SKEPTIC Phase 6
Doubles Risk Of Challenges
You have the power to doubt. As a main player or ally in a challenge,
before cards are played you may tell the main player opposing your
side: "I doubt that you will win." If he agrees and is offensive
player, he ends his turn and all tokens in the cone return to bases.
If he agrees and is defensive player, all offensive tokens in the cone
establish a base on the planet as if they had won (but defending
tokens already there remain) and defending allies return to bases. If
he disagrees or "double doubts" you, cards are played. If one side
loses or a deal is not made, the number of tokens normally lost by
either of you is doubled.
HISTORY: During growth, one colony of marine Skeptics achieved the
size and organization necessary for neuronic activity. Proliferating
into super-rationality, they doubt the brash claims of others and see
no reality but their own.
FLARE
Phase 7
Wild: After cards are played, you can doubt that one of the main
players played the highest Attack Card he could. If you were right,
you get his highest Attack Card after the challenge. If you are
wrong, he gets your highest.
Phase 6
Super: When you use your power, you also tell the opposing main player
how many additional tokens (1-20) are at risk. If he double doubts
you and plays the challenge, the loser (or both in a failed deal)
loses that number of tokens in addition to the number lost in the
challenge.
PULSAR
Phase 8
Con: If you double-doubted Skeptic and lost, give him this card
instead of losing the extra tokens.
Phase 8
Pro: If you were double-doubted and lost the challenge, give this card
to the opposing main player instead of losing the extra tokens.
Eon/Avalon:
No Changes
Experience Rating: Advanced
Cosmic Monopoly
You can doubt a player will roll higher (lower) than a certain number
when he rolls for dice movement. If he agrees, he moves his Monopoly
token that many spaces as if that is what he rolled (no doubles
counting). If he double doubts you, he rolls normally. If he makes
the roll, you immediately owe him a debt of $50 before movement. If
he fails the roll, he immediate owes you a debt of $100 before
movement. In long version, if your opponent is offensive player and
agrees to your doubt, he pays the normal debt. If he is defensive
player and agrees to your doubt, he keeps his ownership of the
property which you now share with him. If you are double-doubted,
the loser has to pay the winner an additional 50% of the base rent.
Commentary: This is a resource power. As I've mentioned before, I do
not like this power. I think it's stupid, to be blunt. Because I
value tokens highly, I can see an incentive for players to accept the
doubt. However, because I value tokens highly, I wouldn't want to use
the power to risk my tokens in the first place.
There are times when you "just know" you will win, but they don't
happen often enough. Anything can happen in a challenge. If a player
has only one or two tokens in the challenge, unless he's desperate for
tokens, he really has no incentive to accept your doubt. Why should
he give you a free base when you're offensive player? Why should he
deprive himself of a potential base and let you keep a base when he's
the offensive player? What benefit does he get? Not lose tokens?
Tokens get lost all the time. Despite the value I place on them, I
would double-doubt against Skeptic a lot more often than accept the
doubt. It is similar to Gambler where you're better off calling the
bluff in the long run.
I remember one game where I was forced to play Skeptic. Disappointed
as I was, I tried to make the most of it. In a challenge as an ally I
invoked my power trying to bluff the player out. Stupid me, I did it
against Void! If my side lost the challenge I'd lose 8 tokens,
permanently, because he double-doubted. For some reason or another
the challenge kept dragging on and on, and I was near panic. The way
the challenge was progressing, it looked like Void was going to win.
However, miracle of miracles, my side managed to pull off the win.
Never again did I use the Skeptic power that game. Never will I want
to have this power again, but if forced, I will choose it over Pirate.
Gerald Katz
Don't forget to tip the Butler!
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