Touch-Ups (🎭) is like “Shipment from SanSan + Salem's Hospitality”.
Notes
It:
- compresses advancement (costing the same clicks/credits as taking the basic advancement-action twice) with disruption (taking out two of your choice).
- deals “pseudo-damage”. The cards: get reshuffled, not trashed (the Runner can redraw them, but SS / SF don't trigger); and aren't random (by default, just choose
event
for the widest choice).
- is an Operation (triggering Nebula/etc, unlike the basic-action.)
- has an implicit
Play this operation only if there is an installed card you can advance.
. But advanceables need not be accessible.
For example:
- You can IAA a
5/3
while “burning” two cards that could steal the agenda. Like pushing a Next Big Thing, while taking out some run-event that would help them breach it (or even an icebreaker if you chose program
)? Or in Jinteki, for Fujii Asset Retrieval, while “softening up” the grip? (IDK.)
- You can also just “touch-up” a Mestnichestvo, if you want to shuffle away two cards (EG. Steelskin Scarring) and then kill them (EG. End of the Line).
Custom
While I love this “Play-by-Advancing” text, what if the payoff weren't for setting up a kill (by damage, tagging, etc)? But strictly for click-compression/tempo-positivity (AKA. the “The Reeducation Problem”). For example:
[$2] OPERATION: Double - Gray Ops
🔴 (jinteki 3/5)
As an additional cost to play this operation, spend [click].
Place 2 advancement counters on an installed card you can advance. If you do, remove up to 3 (power and/or virus and/or credit) counters from installed Runner cards.
What if the effect scaled with any other (later/earlier) additional advancements? For example:
[$2] OPERATION: Double - Gray Ops
🟢 (weyland 3/5)
As an additional cost to play this operation, spend [click].
Place 2 advancement counters on an installed card you can advance. If you do, the Runner loses 1[$] for each advancement counter placed on a card this turn, then you gain 1[$] for each credit lost this way.
What if there were an explicit bonus for advancing in-root/non-ice cards? Thus incentivizing you risking an agenda (or baiting with an asset) that's telegraphed. For example:
[$3] OPERATION: Double - Gray Ops
🟣 (haas-bioroid 3/5)
As an additional cost to play this operation, spend [click].
Choose 1 installed resource with printed trash cost 2[$] or less.
Place 2 advancement counters on an installed card you can advance. Then:
• If that card is in the root of a server, add the chosen resource to the top of R&D.
• If that card is protecting a server, add the chosen resource to HQ.
Flavor
RE the artwork:
- It looks like the Wall of Faces from Game of Thrones (very creepy). But in Touch-ups, the “faceshifter” isn't shapeshifting assassins in a death cult (like the Faceless Men); they're a “celebrity” in a slave contract (노예 계약) .
- Those faces of different races. In William Gibson’s Johnny Mnemonic, some white fans of Sony Mao do plastic surgery to get “chic” epicanthic folds... which is so much worse than white dreads (LMFAO), but unfortunately probably prescient. But in Touch-ups, it's the idol getting non-elective surgery (not the fan getting it electively).
I like how it has an implicit
— D4v1d-Gr43b3rPlay this operation only if there is an installed card you can advance.
. You can even place the counters on an already-installed Mestnichestvo, being safely notaccess
-able.