Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[ednever]

Is the card design a mistake?

Obviously many of the '10's are very powerful cards, but Internet seems to over power even those power cards. Even if you only have 4 World Icons, Internet does the following:

1- Sprays Green cards up
2- Scores a 10
3- Draws and Melds two 10s

If you play it twice it means you draw 6 '10's. More likely you have more than 4 World Icons (or you do after spraying your green cards up). As long as you are within 10 points of the other player you often win when causes the game to end when you attempt to draw an 11.

Many other 10's can cause the game to end fast, but none with the likelihood that Internet does. So much so that flipping through the 10s looking for Internet (with say Quantum Theory) is the right choice.

Why is this card so powerful?

Even if the card said:
1- Score a 10
2- Draw and Meld two 10s

That would be a pretty good card - maybe the best 10. Instead its off the charts good.

Maybe someone will come on and tell me I'm evaluating it wrong and that Self Service and Miniaturization are the power cards I should be worried about. I would love to know.

Ed

[WinterSpartan]

Nobody will tell you you should be worried about Miniaturization, so that's safe.

You should be worried about Self Service, though, and almost every 10 actually. AI is probably the weakest beyond Miniaturization, but even that you have to be aware of with Robotics and Software.

Self Service, Bioengineering, and Globalization can all instantly win the game.
Robotics and Software are similar to and sometimes more powerful than The Internet since they draw, meld, and execute the other 10s.
Databases can singlehandedly wreck your opponent's chances to get a crucial last achievement.
Stem Cells, particularly if it follows Fermenting/Paper draw shenanigans, can give you enough score to grab all the standard achievements.
AI and Miniaturization are both really weak, but at least AI makes you be more careful with draw/meld/execute cards. And I've seen it used to win the game deliberately when an opponent has a much higher score.

So basically, anytime someone hits age 10 all bets are off. Internet exemplifies this well, but it's hardly the only one there. I will give you that it's the one I'm never unhappy to draw, but that's also true of other cards from earlier ages (say, Industrialization or Machinery).

[Awaclus]

I think Software is more powerful than the Internet. The Internet gives you points and then lets you win if you have the biggest score, Self Service sometimes gives you an achievement and then lets you win if you have the most achievements, Bioengineering removes leaf icons from your opponent and then lets you win if your opponent has the least leaf icons, etc. Sure, drawmelding [10]s is very powerful even if it doesn't end the game in your victory, while Self Service's and Bioengineering's first dogmas aren't that powerful, and The Internet is still one of the strongest cards in the entire game, but Software scores just like The Internet and drawmelds much like The Internet, only a little worse, and executes a dogma in addition to that. I'm always more than happy to have The Internet on my board, but usually I would trade it for a Software.

[theory]

Software is a better bet if you are behind or have otherwise eliminated all possible losing 10's.  The Internet is better if you don't want the possibility of instantly losing.

[popsofctown]

I think Miniaturization and AI are the mistakes, not the Internet.

[Kirian]

...is for porn.