Cadaver_Junkie

21 minutes ago, Trample said:

That upgrade doesn't seem like it does enough for 2. Not to mention the loss of misdirection, recalled training, or risk & reward. 

I like it enough to give it a shot I think, depending on terrain. Two free pushes like that at the start of a game would be a great tactical advantage in some circumstances.

Doesn't require a suit like misdirection. Risk & reward is tricky to me, at least on paper - does it actually work well for you?

2 hours ago, Dr Mittens said:

One thing I feel the need to add as nobody has mentioned it is Misaki's synergy with low mobility models.

Sure, cruise missile Misaki needs teammates who can catch up, but her downburst post buff is one of the most underrated abilities in the entire game.

Pushing a group of +4 other models and herself 8 inches up field with (2)AP is unmatched in ten thunders for group mobility and allows you to patch the supposed weakness of models like the samurai and izamu. Pushing a unit 20 inches with Shenlong is strong, but getting your army to mid in the first turn gives you excellent control over the board

Coupled with the samurai's ability to laugh at cover, and you can force your enemy to catch up to your 4 walk instead of the other way around.

Isn't that push difficult to manage, as you have to push in a straight line directly away from the original target? (i.e. they'll push out in a circle, not straight up the board) I can see it being useful for the first push, not sure sure about the second?

Edit: Maybe I'm wrong about that, I suppose if the models are all very close together - and smaller bases. I'll have to test it out

33 minutes ago, Da Git said:

Madness!  Buy all the toys!

Ha! 

In time... yeah most likely. Damn you Wyrd for slapping together such awesome plastic

7 hours ago, WWHSD said:

FYI - My FLGS just got in Lotus Eaters.

Will have to really consider these guys... might get a couple of games in first though

On 23/03/2018 at 1:47 AM, Rathnard said:

Misaki's actually one of my favorite Masters to play.

--- 

Given my preference for Discard Misaki, my immediate inclination is to grab the Oiran and Yamaziko (minus Smoke and Shadows ). Then the Shadow Emissary (because it's just amazing, even before taking the Misaki Conflux) and some combination of the Crime Bosses and Wokou Raiders. Then I'd spend the last few SS on a few cheap models (Shang and/or Tanuki are my preference) for support, scheme running and to pad out the activations (you generally want 8 activations, 7 at minimum). 

Of the others, Performers might find a place as a scheme/anti-scheme runner, especially with the Oiran's trigger on her attack to make Showgirls untargetable. Akaname and Fermented Monks play pretty well together and Wandering River Monks are great for scheme running.  Ototo is a nice melee tank, but you might want some healing to go with him to make sure he doesn't die too quickly. Torakage are cool, but they've proved as useful as they look on paper for me. 

Quite a reply there! Thank you! 

Misaki the Loner - pretty much how I'd originally intended to play her. Although, that's how I play Zipp, and so I might want to try Discard Misaki instead.
Which upgrades would you likely choose for this style? 
I'm guessing Misdirection, Stalking Bisento and Recalled Training? Would you consider Cutpurse if you want to kill the other master, to reduce your opponent's soulstone cache protection against Assassination? I'm guessing your opponent would either cheat to avoid you stealing a soulstone, or simply spend one so you're less likely to have it yourself, both great outcomes even if you don't succeed on the pilfer trigger. If you succeed you can spend it immediately to add two crows to the next attack.

I'm liking the discard Misaki style. Maybe this makes Ototo a better choice, due to his pulse Thunderstrike to force some cheating. Very situational though...

On 23/03/2018 at 2:13 AM, DonCheadle said:

On the topic of AS Misaki, what mandates that she's your only hitting model?  In TT we have the luxury of many quick models and as such I believe using her as a lone missile is, if nothing else, wasteful. 

 

They may be able to handle Misaki by her lonesome, but her, Yasunori and perhaps even another mid-sized beater striking at once?I have severe doubts. 

