Scheme Runners

[Tzarcastic]

Getting into Arcanists, I'm a bit at a loss for a good Scheme Runner.

 

Yes, yes, I know - Molemen.  A pair of them can do a good bit of movement and Scheming.  The trouble is, I really hate their model.  It's effective at getting across what twisted monsters they are, but I have no desire to paint something that hideos and miserable-looking - if I did, I'd have just played a different faction.

 

But... that seems to be the only choice?  All the other things that Pull My Finger recommends for the job have Move 4'' and a lack of innate Movement tricks.  It seems to think that Steam Arachnids are "among the most mobile in the game" due to Unimpeded.  I mean, it's a decent rule, but really?  It's no Leap.

 

That leaves me with either spending 12 Stones on the (as-yet unreleased) Mechanical Rider or... nothing, as far as I can tell.  Am I missing something?

[Kadeton]

In Rasputina's theme, December Acolytes and the Blessed of December make decent scheme runners. Kaeris makes just about anything into a decent scheme runner with Grab and Drop. Marcus can hire Silurids. Colette can fling models all over the board, has Coryphee, and will soon have Ice Dancers. Arcanists are well covered for schemes. (Ironsides, Mei Feng and Ramos are usually less focused on placing Scheme markers, but can still hire the Blessed or Coryphee if you want something fast.)

[Dirial]

Unimpeded.  I mean, it's a decent rule, but really?  It's no Leap.

 

Leap is the very best for Scheme runners. There's a reason that Silurids, Necropunks et al. are the very best Scheme runners in the game. No, Arcanists don't have a runner that good.

 

But most factions don't. Their normal runners are pretty decent... pretty decent indeed.

[madaxeman]

A 12 point Mech Rider is a lot of points spent on a scheme runner ! 

 

- Soulstone Miner is pretty unstoppable given it ends its first turn 6" from the enemy deployment zone. Once it's dropped it's markers, it can do other stuff too

- Likewise for the December Acolytes

- Anything that an Ice Golem throws 10" upfield will be most of the way there before it even starts it's own first move

- Blessed of December has a great leap, and can come back and kill stuff afterwards

[bertmac]

Depends on the scheme. Protect territory is easily completed by a metal gamin doesnt need to go too far and sits between its scheme markers and is hard to get rid of.

Firestarter 7ss reckless and flight make him very fast. Df 6 and ss prevention can keep him safe from other scheme runners too.

Kaeris can stay out of melee supporting any scraps then fly off turn 4 to complete schemes.

Soulstone miners can turn up anywhere you want and are fairly tough.

[Bengt]

On a balanced board with some patches of severe unimpeded is great as it lets you run through in non obvious places. Wk 5 is perfectly decent. Arachnids are less impressive at the container yard where there is only a bunch of blocking impassable pieces.

 

Mechanical Rider is not really that great for most schemes as it can only do anything special by placing markers next to enemies. And apart from that it's just 12 ss for Wk 6. Howard is a much better general scheme runner at the 12 SS mark with Wk 5 Nimble. And speaking of Wk 5 nimble lets not forget Cassandra for 8 SS.

 

Wendigo is Wk 6 for 3 SS. Emberling is Wk 5 incorporeal for 3 SS, and incorporeal is great on almost any board. Also worth mentioning are Union Miner as they can stack markers and place 3" in away and Performer with Don't mind me, both for 5 SS.

 

Overall Archanists fast scheme runners are names that are more expensive but also much harder than the cheap stuff.

[Math Mathonwy]

Everyone else already answered this (though I wish to also mention that in the next book, the Arcanists will be getting excellent Scheme runners in the form of Wind Gaming) but if you are open to proxies, then Sphere Wars makes quite a few excellent Molemen proxies that are less grotesque:

(their site seems to be down at the moment, so here's Wayland links instead)

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/adepts-of-malesur/13024-mole-boy-a

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/adepts-of-malesur/13025-mole-boy-b

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/adepts-of-malesur/13027-pack-of-mongoose-boys

[Bengt]

Wind Gamin is a bit so so as a scheme runner itself, unsuited leap isn't great. I think it will be more useful to harass the enemy with its four attacks and then use its death push on a real scheme runner. Ice Dancer will be the real go to for cheap-ish speed.

[Math Mathonwy]

Wind Gamin is a bit so so as a scheme runner itself, unsuited leap isn't great. I think it will be more useful to harass the enemy with its four attacks and then use its death push on a real scheme runner. Ice Dancer will be the real go to for cheap-ish speed.

You of all people should like them as Scheme runners since they are basically better than the Arachnids that you always defend them in the role

Flight trumps Unimpeded and with the possibility of Leap - though naturally that Def 6 is very nice for Arachnids since it allows them to Disengage more easily (and makes them more durable).

