theamazingmrg

Is LLC that useful for Guild Hoff? Only* Hoff, Joss, Howard, and the Steamfitters can take it, and Joss and Howard are pretty much self-sufficient from Turn 2 onwards so don't rely on the Hoffball quite the same. *And Ryle, but he's DMH so doesn't count!

If Wyrd want to make an interesting decision out of it they should put the ability on a model that is a) worth taking, or b) relies on not removing the Burning for something else. You'll notice I don't have the same complaint of anti-synergy with the Witchling Thrall, who also removes Burning to heal himself. Or of Sonnia herself who uses Burning as fuel for Scorch the Soul, but also needs it to remain for Seeking Flames and Smothering Flames (which makes Scorch the Soul a gamble if the opposing model has a way to reduce the damage caused by it). The Queller is garbage, the Thrall is well worth taking (better synergy with other models: Witchling Handler for the extra move, Sonnia for the ability to summon it, No Love For Witchlings in general). instead we get a model that removes the fuel that the key models our of the rest of the faction but doesn't add much except for a niche anti-summoning aura that they need to be close to use, and a conditional Scheme Marker drop, which honestly the Spellcaster serves the scheming purpose better (and cheaper).

Plus Foundry use the Scrap to get the models where they need to be and then can use that Scrap for greater effect. In that way the Scrap removal is actually very synergistic for them. The opposite of the Burning removal on the Queller.

I know. How dare Wyrd not use my naming conventions! It's a disgrace, I tell you!

Quellers are mostly pretty awful though, and can only drop Scheme Markers at range by removing the Burning that the rest of the crew really likes (and Sonnia needs to summon the Witchlings). Spellcasters are affected by Severe Terrain (Stalkers are not, so another Scheme running option would be welcome. Especially whe Stalkers are more expensive than the Spellcasters. The Stalkers could really do with a bonus action. It doesn't have to be Scheme-related, but I do think that would help.

Something that allows Witchlings in range to drop a Scheme Marker somehow (probably as a bonus action) would work wonders I think. If they could actually act as Scheme runners to go with the delightful 14" Mv they get from the Handler it would be a different story.

The only non-Minion Witchling is the Totem and that doesn't really need the extra 2" movement. It can still move 15" a turn and set things on fire. For a 2SS (technically) model that's not bad at all.

The 3E box (Crack in the Foundations) should be coming at the end of this month, so not that long to wait for them. And I am definitely waiting for them!

Honestly, shipping from the US to UK is so bad I'm just buying the boxes I need models from at my FLGS. Keeps them in business, costs about the same, and this way I've extra models to play around with or sell as the mood takes me.

I was half right about Protect and Serve - It is Guardians and Riotbreakers. Which means my initial prediction of a box with those models was correct, so I wonder if my other guesses are too? Image can be found at www.fantasywelt.de/Malifaux

Preview images are up at www.fantasywelt.de/Malifaux Spot on except for Protect and Serve which is an Augmented box with Guardians and Riotbreakers.

Yeah, turn 1 I can get a power token (occasionally 2) on everyone. Beyond that it gets much trickier as you need to spread out to achieve your objectives. Power token self-generation isn't great (unless you're joss).

I'm not sure my experience with Hoffman bears out the "Augmented are one of the sturdiest crews in the game" comment. They pay the price for that Armor with the low Df and Wp, so they are taking hits more often, and lower Wounds so it only actually takes a couple of good hits to kill things. But I am notorious for bad flips and drawing terrible control hands, so my experience is entirely anecdotal. God bless the Steward though.

I can look at Quellers abilities and think "yeah, I could use that" but every time I've had them on the table I've wished I'd taken something else. After all, Drain Magic is quite common in the crew (albeit only on melee attacks outside of the Queller) so its not enough of a reason by itself. They have some niche uses but the overall package is disappointing.

That is true, but you can get three Spellcasters to do that (potentially with Fast) for the same price as two Quellers. Admittedly the Quellers are longer range with a higher stat, but still.