As for the Wokou/Crime Boss synergy, I believe (though this is purely theoretical) that Sensei Yu adds a ton as you can place the markers over and over with Mighty Gust to draw 6 cards per activation. The ShEmSem is also very good without a doubt, but Yu is what makes that interaction into an obscene exploitation of the ruleset. 

Sensei Yu does seem to create an absurdity of card draw. I don't really want to buy the Temple of the Dawn box set just for one model though, so maybe if an alternate is ever released.
Also not that interested in Yasunori - the model doesn't do it for me. Might change my mind when I actually look at one in person though, like so many other Malifaux minis.

Hi All,

New to Ten Thunders, haven't played a game. I've played a few with Brewmaster as a Gremlin and think I have his game sorted.

Just grabbed Misaki's box and a few 'associates', have been perusing the new cards.
I'm looking for help with synergies! Things to prepare me for my first few games.
What is great? What is underwhelming? What looks good on paper but doesn't work? What looks bad and is actually awesome?

Anyone have any synergies for the below models they would like to share?

I have:

Misaki
Ototo
Shang
3x Torakage
1x Oiran
Yamaziko
3x Fermented River Monk
3x Wandering River Monk
3x Wokou Raider
2x Katanaka Crime Boss
Shadow Emissary
3x Performers
3x Akaname
4x Tanuki
Note: I'm not going to buy any more models for some time

First thoughts for list backbone:
2x Wokou Raiders, Katanaka Crime Boss,  Shadow Emissary with Shadow Conflux and a Perfomer. Probably Yamaziko with Smoke & Shadows and Shang.

• Card Draw Engine (Raider + Crime Boss)
• Good scheme marker targets for the Performer
• Excellent placement for charges or into direct combat for the raiders (Smoke & Shadows)
• Triple flips on the attack for the raiders (Shadow Conflux)
• Main theme of list doesn’t rely on Misaki, she will aim for additional kills around the fringes or providing fantastic placement for the Wokou Raiders via Smoke & Shadows.

EDIT: Welp, can't fit the performer. I could if I remove one of the raiders, although probably better to keep it at two for now.

On 18/03/2018 at 8:45 PM, solkan said:

Taking (1) Defensive Stance three times instead of (3) Defensive Stance once in order to discard three cards should be perfectly legal, it's just usually sub optimal. 

I was doing this very thing the other day turn one, cycling a lousy hand with a gremlin crier. 4 lots of (1) defensive stance with two models that were about to be carried by Iron Skeeters anyway, plus things like Earl Burns card discard. Works alright if you’re desperate for a better hand.

8 hours ago, edopersichetti said:

It's a well-known fact that Poison Brewmaster just doesn't work. Too hard to reliably spread poison around, plus a number of other little problems with the mechanics that in the end make it too clunky (for example, it would help if his Drinking Contest was just an aura, rather than a 0 action).

 

Fair enough.

I've personally never really had any trouble getting poison where I need it with a Brewmaster crew, and I'd almost feel it to be OP if I could just liberally spread it around. I'm also pretty sure Drinking Contest would be OP if it was just an aura.

That said - definitely always happy for more options!

9 hours ago, edopersichetti said:

Awesome, looking forward to this box! Could this be the much awaited solution to Brewmaster's problem?

Problem? LIES

Also;  MUST HAVE

I'm fairly new to Malifaux - these crew spotlights are a pretty good way to study up on the game.

Really appreciate it, doing great work.

Spooky factions?

Zipp laughs at your ancient curses!

My work done, I race triumphantly into the clouds

On 23/02/2018 at 3:34 AM, InvokeChaos said:

Hidden Agenda

Hidden Agenda is far and away better on a ranged attacker. Doesn't really matter who it is, actually. But my favorite target is Gwyneth Maddox.  I know she is proxy bait right now, so I'll offer a secondary in a moment, but let me ramble a moment, hehe. 

Gwyneth has 3 solid things she can do that plays well into your crew. Her rigged deck can help you fish for suits (like the lure for the Oiran) or just high cards in general. Something I've been doing lately is leaving low cards on the top after using her Hit Me so that I can shoot into a melee and know who is flipping what. She can drop a scheme marker at range which is excellent in the current environment. And she heals on being missed, which combined with Swill, makes her a quite attractive tank. Not to mention her reposition works awesome when you can swill targets AND brilliance them.  Or spread the love  If you did want to run the bubble, she definitely can enable that. 

