asrian

Hamelin, Jack Daw, and Parker - all have some form of obey/push abilities to help friendlies move about faster though ranges vary from Parker's Push of 18" away to Jack Daw's Twist and Turn obey at 8" away. Leveticus - Can hire Necropunks who have leap. Granted it's only 5" so they can drop markers every other turn only, but it still means they can move around fast. Hamelin - Can Hire Crooligans. 5" place does not mean you have to be fully within 5", just part of the base has to be. You can Interact, place nearly 6" away (with just the edge of the base within the 5") and be set up to drop another marker next turn. Parker - As @Fog said you can Run & Gun with his Bandidos to get them around a bit faster so as to drop markers every other round and still put pressure on the opponent as they get in place for the next time they go to drop markers. Tara - Her ability to reactivate with 3AP and to Unbury a friendly means she can get around the board quite quickly if needed to score while the rest of her crew does the heavy lifting of fighting the opponent. Viktorias - In a pinch, if you just really needed to you can have them use Sisters in Spirit to move each other about quickly in the opponents half to drop a marker or two. Freikorpsman - Unimpeded models with a decent walk speed. They might no be able to mass spam markers, but they won't be slowed down by terrain either. Void Wretch - Cheap incorporeal scheme runners. Guild Autopsy - With Tara's upgrade she can hire them in the crew. Not fast, but potential reactivates if the opponent runs out of cards and they have decent shooting if needed.

Ahh, I misinterpreted what you said. I took "Doesn't have Titania conflux yet" to mean that you thought one was about to come out.

There is no Titania conflux or one for any of the new Masters made by Wyrd, nor likely to be one for at least a year or more, if ever.

I Pay Better is good, and I typically put it on Hannah, preferring Engage At Will, Shirt Comes Off, and Survivalist on Von Schill. That said, the problem I run up against is I Pay Better is a focus for a card, which means you end up with less cards in hand (which is why I take it on Hannah as she gives me a free card). In a normal game, unless you just have really bad hands, you typically won't ditch cards for it, or at least not more than one a turn as the rest are useful for other things, or for other card ditching abilities like furious casting or Steam Trunk abilities, etc. I tend to use that one focus on either Hannah, Strong Arm, Sue, or another big hitter in my crew to make sure their attack really counts. Strong Arm Suit I use if I really want some up close hitting power, and depending on if there is a lot of terrain or not. Give him something like Scout the Field and he can charge without needing LoS. Give him the new general upgrade The Bigger They Are and attacks against non-Leader models with upgrades deal +1 Damage making him a predator for other Enforcers and Henchmen (which would be good in a pool containing Show of Force to help neutralize the opponent's potential scoring models). Give him Oath Keeper and he's suddenly a fast wrecking ball for a turn. He is expensive, but like all expensive models have a plan for him before the game starts so you don't end up wasting AP, especially if he's taken out mid-game, just make sure he accomplishes whatever goals you have set for him.

Graves, due to his push, his black blood, his hard to kill, and his decent attacks, is very good with Pandora. This is especially true with Doppelganger thrown in who can mimic his push. As stated it can be used as an effective delivery system for Pandora (and a free movement again for her or someone else if Doppelganger copies it). He's well rounded enough also to be useful in a number of strats/schemes due to the ability to hit effectively, push models out of turf wars, off markers, or into markers/areas you want to screw with the opponent. As a second purchase for Pandora though, I would highly recommend Doppelganger. She is the #1 most hired model (to me at least, though most neverborn players include her most of the time) in a neverborn crew. She is a tool box and a half.

Maybe, but I find myself typically doing that extra attack with Sue, or Strong Arm Suit, or the Emissary (heavier hitters) than most Bandits, though I'll also use it on Mad Dog. The interacts, however, from Black Market I tend to use on whatever is beneficial at the moment, which typically are the bandidos or the wokou raiders.

As I've said, they are good, but not worth the points to me. If they were cheaper or had hard to kill or something else to either add resilience or hitting power to help justify the cost then I'd take them. The more I use them though the more I don't want to hire them over something else that is more effective for the points, which is to me a shame really.

No luck for me, but that could be just me and using him the way I have (in your face beater/tar pit). It seems the right call for him, and likely is, but it could just be poor match ups or (un)lucky flips for one side or the other in those duels. Either way, I still would rather just take a Ronin and save 2SS.

