Parker Tactics

[jphealy]

Hey folks

Who all has gotten Parker on the table yet?  I'm trying to get a place for us to start laying out some basic strategies with him. 

For example what upgrades gave you found are best to start out with attached to him. Do you take any generic outcasts upgrades?

[Fog]

I saw Parker on the table last night vs a belle heavy Tara crew. Parker got fast, shot someone, triggered the scheme, shot someone else, pushed out of melee, zero action to get dynamite, blew it up, then put down his own scheme marker.

It was hilarious

[jphealy]

Yea he's got a lot of potential I agree but I think really unlocking him might take a little work. I think initial upgrade loadout will be key. 

[Trample]

I haven't had him out yet and would agree he's going to take a little time to figure out. The starting upgrades I think I may start with as I begin to learn what he does are Highwayman, Hail of Bullets, and Oathkeeper. I think that Parker is probably going to be at his best when he maintains three upgrades, which means discarding only one per turn most rounds. With that in mind you're likely going to hold onto some that don't have to be discarded to be useful. Three of them don't have to be discarded at all to be useful - Human Shield, Highwayman, and Black Market. Hail of Bullets has an optional discard. So I'm going to try (at least initially) to have two upgrades I don't have to discard. 

One of those is likely always going to be Highwayman or Black Market, primarily for the additional (0) action they provide, but through Five Finger Discount and Crate of Dynamite I would guess the other function will come in pretty handy. Bulletproof isn't exciting, but it's a bonus. I'm going to start with Highwayman because I prefer No Witnesses (the attack) to Stick to the Plan (the interact), but that could change depending on schemes. 

The other from that list I'm going to start with is Hail of Bullets because I think that board control will be fantastic. I also think the trigger to Hands in the Air (built in) will be very useful. 

For the first round I'll likely start with Oathkeeper as I learn how Parker works. I'll plan to discard it turn one every time and cycle in something else for turn two. I think in the first turn that may well become a The Job's Not Done Yet (along with 2 walks and a Hail of Bullets). 

I think my favorite upgrade is Crate of Dynamite. I can see Parker doing a Hands in the Air attack with the drop a scheme marker trigger on a key opponent followed by dynamiting that newly dropped marker for two of his three actions on many turns. If you can get two or three enemy models in that blast it, combined with Hands in the Air, can be a pretty nasty drain on the enemy card pool. That combo could be a great deal of fun with Pride. 

Speaking of Crossroads 7, Greed could be a nice combo with Stick Up, both draining soulstones or doing a lot of damage pretty quickly. Gluttony and Envy could both be nice with this crew. 

It'll be fun to learn how to use these upgrades. The only one I'm not real excited about is Human Shield, although it could be pretty handy if you're standing next to the right bodyguard. 

 

[jphealy]

See I'm thinking coordinated heist is essential as a starting upgrade. Both because it costs two and because giving all your bandits scout the field is nice. 

[Trample]

49 minutes ago, jphealy said:

See I'm thinking coordinated heist is essential as a starting upgrade. Both because it costs two and because giving all your bandits scout the field is nice. 

I actually think it's the other way around. When you need scout the field it's an awesome one to start with, but because it costs two it can be pretty easy to pick up later in the game. If you get within range of an enemy (just inside of 7") you can shoot twice and have him drop two markers so you can pick it up just as easily as a one stone upgrade. Having said that, it's a pretty nice upgrade. Especially if you have something reasonably fast that you can throw into the fray that you don't mind shooting. Maybe a strongarm suit with his shields up? 

[Erorior]

5 hours ago, Trample said:

 

It'll be fun to learn how to use these upgrades. The only one I'm not real excited about is Human Shield, although it could be pretty handy if you're standing next to the right bodyguard. 