Otherwise, Sue is a great model for Hidden Agenda. He draws a card every turn, has a min3 gun on positives that Sh5 is much less worried about when swill is around, and has a great anti-cast aura that can really be useful. 

Looking at the more long range, you really only have Hans, as he's the only upgrade carrying sniper, abd Brewie does help his mobility a bit. 

You're probably right about Hidden Agenda being better on a ranged attacker - although I plan on getting my Katanaka Crime Boss right in there anyway. I'll keep an eye out for Gwyneth - not going to proxy anything, I can wait. I'd like to see the model first before I plan anything. Although I feel like I should really be making use of Brilliance, and it's not what I'm going for.

Sue seems fun too, but the model doesn't suit what I'm trying to go for style wise. That said, guitars and booze go well together so never say never. And when I see the model in person anyway, it'll be like just all other Malifaux models. I'll want it. (Wyrd's renders really don't do the game justice)

On 23/02/2018 at 3:34 AM, InvokeChaos said:

Fingers

Fingers really feels like a waste of 10 points for me.  I know he's amazing. He really is. But he dies to a stiff breeze and one of the moves lately in the game overall has been slightly higher min damage. This makes fingers a huge liability as losing a 10ss model to three AP is just HURTFUL. He has next to no offensive capability, which would be find if his defense tech was strong enough to make up for it. It's not. I know he's reckless, but that only goes so far. I think I'd like him more if the defensive trigger was built in somewhere, but as it stands, you have 9wds and soulstones between death. 8 if you recklessed already that turn. Chatty and Don't Mind Me are great, as is I Saws it First... but you can take a Lotus Eater for 6ss and get better defensive tech, a pseudo chatty (not as good, but it does work), and a 0 action scheme marker pop (or just start of activation). And both of it's attack actions are good. Yeah you go to Df5, 7 wds with no stones... but it's a 6ss minion. Rather than a 10ss hench. On a min 3 model, it still takes 3 AP to kill a lotus eater. And if you have aggressive stance up, it could take far more than that. Especially if Brewie is reducing willpower from his poison. 

We just have so many tools right now that can do similar things, maybe not with the efficiency, but with utility. Yamaziko is INSANELY good right now. You have to be careful not to overextend her, but WP7, Stubborn in a game where we are seeing more and more lures and repositions targeting willpower is NICE.  She's nimble, loves getting fast, min3 with blasts... her only downfall is that darned Df4.  But she's SIX STONES. It's totally worth it! Just be careful who you stick her in against. 

Another thought here is that we have access to 10T bros and Yokai and even Charm Warders.  All three are 5ss, all three provide great utility in different areas and you can take 2 of them for one fingers. 10T Bros scheme better. Yokai kill WAY better. And Charm Warders provide some nice utility and defensive synergies while still being able to scheme, albeit not as easily as Bros or Yokai. 

Anna Lovelace, Taelor, Bishop are all 10ss and while they are much more kill oriented in general, in brewmaster they bring a lot of tools he doesn't already have access to. Especially if you're running 3 oiran as basically scheme runners or pseudo-tanks. Hell, even Sun Quiang might be a better pick and again, is cheaper.

Again, not trying to say Fingers isn't good. But I just feel is far superior in gremlins, where his abilities are so much more rare and sought after, and he has more things to help mitigate his defenses, like stilts or dirty cheater.
 

Yamaziko  is a definite possibility. When I've finished painting my Sky Pirates for an upcoming tournament, I'll start on the 10 Thunders models - and Yamaziko is first up.
Great model, just received the updated card. And I really do need to wean myself off Fingers. He's just... 9 games in 10 he'll win me at least 3VP's. 
You're right, time for something new!