Armor is a factor for 95% of the models, so that I don't mind. Incorporeal I try to take into account as best I can as well. Both are solved through some different crew selection (Ronin and or Librarians for me). And while not a cure all, Mad Dog mitigates cover potentially for key models. The one thing that truly scares me with Parker & Co. is a Mei Feng crew with Vent Steam to be honest.

@SJW That's identical to the list I've run the past few games, only substititing Envy out for various other models. I like Bandidos, don't get me wrong, for the exact reasons you listed (5SS scheme runner who has finish the job and can Run & Gun. @daniello_s I don't feel that, as barring fighting against incorporeal opponent models, most all the main models I use can work up close and at range so are versatile enough for me. I am slowly trying other models and tactics though. Thus far, the only model I've come across that just isn't worth it's points to me is the Wokou Raider. 3 games now, and in every one, on retrospect, I wish I'd just taken Johan or a Ronin, or anything else instead really.

My thoughts exactly on the Bandidos, but I do enjoy the Rin & Gun when the opportunity presents itself. I plan on trying out Envy in one of my next few games. So far though Sue has been my auto-include of choice.

Agreed. I'd rather give Oathkeeper to a Rider.

Yes it does. You can 0AP No Witness to get Hans or Trapper (or anyone for that matter) to attack on a 5+ (flip, stone or cheat the for the trigger to take another 0AP). They attack. You discard the upgrade, gaining a soul stone due to Parker's front of card ability, then use Five Finger Discount to either buy Highwayman right back or something else with that Soul Stone you just gained or a nearby enemy scheme marker if there is one. I'm not saying it's something I would do every time, but it's another combo trick up Parker's sleeve when the opportunity calls for it.

Thank you for pointing that out. I was going off memory and lack of coffee, and was thinking about I Pay Better when I typed that. I'll amend the above post though to reflect that so as to avoid confusion for others.

Another trick I thought of that came up in a discussion with Michael Daly on the Facebook forums (Direct copy/pasting it as I just woke up and am not awake enough yet to retype things): Parker + Focused Hans or Trapper: If Parker were within 6" of Hans you could get 2 Focused shots a turn at the cost of a 7+ and a 5+ of anything. Hans' new upgrade gives him a focus for 0AP action and a 7+, so take that, fire, then use his second AP to focus again. Parker activates (with Highwayman upgrade that allows a friend to attack), flips/cheats a 5+ to have Hans fire. Granted, something like that I might do Turn 1, but I wouldn't have Parker sit around to just do that each turn. Still, two focused shots a turn with Hans is nice. You could do the same with a Freikorps Trapper as well if someone in the crew had I Pay Better and was within aura 10 of them at the start. From the Shadows a Trapper up a bit, discard via I Pay for a focus, fire, focus. Parker goes, walks forward to get in range if he wasn't already (thus getting him up the battlefield anyway), then he can use his 0AP for a second shot. Again, not something I would do for Parker each turn, but it's a nice trick up your sleeve if need be. I like to do a similar trick with Sue. Double walk him up then do his anti-cast aura. If opponent decides Sue is no longer a threat and moves within his range, I walk Parker up and 0AP to have Sue take a shot (naturally built in +Flips and Ram for Crit Strike so min. damage 3).

For more of the Old West meets Magic and the Modern Age try Stephen King's Gunslinger series. Every time even think about buying/playing Perdita I want to find a male equivalent and do a Roland Deshain equivalent (protagonist) along with the rest of the cast from the books.

I'll definitely give the Wokou Raiders another go and try them out with Coordinated Heist. That's an idea I haven't thought of yet. Ty sir. I like that little combo. I've only been using the Hail of Bullets passively to deter movement, but the idea of using it more actively really appeals to me and my style of play. Thank you.

Lay of the Land gives cover to all non- to swampfiends (of which McTavish is a swampfiend), so yes. It will basically put the opponent on for all attacks no matter if it has a icon or not just so long as they don't contain the symbol.

