Patzer

I agree with Csonti that the CA 5 isn't the best, however if it would be 6, I think that Candy would be a bit too good. Anyway, that out of the window now. CA 5 is ok! With Casting Expert it isn't that bad to simply Focus an attack and go for that severe damage. When Candy really shines is with Fears Given Form. She covers a lot of area and is a threat by simply standing in a place. She can be gruesome in Reconnoiter and Turf War. As for the Sweet/sour tricks, its always a nice option to have since it will by default change the way the opponent can activate. Then you throw in the additional activation control tricks of the Woes, its gets way better!

I like the different kind of summoning like Hamelin, Sonnia, Molly, and Levetiucs have. A simple summoning mechanic isn't heaps of fun, but its darn good. I have faced Nicodem, Ramos, and Dreamer one time too many to underestimate simply how good summoning is. However, its far from an auto-win. If you play against a dedicated summoner (like Nico or Dreamer) the best thing you can do is to attack important models or the master. Then your opponent needs to spend those high cards on defence instead of summoning Hanged that you then have to deal with. Another important aspect you have to take into account when playing against summoners, is it called for or could my opponent spend his AP on better options? Summoning is strong, don't get me wrong some of the best in the game are summoners, but there are heaps of ways of getting around it. So, that was bit of a rant about summoning... Onto the topic of the thread. I like a lot of different masters, especially those who got a lot of control to their game or can influence large areas of the board. An example of the first could be Hamelin or Collodi, the second could be Pandora or Leveticus. The first group can deny and take away a lot from the opponent, while the second can wave their finger and say "you are dead meat if you get into my range". Master I don't like to play are mainly melee beaters (Mei Feng). I don't have any master that I hate to face. Maybe Ophelia, but I have gotten around her filthiness of late.

Colette+anyone (especially Raspy) isn't fun at all. Have a Performer stand next to Colette and then kill it with one of you own models in order to give Colette Reactivate. Making the other master go three times more bonkers. Pandora and (summoning) Dreamer should be disgusting too. Having Dreamer spamming Madnesses and Stitched to back up Pandora will be an uphill struggle for a lot of crews. I really like the Leve and Von Schill pairing. Seems really strong. Lady J and Perdita (+Abuela). Make Lady J family and start push her around. Might not be the best option.

The Killjoy delivery system is very effective with Infectious around. Always fun! I really like that Karina summoning trick too!

I usually take one or the other. Hollow if I want to protect the crew from aoe. Meaning that I rarley have gotten any usage of Nix's 1 ap charge. I often go with Infectious Melodies. Its great to have since the crew will have heaps of peons and minions that can be sacrificed for one outstanding activation. The Stolen can paralyze groups of enemies, Rats can put a lot of Bligthed on a single target, and a Rat King can eat a scheme marker from 20" away on the last turn. Usually tricks you want to have.

I use the old dog mainly as a flanker-disruptor. His main functions are to spread Bligth, soaking up enemy ap (or hiding if there are an enemy caster nearby), and sneaking around and dropping schemes while killing lesser scheme runners. If I suspect that a oppenet will bring a master or model with blasts or aoe attacks I will take Hollow. It can be vital in protecting the whole crew, while keeping to Hamelin's theme of giving the middle finger to the opponent. Another, situational, role is to tie up enemy models if my opponent have taken Distract or Cursed Object. He can protect other models from the condition while being safe from harm.

Candy is great. Throw Fears Given Form and Useless Duplications on her and she will tank away like few other models. She is extremly annoying to face, and a great antidote vs aggressive opponents. Sweets and Sours is simply nasty. She works best when being in the opponents face or shutting down areas with her auras. Iggy is a great pairing since he can protect her, lower wp, and cast Incite. Lucius can protect her with Red Tape and swing her about with What Lackeys Are For. Cannot think of any other direct synergies between the two, but I haven't that much experience with Lucius either.

Trappers are a nice range option. Lazarus with Retribution's Eye is pretty horrible. He synergises very well with Collodi too. If you have a Rider heavy meta, the Freikorp Strongarm Suit could be a great addition. Ronin can be useful if you need to deal with armor.

Remember that Lynch can apply any suit to a duel by discarding a card of that particular suit. Can be very handy if you have a lot of low rams on hand. You don't need to apply brilliance to targets. Just gun them down with the ram trigger on Lynch's Pistol. Min damage 4 is cruel. Tots with Lynch can move 20" in a turn if you get and keep the ace of masks. That is close to broken. Lynch can relibly get you good hands. So you don't always need to stone for additional cards. Lynch's defensive trigger is really good. It can chip away damage fast on enemy attackers, and makes them guess twice about attacking him. Huggy's upgrades are neat and useful, but neither is a must take if you need to save some stones. Rising Huggy can be played uber agressive, but demands that you play Lynch more agressive too as well as having ways of applying Brilliance to targets relibly (Lynch's Play For Blood or Beckoners). Endless Huggy lets the pair sit back more and attack from mid range. A 3 ap Huggy with Fears Given Form is really evil. Don't overlook the Depleted. Solid tarpits. Black Blood Shaman is really good together with Depleted, Tots, Illuminated, and Graves.