10T brothers just make me want to play a crew built around Crime Bosses, Lotus Eaters and 10T Brothers. See that patch of table there? Yeah that's mine. You can't do anything about that. Charm warders also look pretty sweet, hope their models are great... I'm going to have to sit down and properly read all 10T options I think. This gives me a lot to think about.

Hmm. Anna Lovelace. Looks great with Talos in maybe a Misaki crew. Damn I love this game. My wallet does not.
Taelor looks great, but I don't really want to buy that box set (although Ronin...) - I also don't like the Miss alternate model as much as the original. 

Yeah ok, I'll remove Fingers.

On 23/02/2018 at 3:34 AM, InvokeChaos said:

Emissary

I am probably going to take a lot of flak for this, but I don't really like the emissary with Brewie. I know, I KNOW. He's AMAZING... but... aside from the push and fasting models with an upgrade, he's just a ranged ca beater.  A good one, but that's really it.  His 0 action is cute to trigger with Brewie's new upgrade for poison damage, but we have the ability to delete models off the table. Literally. Why spread around poison for the cute trick when you can just swill a target and remove it? Here is where you get the whole, but yasunori thing... yes. With Yasunori and Brewmaster, Shadow is basically stapled on because you want a Fast charging Yasu with the ability to obey him for murder murder murder. 

But if you're not going to do that... Brewie has a lot of interesting options that suddenly become very viable when you can put anyone on negatives. My favorites to look at are:

Obsidian Oni - 0 heal for a low card and their ranged cast is further than emissary's with a better damage track, assuming you can get that straight flip. Which when casting onto negatives, actually happens a lot. 

Obsidian Statue - if your opponent doesn't have anti-armor, this guy is just a pain in the butt though and through. His spew lava is great utility, same range as Emissary and he has a couple of phenomenal 0's. (bonus, he also works well with obsidian oni!)

Illuminated - This plays on the bringing of Gwyneth. The Gwyn/Illuminated package is really really good.  Especially when your opponent is on negatives. I would flat out remove emissary, fingers, and an oiran to pop in Gwyn with 2 illuminated. You aren't styming your Oiran at all, as 2 focused fast minions is still nice. And now you have 2 armor 1, regen 1, self-healing, min 4 beatsticks that are thirsting for the Swill to go out.  Drugs and Alcohol... bad combination. 

Izamu - I know this is a weird one, but bear with me.  Izamu's biggest problem is survival and mobility.  Brewie fixes both of those problems. Your opponent on negatives makes him MUCH tougher (especially if no anti-armor) and you can reposition him easily. He's min 3, can cycle cards when cheating damage, and has 3 attacks a round base.  If you're not going to bring Yasu, this guy isn't a bad choice.

Ototo - Now 10ss with his upgrade, his quintessential problems mirror Izamu's.  But oh my god when you can mitigate those problems. His 0 action to pulse a slow duel when his targets are on negatives is MEAN.  Especially when you are now going to pummel one into the ground and leave the other 2 unable to really do anything. Again brewie fixes his speed problem, and increases his survivability by proxy. My biggest problem with Ototo is honestly his WP4.  He basically needs to have Servant stapled to him.  But at 11ss, straight swap for fingers and running tab, he can bring some serious pain and AP efficiency to a crew that already messes with that.

I have a few more thoughts, but that's enough for one novel!  

Unfortunately for your wall of actually very helpful text there, the Emissary stays. He'll just have the basic upgrade (not the Conflux of Inebriation), but I'm not using him because of his effectiveness. I just really love the model, and the only reason I'm not painting it today is because I need to damn well finish Zipp.
The other options are great though, although straight beaters never really appeal to me play-style wise. I already have Ototo, he'll be painted soon.

On 23/02/2018 at 3:34 AM, InvokeChaos said:

I have a few more thoughts, but that's enough for one novel!  

The thoughts were great! I'll probably spend a lot of today just re-reading through the books to be honest.

