Infernal Contraption - Sabotage questions

[eiterorm]

I just got my Sabotage expansion for Infernal Contraption, and I had a look at the new set of cards. After looking at all the new cards, I started wondering if some of the sabotage cards are a bit unbalanced. Therefore I'd like to know how other people play these cards.

In the rules for the sabotage cards, it says: "Sabotages can only be played as Plugs, and the connecting sockets must match. Sabotage cards resolve just like contraptions."

As plugs can be cards attached to both power sources and contraptions in the main line, I assume that a sabotage card can be attached to either a power source or a contraption. And since the rules don't say anything about it, I assume that a sabotage card doesn't need power to activate - neither directly from a power source or indirectly from a powered contraption. In other words I assume a sabotage will activate even when it's connected to a contraption without power.

Are these reasonable assuptions, or did I miss something?

Furthermore, I wonder about the different types of sabotages. For instance, the Gremlin Sphere and the Reflex Trigger affect connected contraptions, meaning they will do nothing else than wasting a free socket if they're connected to a power source. The rest of the sabotage cards, on the other hand, will have their full effect if they're connected to a power source. However, if these cards can also be connected to a contraption - wouldn't that make these cards rather powerful, as they can then be connected to every matching, free plug socket? Are they perhaps a little bit overpowered?

[Whimper]

Well, figured somebody had better answer this.

Sabotages are one type of card, but they sort of mimic two types of cards from the base game. Some sabotages work like bad versions of upgrades. Things like the Gremlin Sphere say in their wording "attached contraption...", which specifies that the card must be attached to a contraption to work, in much the same way as an upgrade does. Since an unpowered contraption doesn't activate, it seems to make sense that sabotage cards that function like upgrades would also not have an affect.

However, some sabotage cards work more like the 'fire and forget' brown cards, producing a one-time effect. These can be attached to either contraptions or power sources and will function either way.

I hope this helps to answer your question, but if not, some specific examples of card interactions you're having trouble with would be helpful.