 

As Trample also said, I think that the Strongarm Suit might be a nice companion for Parker in a lot of cases. If the enemy uses a lot of powerful ranged attacks then you can get an early Human Shield and pass some on to the Suit, and if it manages to charge a bunch of models you can fire away with abandon into the fray without hurting it much. The Doc can join them too and try to patch up the small, bullet-sized leaks in the poor fellow.  
Add the new "The Bigger They Are" to the Suit and then you can have weak damage of 4 against some enforcers or henchmen.  

[Uncommon_Man]

Scout the Field for most/all of your crew is basically Nimble for everybody turn 1, That is a BARGAIN for 2 stones, and I can't think of any situation where it wouldn't be good. Especially with the way he cycles his upgrades like candy you're not even stuck with it. Honestly that upgrade wouldn't be bad even it was just the scout the field half.

[asrian]

1 hour ago, Uncommon_Man said:

Scout the Field for most/all of your crew is basically Nimble for everybody turn 1, That is a BARGAIN for 2 stones, and I can't think of any situation where it wouldn't be good. Especially with the way he cycles his upgrades like candy you're not even stuck with it. Honestly that upgrade wouldn't be bad even it was just the scout the field half.

Coordinated Heist only effects other Bandits within 8  of Parker at the start of game. So, that's basically his box crew (minus Doc who's not a Bandit), Wokou Raiders, and the Dead Outlaws.

[asrian]

Caveat - It's late, and I'm tired, so forgive any complete screw ups of grammar. Also, if you see any play errors (things that are illegal to do with Parker's crew) let me know or post it below. As I, and others, are learning the crew mistakes will be made, but I'd rather correct them than keep making them.

Here's my overview of Parker's crew, and other models, I've used so far in my games:

Parker Barrows

- Overall solid. Good shooting, good defense stats, Bullet Proof +1  on his limited upgrades (poor man's version of armor) is a bonus if nothing else, very good tricks (not straight forward damage dealing). He has a 6 Go Through Their Pockets which is basically a beefed up version of Tally Sheet on the front of his card but smaller range (all enemies killed within 6" allow him to draw a card, then discard if they weren't killed by a friendly bandit). He also can, once a turn, gain a Soul Stone whenever he discards an Upgrade.

I feel Parker really shines in the 6" to 8" range from his opponents, similar to how I play Jakob Lynch, but naturally tankier due to more wounds. His and his crew's ability to drop enemy Scheme Markers within 3" of target, and his need to be within 3" of enemy scheme markers to use them as a resource, plus his Go Through the Pockets aura for card draw means you optimally want him 6" from his target. A lot of his upgrade attacks are 8" range also, so you do want him mid range to close for those as well. I've honestly found myself attacking less and less with Parker and using his Push abilities and Hands in the Air abilities more and more along with his 0AP's to make a friendly model attack/interact.

He really is a bit of a Jack-of-All-Trades in that respect. If you need him to deal damage he can concentrate fire. If you need him to coordinate your units via pushes/commands he can do that. If you need him to debuff or screw with the opponent, he can do that, too.

Back of Card

His gun has decent damage potential (more so for one good hit if you want to dump multiple upgrades) with a built in  to attack. It's basically a variation on Sue & Convict Gunslinger's gun with different upgrades. While a lot of people will see it and think of his ability to cycle upgrades therefore potentially able to do tons of damage, keep in mind he can only gain one upgrade a turn with his Five Finger Discount, so his damage track (if going for max damage from upgrade discards) is a bit misleading as it's diminishing returns with the first hit being at most +3 damage (still 8 total which is more than respectable), 0AP to gain an Upgrade, second hit topping out severe of 6 damage (still very good), then third attack topping out at 5. That's also providing you even hit severes and not his min damage 2 (so it would be 5, 4, 2 damage if all hit minimum damage). This would also leave you with no Upgrades and take you three more turns to get three full upgrades again. I have found that if you really just need to do max damage with him then it's usually best to do one big hit on a model that counts, but only if you just REALLY need it, otherwise take the normal track or at most discard one upgrade max (gaining a SS for it) and go from there.