6 hours ago, Bazlord_Prime said:

Since the challenge has (kinda) been thrown down (kinda...), here's the S&S for this weekends tourny. @DanteJH: see whether you think you'd rather run Brewy or Z for each Round, and Cadaver_Junkie: see whether you think Brewy would have any particular issues with each ;-)

Round 1: Ply for Information, Standard Deployment. Surround Them, Hold Up Their Forces, Vendetta, Undercover Entourage, Recover Evidence.

Round 2: Ours, Corner Deployment. Guarded Treasure, Show of Force, Public Demonstration, Set Up, Dig Their Graves.

Round 3: Public Executions, Close Deployment. Eliminate The Leadership, Inescapable Trap, Search The Ruins, Take Prisoner, Take One For The Team.

 

Ooooh I like a challenge! In transit now, will return to edit this reply asap.

NOTE: I don't really use Drinking Contest. I actually prefer One for the Road in many situations, like Vendetta or Public Demonstration.
I've also only been playing Malifaux for a little while, so not the best at advice

Round 1 Verdict: Reasonable

* = My Pick

*Ply for Information is ok for Brewmaster; easy enough to obey your own models (with A Friendly Ear) to Ply or move away afterwards, if you have an Akaname. Drinking Contest will be actually useful. Run a Gremlin Crier next to your Brewmaster to completely deny the enemy and draw cards from Binge (although IMO Binge is a little unreliable, I don't take it.)
Watch our for lures - perhaps Sparks is useful here. Moon Shinobi will be fantastic for their reliability at doing severe damage to remove Ply.

Surround Them is easy enough with Fingers, or First Mate, or any fast moving gremlins - but that's not limited to Brewmaster. Not my first choice of schemes.

Hold Up Their Forces is made for Gremlin Criers. And tarpitting Brewmasters. Or swilled Moon Shinobis. Not too bad. Low priority though as it takes 3 turns to score and is too visible to the opponent.

*Vendetta is written for a Swill +1 Moon Shinobi attacking a Swill +2 6SS sucker enemy model.
I would pick this scheme (pending enemy crew), easy three points. Even easier if the Moon Shinobi has a friendly Iron Skeeter dropping him off with Fast late in the turn, you have like 21" range for 3 attacks on something juicy. They wont see it coming. Do it turn 2 if you want to put your opponent off balance.

*Undercover Entourage is made for Fingers. He heals himself and he'll get through on his own easily enough, but shepherd him up one side of the board (or fly him in an Iron Skeeter) for maximum efficiency. Not particular to Brewmaster crews. I would pick this. Also meshes ok with Surround Them.

Recover Evidence is possible, depends entirely on makeup of enemy crew. Not my first pick.

Round 2 Verdict:  Reasonable

*Ours seems fantastic for Tanuki and Gremlin Criers on Iron Skeeters. You'll control the board against many crews, at least a couple of turns. Don't forget that a summoned Wesley or Brewmaster don't count for this Strategy though.

Guarded Treasure is one of those schemes I don't really like - you're telegraphing it to your opponent, no matter how hard to try and be sneaky.

Show of Force is another 'give your opponent a million years to counteract it' scheme. Not my choice. Not great in my Brew Crews either, I run very low on upgrades. Zipp on the other hand...

*Public Demonstration;  Swill on a poisoned enemy model, then obey and move them twice - you can manage this if you're careful. You also have good minion choices in Gremlins. I'd use Swinecursed or Moon Shinobi for reasonably fast models. Plus, they can then go to town on a swilled out of position enemy model. Just don't kill it until after you've revealed the scheme!

*Setup; I have a theory about this one that I really want to try as mentioned earlier in this thread. Two Iron Skeeters, a Tanuki, and Poorly Handled Explosives. A little careful setup and you can get 3 VP pretty easily. Lose the Iron Skeeter with the upgrade and you're in trouble. Fingers is a good alternative to the Tanuki.

Dig Their Graves is not ideal to a Brew Crew. You can build for it, Swill will help, but Swill is likely better at one or two good assassinations over a game, not attrition.

Round 3 Verdict: Tough for (my) Brewmaster

*Public Executions; My Brew Crews are good at dragging down tough single models, not so great at attrition. Will depend on the opponents crew. Use swill everywhere. Gremlin Criers are your friend when they block the Shed Blood condition on enemy models.

