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CONTROL! YOU MUST LEARN CONTROL
by Eric Jome ejome@execpc.com

You can't think about Throckmorton without thinking about Control. Lets employ the normal classic deck construction technique:

• 8 Resources, 8 Pullers, 4 Hitters, 4 Blockers, 4 Specials, 12 Other

So, onto a sample deck;

One of the hardest questions to ask yourself in an OnTE deck is how many Resources? obviously, you are caught between two conflicting goals. Early on, you want to draw several. After that, it would be nice to draw none. since you can't arrange for this without cheating (and you would never cheat, right?), you need to inspect the number of cards that can use the bonus pull. The more that can use the bonus, the fewer you need. Don't forget to include characters bonus pull in the conisderation as well. For us here, 8 will do.

"But Eric, Undeserved Power and the Device aren't Characters!" So? Anything which can generate influence can be counted under the pullers limit if you like. In Throckmorton, the Device belongs here because thats what it's for; Never use the device for anything but influence. I like to call it "the clock"... when it hits the table, I'll say "We're on the clock people." It means that since the influence generated is risk free and can't be stopped, not even by Andalusia Dog (C6) or Simon Wallop (D106), you only need a certain number of turns before you reach the goal. Unstoppable as time's march.

We put Undeserved Power here because it can make any character a puller. Note that any pull you give the character evaporates at the end of the turn. If you really want to be sporting, you and your friends should adopt a house rule on this card; replace the text with "Crank 2 Duped and Narcotized Masses to give target Character +1 Pull until the beginning of your next turn. Use markers if necessary."

This is the Throckmorton's and Controls weak point. If you are lucky enough to go up against non-Humans, Cut-Ups, or Chaos, Malak is 6/7, but both these are weak hitters (esp. being human). Your best bet is threatening and cajoling others into hitting for you.

Throckmorton/Control is blessed with 2 of the absolute best blockers in the game. Kofi is a goddess and Barber can protect himself or others very well.

Michiko is the ultimate defense; choose something you can't touch and hit it. Shield her as best you can... no one lets her live long if possible. Martinez is used to help Akio or Malak get to the back rank or to allow someone to attack and then employ undeserved power. Offer his powers as a method of allowing others to hit the enemies back ranks. Angela calls the device, but she makes for an excellent target for undeserved power as well. She is a passable blocker after the device is out; she is always saved.

One of the nastiest combos in the game is Ideological Polarization followed by Sabotage. Also, use the Sabotage to take out resources the Polarization misses. Most of the cards here are high utility, general purpose. You need to slow down the enemy and protect yourself to make this deck work. Immunity is especially important; a Terror'ed Clyde isn't scoring points for you.

Lastly, some also rans. Touchy Explosives (D101) is a fun card to include in this deck. Giving this to Clyde or Angela means that even if the flip comes out bad, you are still ok. And it fits the theme; desperate and disposable throckmortonized agents martyring themselves for the cause. heh.

This deck counts on risk free influence and defense more than anything else. This can be a good thing when going into a tournament because you cannot predict (and therefore plan to defeat) who your opponents will be. But there is risk here to. This deck requires some very savvy play to work well... you have an uphill battle trying to get the others to ignore you and fight each other.

Any thoughts on this? Who would make good replacements for Akio and/or Malak? Got a favorite way to take out the device? A character who is always saved? Ever think about Throckmorton, Entrepreneur?

COMMENTS

My thoughts were on your Throckmorton clock idea it seems to me that the throckmorton device in only too easily destroyed. I play with at least two or three Sabotages (209) in my deck just because killing of there resources quickly at the beginning of the game is one of the best ways to stop them. Some decks I have made contained up to 10 sabotages in a 40 card deck. Basically I am saying that thinking of the throckmorton device as a clock would ultimately be wrong because you can just sabotage it. Sabotage is one of my favorite cards, by the way. (Aaron Brown, talldude@hotmail.com)

... Which is why any deck which depends on the Throck Clock should have Intelligence Contacts (126). Keith Baker had a tournament deck that was almost entirely Angela Reyes, Throck Devices, Intelligence Contacts, Smear Campaigns, and Rampages... (Trevor Stone, tstone@robin-nvh.bvsd.k12.co.us)

