How does Bayou Two Card work?

[WWHSD]

I just picked up Mechanical Porkchop and am not exactly sure if I understand exactly how Bayou Two Card works. If I'm reading Bayou Two Card correctly it works like this:

- You can only use it when you'd normally be allowed to cheat.
- You are stuck with whatever you flip if you do use it.

Am I right about how it works? It seems like it's mostly useful when you've got a crappy flip and don't care about the results enough to cheat from your hand (or if you don't have a good enough card in hand to cheat with) but not something that you'd use if you really need to succeed.  

[solkan]

3 minutes ago, WWHSD said:

I just picked up Mechanical Porkchop and am not exactly sure if I understand exactly how Bayou Two Card works. If I'm reading Bayou Two Card correctly it works like this:

- You can only use it when you'd normally be allowed to cheat.
- You are stuck with whatever you flip if you do use it.

Am I right about how it works?

Correct on all counts.  Bayou Two Card is still subject to all of the mechanics and limitations for Cheating, it just changes where you get the card from.

3 minutes ago, WWHSD said:

It seems like it's mostly useful when you've got a crappy flip and don't care about the results enough to cheat from your hand (or if you don't have a good enough card in hand to cheat with) but not something that you'd use if you really need to succeed.  

In most other games, it'd essentially be  "re-roll", and not feel nearly as strange. 

[WWHSD]

6 minutes ago, solkan said:

Correct on all counts.  Bayou Two Card is still subject to all of the mechanics and limitations for Cheating, it just changes where you get the card from.

In most other games, it'd essentially be  "re-roll", and not feel nearly as strange. 

Thanks. That makes sense. It seems like having Bayou Two Card is almost as good as having a + flip but not quite.

[solkan]

27 minutes ago, WWHSD said:

Thanks. That makes sense. It seems like having Bayou Two Card is almost as good as having a + flip but not quite.

Yeah, that's sounds about right.  I assume it's the way it is because the ability to reflip one side of a duel would limit (or reverse) the disadvantages of negative fate modifiers and amplify the effects of positive fate modifiers.  (There are reflip effects for things like the initiative flip and some campaign rules, but those should all be things that don't get fate modifiers...)

 

[Clement]

A lot of the stuff with Bayou two-card also tends to have "bad things" triggers (often on crows) with the rule that you have to take triggers if possible.  In your case for example, the Mechanized Porkchop runs the risk of coming up with a crow on his attack and ending his activation.

 

If he just had +flip, you'd just never take the crow card.

[G.Sharp.Major]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I’m new to Gremlins, and I think Bayou Two-Card would work best after someone (like Merris) uses Gremlin Cunning to stack the top of the Fate Deck. 

That way, you could essentially place a garbage duel-loser on top, and a strong winning cheat card next for the cheat flip. 

Would that be a correct usage?

[Ludvig]

7 minutes ago, G.Sharp.Major said:

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I’m new to Gremlins, and I think Bayou Two-Card would work best after someone (like Merris) uses Gremlin Cunning to stack the top of the Fate Deck. 

That way, you could essentially place a garbage duel-loser on top, and a strong winning cheat card next for the cheat flip. 

Would that be a correct usage?

Merris doesn't have the ability herself and I don't think companion activations are that common in gremlins so you will be leaving yourself at the mercy of the opponent because if they attack sometung without bayou two-card you just gave yourself a crap duel result. I think it's mostly meant to give you a second chance without cheating precious hand cards for cheap minions. With Somer you can also give an auto suit so you never have to take the detrimental results.

[Adran]

49 minutes ago, G.Sharp.Major said:

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I’m new to Gremlins, and I think Bayou Two-Card would work best after someone (like Merris) uses Gremlin Cunning to stack the top of the Fate Deck. 

That way, you could essentially place a garbage duel-loser on top, and a strong winning cheat card next for the cheat flip. 

Would that be a correct usage?

That's not a bad usage, but as Ludvig says its hard to leave the deck manipulation unaffected for more than 1 activation. As a general rule Bayou two card works best when you're already losing, and don't care enough about the duel to use a card from your hand. So often a bayou gremlin shooting,  you don't expect it to hit, but using bayou 2 card gives you 2 attempts to manage it each shot. And don't worry if your opponent just cheats to still make it miss, they are using precious resources.