[Bengt]

You of all people should like them as Scheme runners since they are basically better than the Arachnids that you always defend them in the role

Flight trumps Unimpeded and with the possibility of Leap - though naturally that Def 6 is very nice for Arachnids since it allows them to Disengage more easily (and makes them more durable).

Yeah, they are potentially faster, it's the Df that makes me not see them automatically replace arachnids as the cheapest (non totem) runner. I guess if the terrain makes flight extra attractive I might pick them over arachnid for that role.

 

I would never plan for the Leap, there are only 9 cards in the deck to get it of, and I wouldn't cheat with the higher ones unless it gives VP now or seems like the only way to get a specific VP later. For comparison Blessed have 25 cards and King Silurid (All praise his name!) has 37.

 

I still think they are good models to throw in, just not as a primary scheme runner. Also, they are kind of funny as the only minions in Make them suffer.

[Kadeton]

I'm not so keen on Wind Gamin, mostly because it totally weirds me out that they're Living and not Constructs (except from a game-balance perspective, naturally - it just annoys me when breaking the fluff is seen as easier than re-writing a model's rules to balance them). From a scheme-runner perspective, they're very middle-of-the-road, much like Arachnids.

 

I think Arcanists are a bit lacking in incidental scheme runners - that is, fast models you include to outflank and drop scheme markers without making marker-dropping the focus of your crew - compared to other Factions. I suspect it's because they have so many ways to drop or use scheme markers as part of a model's normal operations (any Colette or Kaeris crew, for example).

 

Turning that around, the upcoming Ice Dancer seems like basically the most cost-efficient scheme runner in the game (as long as you can draw a low Tome that you don't need for other purposes).

[Math Mathonwy]

Yeah, they are potentially faster, it's the Df that makes me not see them automatically replace arachnids as the cheapest (non totem) runner. I guess if the terrain makes flight extra attractive I might pick them over arachnid for that role.

Aye, it's mostly a matter of terrain. We tend to use quite a lot of fences that, if you have to climb over them, slow you down quite a bit, for example.

I would never plan for the Leap, there are only 9 cards in the deck to get it of, and I wouldn't cheat with the higher ones unless it gives VP now or seems like the only way to get a specific VP later. For comparison Blessed have 25 cards and King Silurid (All praise his name!) has 37.

Certainly but it is still there. It's not reliable but I wouldn't discount it wholly, either.

Turning that around, the upcoming Ice Dancer seems like basically the most cost-efficient scheme runner in the game (as long as you can draw a low Tome that you don't need for other purposes).

To be fair, for Arcanists those low tomes are sorta costly as several Arcanist models like them for one reason or another. Though I do agree that Ice Dancer seems really good.

[Kadeton]

To be fair, for Arcanists those low tomes are sorta costly as several Arcanist models like them for one reason or another. Though I do agree that Ice Dancer seems really good.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't take one with Marcus, for instance. That's fine - Marcus can already take Silurids, so he's covered.

[Sybarite]

Cassandra (or Angelica) with practiced production and a malifaux raptor. Now thats a scheme runner team. They can place markers pretty much anywhere and it works in any crew.

[Tzarcastic]

Lots of interesting thoughts here - thanks!

 

Sadly, the main thing I've learned is that I just have the wrong Arcanists - to keep costs low by mostly reusing the same models, I decided to start with Ramos, Mei Feng, and Ironsides, who people call out as weaker on scheme-running.  I guess I need to bite Molemen bullet, or start trying to find/proxy Kaeris or Colette (hard to say which - Colette looks stronger, but Kaeris uses more of the same M&SU/Construct Crew I've already got).

[hippodruid]

Honestly, any model is a scheme runner, especially for Arcanists.  I've completed Power Ritual with a crew where Howard Langston scored full points for the scheme by himself in Standard Deployment without even swinging at a model.  If you have a Rail Golem for Mei Feng, Locomotion can move it into position to drop markers or to just be in place for Mei to Railwalk to.  Oxfordian Mages can push models around, and the Captain pretty much makes anyone a scheme runner, even Rail Workers.  Arcanists have enough general mobility than any model can serve the role (possible exception for the Rail Crew box (exception Captain)). 

 

What schemes do you find you're having difficulty with?

[Math Mathonwy]

I'm not super fond of Molemen, to be honest. They aren't bad but they aren't stellar, either (though they are rather nice for Squatter's Rights). And if you wait a bit, you will have stellar options to choose from (like the SSMiner). Meanwhile I think that you can make do with what you've got - Ramos is actually really good at Scheme Marker stuff since Spiders aren't half bad at it and they are numerous and expendable.

And really, only Breakthrough and Power Ritual require "true" Scheme runners - and both are doable (especially Power Ritual) with just "normal" models.