Eliminate the Leadership is dangerous to Brewmaster. You can often do a surprise assassination of enemy leaders using swill and a beater or two, but Brewmaster can die  quickly if your opponent focuses down. Or has range and LOS. You likely wont use Drinking Contest in this game - luckily Hangover and Obey have reasonable range!

Inescapable Trap; A telegraphed scheme, which I don't like. That said, if you get someone stuck in a Drinking Contest (which you'll avoid because of Eliminate the Leadership), or if you have Fingers doing his thing, or a Tanuki, or maybe even a performer, it's doable.

*Search the Ruins; 'Disable It' might be great at ruining your opponent's plans if they take this. Really depends on your crew.  Fingers will shine.

*Take Prisoner; Gremlin Crier and Iron Skeeter strike again! If they are still alive at the end of the game that is.This scheme really depends on your opponent's crew, and Obey.

Take One For The Team might not be too shabby with Brewmaster. Obeys and Swills can control the board somewhat.

2 hours ago, DanteJH said:

Hey, sorry to slow down the brewmaster train but I would seriously recommend taking zoraida over brewmaster.

Brewie is great in certain scheme and strat pools but zoraida is ALWAYS applicable. Just warning you, if you choose brewmaster there will be times you won’t have a lot of options for the schemes and strats

Just wondering - which schemes and/or strats do you see as a particular issue? 

EDIT: IMO GG18 looks ok for Brewmaster. Wouldn't say he's the strongest, or better than Zoraida, however I think he has enough tricks in his bag to do alright in most matchups.

13 minutes ago, Sol_Sorrowsong said:

I think you mean "catch" (which gives the volatile explosives condition) but unless I'm reading something wrong or tanuki do something special, using it twice on the same model wouldn't stack. It's not a +1 type condition, like burning

Poorly Handled Explosives gives two (1) Attack Actions.

Most people only ever talk about the 1st one : "Catch"

I much prefer the 2nd one: "Disable It" - you place a scheme marker friendly to the target in base contact with the target, and then the target gains Slow.

There is so much utility it offers! I mean, you can remove enemy scheme markers but not friendly ones - if your opponent has a scheme that requires markers to be a certain distance apart, just force them to place another right next to it! Disable their ability to score. Plus hands out slow.

And with a Tanuki going for Set Up, it's going to use it's front of card ability immediately to place a scheme marker, so who cares if it had Slow beforehand? Not me
 

The Gremlin Crier has effective condition removal for schemes and strats based conditions.

I'm definitely taking one (paired with an Iron Skeeter) to the next tournament, although I'm considering painting up a second one...

20 minutes ago, Bazlord_Prime said:

I love that the Criers are Ht1! It's ludicrous! They've got so much scope to just swoop in on a Skeeter and negate a model or two for "Ours", while counting themselves. They can negate the "Ply" & "Executions" conditions, and they have an okay Ml attack as well. Very cool.

Plus, in some missions I''ll be running them alongside The First Mate, with Where the Captain Can't See and Treasure Map. So much card draw...

7 minutes ago, Bazlord_Prime said:

Re: "Disable It", are you thinking to fly the Skeeters up using one of their own AP, then use an Obey from Brewy so that you get two cracks at it?

That, or I'll have one fly the Tanuki with a double walk from 12" away (harder to see it coming), and the other will already be within 8" for a double smack with the Disable It stick.

EDIT: The Crier can then be dropped off wherever needed, within 12" plus his own walk. Last turn dropping the crier next to what is obviously the opponent's undercover entourage model? Wishful thinking, but if you're careful, hilariously useful!

28 minutes ago, Bazlord_Prime said:

Thanks!

I'm certainly envious of all your positive experiences with Brewy, and I'm looking forward to creating my own fond memories with him, but it turns out that for this tournament, I'm going to go with Zoraida 

I dunno - I just fancy a change, I think. And also, one of the Rounds is "Ours", with "Public Demonstration" & "Set Up" in the Scheme pool. And I don't think that I'm a strong enough man to not take the Pigapult + 3 Tanuki list for that one...  so it's probably best I just avoid it!!

