ElPuto

15 minutes ago, InvokeChaos said:

How'd the game go? Who did you end up picking?

Faced Colette, Cass, Carlos, Myranda, 2 Perfs, Effigy.
Lost 8-4, unfortunately, but was my first game with Mei, so it didn't go so badly after all.

I took Punish the Weak and Hold Up Their Forces:

Mei + 5 SS

- Press the Advantage

- Seismic Claws

- Vapormancy

Emberling

Kang

- Equality

- The Peaceful Waters

Sparks

- Hidden Agenda

Shadow Emissary

- Conflux of Combat

Mechanized Porkchop

Monk of Low River

Rail Worker


Chose Mei for the mobility, relative tankiness and killing power.

Kang was there to tank for Hold Up and for Punish, Equality to maximize his staying power, so the LRM (a bad choice from me, he could have been something different). The list was good, the Conflux too, I just overcommitted the Porkchop and the Emissary, so my bad about their bad positioning.

Emberling and, as I said, LRM were bad choices, given my unexperience with the Master.

Sparks was one of my favorite models here, did always a great job, giving Fast to Kang in one situation, another target for Punish. Not too shabby at all. Hidden Agenda was there for a needed fast from Emissary, 'cause who knows what happens.

So, after game thoughts, I should have hired better runners, 'cause I didn't take any Symbols, got my points from Hold Up twice and Punish the Weak twice.

Maybe I will write a bit of a battle report, if anyone is interested.

21 minutes ago, Fenriel said:

Having recently switched to hamelin, I'm looking for advice for gg2018. I'd like to play him for as many strats as possible for the practice. 

Some of the changes make some models (A&D) who used to be autotake not so good for things like ply or public execution. Condition removal also seems to be a weakness unless Johan is often included. 

Do you sacrifice early Rat Kings to become rat catchers since they are easy to replace? 

Plague pits. Thoughts? I really like them but savvy opponents are wise enough to send cheap models up to remove them early on making them not quite as effective as I'd like but solid for 1 SS. It's not the cost but more the upgrade slot that is the challenge since Obey is an autotake.

Bishop (as an armor or other bypass), Anna (versus Lilth or a few others) and Benny all seem to be solid beaters. Obey seems to be excellent for Sue (fixes slow movement and extra min 3 shot). Taelor versus ressers seems viable also. 

So crooligans & rats for runners and tailor beaters to taste/opponent? 

Thoughts? 

Benny Wolcomb for min 4 damage targetting Upgrades' carriers with The Bigger They Are and another Ca 6, The Midnight Stalker to run around can be really effective. You listed some good choices too.

Wanted to start a discussion about what changes or wishlisting we'd like to see inside the Faction. Spreading ideas is never a bad thing.

I will start with a list of models I regularly play or own, and everyone can add their preferences:

The Brewmaster: add him Infiltration Tri-Chi, change some of his Upgrades into something useful. The Good Stuff is just horrible.

Ama No Zako: she wants to punch stuff, Ml 6 will be enough.

Sidir Alchibal: one of my favorite models in the Faction, I just don't know what his role is supposed to do. Slow, no tanking abilities (but he wants to tank, medium base + By Your Side), his damage output is nothing to write home about. Probably, the best choices for him will be Bulletproof +1 and/or Hard To Kill.

Guild Pathfinder: stripping out the suit from his Set The Trap ability, done.

Monk of High River: damage spread up to 2/3/4 or a longer threat. The cost reduction was good tho.

Tengu: Df and Wp 5 maybe?

Thunder Archer: Df 5, good cost right now.

Wastrel: oh Jesus, lovely models, but here there's a lot to do in my opinion. They can walk to get Defensive +1, but with Df 4, it doesn't seem a strong deal. They're on the slow side, so they can't run efficiently (except for the  trigger on Cast-Offs, which I consider an incredible ability), they can't tank enough, and they're damage spread is good just thanks to two triggers from a 2 Ap Action. They can be a lot better than this, just with some devices.

What are your ideas guys? What would you like to see?

9 minutes ago, Diceman87 said:

I’ve played a lot of Parker, and your list is pretty spot on with what I’ve been using.  I don’t have Marleena or Desperate Mercs yet, but I do like what I’m seeing with them and will be picking them up.

As far as your upgrade suite goes, I haven’t found a need for Oathkeeper.  Generally I like to keep two upgrades on Parker (ex black market and hidden steel plate) and cycle the third around.  Yes, turns happen where you BJ the Five Finger Discount, but I like having more tools available and taking that hit when it comes.  Preference, really.

To your questions:

1.  Is Parker viable in GG18?  I’d argue yes, based on my own experiences and by looking at his access to condition removal and mobility tools.