Hands in the Air ability - My MVP ability. It puts the Pay Up condition on someone that makes them discard 2 cards to perform tactical actions or else the action auto-fails. Let me reiterate that...They have to discard 2 cards to do a Tactical action, and that's not even counting what they may have to use out of their hand if they flip low and have to cheat to ensure that action even succeeds. The condition lasts until the end of the turn as well. It doesn't go away the moment they discard those 2 cards, so if they discard 2 cards to Focus, and then try to do a heal (another tactical) they have to discard 2 more cards.

Tactical actions include: All actions listed Tactical on a Model's back of card or on upgrades, Walk, Charge, Focus, Defensive Stance, and Interacts. That is a large amount of limitations done to a model, much less potentially 3 models a turn. I have shut down a couple key models per game with this action alone, not even bothering to attack with him, meanwhile letting my crew do the heavy lifting.

Jobs Not Done - 18" push of a friendly. Movement is always very useful as I can always find a way to work in a push a turn to free up AP on other models for other things - be it to push into Turf War, or LoS/Range for their attacks, or Up to a head marker (and then couple that with his limited upgrades to make someone take an attack or an interact it combo's nicely), or just out of a combat that I don't want them to be in.

0AP Actions (including those on his Limited Upgrades) - Five Finger Discount (On back of his card, always available, allows him to gain an upgrade), No Witnesses (on Highwayman for a friendly to attack), Stick to the Plan (on Black Market for a friendly interact) - All of these come with a  trigger to take a different 0AP Action after succeeding, can't declare further triggers. As I mentioned on Job's Not Done above, I've used it to great effect to have Parker shoot someone (killing them to drop a head marker), Push a friendly to the head, 0AP to Interact with the head, trigger for 0AP to gain an Upgrade of Choice (or same one again if I decided not to pay the cost to keep it in the first place, thus gaining an SS for discarding an upgrade, which then could be used to pay the cost for the new one if no enemy markers were close by). I typically start with Highwayman though for a 0AP attack via a friendly, then cycle back to it with that free SS, or pick up Black Market if I feel I need interacts more so for things such as Head Hunter/Squatters Rights, or general scheme uses.

Parker's Limited Upgrades: 

Highwayman - as explained above, but also has the chance to draw/discard if performing actions that use enemy scheme markers. 

Black Market - as explained above, but also has the chance to add a Soul Stone if performing an action that uses an enemy scheme marker.

Both of these are icing on the cake for the 0AP actions they give above. They also give him Bulletproof +1 (or as I like to refer to it "The Poor Man's Armor"), but something is better than nothing and it's an added bonus once in awhile, though I don't really stress not having it for the times when I've discarded his limited upgrade and having rebought it for a turn via Five Finger Discount.

Parker General upgrades:

Stick Up - My MVP upgrade, does 4 damage vs an Enforcer/Henchman/Master or else you rob them of one Soul Stone once per turn(win/win). Basically it's a "Give me your money, or I give you a bullet" action.  I've noticed that when I start hitting enforcers with this the opponents I've played will usually eat the damage instead of getting rid of their Soul Stones, which has been very nice as I can then 0AP to have a friendly attack them, or use Parker to finish them off. If they do give up a Soul Stone then that's fine too as I'll likely make them regret it shooting the target, ditching an upgrade for more damage, then, if no enemy scheme markers are near Parker, using the Soul Stone I just stole to 0AP buy a new, or the same, upgrade right back.

It has the added bonus that at the start or end of Parker's activation you can discard the upgrade for Parker to take a walk action (still a walk action so you are susceptible to disengaging strikes). This works nicely on the turns where you didn't discard upgrades as you can then gain a Soul Stone. This works nicely with it as it only has an 8" range so you have to be careful of post-activation retaliation from the opponent once Parker is done. I had a game where I took Undercover Entourage on Parker and in one turn Triple Walked 15", discard the upgrade, and walked 5" more scoring full points. I have really liked using it as an end of turn discard/SS gain as it means I can use it's Once Per Turn ability, then my other two AP, and still gain a walk to reposition Parker in case I left him exposed to the opponent. Couple it with Oath Keeper and he can do a lot of work in one turn.

