Project Beale

Project Beale 3/2

Agenda: Research

When you score this agenda, place 1 agenda counter on it for every 2 hosted advancement counters past 3.

This agenda is worth 1 more agenda point for each hosted agenda counter.

Illustrated by Matt Zeilinger
Decklists with this card

Future Proof (fp)

#115 • English
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Reviews

A little math for those of us who sometimes forget how many counters = how many points on Beale. I know in the heat of the game, I have forgotten. The formula at the bottom is a friendly and helpful reminder.

3 Counters = 2 points

5 Counters = 3 points

7 Counters = 4 points

9 Counters = 5 points

11 Counters = 6 points

13 Counters = 7 points

(# of Advancement Counters/2), then round up.

(The Source era)

Just a note for any newer players, SanSan City Grid doesn't reduce the number of advancement tokens needed on Beale to have it be worth extra points. If you install a Beale in a remote with a rezzed SanSan then you can score it on 2 advancement tokens to have it be worth 2 agenda points but you'll still need to 5 advancement tokens to make it worth 3 agenda points, 7 tokens for 4 agenda points and so on.

The most common use of Project Beale seems to just be to use it off of the Astro-train (AstroScript Pilot Program to score it for a win because once you've the Astro-train going you're scoring out of hand even without a SanSan. I've rarely seen it advanced for anything other than it's base agenda value with the exception of some Trick of Light or with Shipment from SanSan magic.

(The Universe of Tomorrow era)
Then apparently you've never witnessed PsychoBeale? Midseasons for 10+ tags, then psychographics to score Beale out for 5+ points. —
Beale is also nice if you remember that it's a 3 for 2 that can also be a 5 for 3 should the situation demand it. I do like bluffing it out one-advanced as a NAPD and then Astro'ing it for a 3 pointer. —
@Bigguyforyou518 - I haven't actually seen that in a long time and even then I don't think it's ever been played against me. And now in a post Film Critic world it's probably going to be seen even less. —
Also note it's still a 5/3 (or 7/4... etc) even if your opponent has the Source or Chakana out. —
I actually really enjoy over scoring Beale. Being able to score only 3 agenda's when the runner needs 4 is one of my favourite things about NBN —
Yeah in some respects it's a more flexible GFI. And I did once see someone hardadvance a Beale up to 6 points. (I still won.) —
Looking for confirmation regarding the name of the card. Inspired by one of the characters in http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074958/ ?? —
@vesper I suspect you are correct regarding the name. Good catch! —

This is one of the strongest 3 / 2 agendas available and enables the never advance game in NBN. It enables additional shenanigans and is the only agenda that you can use to score and win the game, you need a lot of advancements (13 in total) and usually a tagged runner and Psychographics but it's possible. Hard-Hitting News might already activate it.
It encourages you to use scoring windows especially in the early game, you can score 3 points to reduce the number of agendas you need to score to 2 or in the late game you can use it to close the game. It also forces the runner to run even when they are not ready.

This agenda is called Global Food Initiative 4 - 6 in any NBN deck and this is true! You can install, advance, advance it and score it as a 5 / 3 agenda, while it's only worth 2 points to the runner. Truth is as well, this only counts 2 points to your 20 agenda points, so it's not a GFI in this regards, but on the other side you can also score it as a 3 / 2 and that makes it one of the most flexible agendas in any NBN deck.

If your opponent plays The Source it becomes a 4 / 2 but at the same time it remains a 5 / 3, as you get a counter for every advancement over 3! This is also true for all the other 3 / 2 like Project Vitruvius, Project Atlas and Braintrust

(Revised Core Set era)
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