Why wouldn't you include any Orders from Tomorrow (D72) in this deck? IMHO, Orders from Tomorrow is the best Throckmorton card there is aside from the device. (John Thomas Craig, crai0046@tc.umn.edu)

(Responding to Aaron Brown) Actually, it doesnt even matter if you can destroy the Throckmorton Device. If it cranks only once, then it has scored 1 point of risk free influence and helped toward victory...Also, there is not a lot that can pop it in general ... Recursive Time Loop (C73), Sabotage, Michiko Ishii (C39)... the list is short and everything but Sabotage is not seen that often. Better to use Isil Ziya and Unified Conspiracy Theory to flip it. Assuming you have 4 Sabotages in a 40 card deck, your odds are that you will see only 1 in your initial hand and no more than 2 or 3 in a tournament level game. Considering others come packing Gang A-Gley, Intelligence Contacts, and lots of resources (or characters with bonus pull), this is not a card effective strategy, especially when up against more than one opponent. 10 Sabotages is what i call overkill. That leaves you only 30 other cards to play with. Remember, Sabotage is not play any time, so you can only do it on the enemy turn. That means they get to put 1 in and play with it. Sometimes 1 resource is all you need, esp. if you have Secrets. I can't think of any card that should fill out 1/4 of your entire deck. (Eric Jome, ejome@execpc.com)

(Responding to John Thomas Craig) Lets take a look at Orders from Tomorrow (D72). Advantage: You can attack more than once. Disadvantage: You don't get to pick who you attack, so unless you are the bomb, you will die when they pick their awesome defender. Advantage: You can use a cranked character. Disadvantage: The character must be a Throckmorton and Throckmortons do not have good hitters. None. One lukewarm body (Akio) and one weak hitter (Malak) esp. when you don't get to pick the target. So, in my not so humble opinion, this card is just about worthless. Since you dont get to pick which person is hit and you don't have any good hitters to begin with, why do you want to concentrate on hitting? Better off defending yourself and talking other players into doing the hitting for you! :) Now, if this is not a tournament and you are sporting some Throckmorton Dominations (S11), it is pretty good. But one can't Dominate in a tournament. IMHO, Throckmorton Domination should have been in the Standard set of cards. (Eric Jome, ejome@execpc.com)

(Followup to Trevor Stone) It's been a while since I've played the deck, so I don't remember the precise numbers (and I'd have to try it a few times to fine tune it) but the ratios something like:

• 8 Throckmorton Devices
• 8 Angela Reyes
• 10 Intelligence Contacts
• 18 Smear Campaigns
• 12 Rampages
• 5 Sabotages (in case an enemy Device gets the drop on you)
• 5 Gang-a-Gleys
• 14 Wheels of Fortune

Way over the typical 40-card deck, but between the Wheels and the fact that Angela and the Device are unique, I never had a problem maintaining a good hand. These also let me cycle through smear campaigns if nothing good was out. I did not bother using Clyde. First off, an AM grenade will destroy him, as will any decent attacker. The point of my deck was to have nothing to defend. If anything, the immortal Throckmortons are a problem, as they provide soft targets for Rampages; I'd generally send Angela on a suicidal attack the round before I plan to use a rampage, to get her flipped and out of the way. Sure, I'd only get one influence a turn, but the Gang-a-Gleys and Intelligence Contacts provide pretty solid protection for the device, and between smear campaigns and rampages it isn't so hard to slow people down. Of course, this deck is designed for a three or four player game; it also relies on most player's natural instincts to attack SOMEONE if they can, and since my deck provides no targets, they generally attack one another, doing my work while I slowly build up my one per round. Tick... tick...

Obviously, the deck has flaws. I didn't win the tournament I played it in, although I made the final round. The beauty is that it is almost entirely stress-free. If someone has a way to hose you, they will, and that's that. Otherwise, you get to sit back, take your one a turn, and occasionally throw out a Rampage to make everyone's life a little more interesting. I didn't win, but I had a great time, and that's enough for me. (Keith Baker, keithb@VR1.COM)