For anyone that might need it when submitting a request (as I had trouble finding it) - the product # for this item is: WYR20034 - Fate Deck, Iconic

Normally it would be Neutral, but you have to remember that Soul Stones are not only used for just buying upgrades mid-turn, but for various other reasons (card draw pre-turn, prevent damage, etc). Add to that Parker's gun get's bonus damage if you discard an upgrade to increase the damage (I typically won't, but every now and then that +1 or more damage is worth it to take out a key enemy model) which puts you at a deficit for a turn. There are also times when you have upgrades that you want to keep (Like Highwayman) so aren't discarding those to gain a Soul Stone, or, to use Highwayman again, if you use it to command a friendly to make an attack it forces you discard that upgrade or pay 1 soul stone if the friendly targeted wasn't a Bandit (I've targeted Sue quite a bit for his attack flips) in which case you're essentially paying a Soul Stone to get that attack, which eats into your supply. The same is true for Black Market to make a friendly take an interact action. Sometimes the potential to gain a VP is worth the 1SS cost if it means you can still retain the upgrade and use it next turn straight away for another VP. Things like this mean that I am usually either spending the stones as fast as I get them, or else I am 1 to 2 soul stones behind where I want to be. Parker can gain soul stones relatively easily, but he can spend them just as easily in a multitude of ways. I think that's what helps keep him balanced and why, unless the player is just not doing anything at all with Parker & crew except hording stones, you really won't see someone playing him have 8 to 10 soul stones piled up on their side unused.

Yes, the "Return Fire" is resolved against the attacker.

I like that. To be honest it's been over a year or two since I used Killjot that I'd honestly just dismissed him as pure beater (which is where he excels). The only downside side to this idea are situational when you want to charge on his next activation for 1 AP to gain an extra attack. That is offset though by the potential free attack, drag, and the having the opponent suddely finding their models hurt and in close proximity to a black blood spewing Killjoy who is likely going to take more damage before the turn is over as they try to kill him.

Just putting this here for anyone as I didn't see an Asami Tactica post yet. Someone on Facebook was kind enough to make a nice looking non-official Summoning card for Asami.

