by Steve Brinich
Concept: Start with the two Media groups that naturally fit a Secret deck (Junk Mail and Tabloids). Add the Subliminals and some more Media to pump them up. Combine into a secret conspiracy gone Hollywood.
Your strongest opening groups are Big Media, Clone Arrangers, and Junk Mail. Clone Arrangers is the most useful of these groups -- and for that very reason it's the most likely to bounce. Don't worry too much if it does; this will probably hurt you less than it hurts the other guy.
In a game without automatic takeovers, you need to start with a group that will help you bring out your Secret groups (Clone Arrangers or Junk Mail).
If there's another Society of Assassins in the game and Junk Mail bounces, your best bet may be to lead with Big Media, develop a straightforward Media Power Structure, and take Junk Mail and Tabloids away from him later.
Most of your Power Structure development will parallel the usual development of a Media Personality deck. Bring out Big Media, Cable TV, Hollywood, and/or Recording Industry, along with Media Personalities.
Bring out the Subliminals when you have 3-5 Media groups in play. As an alignment-free Secret group, they'll be tough to attack, but make them a puppet of Big Media if possible so that Big Media can defend them.
Bring out your other Secret groups as opportunities arise.
The Blivit is essentially a defensive Resource, used to prevent rivals from doing nasty things to you with Bigfoot, Hallucinations, the Orbital Mind Control Lasers, etc.
Exposed! can be used defensively, to strip the Secrecy of groups that threaten your Secret groups, or as an endgame ploy, to strip the Secrecy of rival Secret groups so that your remaining Secret groups become qualified to count double for victory. Try to avoid the former if at all possible; it reminds people about the latter.
Purge is intended to protect the Clone Arrangers, but might be needed to protect a key Media group if you're facing another Media deck.
Normally, the Tabloids' special ability is a two-edged sword -- all your groups can aid, but all your rivals' groups can oppose. A Privileged Attack will blunt the back side of that sword (as long as at least one Secret group or Illuminati aids the attack).
Eat the Rich and Scandal are heavy-duty offensive cards. Try to aim them at targets that everybody else wants to see taken down, so that you don't draw too much negative attention to yourself.
Hold Rewriting History in reserve to break up a rival's victory attempt. Note that if you use Rewriting History to foil a "control X destroy Y" goal, the Goal card will be exposed, and vulnerable to the Templars, after the victory attempt fails.
Build toward victory in straightforward fashion, possibly with a last-minute Exposed! on a powerful rival Secret group.
Dan Quayle and Elvis can cancel your Media actions. Hit them with a Whispering Campaign, or present them with a Supreme Court Nomination and have your Media trash 'em.
Rivals are likely to have Clone Arrangers agents. Don't make this group a main root of your Power Structure unless it's been Purged.
Other possibly useful groups include Girlie Magazines, Gordo Remora, Media Sensation, Professional Sports, and Shock Jocks.
The Orbital Mind Control Lasers and Ollie North can be a powerful combo against a rival's Media groups -- make one of them Conservative and Ollie has +12 to take it over (special ability plus alignment), with another +4 if you have Big Media. On the other hand, bringing out the OMCL is like putting on a "Kick Me" sign.
The Flying Saucer and Immortality Serum are always useful Resources for a Personality-heavy deck.
Plots that could enhance this deck include Alien Abduction, Miracle Diet Plan (especially if you add another Science group), Let the Sunshine In, Pizza for the Secret Meeting (a cheap but temporary substitute for Exposed!), and Plot-exposers such as Agent In Place, Mutual Betrayal, Security Leak, etc (to complement the Templars' special ability). The deck has a number of Personality-aiding Plots; others such as Official, Divine, All-Purpose Excuse or Sweepstakes Prize can be used as well.
First posted: September 13, 1998
Last modified: Sun Sep 13 16:29:01 EDT 1998