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Hardcore format tourney


valhallan42nd

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At the NOVA Open, in addition to our singles tourney, doubles tourney, enforcer brawl, and story encounter, we're trying a tournament format that I first heard on the Malifools Podcast: the Hardcore Tournament. It's a standard game with the following changes:
 

  1. 20 soulstones
  2. Henchman led (obviously)
  3. 4 models maximum in a crew
  4. The only strat is turf war, the only scheme is assassinate
  5. 20 minutes per round.

 

Given those parameters, I'm wondering what would you take? Why?

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Guild Crew - 20 - Shoot Out
 
The Judge -- 4 Pool
 +Badge of Office [2]
 
Death Marshal [6]
Death Marshal [6]
Guild Lawyer [6]
 
Judge is quite resilient and can dish out some damage. Badge of Office for more resiliency. Death Marshals for some beloved Pinebox action and Guild Lawyer as he's quite resilient as well and to try and dish out some slow and some paralyze with good luck.
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Neverborn Crew - 20 - Shoot Out

 

Nekima -- 0 Pool

 

Models 2-4, who cares? Any black-blooded body will do, as long as you keep a couple of SS for Nekima.

 

Simply put, there's not much Nikki can't kill, and kill easily. Less so, if Master's aren't involved. And with Turf War requiring two models to accomplish, and having the opponent have to run to the middle, Nikki should be able to carve them up relatively easily. Even if she does get scragged, she should have done enough that the game's not in doubt.

 

Also, the rules don't rule out summoners, unless the 4 models per crew applies during the game, rather than at creation (and then you potentially run into trouble with Kirai and Molly, as Ikiryo and Necro Machine are integral to them). Getting a 5SS Belle (or whatever) may not be big in a 50SS game, but it's going to be huge in 20SS. If you're allowed to summon to above 4, I'd probably add a Black Blood Shaman or two. If not, I'd probably stick with something robust, like Illuminated, or go with another big beatstick like a Mature or Teddy and a Tot (and sod off the fourth miniature), and work on the "You can't win, I might if I don't lose both big guys" strategy.

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Worth pointing out that the Hardcore on Malifools doesn't allow you to add any stones to your pool. Mainly because of Nekima.

 

Myranda - Imbued protetction

Sabretooth Cerberus Imbued Energies

Slate ridge mauler.

 

For real Hard Core! Use Slate ridge and Myranda to get the turf war points (defensive stance on Myranda probably, healing when needed not doign much, just not dying). keep the Cerberus safe until he is ready to leap in and kill everything (well at least the enemy leader).

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Worth pointing out that the Hardcore on Malifools doesn't allow you to add any stones to your pool. Mainly because of Nekima.

Ahh, that makes sense. Then add a Ronin (to use, and then abuse)?

 

But even without SS, I think Nikki's got some significant juice. Her problems of getting frogstomped after her Alpha Strike is mitigated by a lack of options to respond. 12 Wounds, Regen, Teach Them Fear, and a healthy, if not robust Df, (and maybe Fears Given Form) should keep her alive enough to punt a couple of models. With Turf War as the Strategy, each model loss is significant. Especially if you toy with the Doppleganger as your "Just need her for the second model", you should be able to play yoyo with Nekima (activate Nekima last, take maybe one return attack, win Init with Dopple, go again with Nekima. That's a lotta swings of the blade against a small number of opposing models, even if your opponent clusters (and that's when you use the BBS and DoppleBBS to Black Blood Pustule Nekima all over them). And if your opponent spreads out, Nekima has lunch.

 

It's by no means a sure thing, but if I were playing in a tourney with the intent to win, she seems the best bet, IMO. If I were playing for fun, I'd probably take something that hit a theme that didn't immediately go boom.

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Also, the rules don't rule out summoners, unless the 4 models per crew applies during the game, rather than at creation (and then you potentially run into trouble with Kirai and Molly, as Ikiryo and Necro Machine are integral to them).

Well, Molly and Kirai are both Masters, so don't really matter, but it's a good question still. Are there any truly nasty non-Master summoners?

Mech Rider, I suppose :D

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Well, Molly and Kirai are both Masters, so don't really matter, but it's a good question still. Are there any truly nasty non-Master summoners?