Hail of Bullets - A nice couple of 50mm hazardous terrain markers that can make an opponent think twice about going through one avenue of the board. It gives soft cover, but if the opponent thinks that's even a good idea to use I like to wait until they are in position behind it and potentially safe from my guns, then have Mad Dog drop his Blown Apart 0AP marker that negates cover, exposing them to whatever I have coming their way.
Added bonus is it gives Hands In the Air (my favorite ability above that screws up tactical actions) the trigger ( already built into the attack) to drop an enemy scheme marker after succeeding for various shenanigan use.

Crate of Dynamite - Speaking of shenanigans...The only upgrade that Parker shares with Mad Dog (rare 1 though) gives an ability to blow up scheme markers (friendly or enemy) for 3 and does 4 damage on a simple Df dual. Basically it's the bandit's version of Corpse Explosion. Yes please and Thank You. Bonus - No LoS required if targeting enemy markers! Where is Pandora when I need her? I have some simple duals for her to pass without her damn WP bonus for once.  

 

This one I have had some fun with. Shoot at the front most model of the enemy (especially if they are all relatively close together...see 3" apart), go for the drop an enemy scheme marker trigger and place it within 3", then use Crate of Dynamite and blow it up, along with hitting multiple enemy models and make them cheat or flip through moderate to high cards. If they pass, then fine, it used up good cards. If they fail, then fine they are easier pray for Parker and his crew. It only has Range 8" though (even without the need for LoS) so make sure Parker is in range of where you place the marker (I made that mistake one game and couldn't reach...ooops). 

Human Shield - An upgrade built for being in close, be it to friendlies or enemies. It gives Parker Soft Cover if within 2 of another model (friend or foe), which is rather nice if the opponent decides to take their chances and fire into combat, or even if they don't randomize it still gives him soft cover just by being near other models. It can also allow Parker to pass off a successful attack against him, at the cost of discarding the upgrade, to a friendly model within 2. 

If you really needed cover, or thought Parker was about to get stomped and wanted to pass off the damage, I'd pick up Human Shield fast and probably 1AP push a friendly near me (especially if I knew I didn't have the cards in hand to ensure an attack + self-push trigger against an enemy). 

Coordinated Heist - Again, I have not used this one yet. The Scout free walk is nice, but in the crews I've taken so far the only bandits viable to move would have been Mad Dog, 2 Bandidos, and a Wokou Raider in one game. None of which in those games would I have wanted pushed forward due to various scheme/strat/opponent crew reasons.

The second part of Coordinate Heist I was hoping to use in a Turf War game today as I had high hopes to have Parker blast the hell out of everything. It was not to be, however, as I was able to kill everything at range and stayed safe, so never bothered to buy the upgrade via my Five Finger Discount all game. 

General Outcast Upgrades:

Oath Keeper - Fast is always useful, and will probably continue to be an auto-include for him as he can discard it Turn 1 or 2 and gain Fast + a free SS with his front of card ability as a result.

Tally Sheet - Card Draw on kill. I've taken this every game up until now as I enjoyed the idea of Parker killing something, and with the Effigy bonus and his front of card bonus, being able to Draw 2 cards and discard one for a SS. The problem I've run into more and more playing him is I use him less for killing and more for things like Hands in the Air debuffs, moving friendlies, using 0APs to have friendlies attack, or just using Stick Up. It's a good upgrade, but I feel it's unnecessary overall unless you plan to solely sit back and shoot his gun.

Survivalist - Hard to Kill. If Neutralize the Leader were in the pool I might take this (I've gone whole games with Tally Sheet and never discarded it for reference on how it really is easy to keep non-Parker upgrades on Parker and not be hurt by that limitation), but Parker is pretty tanky with good Df/Wp stats and high starting wounds along with Doc around to patch him up. Still, it's there if you need it.

