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Which crew plays the most differently from game to game?


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Hi one, hi all

I'm a new player and I'm yet to settle on a master. I don't have personal experience with all masters, much less - understanding what each one is truly about. I've read everything on PullMyFinger (wonderful website!) and I've got a few games so far. 

My question is: Which crew (not master) happens to play differently from game to game. I'm not asking what is the most versatile master, or faction. For example a master that has a lot of "silver bullets", or "tech", or "hate" options is not what I'm looking for. I'd like to know what arrangement of master and crew stays relatively the same from match-up to match-up, but ends up playing differently, if that makes sense. I imagine it to be one with a variety of options, and one that can adapt to the current in-match circumstances, rather than coming up to the match with a plan set in stone, and live or die by that plan. You see, some may point out at Nicodem for example, as master that plays differently. And although I like him a lot, I don't think he plays that differently. Even though he has an arrangement of options to summon, most of the time a particular model is the way to go, depending on the enemy crew or strategies (not so much about current situation). Could be wrong here, though :) 

From what I've read something like McCabe or Jack Daw might be what I'm looking for. I want masters/crew that can shift gears during the game itself. I don't want to have to play the exact same way (no matter how interesting, or difficult/challenging it is) every time. Many masters have a distinct playstyle that is fun, for sure - but it happens to either work wonderfully, or fail miserably. Of course a huge part of the game is the preparation for the match, after factions and strategy have been revealed, etc. That's great! Some masters can adapt to virtually everything and happen to be very "versatile" and effective in tournament setting. But that's not what I'm asking for. I want master/crew that has a lot of options DURING the game. Not before it. I'd like my crew to be very interactive, and truly play with the enemy, if that makes sense.

In the end, it comes down (I imagine) it comes down to what crew has the biggest amount of ...options, actions, moves, etc. A lot of room to make decisions IN GAME.

Thoughts? :)

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Marcus is a pretty good fit the the parameters. In game, he can shift between a pure beatstick, a support master, and a debuff master. He has a ton of crew variety, but it's as easy to find a 'core' you like with him as it is with any other master (myranda is another piece that lets you shift gears with her shapechange).

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Sandeep sounds like a fit too. He can shoot, move, melee, tank and summon. His two upgrades alter his summoning completely, changing his focus from combat to schemes. He's not out yet, but I've found his in match versatility to be outstanding.

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Ah, I see! This is one thing I would have never figured on my own because I don't particularly dig the Gremlins and I haven't spared them a second look. I've no idea what Som'er does but I'll check him out.

He is definitely worth a look as he is arguably one of the best at changing gears in game. He is also difficult to pin down as far as what he does due to the sheer variety of builds and options he has available to him.  I have been piloting him since near the start of the game (1st edition) and still learn new options for him. Plus win or lose he is great fun to run.

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Points taken.

I will definitely check Som'er and Marcus. Those are were from faction I was less interested in, so I haven't explore them fully yet. 

Lilith, on the other hand is right my alley, in terms of flavor. I dig her particular playstyle. If "grow" lists are considered a gimmick, what is the modern way to build her crew?

 

What about summoning? When I first heard about summoners I thought they'd be the ultimate "shifting gears" masters. But from what I've gathered it's not exactly like that. Some summoners seem to bring into play only a particular model or two, which increases their general strength - sure, but isn't really "adapting". That's Sonia, Leveticus, Hamelin, Seamus, Ramus...etc.

But then what about Nico, Kirai, Tara, and Molly? Shouldn't they be the "epitome" for on-the-fly adjustment, or I'm not grasping the situation correctly? I ask about them in particular, because I have a strong sentimental attachment to rezzers, and I know I'll just end up playing some of those eventually. 

If you are feeling generous you could also share impressions on the rest of the Neverborn masters. I really like them all, flavor-wise.

 

 

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I mainly play arcanists and of those I would say Kaeris and Ironsides tend to be the ones that change the most from game to game.

Kaeris has two limited upgrades that completely change her role from scheme spam to healer. She's reasonably tanks with her Df6 and armour+1. She's one of the most mobile masters in the whole game and can play from range or into the frey. She also has some limited summoning as well as board control with her pyre markers. Her (0) to grab and drop is truly an amazing ability as it can be both disruptive and devastating.

Her Immolate attack is great at singling out a model thats on fire doing very accurate reliable damage whereas her Accelerant does an un-challanged small amount of damage to a huge area as long as they are on fire. Lastly her Flaming Halo simply sets things on fire, which is the source of all of her other abilities - whether its support or attack. It also gets around a lot of pesky abilities that trigger off of damage and allow stacking damage to help get around armour. 

Ironsides on the other hand is little more complicated. Her card would lead you to believe she's a brawler. While she certainly can dish out the damage if you manage your resources correctly, her main strength is her board control as well as passive support ability Hand Picked Men. You can play her aggressively or supportive and have success either way. I often switch her up on the fly, starting off more supportive, building up adrenaline and then unleashing her in the later turns. She also has a very great but often overlooked upgrade that gives her a ranged attack that gives out high amounts of burning that also ignores cover, which is great when playing her in more of a supportive role. 

Ironside's real strength lies with her crew though. You'll almost always be playing her in theme as her passive buff is bonkers good. The M&SU are already a tough hard hitting bunch, and added positives to both attack and damage brings them over the top, allowing them to threat models far exceeding their own SS cost. I also have a feeling that the new M&SU Amina henchmen will quickly become a staple for Ironsides as well.

