What about desperate mercenaries?

[DXXXVIII]

(1) Wild Firing: This model may immediately make two Refurbished Collier Attack
Actions. These Attack Actions must have different targets and suffer a -2 Sh.

People seem to confuse Wild firing with rapid fire.
Wild firing cost 1 AP and Needs at least 2 enemy models in range to not be regarded  as inferior in every way to a normal attack.

[Freman]

I played three games with one yesterday and they're... okay. Not fantastic but a four stone model that can shoot (sort of ) and fight in melee (sort of) isn't that bad. The first game I played she was attacked by Nekima and died without doing anything, but then Johan and Strongarm were free to punch Nekima to death, so that's something. The second game she managed to kill a couple of damaged models (one with wild firing), and in the third game she managed to hang on to the end and drop a scheme marker.

[EnternalVoid]

Actually used one in a Henchmen game the previous monday.  Nothing Beast got himself put in a pinebox but the Desperate Merc did some work after Queeg shot him.  Ended up killing two guild hounds and wounded the Death Marshal that had the Nothing Beast before he went down.  the fact he could not charge most of my crew *Ronins and a Desperate Merc* left him few options to engage me when everyone had a gun too.  Made him drop a high card on the Death Marshal because of Frantic *sadly his hand was better then mine all game so Nothing Beast never got back out, I drop a 13 he dropped the RJ, I drop a 12 he dropped a 13 sort of deal*.

They are not bad, just uninspiring.  They are generally not going to single handedly run a scheme for you like a Necropunk could, treat terrain like a joke like a Void Wretch could, or tie up a model like a 10T brother might but they can be useful if only as a cheap pawn that has a few things going for it.

[CapnBloodbeard]

Henchman Hardcore seems ideal - not only are they more likely to be able to use wild fire, but with fewer cards in hand, anything that increases the chances of opponents having to cop niggling wounds or put down cards is handy. 

[Kolath]

Efforts to shoehorn then into wacky combos aside, they are unfortunately pretty garbage models. I would take a void wretch or winged plague 10 out of 10 times I'm looking for a 4ss schemer/cheap activation.

[EnternalVoid]

I found myself increasingly moving away from Void Wretches outside a list designed for them because everyone knows when they are vulnerable.  Unless your list is made to vent cards, you need to lose half your hand before they have the same defense as a Desperate Merc.  Add into this the difference Ml reach of 1" and 2" and the difference between Cg5 and Cg7 and that becomes big for engaging.  Don't get me wrong, a Void Wretch is/can be useful, but best if someone is going to leave it alone or the terrain supports it *or you have a list meant to get its Df up*.  The Void Wretch's three advantages are durability *as long as no Ca*, getting around terrain, and their short range (0) action.

Winged Plagues are nice, though do fall into one problem I have seen with some cheap activation and that is their damage spread.  At 1/2/3 with a Ml4 they are on the low end.  And you have to decided not to use their trigger to maintain your positive to hit *which is not really a problem outside of a Hamelin list*.  Both the Void Wretch and Desperate merc have a 2/3/4 damage spread at least.  Its durability is only a little better then the Merc due to Armor +1 but the lack of Disguise means it is vulnerable to charges and it also only has a reach of 1".

[CapnBloodbeard]

I would think that void wretches and desperate mercs have quite different uses.  Void wretch seems better at just running, maybe using its incorporeal to good use to run through terrain to hide. 

At least a void wretch can bury a thing too.  Compared to a desperate merc which is lucky to hit the broad side of a barn.  Even without doing wild firing. 

 

[EnternalVoid]

On 6/11/2017 at 7:56 PM, CapnBloodbeard said:

At least a void wretch can bury a thing too.  Compared to a desperate merc which is lucky to hit the broad side of a barn.  Even without doing wild firing. 

 

To be fair here, they can only bury if they hit, damage, and the target fails the Wp duel.   Plus they need the on the attack.  On top of this they have the same Ml4 of a Desperate Merc, so they have roughly the same chance of hitting that side of the barn as the merc do.  Desperate Merc might have a due to Frantic and the Void Wretch targets Wp *which means it can help or hinder* which could change things but overall they have the same odds.  Winged Plague has the same Ml4 as well, so all three of them are roughly in the same boat.

In a pure scheme running sense, yes the Void Wretch and Winged Plague will outperform the Desperate Merc.  But if your opponent runs interference or your scheme runner has to run interference, then things become murkier and less clear cut.

[Jesy Blue]

Walked him with Parker and the Human Shield upgrade.