We had investigate which generated clues, so I decided let's go back to assembling a contraption. Instead of you investigating though, it's your creatures which assemble the contraptions (and they are usually made with artifacts.
Mechanic: Assemble a contraption
Text: Assemble a contraption (Create a colorless artifact contraption token with, "t, Sacrifice this artifact: Add 1 or gain one energy counter.")
preferably with colorless mana as a symbol and energy counter as another symbol
The mechanic is just fine, but it's far from what Contraptions need to be at this point. Can you imagine the sheer disappointment if, after all these years, it was a Gold token variant? That just sounds like an awful shaggy-dog story.
It doesn't really fit the flavor, either. This mechanic just stores a resource. A Contraption should be multi-use, and do something wacky or unpredictable rather than a sedate utility effect.
I think its been stated in other threads about Contraptions, but it bears repeating. Contraptions should just be a token artifact that does nothing and Riggers should give artifacts abilities thus giving Contraptions abilities. For similar referencethesplicersfromNewPhyrexia.
As for the argument about 'The creature has to make the contraption' design is gonna have to bite the bullet flavor/mechanic wise and give it similar treatmeant to Exploit. Creature can't physical can't make Contraptions any more than they can sacrifice themselves or other creatures for Exploit. As long as it written '{Cardname} assembles a Contraption.' and is a Rigger then Steamflogger Boss can be reprinted without problem.
I honestly don't think assembling contraptions is ever going to be a thing, especially since Steamflogger had the Riggers -- not the player -- assembling the contraptions. That's the biggest difference between 'assemble' and Investigate. I'm pretty sure it was just a flavorful bit of nonsense on Steamflogger, not really meant to ever actually do anything.
I know there's been much speculation about what Assemble would, could, or should do, and designers such as ourselves have tried to imagine it through cards. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Perhaps one day we will see an 'assemble' mechanic and it will have nothing to do with Steamflogger Boss.
Not sure I agree with you there. Since it was meant as a joke and never going to see the light of day, anything they do would be a surprise at this point. Second, contraptions are things put together usually poorly that have some function but barely. Contraption is a negative connotation even though sometimes it's associated with an invention. There's the good invention and then there's the contraption that is shoddily made. So I thought about this and said why not make something that does serve a purpose but falls apart afterward. That's why the token exists and sacks to perform something that gets the job done. Whether it's adding energy for something else or reducing the cost of some colorless thing (I was going to say make an artifact cost one less or ability of an artifact cost one less, but it's functionally the same and doesn't force you into the corner necessarily of only playing this with artifact heavy decks).
I think its been stated in other threads about Contraptions, but it bears repeating. Contraptions should just be a token artifact that does nothing and Riggers should give artifacts abilities thus giving Contraptions abilities. For similar reference the splicers from New Phyrexia.
As for the argument about 'The creature has to make the contraption' design is gonna have to bite the bullet flavor/mechanic wise and give it similar treatmeant to Exploit. Creature can't physical can't make Contraptions any more than they can sacrifice themselves or other creatures for Exploit. As long as it written '{Cardname} assembles a Contraption.' and is a Rigger then Steamflogger Boss can be reprinted without problem.
yeah I saw it as a minor point honestly.
And sure it would be great to have an artifact token that needed assembling in order to be useful. But rather than go that route, I've made assemble into a keyword like investigate that is the act of creating an artifact token for some use. If we want to speculate about a contraption that is assembled or disassembled and make contraptions useless without riggers, fine, but IMO I don't want an artifact just sitting there doing nothing if my creature gets killed. I don't want to keep track of that. And I don't want each rigger to create a different contraption. The artifacts that exist are the finished products to me. The vehicles and equipment and fortifications etc. Those are the things that the riggers really want to build. But they use makeshift things when they have to to get the job done.
If the contraption itself is underwhelming then suggest another contraption that's cool. I went through various ideas. Including "search your deck for an equipment, vehicle, or fortification and put it on top of your deck after shuffling." and "Reveal the top card of your deck and put it into your hand if it's an equipment, vehicle or fortification"
Darth Vedik: We know it'll never be a thing. Neither will any of our card designs ever. But we still have fun speculating and creating stuff.
Mechanic: Assemble a contraption
Text: Assemble a contraption (Create a colorless artifact contraption token with, "t, Sacrifice this artifact: Add 1 or gain one energy counter.")
preferably with colorless mana as a symbol and energy counter as another symbol
It doesn't really fit the flavor, either. This mechanic just stores a resource. A Contraption should be multi-use, and do something wacky or unpredictable rather than a sedate utility effect.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
As for the argument about 'The creature has to make the contraption' design is gonna have to bite the bullet flavor/mechanic wise and give it similar treatmeant to Exploit. Creature can't physical can't make Contraptions any more than they can sacrifice themselves or other creatures for Exploit. As long as it written '{Cardname} assembles a Contraption.' and is a Rigger then Steamflogger Boss can be reprinted without problem.
BAfter the lights go out on you, after your worthless life is through. I will remember how you scream...B
I know there's been much speculation about what Assemble would, could, or should do, and designers such as ourselves have tried to imagine it through cards. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Perhaps one day we will see an 'assemble' mechanic and it will have nothing to do with Steamflogger Boss.
Servien
Chaos' Realm
Escalation of Chaos
Tales of Cahdaria
Enigmatic Distrubance
Celestial Unveiling
yeah I saw it as a minor point honestly.
And sure it would be great to have an artifact token that needed assembling in order to be useful. But rather than go that route, I've made assemble into a keyword like investigate that is the act of creating an artifact token for some use. If we want to speculate about a contraption that is assembled or disassembled and make contraptions useless without riggers, fine, but IMO I don't want an artifact just sitting there doing nothing if my creature gets killed. I don't want to keep track of that. And I don't want each rigger to create a different contraption. The artifacts that exist are the finished products to me. The vehicles and equipment and fortifications etc. Those are the things that the riggers really want to build. But they use makeshift things when they have to to get the job done.
If the contraption itself is underwhelming then suggest another contraption that's cool. I went through various ideas. Including "search your deck for an equipment, vehicle, or fortification and put it on top of your deck after shuffling." and "Reveal the top card of your deck and put it into your hand if it's an equipment, vehicle or fortification"
Darth Vedik: We know it'll never be a thing. Neither will any of our card designs ever. But we still have fun speculating and creating stuff.