2.  What wrecks this crew?  I have the hardest time with fast melee crews that engage my shooty models early, or crews that drastically out activate me.  Mad Dog can absolutely kill a model a turn, but its much harder if he’s engaged at 1.1”. This is why Ive been digging Anna Lovelace- shuts down most Alpha strikes, similar damage output, plus a host of other goodies.

3.  What Strats doesn’t this play into?  The only strat in GG18 I’m hesitant on bringing Parker into is symbols of authority.  That’s because you need to get into your opponents face in order tear down their markers.  Midnight Stalker + Pretty Floral Bonnet -can- do it, but the rest of the crew doesn’t want to be in melee, so if they take down the Stalker you’re in for a hard time.

Cheers on trying Parker out in GG18!  Any chance we’ll see some of your game experiences written up in the Battle Report subforum?

Your words always warm my heart.

1 hour ago, DanteJH said:

I play themeatic brewmaster in friendlies and a more serious one in tournaments. I think it’s important to note I take him in marker/interact heavy pools 

For friendlies

brewie with stilts/hide I the mud, drinking problem and running tab if I want Tanuki (which I usually do)

wesley

whiskey golem

-barrel up

fingers

Mix of moon shinobi or Tanuki depending if I want more death or more markers

i have a LOT of fun with this list utilizing an underused upgrade that means I very rarely suffer casualties.

for serious games

brewie 

-stilts/hide in the mud

-running tab

 

golem

-barrel up/drinking problem

fingers

francois/trixie

-dirty cheater

raphael/sammy

-dirty cheater/binge

x2 Tanuki 

I have 3 versions of this list, one more offensive, another defensive and I take drinking problem if quick murder or eliminate is in the pool.

Ive never compared lists with other brewie player (I’m the only gremlin out of the 60 people that play tourneys in my area) so I don’t know how you’d read this but I can assure you I’ve never dropped a game with him yet!

 

 

 

Wonderful, thanks mate!

3 hours ago, DanteJH said:

Hi, I play brewmaster A LOT and I totally get what your friend is feeling, I’ve had a lot of people concede games because they FEEL like they can’t do anything.

Here’s what I hate to play against with brewmaster: if people just ignore him it’s extremely frustrating because brewmaster does nothing on his own, give him one model to play with or just make him waste his ap moving because getting a model fully drunk takes a couple ap. As for Wesley, usually brewmaster wants to go as early as possible so if you can kill wesley after he activates brewmaster looses a huge safety net. With the summoning him back, it’s a 0 action which means that drinking contest can’t be put up so take that chance to get your hits in, remember, brewmaster is only df 5 with almost nothing defensive. Brewmaster is very weak to shooting, any way you can hit him outside his bubble is a pain (unless he takes hide in the mud, good upgrade) but he hates casting even more. One thing that I can’t stand is ruthless, it just ruins a lot of his power. He’s also very strategy dependant, if he’s forced to spread out in something like ours or needs to kill poeple in executions you’ll find a very hard game ahead. 

To be frank tell your friend to remain vigilant, a big part of brewmasters game is actually crushing the opponents will and in tournaments, I play brewmaster in a way to make them hopeless and frustrated, that’s how he ACTUALLY wins. I’ve won more games by conceit than not with brewie not helped by the fact it’s usually peoples first time playing him. I encourage your mate to have another go with him because I love his flavour and his themeatic crew, good luck!

What do you usually play with him?

Just now, Cadaver_Junkie said:

I've just started painting up my Zipp crew, but I'm messing around with:

First Mate + Treasure Map + Where the captain can't see (for card draw and discard)
AND Gremlin Crier - draw a card whenever a card is discarded. Hilarity ensues if you have multiple criers (although they are expensive).

Oh forgot about Mate, yes!

Criers are fun, and can make new Bayou Gremlins for Dread Pirate, so they're totally worth!

16 hours ago, Seadhna said:

neither Bishop nor Ama are beaters, sadly. Our beater options are Taelor, AnD, Johan, Talos and Deso Engine, all either much better played with Von Schill's new mechanial arm extravaganza or inferior to Mr. Brackett in terms of survivability, reach, AP efficiency and damage for the point cost.

Bishop can beat well, surely he's not on the same level of other models. Brackett is not that survivable in my opinion, but maybe you're referring to constant SS usage, which Parker makes possible.

3 hours ago, TeddyBear said:

Today i had my second game with Zipp, both the first and the second against Molly. Besides bad luck..(every times that i declared a walk with my skeeters, i flipped crows every time! And i never saw highest cards than 8 in my hands, also i lost always initiative flip)

I am sure, i've be wrong a lot. I always used two skeeters in my lists.. to bring me back models like burt(with dirty cheater) or pere. Very often with them triggers didn't work, on top of that i could not cheat from my hands)

I also had a slop hauler, for healing them back

I would ask you just a couple of things: once i have no more cards in my hands, there is a way to draw some cards with zipp or his pieces?