Finally, I'm guessing that Kaeris will be released for Gencon, so not all that long to wait for her.

[madaxeman]

Lots of interesting thoughts here - thanks!

 

Sadly, the main thing I've learned is that I just have the wrong Arcanists - to keep costs low by mostly reusing the same models, I decided to start with Ramos, Mei Feng, and Ironsides, who people call out as weaker on scheme-running.  I guess I need to bite Molemen bullet, or start trying to find/proxy Kaeris or Colette (hard to say which - Colette looks stronger, but Kaeris uses more of the same M&SU/Construct Crew I've already got).

 

Molemen are for digging in I find - which there are better models for anyway most times. Making them run schemes is something I find tricky as they need something faster to have spent it's own APs and have been there first and pooped a marker before they really get any advantage from their "underground leap" anyway... 

 

However A Soulstone Miner + Emberling combo will run most schemes for you (with Mei) pretty much on their own, and as other have said, your Ramos must have some spare Spiders somewhere..... If however you are obsessed with making it easy, go Marcus + Silurids !

[Tzarcastic]

Yeah, I'm staying away from Marcus (and Rasputina) for now, exactly BECAUSE if I got them, I'd end up getting a ton of other models I don't use so much with the rest of my people.

 

But it's a fair point about lots of outside movement sources in the faction - I'll do a few more goes around with my spiders and see how it shakes out.

[thegoatgod_pan]

Maybe it is because my only arcanist master is Colette with her aura of (almost) free interact actions, but I have never felt a shortage of good scheme runners, however they are usually expensive models that you only happen to use for schemes, often without giving up their AP to do so.

 

For instance, a showgirl with the Practiced Production upgrade turns any of your models into a scheme marker model without giving up activations: December acolytes are great for this, embed them with From the Shadows and start putting schemes at their feet with Cassandra/Angelica/Colette, while another model (for me, usually a performer) farms the ones you will destroy at the end of the turn to satisfy Practiced Production. There aren't many schemes or fights that Cassandra can't help with.

 

Performer+Mannequin= most scheme marker agendas are easy, while a mannequin is usually my first summon when I bring out a mechrider. Being able to toss scheme markers 6' is a huge ability

 

Speaking of the ironsides box: The Captain, with his massive pushes will be great for schemes: who needs silurids when the captain can toss a model into the enemy engagement or pull it out, as needed. Similarly, snowstorm can charge and then (0) action to bring in the model who will deliver a message/distract, but this is less flexible than the Captain. 

[Adran]

Have you looked at the Union Miner as a scheme runner?

He is a bit out there, but his novel scheme dropping style can make up for some of his loss of speed in many schemes.

(Its not going to help power ritual, but most of the time dropping multiple schem markers in the same place is good enpough to earn you the points, so he won't have to move anywhere near as much as any of the others).

[Sybarite]

When playing Ramos I am usually very content with arachnids as my scheme runners. But otherwise the Mechanical Rider is really good at getting markers in the right place, among other things. ^^

[Visquaz]

Agreed, Sybarite

 

The thing with Mech Riders is that it also drops of scheme runners as it goes (usually in the form of Gamins or spiders).

This can make it very easy to not only take but actually hold Break Through and Plant Evidence for example.

Together with a SSMiner you give the enemy a lot of difficult choices to deal with

[D_acolyte]

People keep saying mole men but I fail to see what makes them better than gamin or arachnids. yes mole men can jump to a friendly scheme marker with in 8 but that really helps piggy backing, which is not how I run schemes as it is to easy to stop. I do a pincher approach to schemes.

My scheme runners are Cassandra, Metal Gamin, Vipers, most totems, Union minor, Howard (depend on the scheme) and some of my masters (Mei just killed 2 executioners, an austringer and put down 2 markers for brake trough last game).

Also, I hate it how it is what is a good scheme runner, well for what scheme. Deliver the message, go with Howard, Cassandra or  Fire Starter. Protect territory is great with gun smiths and silent ones. Line in the sand, performers are best but anyone else will work. Break through, anyone but the Duet and Cassandra are good. Generally it is what ever you think can get there, faints are good as well.

LitS Metal Gamin example 6 inch deployment + 8 (double walk first turn)=14+4 single walk second turn=16 he can interact for Line in the Sand.

Break through Metal Gamin 36 - 12 for standard deployments -6 for close to opponent deployment zone = 18. 18/4=5 ap to get their (yes it should be 4.5 for those who like pure math but this is count data so there is no .5, think Poisson) . that is 2 and a half turns for a Metal Gamin to lay schemes.

[Tzarcastic]

All of those numbers assume I'm playing in an open meadow, though.  Without Flight, Incorporeal, Unimpeded, Leap or Nimble, a fence/wall/forest/whatever can quickly add multiple AP.