RE: Cosmic Encounter - PBP: Deep Space Water
02-27-2017, 06:23 PM
Those both sound like clever niche uses of a Wild Flare and not intended regular use.
I'm putting together a rules-lawyery rant below that I'll probably send to the cosmic forum but nobody here needs to read since we should probably play with Rules As Written.
I'm putting together a rules-lawyery rant below that I'll probably send to the cosmic forum but nobody here needs to read since we should probably play with Rules As Written.
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Spoiler
The Wild Voyager as written is functionally useless and should probably be revised to sending the card back to the player's hand if lost (just like the Voyager power). It's currently listed in the "Set Aside" section of the rules megapost under the heading "Protect [cards] from being taken or discarded" alongside the Wild Miser and Wild Cryo. For reference here are the powers the Wild Voyager is supposed to be comparable to:
Wild Miser:
When you draw a new hand or another player takes compensation from you, you may place this card and two others facedown in front of you until afterwards. If compensation is being taken from you, the facedown cards may not be taken. If drawing a new hand, you receive a full hand in addition to the facedown cards.
Wild Cryo:
When you draw a new hand, you may first set aside any or all of your non-encounter cards (including this flare). Then, draw a new hand of eight cards before adding the cards you set aside back into your new hand.
Both Flares offer guaranteed protection barring a Zap, allow multiple protected cards, and even protect the Flare itself from leaving your hand. Now obviously the Wild Voyager differs as it's intended to protect only one card at a time, but in return you can send and retrieve that card at any time.
Now, speaking of intent versus effect let's review how the Wild Voyager as Written performs when used to protect cards from being discarded or taken:
Protect cards from being Discarded:
The Wild Voyager absolutely fails at this task as written. Any card visiting the Warp suffers an increased chance of being discarded by dint of still being vulnerable to the Wild Voyager being discarded. As your hand is now smaller with a card in the warp, the Flare stands a higher probability to being chosen than if you just leave the chosen card in your hand. This is exacerbated by effects that would temporarily remove the Flare from your hand which would also cause the chosen card to be discarded. The Wild Voyager should never be used to protect cards from being discarded as written.
Protect cards from being Taken:
Technically works in the most spiteful of interpretations. Rather than stop your opponent from stealing your card, the Wild Voyager as written will simply discard your card in a very "If I can't have it, no one can" fashion. Again the chances of it being discarded using the Flare are actually increased compared to the chance it's taken without the Flare. Spite moves are not exclusive to the Wild Voyager either, you can play powerful cards in all sorts of meaningless situations to deprive card thieves, the Flare merely gives you an additional chance to do so.
Compared to the Wild Miser and Wild Cryo, the Wild Voyager as written is grossly incapable of protecting your cards. The power gap is massive both to its similar cards as well as to most Wild Flares in the game. Most, if not all other Wilds are designed to confer regular benefit to its user, with a side of additional fringe benefit from clever use of the card. The Wild Voyager provides no regular or practical use to its owner and can only very rarely be useful in information plays (like against the Mind or with the Wild Tourist) way outside of its intended use.
The text of card should be rewritten to return the hidden card to its owner's hand upon loss of the Flare or else reworked entirely to better serve the power's intent. Anything less just leaves a useless and even actively harmful card in your hand.
The Wild Voyager as written is functionally useless and should probably be revised to sending the card back to the player's hand if lost (just like the Voyager power). It's currently listed in the "Set Aside" section of the rules megapost under the heading "Protect [cards] from being taken or discarded" alongside the Wild Miser and Wild Cryo. For reference here are the powers the Wild Voyager is supposed to be comparable to:
Wild Miser:
When you draw a new hand or another player takes compensation from you, you may place this card and two others facedown in front of you until afterwards. If compensation is being taken from you, the facedown cards may not be taken. If drawing a new hand, you receive a full hand in addition to the facedown cards.
Wild Cryo:
When you draw a new hand, you may first set aside any or all of your non-encounter cards (including this flare). Then, draw a new hand of eight cards before adding the cards you set aside back into your new hand.
Both Flares offer guaranteed protection barring a Zap, allow multiple protected cards, and even protect the Flare itself from leaving your hand. Now obviously the Wild Voyager differs as it's intended to protect only one card at a time, but in return you can send and retrieve that card at any time.
Now, speaking of intent versus effect let's review how the Wild Voyager as Written performs when used to protect cards from being discarded or taken:
Protect cards from being Discarded:
The Wild Voyager absolutely fails at this task as written. Any card visiting the Warp suffers an increased chance of being discarded by dint of still being vulnerable to the Wild Voyager being discarded. As your hand is now smaller with a card in the warp, the Flare stands a higher probability to being chosen than if you just leave the chosen card in your hand. This is exacerbated by effects that would temporarily remove the Flare from your hand which would also cause the chosen card to be discarded. The Wild Voyager should never be used to protect cards from being discarded as written.
Protect cards from being Taken:
Technically works in the most spiteful of interpretations. Rather than stop your opponent from stealing your card, the Wild Voyager as written will simply discard your card in a very "If I can't have it, no one can" fashion. Again the chances of it being discarded using the Flare are actually increased compared to the chance it's taken without the Flare. Spite moves are not exclusive to the Wild Voyager either, you can play powerful cards in all sorts of meaningless situations to deprive card thieves, the Flare merely gives you an additional chance to do so.
Compared to the Wild Miser and Wild Cryo, the Wild Voyager as written is grossly incapable of protecting your cards. The power gap is massive both to its similar cards as well as to most Wild Flares in the game. Most, if not all other Wilds are designed to confer regular benefit to its user, with a side of additional fringe benefit from clever use of the card. The Wild Voyager provides no regular or practical use to its owner and can only very rarely be useful in information plays (like against the Mind or with the Wild Tourist) way outside of its intended use.
The text of card should be rewritten to return the hidden card to its owner's hand upon loss of the Flare or else reworked entirely to better serve the power's intent. Anything less just leaves a useless and even actively harmful card in your hand.