Scout the Field - I used this the first couple games. It's a free movement and can be discarded for one attack to ignore LoS. It worked out very nicely for Parker in the games I used it. Is it an auto-include? Not for me, but it can be good, depending on the map and strat/schemes if you need it.

Scramble - Higher walk/charge and Unimpeded are both very nice to have. I haven't used or needed it really yet with Parker, but I could see it's uses, especially with his ability to ditch it if needed for more damage on his gun and pick up a different upgrade later.


My Starting Upgrade Setup for Parker

After the games I've played up until now I've decided that my starting Upgrades will be Oath Keeper, Highwayman, and Hail of Bullets. Feel free to experiment and let me know which you find a good for him to start.

Over the past games the biggest problem I've run into mid/late game are running out of SS due to not having enemy scheme markers near Parker (either because my Bandidos were not nearby, were dead, or weren't even hired, because my opponent wasn't dropping markers, or because the only one who could drop markers was Parker who was instead using his AP for other things like Hands in the Air and Stick Up). This has left me stranded for buying upgrades mid-game without ditching one(s) that I wanted to keep.

As such, and because of the redundancy of having Tally Sheet and Parker's own version of it in his aura, it has made me realize that I really do need Hail of Bullets starting. This would give me both terrain to drop to help influence the flow of the game and the trigger to drop enemy markers when using Hands in the Air and better fuel my ability to buy upgrades without having to eat into my soul stones like candy late game. Highwayman allows the 0AP friendly attack which is always useful, and Oath Keeper gives me Fast early game and an SS, allowing me to buy Stick Up or Crate of Dynamite that I like so much as needed basically for free if no enemy scheme markers are near me. 

As an aside, a thematic combo I like to do with Parker if have him out of LoS at the start of the turn is to use 1 AP to walk into LoS/Range, 1 AP to use Hands in the Air on someone (preferably an enforcer, henchman or master just because they deserve it), 1 AP to use Stick Up to do damage or steal a SS, 0AP to Force a friendly to attack, then end my activation by discarding Stick Up to take a free walk action back out of LoS. Essentially I just jumped out of hiding, made the opponent show me their hands, robbed them, gave the signal for another bandit to cover my escape, and then made my get away.

Doc Mitchell

Straight forward little healer - Can't do much else, but has a push (for a discard) to get him in closer to friendlies to heal. The heal trigger of giving someone Hard to Wound +1 has been nice. I've enjoyed using it on my guys right after they activate (it goes away once they activate again) pre- and post- damage to heal them up and make them harder to wound. As it's a +1 Condition you can stack it for multiples. I had one game where I put it on Parker 3 times before he activated (twice at the end of one turn and then again at the top of the next, cheating in the trigger as needed) giving him back 8 wounds and putting him on Hard to Wound +3, which saved his butt from a couple concentrated attacks. His attacks are there just to give him something to do in combat if you get bored. I will admit his gun at first gave me pause with the "kill doc" stipulation if Parker ever sees him fire it, but hell, I've used him to non-stop heal for the Hard to Wound trigger every turn even if everyone was at full health. 

Mad Dog Brackett

Has the Ability to drop friendly scheme markers when he kills something. This is also nice when he does so with his gun at range as I was able to blast/kill multiple guys in a game, dropping 3 scheme markers to clear an area, and scoring for Leave Your Mark at range, all in one go. He does get better as he takes wounds (1/2 or less gives him  to attack/damage), but that has only come up once or twice as usually Doc heals him up (I prefer the Better Safe Than Sorry way of gaming). I've only had him in close combat twice now, one time killed him outright, the other time I was able to burn them, cheat for the shotgun in close combat trigger, shoot them, and push them away (which killed them), but I have a feeling that'll be a rare sequence of events. He shines at range and utilizing his shotgun to hurt one or more models with it's 's. 