Mech Rider, I suppose :D

Yeah, OK, I'm stupid, I get it. :D

And Nekima can be (if you can find the extra 2SS for True Mother). An extra Tot or two could make activation count even more lop-sided.

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I think I'd probably go

 

Outcasts Crew - 20 - Shoot Out
 
Viktoria of Blood -- 3 Pool
 +Sisters in Fury [2]
Malifaux Child [2]
Freikorps Librarian [7]
Vanessa [8]
 +Oath Keeper [1]
 
Child angers up both sisters, then they eat everything.  If you're not allowed to keep the 3 stones, you swap the librarian for oath keeper on blood Vik plus a Ronin.
 
Edit: I think with a 20 minute time limit it's hard for summoning to be as effective, as your only goal is "murder" and more activations might actually make it harder to score full points and complete games.
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I looked at Mech Rider a bit more, and I don't think she's the one for this anymore.

 

She's a 12ss model that, in this game, is only there to summon. If you get to turn 4, she may end up being a net-positive. Also, she isn't as killy as some other options, so her best use is just to summon models for Turf War. You can't really stop your opponent from getting TW as well since you aren't killing so well, so your best hope is to tie on Strategy and hope your Leader doesn't die. Not a good hope.

 

Kang's lack of Dual-Faction is really annoying in this scenario, and other Henchman-only ones. He's my guy, I play Arcanists, but he's not an Arcanist unless Mei tells him he is. >.<

 

 

I think I change my vote to

 

Joss

+Imbued Protection

+Bleeding Edge Tech

Sue

Metal Gamin

Metal Gamin

 

Sue is brutal at killing things, Joss is really good at it and the Gamin hold things very well. Done, final answer, let's play! :D

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If I had to choose between this and a "Regular Format", I'd choose the regular.

 

If I had to choose between this and any other game in existence, I'd choose this. :P

 

I don't know what I'd do if I had to choose between this and team/story/enforcer brawl (I'm not clear on what the last one is, actually).

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Captain seems like a good viable Henchman leader. Suit up with Patron's Blesssing and Counterspell and grab a coupla gunsmiths/Ox Mages, and go to town. You've got a fast leader, shooty armor/HtW/HtK-Ignoring crew that can melee, along with movement tricks and burning.

 

Hm...

 

Captain - Cache 6

- 2: Patron's Blessing

- 1: Warding Runes

7 - Gunsmith

7 - Gunsmith

 

Dunno... I'd love to try this out though.

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Do you all think this is an interesting format?

 

If I had to choose between this and a "Regular Format", I'd choose the regular.

 

If I had to choose between this and any other game in existence, I'd choose this. :P

 

I don't know what I'd do if I had to choose between this and team/story/enforcer brawl (I'm not clear on what the last one is, actually).

 

 

 

 

The Enforcer Brawl is an arena style brawn between single enforcers. Points are rewarded for survival, killing blows, etc, and are deducted for dying, etc. It's meant to be a fun event, nothing too serious. The Hardcore is meant to be somewhat similar, but a little more in depth, obviously. 

 

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I played four games using this format tonight, just to test it out.  In the first game, I took:

 

Ressers

Sebastian

his upgrade (summons dogs to corpse markers)

unknowable pain

Canine remains

Nurse

Flesh Construct

 

Ten Thunders

Amo No Zako

Blot the sky

Ten Thunders Archer

Ten Thunders Brother x 2

 

Arcanist

Myranda

Sabertooth Cerebus

Slate Ridge Mauler

Malifaux Raptor

 

Sensi Yu

Ten Thunder Archer x 2

Torakage x1

 

 

This format is an absolute blast to play.  We were done with the turns easily before the 20 minute timer ran out.  This format forces you to play the game in a much different way.  All in all we played all four games in about 2 to 2.5 hours.  I was really surprised how it went.  

 

I will be hosting a tournament with this format for Wyrd Weekend.  It was a blast.

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Not really a fan of the only scheme as Assasinate, as I think it promotes such a different approach to the game than their should be, but for s's and g's:

 

Outcasts:

 

Taylor (not sure what her cache is off the top of my head)

- Oathkeeper

 

Convict Gunslinger

 

2x Ronin

The reason for assassinate as the scheme, from what I understand, was to counterbalance the turf war scenario, and to keep the pregame decisions down to a minimum.

 

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