Agreed. Sanctioned Spellcasters are simply a cheap Burning delivery mechanism that can get Fast to scheme when necessary. Quellers are a weird model that needs to get fairly close to the enemy to get the most out of it, but has no ability to deal damage in melee so can be shut down by simply being engaged. I actually think it might be better in Journalist crews than Witch Hunters because of its ability to apply Burning +1, then end it to drop a Scheme marker that the Journalists can play off. It just doesn't work in Witch Hunters because you don't want to be ending the Burning to drop that Scheme Marker in that crew (and that's really the only useful thing about the Queller).

Tools for the Job is most definitely card draw. It's not card advantage though, which is a different thing entirely. The point being made was that actually getting 10+ cards from the deck into the hand where they can be used is relatively easy in a Lucius Keyword crew. And I think you've answered your own question here. If you aren't using the Obey chains then you aren't getting the maximum out of your card draw.

An Leap and 4 attacks each turn would get mental very quickly! It's still doable, but this way its trickier. I think its fine as it is tbh.

The only saving grace is that none of the models that have Leap and the Sudden Strike Trigger (LJ, The First Mate, and Manos) have a suit built-in so they all require the right card and a Soulstone to hit the Trigger. the mask tends to be included on the more expensive models that can't use Soulstones (and the Sabertooth Cerberus has it because it also has a different Trigger) It'll be to stop SS users bouncing around and hitting people willy-nilly.

A Bell of Lost Souls article. There's a Beasts of War one that says the same. What there isn't is a Wyrd announcement confirming it. There's definitely an assumption that these models will be Explorer's Society, and they may well be, but there's no actual confirmation from Wyrd that I can find. So I really wouldn't be surprised to find them in another faction but sharing a Keyword with an ES Master. The other way round (ES models sharing a Keyword with another faction) is certainly possible, but doesn't give existing players the same reason to go out an buy them as models for their preferred faction would (in other words, would a Resser player go and buy an Explorer Master just to play these models, or would they buy Resser models they can use in that faction regardless of the ES connection?) Obviously we'll find out for sure when we get more info.

Not on the announcements on the Wyrd Games page or A Wyrd Place. And not in the comments either from what I could see.

Yep. there's several options for existing factions that mean they may well not be Explorer's Society models.

From the Rulebook: From the Frontier cards: So, we have an Ability that has a value (Home on the Range +1) so any instances a model gains would have the values combined (the +1" in the text). There are two ways this can be viewed: The first is that the values stack for each Home on the Range +1 that a model is affected by (each one in the crew). So, because each instance of Home on the Range +1 affects every friendly model with the Ability, each model tallies up the number of +1"s it's affected by and can deploy that many inches beyond its Deployment Zone. Or we can view each Home on the Range +1 as separate Abilities that technically aren't "gained" by each model and so do not stack, meaning each model can only deploy +1" beyond their Deployment Zone. If it is the second view, then why does the Ability have the +1 value in the first place? The rulebook is quite clear that Abilities without a value do not stack. When an Ability has a value, then any values that are part of the Ability (and I do think the 'values of an Ability with a value' is incredibly clunky wording) are added together and the resulting figure is used. If the intent is for Home on the Range to not stack, the value isn't necessary. Simply writing the Ability as: would have avoided all questions as to how the Ability works. But the fact a value is included means it stacks, otherwise you have a situation where an Ability is specifically given a value, but the resolution of that Ability would conflict with the rules in the rulebook about abilities with values. And now I feel I've written the word 'value' way too much!

I still haven't seen any confirmation that these are Explorer's Society models. My money is on either Resurrectionist or Neverborn, but sharing a Keyword with an Explorer Master.

I understand what you're saying but don't forget you can do everything that the hypothetical new effigy could do except for the Upgrade passing already by running a crew with Hinamatsu as the Leader and as you technically build crews after the faction and Leader have been declared, that upgrade can go on whichever Effigy you like to get the Emissary later on. No Collodi needed! I think there's a decent chance of your "cursed tomb raider" Master though - the Daeva that were previewed a couple of weeks ago could fit nicely into that kind of crew.