 

His 0AP has been a steady source of pain for my opponents. He's able to negate cover from an 3" area, and the marker stays until he uses the ability again. Let me reiterate, it stays even if he dies. For some maps, especially heavily congested areas that the opponent must pass through in otherwise relative safety are suddenly at risk from anyone in your crew with an SH attack...which is most everyone in a thematic crew. I really like to give Mad Dog Oath Keeper so on turn 2 or 3 I can gain fast, walk up into position (if out of gun range) drop his 0AP marker, and then Rapid fire into a beefy target who, just a second prior, would have put me on Negatives...added bonus if Mad Dog is at 4 or less wounds and suddenly on . I did this today actually (minus the 0AP anti-cover save as it wasn't needed) to a Mech Rider and a summoned gamin on turn 2, killing the rider, the gamin, and hitting Ironsides with both Mad Dog's blast and the Gamin's explosion. 

Mad Dog Only Upgrade

Lucky Poncho - Auto include to me. It gives him Hard to Kill, and if he gets down to 1 health he can ditch it to gain Focus (while also having  from his front of card ability). I haven't used the focus yet though as I'm typically either going to try and heal him with Doc, or else the opponent is taking a second AP and killing him anyway, but the potential is there for a last ditch effort at least.

Bandido

Basic minion that can drop scheme markers, or enemy scheme markers on an attack trigger (not built in). Their Finish the Job ability is nice and their Df push trigger has saved my hide a few times with them. I have really enjoyed (and my opponent's have not) their Run and Gun ability (like Lone Marshal's) which gives them a push, focused attack, and a secondary push. I've used it to good effect of moving into LoS or Range with them, firing to drop a scheme marker/damage, and then pushing them to safety. I've also used it to simply reposition them 8" away from danger and out of combat that would kill them but with the added bonuses of not having to take disengaging strikes and getting an attack off in the process.

Wokou Raider

I haven't too much luck with it. It's an 8SS minion (same cost as most enforcers) who has decent shooting, good melee with the potential to chain attacks with other friendlies in combat, situational but highly probably push tricks, and an ability to cause  attacks by enemies to not be cheatable (which was a saving grace as mine took 4 attacks from a Cerberus and basically negated it because it couldn't cheat), but overall it just felt too expensive for what it did. I'd rather just grab something else for the cost of it. Still, I need to give them another few games before I set that assessment in stone. I could of just had a bad game with them and not fully utilized them.

Other Models I've used in my Parker games:

Hodgepodge Effigy

Walking Soft Cover and a the chance for Parker to gain an SS after he kills something. Always a good choice. He has the added benefit of being a tanky significant minion & scheme runner when that role is needed.

Ronin

I've used these in lieu of Bandidos for a few games and enjoyed them. It's always nice to have one or two models that ignore armor, are hard to kill, can't be charged, and can self-sacrifice to give Parker more cards or soul stones. The only negative I've come across is if you aren't taking Bandidos and the opponent isn't dropping scheme markers than Parker is either eating up Soul Stones like crazy to cycle upgrades, or else he's doing all the work of using AP to attack and generate enemy scheme markers to offset the cost of his upgrades. Situations like that are what's prompted me to start taking Hail of Bullets for the enemy Scheme Marker drops for Hands in the Air attack that I like so much.

Hodgepodge Emissary (with General Conflux upgrade)

A decent enforcer who has cast actions without  so doesn't randomize into combat or cover which is nice for those times when you don't have Coordinated Heist or Mad Dog's Blown Apart marker near the target you're trying to hit. I've really liked him with Parker's crew for that and his trinkets (give Doc Companion so you can chain heal right after you do a start of turn attack with a wounded guy and then give him Hard to Wound, give Sue Regen so he can Hurt himself for cards and heal one back next turn, etc), his 0AP self-push + drop a scheme marker, his drop +2 destined to push nearby friendlies (out of combat, or into position) and they all drop scheme markers, and his 0AP on the generic upgrade to, mid-turn, use an SS to draw two cards then discard two cards. Doing that last one on Turn One (and stoning for cards at the start if needed) has given me a hand of nothing but face cards for starting off turn two before which has been nice. My other thing I like about him is his generic upgrade gives minions within 4"  to attack actions. Not always useful, but it can come in handy.