 

I'll be running Tanuki with Iron Skeeters in my next Brewmaster list. 

I feel they are a little more tactically flexible than a Tanukipult, plus dumping a Tanuki next to your target and hitting it twice with Disable It from 'Poorly Handled Explosives' is fantastic for Set Up.  

One Tanuki, one Gremlin Crier, and two Iron Skeeters

7 hours ago, Math Mathonwy said:

Somer's hat is really cruel against Summoners (and others who rely on hitting high suited TNs but Summoners are by far the most common).

Zipp is brutal against Neverborn as he ignores all their defensive tech, basically, and they are squishy and dislike being thrown around.

Except, possibly, Titania. Although she no doubt hates being out of place though, so at the very least throwing her around is a great thing.

I've found The First Mate to be incredibly effective at removing enemy scheme markers, with his "Where the Captain Can't See" upgrade.

Throw in Treasure Map and it can become a little silly at times. 

On 19/02/2018 at 10:26 PM, Eclipse said:

Hello, let's talk about your list

For starters, I would take the Conflux of Inebriation on the Emissary if I am not bringing shooting minions in the game. It gives a bit more mobility and some other interesting things to the crew.
If you ARE taking the Shadow Conflux then you'd better a Katanaka Sniper in there, imo. Having ranged cover fire is great in most games.
Talking about snipers - as @anencephalous said - Hans is now more affordable and can take the 0ss "Hidden Agenda" himself. Another rarely-used option (we are going for that, right?) is Fuhatsu - with two 0ss upgrades (his own and Agenda) he can easily overpower Swilled targets. Another rarely used shooter is the TT Archer - now at 6ss, +1 if you take the archer upgrade.
I would not take Fingers in the crew unless the strat/scheme pool is really, really interact/marker heavy - you could take a ranged threat or a beater in his place. The Whiskey Golem is a very fun model unique to Brewie in TT. However, I like Ama no Zako even more: A lot of mobility and damage, and her Ml5 feels just right when you pass some Swill around
And since you are playing three Oiran - what do you think about taking Yamaziko with Smoke & Shadows? You can drop Smoke Markers with your Oiran now, and if you brought Hans you can shoot from behind the smoke, too.

Thank you Eclipse for the reply!

Difficulty I have with Conflux of Inebriation is that the Zero action competes with the others inbuilt on the Emissary's card, and it's not as strong.
The inbuilt bonus of additional movement also relies on another factor (poisoned Emissary), which I may not always have, and again isn't necessarily as strong a bonus as +1 flip for minions.

Katanaka Sniper could be great though. It's probably not going to receive bonuses from the Emissary, but as a damage dealer against swilled targets it may excel. How do these guys fare scheming wise? I do like the infiltration aspect.

Fuhatsu, simply put: I don't like the model. So I'll never want to use it. Just personal preference though! Also, he's a pure damage dealer which I isn't my play style - I feel it limits my tactics too much. 

Fingers though, I've found to be pretty much an auto include in every single game - I've maybe had 1 game in 10 where he hasn't been singly responsible for at least 3VPs. I find it really difficult to have any alternative to this model, because I've never found anything to match it. Only because Brewmaster doesn't really need dedicated beaters in his list, because Swill creates beaters out of truly average models - so I find the more efficient lists run more schemers than damage dealers. Probably why I haven't considered the Archers either.

Whiskey Golem I use a LOT. For this list, it's either the Emissary or the Golem (or Fingers). I just feel that the Emissary will fit better - although the Golem would be a great place to put Hidden Agenda. This guy may find a place in some games, definitely.

Ama no Zako I hadn't considered at all! I'll give this one a think, cheers. 

And Yamaziko? Definitely. Looking forward to painting that one, model is in the mail right now

On 1/19/2018 at 10:42 PM, Dominion said:

Yes they are.

