In Mailifaux v2, little guys, meaning minions between 4 and 6 stones, were an option. True, they did not survive too well but they did give you additional AP and since, at least to begin with, your side had more figures than the opposition, then you moved last. Always a valuable method for getting the drop on somebody. Fast forward to v3 and the introduction of pass tokens.
I very much like v3 but I also like the little guys. Unfortunately, v3 does not like the them at all:
1/ No longer does superior numbers allow the larger crew to move last. Which it did in v2 (for the first few turns!)
2/ Because the smaller crew of big guys can wait (spend pass tokens) to see where some of the little guys have moved to, the chances of the little guys actually surviving long enough to achieve anything is lower in v3 than v2.
3/ As in v2, two little guys in v3 stand little or no chance of taking on a big guy (2 five stones vs 1 ten stone) on even terms. This was fair in v2 because no pass tokens meant that part of the price of the little guys was the increased AP and moving last. In v3, the moving last disappeared but the combat characteristics of the little guys did not improve to compensate.
The conclusion is that the little guys are just not cost-effective in v3. Given the lists that most players use in competitions are almost entirely made up of at least 8 stone figures, with the occasional little guy for a specialised role, then that looks evident. Despite which, crew boxes include several figures of a little guy kind which are almost never going to make it to the tabletop. There are three geishas with Youko, three showgirls with Colette and three ruffians with Lucas. Does anyone ever use all three (or any) in a game (apart from me)? I doubt it because they do not make the grade. One sharp intake of breath from a Rider and they are inhumed.
The reason is that they are not cost effective. In my opinion, they need to be cheaper in order to achieve, as Josef Stalin put it, the quality of quantity.