Can you discard cards from Grip or HQ if you are not over your hand limit?
Discarding from Grip or HQ
Not without a card effect that allows you to do so.
You also can't discard installed Hardware or Resources unless a card allows you to do so.
So, barring card effects, the only situation in which one can get rid of more cards than strictly necessary to get under a limit (such as hand size) would be when the runner is allowed to trash any number of programs if a new one is installed?
Freelance Coding Contracts can deplete your hand, or other effects which have discard as a cost.
Freelance Coding Contracts can deplete your hand, or other effects which have discard as a cost.
He did say 'barring card effects'
In answer to that question, you can trash any number of INSTALLED programs whenever you install a program - you can't freely trash from grip. Not sure if you were implying otherwise or not, but I wanted to be sure there's no confusion
Not that even if you are over your hand limit, the only time you are forced/allowed to discard is at the end of YOUR turn.
Freelance Coding Contracts can deplete your hand, or other effects which have discard as a cost.
He did say 'barring card effects'
In answer to that question, you can trash any number of INSTALLED programs whenever you install a program - you can't freely trash from grip. Not sure if you were implying otherwise or not, but I wanted to be sure there's no confusion
I misread his question. Was in a hurry. Not sure why he wants to ditch cards from Grip, as that's generally an objectively horrible idea. HQ? Sure, I'd love to lay down a Jackson and then just discard everything from my hand that isn't a Snare or a Shock, but that's cheating.
This is in plain English in the rulebook:
Discard: The act by which a player
moves a card to his trash pile at the
end of his turn if he has exceeded his
maximum hand size.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Edited
by Grimwalker
Eh, could be useful in some scenarios (want to run on unrezzed ICE, have Parasite in grip and Datasuckers loaded, Clone Chip installed) but the uses are probably pretty niche.
You could want to intentionally discard cards if you are playing as Exile. Retrieval Run would let you install an expensive icebreaker for little cost, and Clone Chip could reinstall a card from Archives while giving you an extra draw. Most Runners wouldn't want to do this though.