Roadblocks I've encountered thus far against opponents: This is mainly a list of things that have given me pause in games, or had me change gears mid-fight. All are avoidable, dealt with, or minimized through crew selection and play style, but we are Outcast somewhere in our faction there is always a tool for any job. I'm just listing them so they don't take others, especially newer players, by surprise who might start with only the core thematic bandit crew. I'll list the main roadblock and then at least list a model or two (but not a full comprehensive list) as potential counters to them. I also plan to amend this list as I learn more and as others post so that other players can learn from it. - Various Damage Resistance: Like anything, we all come across that one model who is armor +2 and realize our big hitter is suddenly limp-wristing his swings. Hammer meets Anvil. Some main ones that I've encountered with Parker's thematic crew (primarily SH attackers) are: - High Armor - always a pain for anyone. Bring something that ignores armor like Ronin or Bishop. - Incorporeal - an ability that halves damage from shooting and melee. You'll need to hire something with casting to beat these models down fast like Librarians - Bullet Proof - Poor man's armor that only works against shooting, but alas Parker has that in spades. I found this especially painful when facing off against a Rasputina crew who brought SnowStorm as he has a natural Bullet Proof +3 and an aura that hands it out to nearby friendlies. You'll need to either barrel through this just as you would with something containing Armor or else bring anything else that doesn't involve SH attacks to ignore it. Most any non-shooting focused model in the faction will work. - Any form of Conditions: The crew has no condition removal by default, so if you think you'll face a lot of conditions (Neverborn and Ressers especially come to mind) then grab Johan. I really wanted him in one of my last games as I played a Gremlin Zipp crew. They have an upgrade (Spotlight) for their Sky Pirates that can cause a model to be unable to perform SH actions (and he tried putting it on Parker who 90% of his actions, even ones targeting WP are SH actions). - Card Starvation: Parker and his crew can really burn through cards due to various amounts of Rapid Fire, Run & Gun, normal Cheating for specific suits or just to successfully attack or defend, Discard to Push Doc around, discarding for Parker to turn enemy scheme markers into friendly ones, etc. Some of this is offset with Parker's aura to draw a card (and keep it) whenever an enemy dies within 6" to a bandit. Some is offset by Highwayman upgrade whenever Parker uses an action to remove an enemy scheme marker. I offset some more by using Sue to Hurt himself each turn for a card or by hiring Hannah for 7 cards in hand per turn. Just be aware that Parker and his crew will chew through your hand if you let them so prioritize your cards and actions per turn for those key abilities you want to discard to accomplish. - Soul Stone Starvation: As I mentioned below to @boots468 even though Parker, on paper, will be gaining Soul Stones hand over fist, he spends them just as fast as he makes them. He does gain one per turn if he discards an upgrade, but potentially immediately spends it to gain an upgrade if no enemy scheme markers are near. He might even spend an SS to retain an upgrade instead of ditching it. He and his crew will spend them for all the normal reasons of card draw, damage prevention, etc. Ways I've offset this (other than starting with a large cache which, up until now I really haven't needed overall versus hiring an extra model) is to use things like his Stick Up (enemy takes damage or gives you an Soul Stones, not guaranteed but helps), hiring Hodgepodge Effigy so when Parker does kill something he can discard for a Soul Stone (see above for Card Starvation on that one, especially if you have a really good hand), Hiring Ronin who can self-sacrifice mid/late game to give you more soul stones. Cross Roads 7 Greed model can also be hired to help in this regard. Also good positioning of Parker in proximity to enemy Scheme markers so that he can use those instead of spending Soul Stones to gain upgrades. This last can be harder than you think sometimes though if the opponent isn't dropping markers, and you're using Parker's AP for other actions instead of shooting (which is why I like the Hail of Bullets upgrade as it builds in a trigger to drop a marker when using Hands in the Air). Parker's Black Market upgrade can give you a Soul Stone once a turn if Parker uses an ability to discard an enemy marker if you have it attached instead of Highwayman. Long story short, just like the potential for Card starvation and basic game play in general, you need to manage your resources when it comes to soul stones. Don't think they are endless just because of Parker's tricks. Just like saving for GenCon each year, when all is said and done you find out you spent more than you originally planned in all the excitement. -- More to come. Strategies Turf War/Extraction/Guard the Stash - Parker and crew do well enough in this style of game. Outcast having access to multiple Hard to Kill units and upgrades, along with healers like Doc and Librarian help ensure his crew either sticks around, or uses up so a lot of the opponent's AP which sometimes makes them not worth killing. Parker's ability to Push friendlies, and to debuff opponent's outside the respective zones with Hands in the Air (discard to take tactical actions) or to lay down hazardous terrain can really interfere with an opponent's plans. Reconnoiter/Interference - While Parker and his crew doesn't really excel at this Strat, they don't do any worse either than most of the other Outcast crews. It's doable to play this with Parker (anything is achievable though with any crew, just not always the best option). If given a choice and wanting to optimize, however, I'd likely go for Leveticus or Hamelin if this Strat came up. Reckoning/Collect the Bounty/Head Hunter - Parker and crew does well at all of these. His 0AP ability to force a friend to take an attack along with his pushes for re-positioning and his debuffs really help to put a monkey wrench in the opponent's own abilities. Parker can also lay down steady fire power if needed between his gun and his upgrades. Keep