touchdown

One other thing you can do to handicap yourself is take schemes you normally wouldn't. Try to do runic binding with Levi, see if you can. That doesn't require playing worse or taking a worse list (but it might change your list building to try to accomplish those schemes).

In 2ed, Oxphordian Mages were considered really bad and in an effort to balance them, they got a 0 cost upgrade that reduced their price by 1 if you hired all 3. So reducing the cost for taking multiple of one model is something that's been done before.

I'm willing to quantify this. Models should be useful in 1/4 of pools/matchups at the low end and 3/4 at the high end. To follow up on your later post about bad magic cards, this still has good and bad models, but also every model can be used at least some of the time. I also don't believe there should be autotakes in a game that has back and forth crew selection.

and no inhuman reflexes on the mature or Levi is getting that damage with no cheating

I only really know Outcasts well enough, but there's a big difference between 5 and 6 stone models in our faction. I think every 6 stone minion is worth taking for certain roles. Dead Outlaws are probably the worst one, and they're fine. We also have 1 6 stone Hench who's very good. Then you get to 5 stones, and you have roughly 3 tiers. The Guilty and Obedient Wretch are very good, then Big Jake is solid, and Freikorpsman and Banditos are just so hard to justify over other choices. I don't think the latter 2 are unplayable, but when you compare them to other choices it always comes up against a model you don't have to worry about getting one shot'd. At 4 stones, you have 2 good models (Void Wretch, Effigy), 2 models that are ok (Student of Conflict, and Abomination) and then 2 that are actively bad to the point of unplayable (Desperate Merc, Winged Plague). So there's a pattern here of the weak models at each stone level getting progressively worse than their competition for selection. I don't think the problem is pass tokens, but rather the balancing gets harder. You can live with a 10 stone model that does 9 stones worth of work, that's a loss of 10%. A 4 stone model that does 3 stones worth of work? That's a 25% loss.

Have this bouncing around in my mind, let me know what you think about it New Viktoria Chambers Crew (Outcasts) Size: 50 - Pool: 10 Leader: Viktoria Chambers Totem(s): Viktoria Chambers 2 Hires: Desperate Mercenary Desperate Mercenary 2 Prospector Prospector 2 Prospector 3 Then you take 1 more master (At first I was thinking Von Schill, Parker, or Zipp, but the more I thought about it, I could see Levi, Tara, or even Hamelin [for the lure]). The prospectors just hide as far back as possible and generate resources to make your 3 masters superpowered. The Desperate Mercs are there basically just because they're the cheapest way to hold an evidence marker, but if they're hiding with the Prospectors, that means stacking focus. When you're opponent finally gets to them, well 2 focused shots with a 1/3/5 damage track might surprise them. You could also have the Mercs attack each other so you get that demise card draw and have the Prospectors protect the dropped markers on your back line. I also think you'd be surprisingly good at scheming. The Viks, and especially with Parker, could do spread them out, breakthrough, or sabotage. Likewise, Tara and a 2 summons could get that done. Von Schill getting rocket boots on your minions mean they could do those or possibly catch and release. Land Mines would put research mission on the table. Levi should make Leave Your Mark or Claim Jump doable.

Thanks for all the advice. Feels like there's a lot going on with this keyword and I'm still digesting it.

I generally prefer poses that show personality rather than motion (eg 1st and 2nd edition Viks look much cooler than 3rd to me). So I'm ok with Maxine just looking cool and collected. I could see if every model looks that way, it being a bummer though

@SEV I'm not sure you'd expect a flat distribution. Probably a bell curve is more likely with most masters in tier 2 and a smaller number either clearly above or below that. However, it's also possible to see a skewed distribution if the balancing techniques Wyrd uses favor either weaker or stronger over the opposite.

mass slow is interesting, I know because I've spent a number of games camping Thunder Archers or Freikorps Scouts in concealing severe terrain and causing my opponent a lot of problems.

it's also weird they don't have unimpeded like other mounted models

You can't put strategy tokens on the Viks. It's non-master

I'm dipping my toes into 10t and Misaki is super fun. However, in my first 2 games, I'm not getting to take advantage of Ninja Vanish. How do you set it up? Are you trying to get out scheme markers so you can turn them into shadow markers for Misaki/Trigger conditions, or do you drop Misaki's markers so Toragake can leap around? Is it worth it to make a scheme marker and ninja vanish it into a shadow marker without really moving to give Misaki more exit points?

Bayou Zoraida could have ruthless

oh huh, I wonder why I thought that. Weird then climbing gear does not seem to help much. Guess you can go through severe terrain.

Von Schill doesn't have a great option for catch and release (although I could see doing it with a librarian or engineer with some upgrades), and no way to guarantee research mission. Otoh scouts are amazing at vendetta. Any outcast crew can do leave your mark between the emissary, and prospectors. I think he's a great option here. Alyce makes pit traps. Necropunks and Scavengers are both great at catch and release. A scavenger can do vendetta in a pinch. Finally, I have to say the Viks could do it . Ronin are great options for Hidden Martyrs, Catch and Release (no thinks twice if you send one to attack a hench and then after reveal you're battle tempoing/on the moving away and ending up 15" away). They can also do Vendetta. You'd have to bring an ook model if you want to threaten or make sure you accomplish research mission (I like Alyce here a lot, but Mad Dog or even Zipp are good options). Big Jake is always fun as your sacrifice option for Hidden Martyrs. The one thing to worry about is that the non-leader Vik is a juicy Vendetta target.

It lets you climb at full speed instead of half right?

I think it's great you found a combo that works. There's no one way to play Malifaux

To be honest, the fear of what Hans can do generally effects the game more than what he does. My opponent spending AP walking to non-ideal locations to hide is worth a lot. I have no problem cheating an 11 crows in to get slow (in this situation I would probably not do Field Guide). I mostly use Field Guide on turn 1 while playing cagey. Once the big action starts, I should be shooting from 14" so I'm more willing to live with top deck, unless there's a juicy opportunity.

at 14" it's 4-5 damage and slow/staggered (either and in some cases both), or if you need it, a 3,4,6 damage track. Being able to reach out and touch any enemy model on turn 1 (or forcing them to hide behind terrain) and then doing work on later turns is big. Most beaters are just double walking or walk-focusing turn 1.

Yeah on turn 1, it's often the same result. They're only getting 1 ap of movement. All you need is 1 card of either suit and be able to hit.

Just putting slow + 2 damage from 24" away on turn on a key model is good

I think Hans is seriously underrated. Handing out slow/staggered from 24" away is huge. No other faction can do that (Crypsis Corps can do staggered but no way guarantee the suit)

Foundry and Wastrel will give you some additional flexibility by being dual faction. Even staying fully in keyword that means a different set up upgrades, but then of course also versatiles and ook. If you need stuff to stay alive, McCabe basically has to take models not in keyword though. Although he does have a lot of good models in keyword. I'm personally quite partial to Bandit. They can do all the strategies in gg1 at least at an average level. That said, if the scheme pool is entirely congregate in the middle, they can struggle.

sorry my reply was meant in jest, but didn't come across right