

Design-wise, the first sub is a great way to let Jinteki safely draw cards mid-run. Draw 1 card. You may add 1 card from HQ to the top of R&D. is a strictly-better Look at the top card of R&D. You may draw 1 card.. In non-Jinteki Corp, it could be Look at the card of R&D. You may draw 1 card..

• If you don't want the card you drew (like an agenda into an unprotected HQ), then you just “undraw” it right back.
• But you can also poison R&D mid-run (like with a Snare!), harden R&D with an untrashable card (ICE/Operation), tuck an agenda to be milled or shuffled away (like by Spin Doctor), and so on.
• CF. Flower Sermon.

In gameplay, it's “relevant but resolvable”, interesting for both players.

As the Corp:

• Protecting R&D, you can (before the breach) tuck a non-agenda.
• Protecting HQ, you can (before the breach) tuck away an agenda.

As the Runner:

• Even with a Killer, Phoenix can let it fire to Sabotage 1 (as well as save a credit or two).
• With Revolver, you can let it fire to “save a bullet”; and thus, break it a third time (not just twice).
• With Botulus, you can let it fire to “save a biofilm”; and thus, break it once every two turns (not just every three).

Still, the facecheck is mostly Do 3 net damage. Give the Runner 1 tag. (AKA. the Empiricist “Snare!’s” you.)

• NSG is printing more Jinteki ICE with incidental single-tagging (like Phoneutria, also an AP - Observer), which works with punishment like Mindscaping, and which adds another, non-flatlining effect to its taxing ICE (adding to credit-zapping).
• With its 5s/3↳ stats, the damage, and the deck-manipulation, it feels like a much “milder Anansi”.
• BTW, it's templated as ↳ Do 1 net damage. Give the Runner 1 tag. and ↳ Do 2 net damage., not ↳ Give the Runner 1 tag. and ↳ Do 3 net damage.. This double-triggers AU Co. or a Prāna Condenser (and is relevant for direct-subroutine-resolution like Mycoweb).

Flavor-wise, an Empiricist (🥼🧪) works under research and development, keeping whatever passes the experiment in headquarters, letting go of whatever in headquarters couldn't be replicated.

Lie Low (🛏️) either saves 3[$] on removing 2 tags, or saves [click][click] on drawing 4 cards.

Notes

For example:

• After getting Oppo Research’d, you can fully-clear all 4 tags from just 5[$], saving credits (fooling the Corp too). Which you couldn't do by just Sure Gambling first (since you'd one click short).
• For draw, you don't need to expensively over-install TCAs. (Or have splashed 3×Diesel (6inf/15), or even included Blueberry!™ Diesel.)
• If you double-tag yourself in a turn (like with Transfer of Wealth), then you can cheaply detag that turn. EG. ToW–ToW–LL ≈ 1[$], [click][click][click][click] → Run HQ. If successful, you gain 12[$] and the Corp loses 6[$].

Veronica’s article about Lie Low’s development was interesting:

“Elevation #15 - Lie Low” (Veronica’s Substack)

Custom

EDIT Before spoilers, I was trying out a (custom) click-compressing modal detag–draw event, not credit-saving. That is, either remove 2 tags for $2 and 1 click, or a mode whose variants were either a “Blueberry!™ Diesel with much more cars-selection” or a “Jailbreak with more card-draw”. Like:

“Own Recognizance (Detag or Jailbreak)” r/CustomNetrunner)

After spoilers, I was disappointed that it was a Double, but I want to play with it more. @ruby272 also suggests a “Bahia Bands–style” modal. Maybe like:

Bye-Bye Bags

[$2] Event: Run
[criminal ●●○○○] (elev)

Run any server. If successful, choose one of the following:

• Remove 2 tags.
• Look at the top 2 cards of your stack. Add up to 2 of them to the bottom of your stack in any order. Draw 3 cards.

Design-wise, both Lie Low and Own Recognizance / “Bye-Bye Bags” cost two credits (or one credit and a click, which could have been spent on the second credit), so that the Runner must “prove” they can reach the credit threshold for taking the basic tag-removal action once, in order to save credits (and/or clicks) on taking a ”non-basic action” to remove multiple tags. This:

• Enables the Corp to still plan around the same exact credit-thresholds (as well as letting them play any econ-denial cards in the same way).
• Preserves the Runner's intuition for general gameplay around saving credits / avoiding bankruptcy (as well as for their bounce-back econ cards).

IP Enforcement “unsteals” an agenda, like a “kinder Exchange of Information”, crossed with an “inverted Psychographics”. (But into a server, not safely into your score-area.)

