A guide to tokens AND COUNTERS

Written by: Mark G. Koh

What are Counters?

You will encounter many cards and abilities in Megacorp that generate counters. Most of the time, it will involving 'placing' a counter onto a card.

counters are a means for certain effects in the game to be tracked. Counters take the form of physical objects that can be placed on top of cards (such as a coin or a die) to symbolize the effect that it represents.

Case Study 1: Raamaa

An example of: Positive Trait Counter

when Raamaa, Incarnate Hierarch, uses her ability to annihilate a character under her control, she gets a +BQ counter. This counter gives her a permanent +1 to her BQ score as long as this Counter is present. Raamaa could easily repeat her ability several times and each activation causes her to gain an additional +BQ counter. The effects of multiple counters stack. That means, if there are 3 +BQ counters on Ramaa, she will get +3 BQ, bringing her already formidable 4 BQ score to a 7. 

Case Study 2: Weaponised Japanese Hornet

An example of: Negative Trait Counter

Whenever a Weaponised Japanese Hornet attacks and successfully deals damage with BQ, its 'Permanent Damage' ability fires off, placing a -BQ counter in lieu of doing damage the normal way. That means if the wasp deals 2 BQ damage to a business, that business will receive two -BQ counters, bringing its BQ trait score down to 8 permanently (for as long as the counters are there). The cards that receive -BQ counters will get -1 to their BQ for EACH counter, and multiple counters certainly stack. This allows the wasp to essentially accumulate damage. When a card receives -BQ counters that equal or exceed its BQ score, it is destroyed and may not regenerate. 

Counters follow the cards that they are attached to and are removed when a card is destroyed, annihilated, redeployed, returned to hand or leaves play in any other way. Cards which are MOVED do not lose their counters. 

All counters in the game are card dependent counters, meaning that they have to be attached to (or placed onto) cards. We will introduce Independent (or "non-card-dependent") token mechanisms later as Megacorp develops.

A Single card dependent counters may not be shared among multiple cards. Even if the card a counters is resting on has several other cards bonded (placed under it) only the top card gains the benefits/effects of the tokens.

Types of Counters

several types of counters exist, different counters have different effects.

+trait = also known as "positive trait counters" - must are attached to card. As with the Raamaa case study above, each Positive Trait Token grants a +1 trait bonus to the card it rests on.

-trait = also known as "negative trait counters" - must be attached to a card. Such a counter causes the card it rests on to lose 1 point of that trait. Take note that if a card a ZERO trait score due to Negative Trait tokens, the card is destroyed and may not regenerate. Why? Because if a card reduced to zero trait regenerates, it will immediately die again. Having a zero trait as a result of Negative Trait tokens is not the same as cards such as consumers that NATIVELY have 0 as their trait. In the latter case, they have such a weak stat, that anything could destroy them. Which is also an important point to take note, a native 0 trait card cannot regenerate either if it dies.

Magellan cell counter = a Magellan cell counter does not have a specific effect on a card, but many cards that leverage psionic power or gnost-faction-specific powers, dependent on the presence or the number of Magellan cell tokens attached to certain cards. 

As the game progresses, tokens will be able to represent entire cards.

For example a concept we have been toying with is something like: 

"Robot factory"

Engage this card: Create a token that is a 1/-/-/1 Character - Robot and deploy it within your network.

This would introduce several issues into the game which we have not completely balanced yet. Such as how to tell the engaged/disengaged state of such independent tokens that take the place of cards. 

Keep in Mind some cards in the original print run refers to counters as tokens in their written text. Treat these as counters.