Poll: Interaction with machines

[1990BW]

The last couple of days I've been playing a lot of machine decks trying to understand why they are good or bad.
Usual line of play of opponents is preventing them to get (decent) value by playing the typical cheap removal cards, poison, movement, locks etc.
It totally shuts down this type of archetype for NR while SK on the other hand doesn't get punished that hard due to resurrecting machines and combo along with greatswords.
This observation has left me think how to balance this in future patches so I came up with a couple of ideas.

Option 1
First things to note is how removal should interact on a machine from starters it's not a living thing:
- Damage it completely won't kill it, it will just stop to function
- Poisoning a siege tower or a boat shouldn't do nothing they are made of dead material anyways
- Resurrect a machine doesn't sound likely as it's already a dead thing

So basically the changes I think about: machines can't be 'killed', a machine is immune to poison and can't be resurrected.
What I'd like to see in return is the Engineer ability:

- Repair a broken machine on the battlefield and re-enable the ability

A fully damaged machine won't enter the graveyard instead it will stay as a 0 point locked card on the battlefield and will disappear after the round ends.
Till that moment only a engineer can repair the machine and put it to use again, cards that come to mind that could do this are:

SK
- Boatbuilders

NR
- Siege master or Siege support

NG
- Combat Engineer

In summary
- Machines can't be removed but instead will turn to broken & locked 0 point status cards on the battlefield
- Immune to poison
- Can't be resurrected instead they can be repaired by a engineer in the round they were played


Option 2
Probably this option is a bit easier to implement as it doesn't require any mechanical changes to Gwent:
- Machines are immune to poison
- Resurrect cards can only be played on living things like humans/beasts/insects

As for the cards that can interact with machines:

SK
- Boatbuilders -> change in to a special card that can restore a bronze machine from the graveyard
- Or SK won't have this option anymore

NR
- Siege master or Siege support ->restore a bronze machine from the graveyard -> warfare special card?

NG
- Combat Engineer -> restore a bronze machine from the graveyard -> tactic special card?


Balancing both options could be a bit tricky so aside of this what do you think about this suggestion in general and what option do you like the most?

 

[mazeebra]

I don't mean to break your dream here, but..

Machines are operated by people, and in general war machines are operated by specialists (not regular infantry). These can be poisoned and or killed and the machine still 100% operational but not working due to no operators.

I get your point of view, but I think it would be fiddly to start having to repair machines and what not and make it a different thing than other units. One can say many types of units would in reality be their very own type (ex. can you burn a stone?), but this should not be made more fiddly and overcomplex than it needs to be.

Units already have categories and subcategories, and I think that's the right direction to go, and I'm happy that CDPR decided to go in that direction and use these categories in some way or another. I think they should rather focus on optimizing that system in the game and in the deckbuilder rather than creating another type of card out of existing units.

On the other hand I have to compliment you on the idea, in a way I like it, despite not supporting it.

 

[4RM3D]

Hmm...

- All machines and boats are inherently very sturdy and shouldn't be able to be damaged or receive less damage when certain attacks are used.
- Cards like Dimeritium Shackles and Mardroeme shouldn't work on machines.
- How can a priestess resurrect a machine (e.g. trebuchet)?

Lore-wise, you are correct, but gameplay-wise, it will become too complex. Incidentally, machines aren't the only cards in Gwent that aren't lore-accurate.