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He's not to my personal fancy but the new outcast Master Parker Barrows' description matches yours to a T.
http://www.wyrd-games.net/parker-barrows

(scroll down to tactica) 

It's a bit of a tease though, because the crew is not yet out (they did a pre-sale during Gen Con). 
Maybe between that and Jack it would help you choose outcasts.

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Parker Barrows or Sandeep will be excellent choices once they come out.

I think that Jack Daw is extremely flexible. He does mobility support like none other, can make some of the best assassination runs in Outcasts, he's exceptionally mobile in his own right and can lay down skirmish scheming with the best of them. His crews (especially once Wave 4 really hits) draw from a relatively small handful of models - anything with the Tormented characteristic, plus the honorary Sue, Johan, and Alyce - but small tweaks make huge differences to how it plays. Regardless, he tends to figure out what your opponent wants to do and make it difficult for them.

The only thing he struggles with is Recon/Interference but he can make a decent play with it if he goes for an alpha strike.

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I have found Shenlong (premier!), Lilith, Marcus and Yan Lo to be able to shift gears during the game and benefit from that. From what I've heard Som'er and Sandeep should be like that, too - but I haven't seen them in action (nor have I read the cards).
I've also been playing around with the Brewmaster and had to change my plan from trying to debuff the opponent to getting close for Drinking Contest. I don't know if changes like this fit your description.

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Somer was my first thought but I see that Omenbringer has be covered :) 

Marcus is also a very good suggestion.

But to add something: Dreamer isn't a bad choice for this, I think. He has two distinct playstyles depending on Limited Upgrades and can further refine his role using other Upgrades. And his crew is quite varied.

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Again, thank you all for the ideas. I'm looking into it! :)

And yes, the title is a little misleading. When I say changing "from game to game" I really mean changing from turn to turn, or from game to game against the same enemy/same strategy. My understanding is that many masters can actually play differently - if you take different upgrades and different crews. But what I'm asking is, who can take the same upgrades/crew and STILL play differently, depending on how the current game goes.

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You are right in that Summoners with a wide pool of models do get to "change" thier plan on a turn to turn basis, so sort of fit your requirements of adapting in game. Thier's is a very obvious change to the board state where you can see the big difference that t your choice made. (Nicodem, Kirai, Dreamer, Molly and Sandeep are probably the only summoners with a wide enough choice to view it as adaptable).  

But I would say that almost all crews can play the game very differently if you want them to. There are very few models that only do 1 thing, and so have to do that every turn. Last night I was using an Executioner, pretty much the definition of a close combat monster, set up to do lots of damage at close range, and not die and seemingly not do very much else. But I was able to pull him out of combat with a mounted guard and then could remove enemy scheme markers with his (0) action. 

Me and my regular opponents can use the exact same crew, but we play them very differently, so they don't seem the same to face. Most models have a range of possible actions, and so provide you plenty of options every turn

 

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A Master with Obey abilities, like Zoraida, Hamelin, or Colette, can create a lot of flexibility in their crews by handing out their own AP to other models in order to achieve different things. If you need to walk a model into position to drop a marker or make an attack, or get another action out of an already activated model, they can do that. I've been playing Hamelin as an Obey master and I really enjoy it. He combines well with my Freikorps, and I'm thinking of trading out his Stolen for the Student of Conflict so he can get 4AP a turn instead of 3.

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A Master with Obey abilities, like Zoraida, Hamelin, or Colette, can create a lot of flexibility in their crews by handing out their own AP to other models in order to achieve different things. If you need to walk a model into position to drop a marker or make an attack, or get another action out of an already activated model, they can do that. I've been playing Hamelin as an Obey master and I really enjoy it. He combines well with my Freikorps, and I'm thinking of trading out his Stolen for the Student of Conflict so he can get 4AP a turn instead of 3.

A Malifaux Child would probably be better than a Student of conflict as he could copy Hamelin's obey and do that twice rather than giving Hamelin fast and only getting one extra obey.

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The Child can only copy its master's ability once per turn, and to get it off with him requires an 10, compared to the 7 that Hamelin needs. I was thinking of that myself, but decided the card investment was too unreliable, whereas the Student's fast action is automatic.

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From what I've read something like McCabe or Jack Daw might be what I'm looking for. I want masters/crew that can shift gears during the game itself. I don't want to have to play the exact same way (no matter how interesting, or difficult/challenging it is) every time. Many masters have a distinct playstyle that is fun, for sure - but it happens to either work wonderfully, or fail miserably. Of course a huge part of the game is the preparation for the match, after factions and strategy have been revealed, etc. That's great! Some masters can adapt to virtually everything and happen to be very "versatile" and effective in tournament setting. But that's not what I'm asking for. I want master/crew that has a lot of options DURING the game. Not before it. I'd like my crew to be very interactive, and truly play with the enemy, if that makes sense.

Sounds to me like you would want a Molly or The Dreamer as they have a good size bag of models they can summon and depending on what they summon they can change how the game is played. My standard crew for The Dreamer can switch between running schemes and combat or even change where the combat engagement is real easily with 2 young nephilims on the flanks that can go into the center or run schemes on the flank, a teddy, 2 day dreams and often a scion of black blood or another medium hitter with some utility like Mr. Graves. Then I summon models to fill in roles or change the game as needed, scheme runners, mid range attackers, fast combat models, or control models well I have all those in this bag ready to be pulled out as needed.

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