After much playtesting, here are my picks for the contest:
Fan Favorite:
1. Specialists by Dancer
Fantastic mission! Works well for all Karma levels, player counts, and role combinations. I appreciated the different pacing of control to chaos, which also added a new decision layer, as you must make sacrifices in the first scene to prevent chaos in the second. The only downside is that it takes a while to set up, but is well worth it. Also, the custom Crossfire deck is a nice touch and shows how much thought and passion went into designing this mission.
2. The Heist by CHINCB
This is the type of mission many people have been waiting for. I loved the campaign-like feel, and thought the build-up of character decks between missions was handled well. The custom obstacles are well designed, with each mission feeling quite different from the others. Unfortunately, it is a bit rules heavy and not friendly to all groups (Decker and Karma required), but this doesn’t prevent it from being fun and engaging.
3. Corporate Wetwork by Alex Ender
Good theme and an exciting boss fight. The Drake Assassin is a perfect choice here, due to his damage variety and attrition mechanics. The reinforcement rules are a little clunky in the four player version, but keep tension up without raising difficulty level. My only real complaint is that the final fight can be wildly inconsistent; one time he was down in two turns, another he took twenty. Still, this is now part of our regular rotation.
4. (Honorable Mention) Cache Out by Keithric
See below. (2nd place for Wildest Ride)
Wildest Ride:
1. Data Grab by Kiirnodel
Push your luck! This mission has a solid rules-backed theme, and a riveting new choice layer that has you balancing reward and ruin. Tying the payout to damage level is very clever, as it encourages taking on tougher obstacles. The main drawback here is requiring a Decker and more than two players, but that isn’t asking too much.
2. Cache Out by Keithric
Another interesting new choice layer here: Loot! This entry provides unique pacing from other missions by throwing Hard Obstacles at you from the start. It felt like raiding an armory and blasting your way out with what you stole. The reinforcements can be unbalanced for two players, but nothing a slight rules tweak wouldn’t fix. Again, huge plus that it is friendly to all Karma levels and player counts.
3. Gangs Attack by Jamelfr
Good narrative, with Bonus Objective rules to back it up. I was happy to see these boons balanced with consequences later, but feel like I would still go for them every time. The Discard or Damage decision is exciting, but led to Analysis Paralysis with our group more than once.
4. (Honorable Mention) Run of your Life by Alex Ender
Risking Perma-Death for a big reward is a fun twist, but this really deserves a mention for the case carrying mechanics. Having a Case count toward your hand size and forcing a drop on Staggered is perfect. Meanwhile, requiring two cases slows down a four player team without punishing a single runner too harshly. The big issue I had with this mission was how random finding the cases can be. You could run into them in Scene Two, or not reach them until Scene Ten. Huge variance!
Well, those are my votes; I can’t wait to see the final results. Good luck to everyone who entered!