How i can obtain a scrap marker for earl for give a + to zipp?

When someone attack zipp, and i lost the duel i can place him within 6"..but earl stay there??

Do you have any advices please for facing Molly? i prefer give to Zipp "no quarter" because Molly can use 2 strong actions at 0

 

Thanks again

Do Over, maybe attached to Merris. Watch 3 cards, change order with her 0, draw 2 discarding Do Over.

Scraps: Sparks, when a Gremlin is killed within 6" and LoS can decide to make him drop a Scrap instead of a Corpse; Mechanized Porkchop gives a Scrap after a Wk once per Turn; dead Skeeter; dead Survivors.

Aye for Earl.

Right choices. Sammy with Diatribe to make her discard some cards may be an option. 

Symbols of Authority

- Punish The Weak

- Covert Breakthrough

- Take Prisoner

- Hold Up Their Forces

- Inescapable Trap

Tonight I'll face a friend of mine with Arcanists. 

Pointed on Mei Feng and Brewmaster as my possible choices: what do you suggest to take with them as list?

Mei is probably good with Punish The Weak and Hold Up Their Forces.

Fingers could be good in Covert Breakthrough.

Both the Masters (better Brewie) can isolate enemy models to score easier on Take Prisoner.

19 hours ago, Seadhna said:

boy is this model broken.

Nix will die to a sidelong glance and do nothing but prevent blast damage for 10 SS.

Benny will give you more rats, more Blight without duels, deny marker schemes, do ridiculous amounts of damage with Bigger They Are attached (how about min 4 against henchmen and enforcers with upgrades? also, a lonely McCabe is crying in a corner), ping for that extra wound with Swarm even with no rats around (Rat King are Vermin too!), heal himself off rats.

And then Turn 3 he will start blowing things up with Bleeding Disease.

He's a tank, a controller and damager all in one, I've run him for a half dozen games and he's never disappointed.

 

 

seeing as how he's the leader of the sewer thugs known as the Brotherhood of the Rat, Bandit suits him just fine

Finally, some love words!

16 hours ago, Lokibri said:

And a question for you guys: Which upgrade would you stick on Izamu while playing him in TT?

Probably Recalled Training or Hidden Agenda. The first to kill stuff dead, the second 'cause it costs 0 SS and so you're targettable by Obsidian Oni or Emissary.

Man, I love this community. It gets better everytime at clarifying rules and discuss over things.

Hats off guys.

As @Ludvig said, Ohaguro can be a pain. Nimble from McCabe, Fast from the Emissary and she can kill whatever you need.

Shenlong can help you too, if you plan to buy a new box. He has the tool to build an effective gunline.

Taelor maybe? She and Kang can be partners in crime and walk the battlefield as a deadly tandem.

My vote is for McCabe, surely he adds a lot of mobility to your beaters but even to your runners and he can kill stuff on his own. 
 

13 minutes ago, Mrbedlam said:

I played Hamelin in Ours vs Marcus in a tournament this weekend. Went 5-5 that could have been 6-5 if I hadn't made an awful mistake. Crew was 

Hamelin (Pits, Piper, Sewer King)

Stolen

Laz (Oathkeeper)

Nothing Beast (Void Shield, Oathkeeper)

Obedient Wretch

2 Void Wretches

2 Malifaux Rats

Have you used Useless Toy successfully? If yes, targeting which model?

2 hours ago, Nikodemus said:

Leaps 7'' on a 6 of any suit. That's most of what you need to know really. Very master agnostic. Anything that requires moving or interacting a lot is good for them. Far as GG18 strats go, I find one to be a pretty appealing pick for Symbols of Authority. Their main defensive ability is the fact that enemy shouldn't have a good shoot/charge line on them.

Don't solely focus on leap though. I started getting more mileage out of them once I realised their opportunistic offensive potential. They can leap 7'', Focus+2 for 1AP and then shoot Ca6 1/3/4 with 8'' range. Or, less often, charge/punch with their ml5 2/3/4. I've sniped a fair few targets of opportunity while leaping towards objectives.

As above, they seem pretty good at doing scheme-running and they can mix up a bit with Ml or Ca, so they can be a good next buy.

3 hours ago, -Loki- said:

Leap is pretty awesome on a scheme runner. Move your Cg ignoring terrain for a 0 action? Yes please. That leap is longer than the 4" distance between scheme markers. So one Monk can lay down two markers in a turn. Or one and move a long distance. Or none and move nearly half the board. They're in the same boat as Silurids. They're pricey for scheme runners (same ss cost, actually), but they just do it really well.

