Chrysopoeian Skimming

Chrysopoeian Skimming 1[credit]

Event
Influence: 1

The Corp may reveal an agenda from HQ. If they do, gain [click] and draw 1 card. Otherwise, look at the top 3 cards of R&D.

Even the tiniest scrap of data can become the key to riches.
Illustrated by Oliver Morit
Decklists with this card

The Automata Initiative (tai)

#11 • English
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Reviews

Chrysopoeian Skimming (🪙🧪) reveals some hidden information either about HQ (1 agenda) or R&D (top 3); although, whichever is a less informative revelation for you.

For example, you can play this, then play an S-Dobrado to breach the server where you saw an agenda (and if you steal it, you can even trigger an installed Hermes).

Note that because it's the Corp's choice, they will just show you one of the two-ish agendas that the Runner already always guesses are in a full HQ (or they can leak info about their better-protected server, or they may even be able to bluff/bait you). Still if it WERE the Runner's choice:

  • paying a single credit (ie. losing no clicks and no cards) to learn how many agenda points HQ has, at minimum (if the Corp didn't have a choice, and you could somehow verify the absence of agendas, for example), may be worth it.
  • paying a credit+click+card to learn where and how many agendas are on top of R&D, what the Corp's next three draws will be, and so on, might be worth more than just running R&D once.

Note also that HQ access is random, and R&D access is ordered: So even if you know that least 1 in 5 cards in their hand is an agenda, or that the 2nd or 3rd card down in their deck is an agenda, without multiaccess (or sabotage, or milling, or so on), you'll still need to luck out, pay trash costs, and so on.

Compare: Insight or Executive Wiretaps.


Flavor: In alchemy, chrysopoeia («χρυσοποιία», "khrusopoiia") means "gold-making" and is the transmutation of lead into gold, which the ouroborus bracelet references too. (n the next Liberation Cycle set, maybe there'll be an "Argyropoeian Dripping" card, which means silver-making, that forces the Corp to choose between a ice exposure for free or an archives breach.)

en.wikipedia.org

(The Automata Initiative era)