in mind that he is a ranged crew, so for Head Hunter you will want to close the distance between you and the opponent (or wait for them) before you start dropping them, but I've really not had any trouble with that as of yet. Squatter's Rights - Again, Parker is on par with the rest of Outcast for this one. No better, no worse. His crew can get the job done and he can help them with movement and terrain tricks while debuffing key models to keep them from taking tactical actions, or by just killing them. Stake A Claim - This is the only one I haven't played yet with Parker. I will make the safe assumption, judging by how he performs in the other strats, that Parker will be a generalist enough master to support his crew well in this Strat, depending on what you want to do with him. This one really comes down to crew selection though and his crew will have the same issues as any other Outcast crew (minus Leve who can hiring leaping Necropunks) in that it will take planning to get the job done. Parker can help out more than most though in that he can push friendlies up to their walk from 18" away, so will be able to speed up anyone trying to Stake a Claim prior to their activating. Schemes (GG2016 Only as they are variations on the theme of the book schemes, the newest ones available, and the ones most likely to be seen at events currently) Marker Schemes - Convict Labor, Leave Your Mark, Covert Breakthrough, Detonate the Charges, Search the Ruins, Set Up Scheme Marker objectives are what make Parker so good in the Outcast, a faction typically known for heavy damage dealing. He and his basic crew are able to lay down enemy scheme markers fairly easily, and if Parker is near, at the end of a turn he can discard to any number of cards to turn that same amount of enemy scheme markers into friendly markers within 4. While this isn't always viable due to discarding, it can lock up things like Deotante the Charges, Set Up, and Search the Ruins in a given turn to score you VP while possibly denying the opponent. Add to that, at the end of the game, though less useful under GG2016 Schemes, Mad Dog and the Bandidos (man, that sounds like a bad cover band name) all have an 2 similar to McMourning that turns enemy markers into friendlies. This can still come in handy though, especially on last turn moving near Convict Labor or Breakthrough Markers to deny the opponent points. Leave Your Mark can be achieved at range with Mad Dog provided the opponent doesn't have models near and are far enough back when he kills something. He's the only crew member that drops Friendly Scheme markers when he kills something, rather than enemy scheme markers on triggers like his cohorts do. This can get even nastier with his Blast ability to potentially take out two or more enemy models at once. Parker also has the Black Market upgrade with the 0AP ability "Stick to the Plan" which allows him to force a friendly within 6", on a 5+, to make an interact action. Coupled with his Push ability "Job's Not Done" he can move his guys around a bit before they interact, or even use their own AP, and help achieve any of the above, depending on positioning. For Scheme denial, Parker and crew also can cause havoc to the opponent by attacking them and dropping Enemy scheme markers, denying them things like Convict Labor by placing those markers within 2" of other Enemy markers. This means you can potentially shoot one enemy scheme runner in the distance, drop a marker near their marker, then walk into proximity of a different scheme marker (or shoot a different scheme runner who is near a marker) and deny that one as well. This puts a lot of pressure on the opponent to get more markers than normal down for Convict, while also allowing Parker and Crew the freedom to stay back while denying VP. Other denial is gained via pushes to either get out of combat, thus away from enemy markers, or to push near markers in the case of Convict or Leave Your Mark. Parker and Mad Dog both have push abilities on their attack triggers (Parker for his basic SH, Mad Dog on his ML attack). Parker needs a and Mad Dog needs a , neither of which are built in, so be prepared to cheat or use a soul stone if you find yourself in a bad position. Parker's push also comes in handy here as he can do it from up to 18" away. The Bandidos have two potential pushes. The first is their Df trigger after resolving (so hit or miss) to get away, and their Run & Gun ability to push 5", attack, then push 3". Interact with Opponent Schemes - Catch & Release, Exhaust Their Forces Both of these are made slightly easier for Parker's crew with his ability to force 1AP interacts via Black Marker and to push friendlies near enemies then force interacts (or push so they can use their own AP). Catch & Release is easier than Exhaust due to only ever needing 1AP to achieve. Exhaust needs 1AP only after the opponent has activated, 2AP if they have not. For denial pushes are a strength for you. Just like above, various members have various forms of pushes to get out of combat, thus freeing them up to interact and remove the Exhaust Condition. Parker can also use his Black Market to make an unengaged friendly remove Exhaust. For Catch & Release, Parker's push to move friendlies comes in nicely to get them away, freeing up their AP as they need 2AP to remove Catch & Release. Bandidos can discard for Run & Gun if they fear getting Exhaust or Caught to push out of combat (or further away from opponents in general), attack, then push again, causing the opponent to waste AP to get near them again, and needing 2AP to Exhaust as the Bandido has now activated (though only 1AP to Catch & Release). Another way Parker can really mess with the opponent is via his Hands in the Air ability (discard two cards to interact). I've used it along with Black Market to force a friendly to Interact (Catch & Release) the opponent, then did Hands in the Air to that opponent. Then used his push to move my friendly away from the enemy. Now they are left with the option of discarding to remove the condition (thus denying me VP) or, if they also have Exhaust/Catch, to discard two cards to walk, then two more to interact (thus giving me points, but potentially gaining VP themselves). It's a Sophie's Choice. Kill Schemes - Hunting Party, Neutralize the Leader, A Quick Murder, Mark for Death Depending on crew selection for