Starting Ramos

[rvdbarnes]

Thinking of starting a Ramos crew and was looking at

1 x Ramos box

1 x Electric creation

1 x Arachnid box

I want to add one more in just to give me a few options in my crew pool. I was thinking metal gamin for protection or maybe molemen for running?

Or any other suggestions?

[Bengt]

A Moleman isn't fast unless you have something else to generate upfield scheme markers. A pile of molemen going in the same direction has an ok speed but that assume you want all your molemen going to the same place. Your basic Arachnid with its Wk 5 makes for decent runners in my opinion. And you'll typically summon them a bit upfield to make up for the initial slow.

 

I recommend December Acolytes, they are very nice ranged units with their slow and discard trigger (with built in suit).

[admiralvorkraft]

I would recommend a proxy mobile toolkit instead of the EC. It's a stone cheaper and doesn't explode when Joss kills it turn 1. Joss needs to be the one to kill your first construct so that it drops two scrap markers, and you have too many useful things to do with Ramos to make it worth spending his first turn AP killing your own models.

 

I would also recommend picking up a box of Metal Gamin, because they are awesome in any Arcanist crew and their Magnetism action becomes a much better mobility trick when you've got a ton of disposable constructs running around.

[Jordon]

Yeah I agree with metal gamin. They are great inclusions for Ramos especially when running bleeding edge tech and powered by flame.

[Adran]

I would recommend a proxy mobile toolkit instead of the EC. It's a stone cheaper and doesn't explode when Joss kills it turn 1. Joss needs to be the one to kill your first construct so that it drops two scrap markers, and you have too many useful things to do with Ramos to make it worth spending his first turn AP killing your own models.

 

I would also recommend picking up a box of Metal Gamin, because they are awesome in any Arcanist crew and their Magnetism action becomes a much better mobility trick when you've got a ton of disposable constructs running around.

 

Just to counter point this, I generally don't find using Joss to generate me the extra scrap worthwhile. I'll typically walk the Creation twice, and then use magnitism to kill it, giving me extra movement with Ramos (as its a 0 action) rather than less movement with Joss (Cg is less than 2 Wk). Same trick can be used with Spiders/toolkit and a metal gamin for a second magnitism.

This is helped by most of my reagular opponents being quite agressive, so likely to kill one of my summoned spiders before I activate Ramos on Turn 2. Failing that I can Magnitise to one again to get me extra movement unless I have other plans for my 0 actions.

 

 

Personally I don't like metal Gamin. but I'm in the minority, others love them so I'm probably using them wrongly.

Decembers Acolytes are great. I'm not sure you really want 3, so you might want to see if you can split a box between 2 or 3 people (I've only got the metal one, and don't feel handicapped by having just 1)

Molemen can be surprisingly fast when used in a pack, but really do need 2 or 3 to keep the speed up. 1 moleman is slow

[Snakeshit]

I am getting the exact same boxes as you for my ramos crew with the addition of Johan. He is M&SU and can heal all within 6 inches. I am also getting metal gamin to use with Iornside and ramos. I am a greedy so my list looks like this. 

 

Ramos 

Box of spiders 

Electric creation 

Johan (for iornside as well)

Metal Gamin (for iornside as well)

[Sybarite]

Yeah Johan is great for Ramos. I also like Cassandra with any master

[zFiend]

I don't tend to hire a killable model anymore. I get that it's two Scrap and all but I have had success with this.

1. Take Ramos with Electric Summoning

2. Activate Ramos, summon the EC

3. Shoot it and cheat up or down, do moderate damage

4. Summon the spiders you want

5. Walk once

This came up when trying to play in a 35ss game where the resources were thin and from there on I have experimented with it in 50ss games and I have never really regretted it.

I believe this is called the Magic Math.

[Snakeshit]

There is a crew I wana try with ramos just for fun and to stuff around. I wana take the ice gloem and toss electric creations into the enemy. doing damage from the toss and being in base contact with it. Its like throwing hand grenades. sounds fun in theory. And I am not saying it will be any good either. 

[zFiend]

There is a crew I wana try with ramos just for fun and to stuff around. I wana take the ice gloem and toss electric creations into the enemy. doing damage from the toss and being in base contact with it. Its like throwing hand grenades. sounds fun in theory. And I am not saying it will be any good either.

You should absolutely do that.

[Bengt]

I don't think Metal Gamin are bad or anything, but I think that if you have a bunch of spiders already, December Acolytes are a much more interesting addition than Gamin. So I would definitely get Gamin sometime, but not before Acolytes.

[madaxeman]

I don't tend to hire a killable model anymore. I get that it's two Scrap and all but I have had success with this.

1. Take Ramos with Electric Summoning

2. Activate Ramos, summon the EC

3. Shoot it and cheat up or down, do moderate damage

4. Summon the spiders you want

5. Walk once

This came up when trying to play in a 35ss game where the resources were thin and from there on I have experimented with it in 50ss games and I have never really regretted it.

I believe this is called the Magic Math.

A lot of Tomes though...

Anyway, this "first move sequence" with Ramos is a key part of starting him, so definitely fits in this thread!

Any other sequences people can suggest?

[admiralvorkraft]

That is a lot of Tomes. I don't like to gamble on my opening hand like that, but zFiend knows his stuff so I wouldn't write it off.

 

I think there are generally three first turn sequences. There's the one that zFiend outlined.