Unlike Silurids, they have Butterfly Jump which can save you in a pinch. As long as they're near terrain you have to position really well to hit them or they will push out of LoS or range and your attack fails. Same thing makes them nearly impossible to engage in Ml. It's like Pandoras Fading Memories, except it doesn't require you to pass a Wp roll but is 1" less.

So they're good! Thanks mate, was wondering on what buying next between Crime Bosses or them.

4 hours ago, FinalForm said:

Bro, just read their cards. MGs are awesome
Durable, mobile models, that offer extra protection to models near them. They add so much mobility to the melee lists I cant even say.
Top pics in McCabe due to reactivation and in LJ. Francisco is highly recomended with them (+2 def and is like absolute protection) and they can give him a ride. 

Do you think they can be useful taken into 10T McCabe too? They seem pretty good, overall, and he can bring at least one (and then some Hounds or Investigators or don't know).

Unfortunately, couldn't get the wonderful Wild Ones box during Black Friday.

This brought me some questions then: are Mounted Guard worth their cost?

Which are the Masters you're using them with? 

I'm thinking of buying a box of them, but I'm still unsure.

Opinions on the Monks?

They seem good enough to scheme-running with Butterfly Jump and Leap, but their defensive stats are meh. They're obviously expensive, but are they effective for their cost?

What are they supposed to be? Just a mixed-arts model?

Anyone having success with them? Maybe with Shenlong (just because... thematic)?

What's your opinion on Reva's right-hand man? Is he worth his cost? Is he useful with her?

Can't seem to find anything about him that helps me understand.

8 hours ago, andrewgeddon said:

Appreciate the suggestions! I had been looking at the Crossroad 7 as I saw a lot of people recommending them,  but it seems the box is out of production? Can't find it anywhere online or locally. 

Got the same problems, seems so.

7 hours ago, Meliondor said:

Welll...is Mc Tav still woth it for 11 stones?

I think Johan and Burt are out, because the prices are reasonable now...and reasonable does not mean "great" :-(.

Johan is playable, maybe less than before, but still useful.

Burt is still a beast, so no problem here.

McTavish is a fine ranged piece, maybe a bit overpriced right now. 10 points was perfect for him.

9 minutes ago, Diceman87 said:

Exploding Banasuva makes everyone’s day rough.  He’s a solid model, and Sandeep is generally excellent.

You are welcome!  I think Anna is a great all around choice despite the Merc tax.  I take her in most of my crews for:

1. Her auras to shut down pushes and places.  

2. Her Ca 6, min 3, doesn’t randomize Attack.  It plays really well with Dead Man Walking (“Oh, you Walk into engagement so I can’t shoot you?  Anna don’t care.”)

3. Rush of magic.  Card cycling is always nice.

Vortex is a handy 0 to have in most games, as it can drain cards from hand or completely disrupt a bubbled crew.  Seishin summoning is less reliable (I find it pretty card intensive) but the payoff in activations and even more healing for Parker is nice.

All that said, I probably over value Anna because I’m worried about push/ place shenanigans in my local meta (Yan Lo, Kirai, Nellie, and Kaeris everywhere) so please take my comments with some salt.  

Really helpful, thanks mate! 

3 minutes ago, Diceman87 said:

To get the third stone a turn with Parker, you need to use “Stick Up” and have your opponent choose to give you a stone. Depends entirely on your opponent- some I’ve faced just tank the damage.  You can also get another stone from Dead Man Walking from High Noon (it’s the built in removal for it).

How often did you try/ land Hands in the Air on Sandeep or the mages?  I find it really pressures summoners when they have to discard two cards per summon.

I’ve also been trying Taelor, and the changes to her cost have really helped her I think.   Might I also recommend Anna Lovelace?  She’s become a near staple in my Parker crews (auras shut off alpha pushes, synergy with Dead Man Walking, summons Seishin for activations and healing...I could go on).

for Ours generally-

Like others have said, Hamelin is fine in Ours.  You just won’t play the “everything is expendible” route, just the “almost everything is expendible” route.  I do feel Ashes and Dust are fine in it, since they force your opponent to deal with a huge chunk of Soulstone in a quarter.  If they do?  Now your A&D can merrily tear through their crew, and you won’t care if it dies because any AP they spend attacking it after that point isn’t going into your other scoring models.  That said, I don’t own Hamelin or A&D, so that’s just my armchair faux.

Unfortunately, the table was full of cover and LoS blocking, and he just kept on striking me with a Banasuva every turn. Mages were far away, so the Acolyte and Carlos. I could get them only with the Stalker, who did his job then died to Kandara + Acolyte. That's it, I couldn't put my conditions on enemy 'cause I was yet behind and I tried to play safe, especially after losing half of my list to Banasuva exploding lol.  
Thanks for the advises btw, I will surely put Taelor and Anna on the table. Do you think the latter is worth 10 points? Or even 11 if I choose for an Upgrade on her?