Trample

I would associate lowest model count with elite groups. Probably outcasts or arcanists can build the best elite crews with relatively small model counts. They each have several good high cost models. Colette from arcanists would be a great elite master. Perhaps Von Schill from outcasts. They can both be dynamic and solve a lot of problems while working with small crews. Von Schill could do really well with his core box and the strongarm suit and Hannah or maybe Lazarus. Colette might want a few more pieces, but Howard, acolytes, and silent ones would be nice. Johan would fit well in either. 

Both of those masters could address most strategies and schemes and both would be viable in a tournament i would think. You could go pretty elite in any faction and still stay away from summoning. I really like the Outcast models in the 10 point range, so I would probably go elite that way. 

The alternative is to attack cost first. For example the Misaki box (outcast/10T) seems to be about the lowest priced one out there I've seen (from memory). You could grab something like that and slowly build around it with high cost elite models when they're on sale. She couldn't assist Freikorps the way Von Schill could, but can still work well with those high cost outcasts. Some of the smaller ones like Bishop and Johan are very solid models that don't cost much. 

Executioner because they're such great looking models. 

Only those four at the moment. 

You're going to want Von Schill's box either way for the librarian and the trapper (my favorite) so he's not a bad place to start. 

Does anyone else seem to have good luck or bad luck with cards based on the crew or faction they're playing? I sure do. I almost always have bad luck with gremlins and good luck with outcasts. So, even when I want to run gremlins it doesn't seem to be such a good idea for me!

By bad luck I mean burning high cards on negative flips, flipping the black joker on terror duels, and flipping the red joker on a targeting test. By good luck I mean pulling the red joker on a negative damage flip, burning low cards on positive flips, and drawing the black joker into your hand. We all have the same 54 cards, but the way they fall for me is consistently positive with outcasts, negative with gremlins, and pretty neutral with arcanists and ten thunders. 

A recent gremlin game I had (they are my most populous crew) with Wong I didn't win initiative once in the game, and in the key point of the game when he overextended Nekima I couldn't kill her with the full repertoire of attacks from McTavish (with a bonus marker), Wong, a slop hauler, and a lightning bug. I don't recall all of the cards, but the 13 would always show up as part of a negative damage flip alongside a 4. 

On the other hand, my last two games with Outcasts my Friekorps Trapper pulled out red joker damage on negative flips in both games! In one of those he actually took out two models in one activation. In one of those games the librarian did the same on a double negative damage flip. 

None of those things are out of the ordinary. For me however the good things tend to happen with Outcasts and the bad things tend to happen with Gremlins. All anecdotal of course, but does anyone else experience this? 

1 hour ago, solkan said:

The paragraph in question:

If a blast is part of a damage flip (which is usually the case) place one Blast Marker for each blast symbol () in the Damage Severity flipped. The blast deals diminished damage to models who aren't the original target. The damage dealt by a blast from a damage flip is one step lower than the damage flipped for the initial blast. An Attack with a 2/3/4 that deals Moderate damage, for instance, would place one Blast Marker (due to the one on the Moderate damage), and deal 3 damage to the original target, and 2 damage to each other model within the blast.

The problem is that the words in red appear to be grammatical inertia or nonsense (or a very clumsy reference phrasing).  There is no 'initial blast'.

Look at the rules for Blasts on page 50, and only the rules on page 50, and explain why the target of the attack takes full damage without quoting the example (the sentence in purple containing the words "for instance".)

As far as I can tell, the situation is that the regular damage flip rules are why the target of the attack suffers the numeric damage value flipped, and the Blasts rule explains what to do with the values in the value flipped.  And the damage caused by the blast rule is "The blast deals diminished damage to models who aren't the original target."

 

I think you're right. It does look like bad word choice here. 

2 hours ago, Satan's Sodomy Baby said:

P.50.  Paragraph 4, 3rd sentence.  I've double checked.  Then, I double checked again.......

It says no where that I can see under the description that the initial target doesn't count as being in the blast.  The paragraph I've qouted makes it very clear.  What am I missing?