For example, if they have 3 tags and stole a 3/2 (like Tomorrowʼs Headline), you can remove 2 tags to IA the stolen agenda, then AA to score it out. Which costs a total of 4[$], [click][click][click], Remove 2 tags., IE. (specialized to X=2):

[$2] Operation
Play this operation only if the Runner has at least 3 tags.
As an additional cost to play this operation, remove 2 tags.

Install 1 agenda with printed agenda point value exactly 2 from the Runner’s score area.
Place 1 advancement counter on that agenda.

Same with 2 tags for any 3/1 (like Oracle Thinktank), and 1 tag for any 2/1 (like Post-Truth Dividend). NB.: both Headline and Thinktank have a Tag-on-Steal (When this agenda is stolen, give the Runner 1 tag.).

Design:

• Its multitag-punishment is tag-removal (IE. As an additional cost to play this operation, remove X tags.), not just tag-gating (IE. Play this operation only if the Runner has at least X tags.).

• It will install the agenda (not add it to your score area or add it to HQ), which means you still have to score it out. (NB. This also means that The Holo Man can triple-advance it! Because you have not installed any cards from HQ this turn.) As the Runner, if you've stolen an X/Y and floated Y tags (or 1+Y tags), your risk is bounded. You won't lose your 5/3 at 1 tag (unlike EoI); and even if you went Tag-Me, you might steal the 5/3 right back (unlike EoI).

• It's a powerful operation that's trashable, but with an exorbitant trash-cost (of -5[$], which is as high as Bellona’s “steal-cost”). BTW, Win-Cons with thematically-related trash-costs could be fun too, like a printed -$[2] but As an additional cost to trash this operation, take 1 tag. [EDIT: like Public Access Plaza!]

• It's a non-HB 5/5 inf card. (But only NBN decks want this effect anyways, no? Unlike Big Deal).

AFAICT, you'll primarily be unstealing 3/2’s or 4/2’s (which can be fast-advanced, and are worthwhile). For example, Shipment from Vladisibirsk’ing a IP Enforce’d Next Big Thing would need 5 tags. Will it make sense for a 2/1 to get opportunistically unstolen? IDK.*

Flavor:

• The art shows a “you've been served” home invasion. Flanked by bodyguards, a lawyer is handing over the holographic subpoena (with marquee’ing “LAWSUIT”).
• To take back their stolen intellectual property, NBN sics the state on some hacker (knowing exactly who they are and where they live). Maybe an Anarch is sharing the trade secrets for the manufacture of a pandemic vaccine, or as revenge for an infection; maybe a Shaper is geeking out on those secrets, editing the mRNA vaccine process to g-mod themselves; maybe a Criminal is just holding onto those secrets, to extort a “blackmail pension”.

Bling (💎) “quickdraws” whenever you creditlessly install. For example:

• Gachapon can double-trigger Bling, by installing a ≤2[$]-drop (and costing 0[$] itself).
• Topan can trigger Bling each turn, it being their Console.

Design:

• It has “turn-length momentum”. Thus, its unbounded Whenever you … trigger (vs. a bounded The first time each turn you …) has a safety-valve. Even if you trigger it four times in a turn, you might only get one benefit. CF. a “complementary” effect like Whenever you …, look at the top card of your stack. If it has printed install or play cost 0[$], you may reveal it and add it to your grip..
• At best, it can draw every installation (including the hosted cards). At worst, it just mills you every installation.
• as if they were in your grip: The hosted cards can be cheapened by Topan.
• install a card without spending credits: It doesn't trigger off Paladin Poemu (not reading from your pool), which I like; it (not reading from your grip) does still trigger off heap-installs like The Price or set-aside-installs like Gachapon.

Synergies:

• Zero-Drops: Like Gourmand, No Free Lunch, Stoneship Chart Room, etc.

• Cost-Redux: In Topan (-2[$]) (or Sebastião (-2[$], connections)?). Via The Price (-3[$]!), Gachapon (-2[$], programs/virtuals), Privileged Access (-2[$], resources and/or programs), Bahia Bands (-1[$]), etc. [EDIT (H/T @meitrix87)] Or the 2inf Simulchip (-3[$], programs).

See o:0 t:resource|program|hardware d:r z:standard b:active and x:paying|reduc|lower|ignor x:credit|cost s!console d:r z:standard b:active .

EDIT I mistakenly suggested the following synergy...

• trash all hosted cards: If you've “quickdrawn” a Steelskin Scarring or Strike Fund, then you can clicklessly “play” them at EoT (which add them to the bottom of your stack wouldn't trigger). In particular, because it tastes Steelskin when your discard phase ends (not action phase), you can pass the turn with a seven-card hand.

...but as @getmemy says in their comment, Bling shouldn’t trigger them:

• Bling doesn’t say TREAT hosted cards as if they were in your grip.
• SS/SF don’t say When this event is trashed from ANY LOCATION except the play area, …