 

Then there's a slightly more reliable version of the same premise where you hire the EC instead of summoning it, but again you move it twice, magnetize to kill it, summon off the scrap. The one variation to that opening has you killing it with Joss, but then he'll take damage from the explosion or you'll have gamble on the arc welder - neither of which I'm a huge fan of.

 

My preferred opening is the toolkit opening; Double move the toolkit, charge it with Joss, activate Ramos and summon up to 6 spiders depending on your hand, take at least one action that moves you forward - consider magnetizing one of your newly summoned spiders to kill it for next turn and get Ramos where he needs to be to bring up Arcing Screen.

 

As I don't like to gamble I usually run Ramos with a full cache, Arcane Reservoir, Under Pressure, and Field Generator.

[Bengt]

That is a lot of Tomes. I don't like to gamble on my opening hand like that, but zFiend knows his stuff so I wouldn't write it off.

 

I think there are generally three first turn sequences. There's the one that zFiend outlined.

 

Then there's a slightly more reliable version of the same premise where you hire the EC instead of summoning it, but again you move it twice, magnetize to kill it, summon off the scrap. The one variation to that opening has you killing it with Joss, but then he'll take damage from the explosion or you'll have gamble on the arc welder - neither of which I'm a huge fan of.

 

My preferred opening is the toolkit opening; Double move the toolkit, charge it with Joss, activate Ramos and summon up to 6 spiders depending on your hand, take at least one action that moves you forward - consider magnetizing one of your newly summoned spiders to kill it for next turn and get Ramos where he needs to be to bring up Arcing Screen.

 

As I don't like to gamble I usually run Ramos with a full cache, Arcane Reservoir, Under Pressure, and Field Generator.

I don't think the Arc Blaster is much of a gamble, minimum damage will still kill an EC that has already activated. Sure it's one lower skill than his axe, so it's slightly more likely to cost a card, but it can be a low card since you are playing both sides.

 

Ramos can only cast Summon the Swarm once per activation. So how do you reactivate Ramos (Stoke is non-leader) to summon 6 spiders? Not mentioning getting two 11+  with any regularity in your starting hand...

[zFiend]

It is a lot of tomes for sure. 

 

Ramos can't do 6 spiders a turn. 

[Adran]

I don't think the Arc Blaster is much of a gamble, minimum damage will still kill an EC that has already activated. Sure it's one lower skill than his axe, so it's slightly more likely to cost a card, but it can be a low card since you are playing both sides.

 

Ramos can only cast Summon the Swarm once per activation. So how do you reactivate Ramos (Stoke is non-leader) to summon 6 spiders? Not mentioning getting two 11+  with any regularity in your starting hand...

 

If you can kill it on weak, you can relent to the attack. gives you a double negative damage flip, but as long as you don't get the black joker, its dead. No need to spend cards.

[madaxeman]

What's classed as a "full cache" for Ramos ? 

[admiralvorkraft]

7 stones.

 

And my apologies, I have been misreading his card. I have some apologizing to do.

 

Though in my defense even casting twice a turn looks pretty reasonable against a Hamelin crew

[Math Mathonwy]

My preferred opening is the toolkit opening; Double move the toolkit, charge it with Joss

But then you can't use the Toolkit to give your Lazarus positive twists to damage for insane Grenade Launcher Auto Fire mayhem...

It is a good backup to have, though - if you have the Tomes, you do the ZFiend sequence, if you don't, kill something with Joss.

[admiralvorkraft]

I do die a little every time I kill my own toolkit. But the more I play the game the more I realize that I hate leaving anything to luck and even if I have the tomes in hand to pull the ZFiend I would rather hold onto one for next turn than spend it on an EC that I'm going to blow up in a second.

 

But that's just me.

[zFiend]

I do die a little every time I kill my own toolkit. But the more I play the game the more I realize that I hate leaving anything to luck and even if I have the tomes in hand to pull the ZFiend I would rather hold onto one for next turn than spend it on an EC that I'm going to blow up in a second.

 

But that's just me.

 

I like to get the Spider engine rolling turn 1. 

[AnythingBut]

I also prefer to start guaranteed summoning turn 1 and usually go for the method of paying 4ss for an electrical creation, walking it to leave it where it needs the scrap markers to be. Then if I don't need joss to walk 10 his turn he shoots it creating 2 scrap markers. If I need joss to move in a hurry turn 1 (which I rarely do as I use him as a centre field tank most of the time) then either Ramos or a metal gamin can magnetise for a zero and create one scrap.

Either way I have the scrap markers exactly where I want them and Ramos hasn't had to spend a single ap doing so, and starting the spider factory off turn one is worth 4ss any day of the week, as any 8 in hand guarantees two spiders.

[rodrinat]

What are your opinions on acolytes of december in ramos crew?

[Adran]

The Acolytes are a solid, mid range shooter.

They will work well in any crew, giving out slow as well as damage both in Ml and Sh.

From the shadows lets them get in good positions from the outset, and they have the advantage over most from the shadow models in that they are actually quite decent in combat.

 

They aren't going to help with Scrap, but they don't need to synergise with anything to get their points worth

[Sybarite]

Acolytes rock. That being said maybe silent ones are more effective with Ramos since they can shoot into combat with arachnids without randomising while the arachnids lower the enemies' defense values. But then again acolytes still rock