Mei Feng / Kang in a campaign

[eudaimon]

Hi guys, as the name suggests, I am looking for a bit advice for a forthcoming campaign that we are running in Sydney.

Its a standard campaign, and I am looking to start a new crew.  I have never played the Rail crew before, so, if I am starting with Kang, but with an aim to get Mei Feng quickly, what do you guys suggest (and should I start with Kang, or maybe the Firestarter?).  35 stones available, standard campaign rules.

I have access to the Rail Crew and rail golem, all gamin (not air), howard, mech rider, spiders and swarms, gunsmiths, X-roads (so probably Envy?), Union Miners, Soulstone Miner, December's Acolyte and Silent ones if helpful... I'll need something that will work with a henchman led Kang crew for a few games before I can bring in Mei, so Kang needs to work as a first priority, with secondary thought to Mei's eventual joining.

Thanks!

[katadder]

if you start with kang you have to build a TT crew as he is not an arcanist so I would suggest starting with the fire starter or joss

[hydranixx]

As katadder points out, Kang isn't an Arcanist. If you wanted to play this campaign and retain Arcanist's as your primary, The Firestarter seems like a solid choice.

Mei's Rail crew and tough as nails, but they're slow and they suffer quite a lot in some strategies and schemes. The Firestarter really excels at completing the type of schemes they typically can't, so I think they're a great combo. You can start the campaign with some Rail Workers anyway; they're just solid all round pieces anyway, and with The Firestarter's burning, they have some really powerful synergy from the get go.

I play both TFS & Kang with Mei in 35ss no problems!

[eudaimon]

Hmm you raise a valid point about Kang.  My play group are happy to let me run with Kang as the leader, which I would prefer from a fluff point of view, but I hear your thought on the Firestarter.  Should I get both?

Something like Kang, Firestarter, 2x Rail worker, Fire Gamin, Arcane Effigy?

[BFOmega]

You couldn't use Kang until you got Mei.

[admiralvorkraft]

They could with their group's permission...

[dancater]

Also I'd still consider Joss, you clearly have the model (so cheap) and he is a really solid all around beater with durability.

I've never played with Firestarter (Kaeris is on my list but have her box on back queue for assembly) but Joss is an excellent Henchman leader model and he adds something to any Arcanist master he runs with.

I'd run Joss and other minions, enforcers and devote my resources to getting Mei Feng and Kang in a standard campaign.

With permission from all other players to take Kang as Arcanist pre-Mei that changes the entire dynamic.  In that case Kang alone or your Firestarter/Kang combo is reasonable.  Again Joss/Kang would also work, but I do think that maybe Firestarter brings more to provide variety from Kang than Joss does.

[katadder]

I did start with a firestarter (with the intention of going kaeris) in a campaign and being reckless hes almost leader level. also mine got regen early so was even better.

joss is our best henchman, but if your group is allowing kang then go for it

[BFOmega]

Joss is probably our best Henchman as a leader, but Cassandra is probably the best overall. Cheap (for a henchman), fast, versatile, and can carry Practiced Production. Arcane Reservoir actually named her the best in the game overall. I think Joss landed top 10 somewhere though.

[hydranixx]

If the theme of Mei's crew is important to you, Kang is likely the best option to pick, especially seeing as your playgroup is open to you starting the campaign with him. If ss cost is important to you, The Firestarter is super affordable at only 7ss, and comes with a 6ss cache, which is obscene. Again, he combos really well with Railworkers and can always provide reliable scheme running and/or hunting enemy scheme runners.

I agree with dancater's comments; TFS & Kang are probably a better combo than Joss & Kang, when you eventually tier up and have more ss to spend. An exception might be turf war - in which case Joss & Kang would make quite an immovable pair to hold a section of the board with. 

As far as crew lists go, since Mei won't be in initially, don't feel tied down to too many constructs. 1-2 Railworkers & Kang himself are probably the only must-haves. You'll be impressed with how tanky the Railworkers can be. If you can find points to spare, a Rail Golem is capable of sometimes winning entire games for you, as well as drawing attention from enemy models, while also being very thematic for your crew. It's a brilliant addition with or without Mei.

Healing combo'd with Hard to Kill, can be amazing, so from that perspective, Silent Ones + Railworkers & Kang could be quite cute. December Acolytes are great models, as always, and they're even better in smaller games, so perhaps one of them is a good choice too. I'm not sure if they'd fit your campaign goals though. 

When Mei is eventually added, Arcane Effigy becomes almost a must-have, especially if there's a hint of conditions about. Steam Arachnids are also good choices with her; they're affordable, have good stats for their price, and whether they live or die they contribute to her Railwalking playstyle. Again, they may or may not suit your campaign purposes.