Hunting Party most of these are pretty standard fair for Outcast. They have plenty of ways to do damage, and Mark for Death isn't as bad either (interact prior to killing) as Parker can force someone via Black Market to interact if need be, or use Highwayman to force an Attack. Neutralize just depends on the Master as always. For Quick Murder and Neutralize the Leader, Parker's Stick Up ability comes in handy to do a quick 4 damage on a target, or at the least deprive the opponent of a Soul Stone (and you gain one) once a turn, which you can then follow up by firing at them anyway, ditching your Stick Up upgrade for extra damage, then 0AP'ing and buying it right back with either the Soul Stone they gave you or an enemy scheme marker (or with your own Soul Stone in the event that they took the damage). For Denial, I like taking Hodgepodge Effigy who has hard to kill and Doc who is in the back and heals, so those help cut down on Hunting Party deaths. My Bandidos or any other minions chosen just have to play as safe as you're willing to go with them. Parker is pretty beefy due to wounds for Neutralize, and Doc, along with his heals and ability to hand out Hard to Wound help. Being Outcast, if you really fear for his safety, Survivalist is available (gives him Hard to Kill and to heals received). A Librarian can also be hired to not only help achieve potential Hunting Party as she's an enforcer, but to also add more heals if needed. Human Shield also comes into play here as it allows Parker to pass off damage to a nearby friendly and gain soft cover if within 2 another model, friend or foe. So if he's engaged and the opponent decides to just shoot into combat, not only would they need to randomize (special rules on attacker notwithstanding) they would also have to worry about cover. Positioning Schemes - Undercover Entourage, Inspection, Occupy Their Turf, Public Demonstration I have yet to take Occupy Their Turf (minions in enemy deployment), though I'm sure with Parker pushing friendlies, incorporeal Void Wretches, or Bandidos Run & Gunning, or even Freikorp Trappers deploying From the Shadows it can be achievable, I just haven't bothered with it as of yet. Inspection and Public Demonstration can both be achieved with Parker helping out with his Pushes and Bandidos Running & Gunning to close the distance with a target if needed (or so that they can move into Inspection position while potentially taking out enemy models doing the same). I've had success achieving Undercover Entourage with Parker. Between his Walk 5, Oathkeeper, his attack push 3" trigger, and his Stick Up upgrade that allows him to take a free walk action at the start or end of his activation (at the cost of discarding the upgrade) means he is actually quite mobile. I like dropping Stick Up at the start, walk for free, then 0AP to regain it sometime during the rest of my activation. As for countering these, that's depending on the opponent's crew, but use your ranged attacks to your advantage to kill minions before they get into position for Inspect, Occupy, and Public Demo, and make sure to utilize things like Mad Dog's push enemy away trigger, and Parker's push himself trigger if needed to keep them at arms length. Parker can also put down his Hail of Bullets hazardous terrain. It might not kill the opponent, but it will either weaken them or use up their AP as they walk around it. If you can figure out the Entourage Target then either kill it, or if that's not possible, Parker's "Hands in the Air" again comes in handy as they will have to discard to make basic walk actions. If you can engage them and do this, then they will start losing their hand very quickly. Misc Schemes - Show of Force, Take Prisoner, Frame for Murder Show of Force is probably one of the easiest for me with Parker's crew due to Mad Dog enjoying his Lucky Poncho, using Return Fire on Sue so much, and typically having another model with Oath Keeper, Scramble, Bigger They Are or something else running around. Take Prisoner isn't too hard to achieve depending on opponent and the target you pick. Parker's friendly pushes, or his ability to gain extra walks via Stick Up discard means he or his crew can move about quickly on the last turn if needed to tie up the target. Frame for Murder, as always, is dependent on the model picked and your ability to get the opponent to kill it with a Master or Henchman for full points. Denial is both straight forward and tricky with these. For show of Force you want to either kill or tie up the opponent's scoring models before they can get into position, or use pushes, like Mad Dog's attack trigger, to move them out of position. Remember, they don't have to beat you, they just have to Tie you to still score their own Show of Force. Take Prisoner will come down to who their target is, but Parker can use pushes to move his guys out of combat, or if it's possibly himself and he can't kill whatever's engaged with him, he can go defensive (if you feel you need the ) and try to disengage, then even drop Stick Up if it's equipped for an extra walk, or he can go offensive and try for his Push 3" trigger. For Frame for Murder, either don't kill anything, or if you do, try to do so with Mad Dog's Burning +2 ML attack (or Sue's Ring of Fire also if you use him), or use Mad Dog's push attack trigger to push enemies into hazardous terrain so that they die from conditions or terrain and not your attacks. If that can't be done, then try to have minions, peons, and enforcers make the killing blow at least. Parker's No Witnesses (friendly makes an attack) 0AP can come in handy here as he can soften up targets first, then finish them off with someone else (I like Sue or Convict Gunslingers for this as they have built in to attack making it easier to hit).

Page 51 of the Small Rulebook - Black Callout Box "General Timing" I'll let you read it for yourself for the verbatim text, but to paraphrase the part that is pertinent to you, when two abilities happen at the same time the acting model resolves his first, then the defending model resolves his. In your example the acting model was McMourning making a ML attack. His front of card ability is he heals. Then the model he hit has a front of card ability that, when damage, sprays black blood, which McMourning would then take damage from. On a side note, McMourning on hit for 1 damage? What was he hitting?