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SubGenius Dirty Tricks
The INWO Dirty Tricks are a collection of cunning ploys and card combos that have been discovered by the members of the inwo-list mailing list over the years. Occasionally they get collected up; Aaron Curtis posted such a bundle as Issue 5 on the 1st April 1998.
Dirty INWO Tricks Issue 5: April 1998
An Irregular Periodical About Secrets INWO Players Are Not Meant To Know
Compiled by Aaron Curtis
Greetings INWO entusiasts! After a long delay, it's the much-anticipated return of the Dirty Tricks! In honor of this occasion, you're going to get atreat: Dirty Tricks for INWO SubGenius! These have all been gleemed from the minds of the SubGenius playtesters. If you haven't seen the cards yet, be patient, as a glance at the SJ Games product status page will reveal that INWO SubGenius is AT THE PRINTERS!
I suppose now is as good a time as any to reveal that I am one of those playtesters. Whew! What a relief, after keeping it to myself all those months! Anyway, here are the INWO SubGenius Dirty Tricks:
THE SULTAN OF SLACK
by Sultan Aaron Curtis
To win at INWO SubGenius you need Slack, and lots of it. One of the best ways to generate Slack is Sex With A Live, Nude Girl. For the cost of this plot and a "Bob" token, you get 2 Slack, and you can use it immediately! Another good method is the Grace of "Bob", but since it's Unique and powerful be sure to watch out for Forgery.
SLACK ATTACK
by Slacker Seth Cohen
You can never have too much Slack. Generating your own takes time. Why not put yourself ahead of the game by depriving your rivals? A truly dirty trick.
Instead of using Cheap Sleep to Reload your Church of the SubGenius Illuminati, turn the concept around. If you Reload your Illuminati, it will cost you Slack. If you Reload a rival's Illuminati, they have to pay the cost! Also, that extra Action can't be used in an attack, so it's unlikely to be used against you!
This can put you ahead at a critical moment, possibly giving you the win. Remember, it's not enough to just have Slack, you must have the most Slack.
INFLATABLE LOVE MANNEQUIN STRIP POKER
by Card Shark Pol Jackson
Anyone who's ever playtested the SubGenius expansion knows how difficult it is to keep ahold of The Pipe. This little trick assures you control of this powerful symbiote.
Next time you steal a Personality from a rival's hand with the "Lifelike Mannequin" plot, don't put it directly with your Resources. Instead, use the "Indian Poker" card to paste the Personality directly to your forehead.
Because of the unique way the card was brought into play, it is neither generating nor destroying Slack. Because of this, you can play "Mutant Sex" on the Personality with no cost! Now all of your groups are generating Sales, thus bringing the Pipe into your lap for the rest of the game. (That is, until the Personality becomes unstuck from your forehead, in which case you've pretty much lost the game. I recommend Post-It glue to keep the card firmly above your nose.)
SQUIDS TO THE RESCUE!
by John "Bob" Karakash
Because of the unique anti-Slack properties of the Artificial Prairie Squid, this makes a very good resource when you're the underdog. Just be sure not to overuse it because of the 'perception problems' associated it with (i.e. the linked group slowly loses the ability to notice and interfere with various alignments and attributes).
THE GNOMES OF SPACE
by Ralph Melton, from Space Station Mir
It's pretty obvious that the best SubG card for the Gnomes of Zurich is the Space Bankers. But did you realize that you can use Illuminati groups with them as well? If you put a copy of The Bavarian Illuminati underneath them, that's a whole 10 points of "interest". How do you get an Illuminati discarded, then? Well, The Thule Group or Unmasked! can both be used for the purpose . . .
FLIP FROP FUN!
by 'Fropped-Out Alex Yeager
So - you're about to suffer the effects of the dreaded Flip Frop. Are you Slack enough to turn it back on its source? Use Temporary Hypothetical Discombobulation, causing all players to be affected, then use Object of My Contention to narrow the effect to just your opponent! Smile as the twisted Flip Frop works its magic on your enemy! Hail Bob!
IT'S X-DAY IN AUSTRALIA
by Sam "Mr. X" Kington
X-Day is a great NWO for SubGenius groups, but it can be tricky to bring out. Note, though, the second condition: " . . . or if today is clearly marked by an X." All you have to do is play in a room with a calendar, and ensure that today's date is, indeed, marked with an X - because something's happening today. (Beware of being lynched, though, if you mark your calendar with a X and the label "play INWO SubGenius today".)
As an added benefit, while X-Day is in play, it's a public holiday, so Australia gets quadrupled Resistance.
SCREW YER BUDDY (literally)
by Doug "Screwey" Sheppard
In INWO SubGenius, it's really hard to defend your Personalities against deadly combinations like the Xists with Frenzy Techniques or the Laser Project with Doomsday Profits.
One answer is to play . . . If They Can't Take A Joke on one of your Personalities and one belonging to your most powerful rival. Sure, your rival also gets the benefits, but the extra Slack loss will hurt him a lot more than you. (And of course, you can use Sexhurt with a "Bob" token to get around the gender rule.)
IF I CAN'T HAVE HIM, NOBODY WILL
by "Stark" Sirilyan
Did you notice that there's no timing rules on The Stark Fist of Removal? Use it just before your opponent rolls the dice on an attack to destroy. Be sure to smile sweetly while you do so.
SQUID FOR ALL!
by Squid-Hunter Seth Cohen
Ever notice that the Rabid Mountain Squid's effect is to leave a 'trail of slime' on Personalities, causing them to not get an action the next turn? If you combine that concept with that of the Agnostic Dyslexics' (meeble: They're not sure whether or not they believe in dog.) ability to confuse Personalities and Places, you've got a good setup for a takeover of a much more powerful group than any of the SubGenius expansion's Personalities!
CONFUSE PINKS AND NEWBIES
by confusing Aaron Curtis
St. April Bevilacqua has a great special ability that, for only 1 Slack, can fool the Pinks and generate Sales from them at the same time. This is especially effective against an Anti-"Bob" deck, which is usually dependent on Pinks. Because of this, any Anti-"Bob" deck should include an April to use as an agent, and some False Slack to subvert her to the Conspiracy in case nobody else plays her.