Brewie goes very well with kill schemes/strat.

Just swill and see the enemy fall for whatever model you throw at him.

Lucky effigy and desperate mercenaries like big Time working with The Brewmaster

Agreed!

Swill makes average hitting models excellent - so you can get killing mileage out of schemers that also punch.
No need to use dedicated killers in this crew. Although I have found that Swinecursed punch damn hard in a Brewmaster list.

If you've never used Brewmaster before, remember these things;

• His Zero aura is normally a trap, for the Brewmaster player. Don't rely on it, try not to plan around it. Incidentally it can be brutal, but you'll want to be using swill.
  Also means you don't have to worry about going first, or getting stuck in. Although it's nice if you can get it.
• Swill. Swill swill swill. It makes your average models crazy good, and supercharges Moon Shinobi (although you are already aware!) Best use of the Brewmaster's AP, apart from a strategic Obey.

I'm  not convinced about Binge; you are spending a very important resource (Master AP) to remove an often less important resource (opponent card of opponent's choosing). Also, every use of Binge is an AP not spent on Swill...

24 minutes ago, anencephalous said:

My hot tip for Oiran is Hans.

I used to run a few, years back, if there was some nice high terrain I could pop Hans on. At one point cheaper, it cannot be all bad.

With focus and shoot he is pretty much guarenteed to damage something at the top of every turn, giving your Orian fast (and if you put him on a high point, keeps them in line of sight even if they are off scheme running).

5 point fast minions every turn, its like being in Gremlins. Only worse.

Hans eh? I’ll give it a thinking session

Likely less reliable than attacking a Swilled target, but with more availability due to range and less setup cost. Although then there’s the other benefits of the crime boss just being in there... yeah I’ll have to think about it cheers.

As for Gremlins, it’s Brewmaster!  But I get your point 

8 hours ago, Jesy Blue said:

You didn't take Binge on The Brewmaster, you took Recall Training.... simple clerical error, same point cost.

Getting the Crime Boss to hurt someone and keeping the Oirans near the Emissary yields them a double positive flips on their first Lure into the bubble, then single positive thereafter, or focused twice more and a single quadruple positive flip Lure.... that should get the right suit most times. 

And that's the problem is getting that Crows suit when you really need it.  It's going to be hit or miss, either it will be amazing or it will suck eggs.

Cheers for the reply!

I guess I should have outlined something in my style of Brewmaster play - I don't use his zero aura "Drinking Contest" very often, and I don't plan my lists around it. I've found it to be a trap - for the Brewmaster player! Last tournament I won four out of five games; in two of those I didn't use the aura at all. It's all about Swill!

Which means the Oirans don't need to use their Lure, except when it's useful for schemes and strats. 

My point is, I feel the same way about Binge. It's a fun gimmick, but it's also a trap. Swill or Obey are much stronger, especially if you take the new upgrade: A Friendly Ear. So I think I'll swap out Recalled Training for A friendly Ear. Sure, Wesley can use Binge to order your own models around, but with A Barkeep Never Sleeps I'm much more aggressive with Wesley, often have him out in front of Brewmaster and doing things to interrupt my opponent instead of just hiding somewhere within 6" and being a wasted activation.

Swill against your own guys is ok. Swill against the enemy is simply trading a master AP for an opponent card of their choosing, and I'm not sure that's a great exchange most of the time.

Hmmmm. One for the Road into Obey with A Friendly Ear, I get a free move, poison for 4 non-reducable damage against a target that's then doing something for me. Not too bad.

The Katanaka Crime boss adds a positive flip to damage not attack, which will help offset the low results of flutter - but you are 100% awesomely correct on the focused.

• Which begs the question - an  Oiran with Focused + 1 and Flutter. Does the Focus apply to all related Flutter trigger attacks? I'm guessing not, but that would be OP. Especially against Swilled targets.
• What do people think about attacking with the Katanaka Crima Boss, giving all Oiran Fast and Focused. Then Obeying him at the end of the turn for another attack, giving all the Oiran Fast and Focused again before the next turn begins?