I don't really agree with you on that Sorrows are only killing/denial models. First, those aspect can turn into vps. Second, Sorrwos are really good scheme marker droppers. Especially if they have a Poltergeist they can tag along with while it can protect them with its big base. I had the pair securing Stake a Claim for me at times. They are solid for scorig vps too.

Hypoking, thanks for the report. What did you use for beaters and how do you feel about Hamelin's own offensive capability?

The accomplice/companion problem can be solved with all the activation control Pandora's crew can provide (and Woes in generall in other crews). They are a tricky model to get right, but once you understand how to hide and position them well they can be brutal. I have a feeling that players in general are overlooking their potential as scheme marker droppers. To be fair, that might be a result of the Insidious Madness entering the scene. If any new Sorrow upgrade for Pandora shall be made it must contain a summoning mechanic! "The Box Open 2.0", 2ss cos,. 6" , "after killing an enemy model, this model may spend a Soulstone to summon a sorrow in base contact with the enemy model before removing it." Sonnia-esque summoning. Don't think it would be balanaced at all since Pandora can kill stuff pretty easy and with an increasing number of Sorrows coming in it would just make things easier ^^.

They are great denial pieces. I have played with them and faced them a couple of times. Perfect for screwing with opposing snipers and locking up vital scheme points. The Pathfinder generally is worth its 6ss investment.

The Poltergeist is fine. It can be brutal if you can have it sneak up on an enemy and then either have Pandora or a Sorrow (Doldrums for paralyze) to attack it. Opponents are in general very afraid of its aura (how fitting), so it can be used as bait too as others have pointed out. Sorrows can have it as a jump point. There is plenty of roles it can fill. I agree that it is too bad that you cannot have both the Poltergiest and the PM at the same time. While if you could, I think the pair would be a no-brainer thus a pretty bad design-choice...

I think that you are safe with that assumption. M2E will not go anywhere for a long time, and I don't see Wyrd implementing any new full factions before a new addition change. Anyway, who knows...

Gracie would suffer 4 damage, but she would reduce the damage by 2. Zoraida can be really good if one can balance her positioning of being too offensive/defensive with her. Obeys are always nice. Vodoo Doll is a fantastic totem. Bewitch and Repulsive should never be overlooked. Darn fantastic actions.

I hate it when Dreamer is "making a point" ^^.

PM sent!

What is the Spider-thingy?

Its never fun to get Izamued, and I really hope 6-9 gambles should be enough to bring the big fella down. I feel bad for you that you only have one. I only got two... (sad face).

Collodi (and Vasilisa) is pretty good at moving Puppets fast up the board, so they can tie up enemy gunners. Stitched can provide with some neat Soft-Cover too. So shooting isn't too bad

My first impressions. Extraction: Should provide with some very back and forth games. Could bring a more dynamic Turf Warish experience. I wonder if it is to a players advantage to have heaps of models around just to move the marker. Interference: I think Ramos and Hamelin can potentially be the powerhouses of this strategy (granted make them suffer is not around). I like it though! Seems one have to balance whether to try and deny a point by engaging a model on another side or simply stay put. Crews will certainly benefit from spreading out. Headhunter: Might be the most interesting new strategy. I have no idea how it will play, but it seems to be very different from all the other strategies (old and new!). Guard the Stash: Its simply excellent in its simplicity. I think that this strategy presents so many different options on how to approach it. I think it will be a fan-favourite! Collect the Bounty: A tactical and a bit more complex kill strategy. Love the fact that peons doesn't earn one any points. Should be a balancing act whether one should go for the easy kills or the one big kill.

I think you are spot on with Wong and Mah. I will challenge your assumption about the Ulix box though. My guess is 3 Piglets, Penelope, Ol' M, Sow, Ulix. Then again, the Sow might be a separate... Time will tell I guess (Set release date: before Brewmaster). There are quite a few boxes that doesn't fit that mould. Marcus, Ramos, Hoffman, Kirai, Dreamer...

That Santiago is fantastic. Great work!

Then the order of target is 1) Merris/Wesley 2) Brewmaster. That description of Brewie (and Pandora) is a massive hyperbole, in my opinion.