Ah, I stand corrected - I do see where it says that. It is confusing. Although it muddies the water a bit you're still looking at a situation where the primary attack is not a blast. The only thing that is a blast is the marker. A friekorps suit doesn't protect you from the primary damage (except armor) in this case. The second paragraph makes this pretty clear. 

20 minutes ago, Satan's Sodomy Baby said:

According to p. 50 under "Blasts", it says "All models whose bases are touched or overlapped by one or more Blast Markers are affected".  The forth paragraph down, last sentence says, "deal 3 damage to the original target, and 2 damage to each other model within the blast.". That last part confirms what it says in paragraph 3, that all models touched by the blast marker are considered effected by a blast.  It says no where in the rules that the initial damage isn't blast.  Everything touching the marker is, just that the initial target takes the most damage.

Paragraph 4: "The Damage dealt by a blast from a damage flip is one step lower than the damage flipped for the initial blast".  If the "initial blast" isn't the initial target, what is it?

The term you're using here - "initial blast" isn't used in the book. A blast is represented by a round 50mm base. That's all a blast is. The initial damage is not blast damage. Both the blast and the initial damage are part of a cast or shooting for other purposes, but that's about it. 

The good doctor is new and in its little plastic bag from Black Friday. 

got my correct Perdita in the mail yesterday! Thanks!

Good question. I think The Brewmaster works pretty well in TT so long as you are not focusing on poison but rather concentrating on binge or swill. In that case he works pretty well there. If you target swill as his primary activity he can be delivering 2x swill on the primary target and 1x swill on a secondary target per round. Alternatively you can do 2x swill and either binge or obey one of your guys into an extra action. This can give you a crew focused on killing things and it doesn't really matter which ones you use.

Samurai are good options for obey (non Jinoku anyway) and they can do some pretty good damage. Katanaka snipers are nice and a pair of those should be able to make short work of a swilled opponent. The Malifaux child can extend the Brewmaster's power a bit. Wastrels can run schemes and even heal a bit. Izamu, Swordsman, and Fuhatsu are all good options that are not part of a set. You can build a lot of variety there. 

I've purchased several single models on ebay (Joss Chiaki) when I haven't wanted the whole crew box. You're not going to find a librarian very often, but keep your eyes open there.

Glad you mentioned that. I haven't gotten around to that one yet so I just checked and it is the wrong one! 

No, Merris is the one he meant. I'm sure of it. 

Now that we've finished off a campaign I've been doing for a while, I want to try glowy with Hannah. She's got the Freikorps suit, which will keep her insulated from Wong's blasts and the lightning bug pulses so she can hold the front pretty well and still accept the barrage. Hannah can also borrow lighting bug attacks and crackerjack timing with make a new entry. Really her only downside is that slop haulers won't be effective with her. 

These are what I've been looking forward to! Perfect! The Brewmaster will be happy!

I like the ranged slow pulse. It would be a really nice combo with Sidir's empty the magazine. 

Brewmaster. So many different things to do with gremlins & ten thunders that I think I could enjoy him for some time. 

I second Trixibelle. You've got a great crew already as well! 

Thanks for putting the brawl on - good fun. I thought I would hold on for the win at the end but the black joker rears its ugly head! 

I didn't see a lot of signups here - this still on?

Lucy can also bring a beckoner who can bring folks right over to her fat boyfriend to play with, so you don't have to worry quite as much about his movement. Add in a doppelganger who can mimic the becokoner if the party is slow or the executioner otherwise.  

He's big and doesn't look good with the rest of the crew. I am pondering using him in an enforcer brawl coming up though, since he won't have a crew around him!

Without regard to the majority of what we've discussed here, the new gunsmith models look like something that would stand alongside guild models as opposed to arcanist models. They have an old west look to them. You choose to use them or not! 

Ironsides with a pair of gunsmiths, firestarter, and message from the union can be effective. There are plenty of ways to set opponents on fire and the option of hand picked men and/or the hard way is pretty solid. 

Gunsmiths are good options and well costed in my opinion. They aren't the best things ever, nor are they worthless.