Hannah

Just her in general uses here, but having someone who can give you 7 cards a turn, is a beefy melee henchman, and can copy cast actions of anyone except friendly leaders is nice. That relies more on the opponent though overall as other than Doc's heal, there aren't any real cast actions in a thematic Parker crew, so if you want to give her something decent to copy I'd hire a Librarian or something else to go with her (I have only used her with the core crew + one or two others and didn't have anything but the heal to copy and opponent abilities, but that was enough for me thus far)

Sue

My overall Toolbox MVP for my Parker games (for his general usefulness as well as the new upgrade he can take). He gives me protection from casting or an area of burning the opponent doesn't want to go near, 1 free card a turn (at the cost of 1 health which I can easily heal with Doc or Hodgepodge Emissary's Regen trinket), the ability to destroy corpse/scrap markers, and another good shooter to add to the crew, as well as being a Hard to Kill enforcer for scoring purposes. He's always a safe bet to hire in any crew though for me, no matter the faction.

Sue's Upgrade of Choice for me (at least from now on anytime I take him in Outcast)

Return Fire - The new Wave 4 Outcast Enforcer Only upgrade (rare 2). It gives a Df/Wp trigger on a  that allows the enforcer with it to take an SH attack after resolving an attack. Hit or Miss, if you flip/cheat a crow when being attacked you can declare the trigger. This makes Sue, and a few others, down right evil as long as you get those crows, especially as Sue's attack is SH at both at range and close combat. I had a Valedictorian charge Sue in a game, and after all was said and done (he hit once and missed once) I did two Return fire attacks back and he ended up hitting Sue for 4 damage, meanwhile Sue hit back for 7 damage. That was the most brutal I've ever seen Sue. If I'd had his Burning aura up on top of that he would have also taking +2 to +3 burning as well (had cast protection aura up though). It really is a wonderful upgrade and my auto-include on Sue from now one. 

I know of one other good Enforcer model in Outcast that, like Sue, have SH attacks for both close combat and ranged (so it's always useful, as you can't make an SH attack if engaged otherwise with the rest of the Enforcers) and that's Convict Gunslinger. As the upgrade is rare 2, you could hire any two of those (Sue and one Gunslinger or two gunslingers) and give this to both of them and laugh to your evil heart's delight if the opponent attacks them and you flip or cheat crows. Keep in mind that's Df OR Wp attacks and no matter if you win or lose...if a Belle tries to lure you and you flip/cheat a crow you will Shoot them, even if you end up closer. If Zoraida obeys you, you will shoot her even as you probably turn and shoot a friend. It is down right mean, especially on Sue as he is Immune to Terror and has  to attack along with Crit strike built in (Yes, you get triggers. The upgrade does NOT limit that). Convict Gunslingers also have  to attack so that part works well with them also.

 

Big Jake

He's a solid enough Enforcer. Cheap enough to add into most any crew (same price as a Bandido) with the ability to count as two models for Strat purposes (mainly useful in Turf War, Extraction, Recon, and Interference). He can wound himself to allow you to view the top two cards of your deck then place them back on either the top or the bottom of said deck, which can be combined nicely with Doc who's able to heal him up. He's got an ok gun and a decent melee that can push models around. The things that make him stand out the most though to me are the fact that he has Don't Mind Me (something Outcasts don't have a lot of), and, if he's killed, he can come back Turn 5 with full AP and the ability to interact that turn. While overall nothing to bend over backwards to hire in a crew, it's always nice to have some late game support show up to help out in various ways.

 

Strongarm Suit

Strongarm is a very tough Enforcer. I've used him in a couple of games now, both with the Bigger They Are upgrade (+1 damage to non-Leader models with upgrades) that combined nicely with his 0AP ability to up his ML damage by one (giving him minimum 4, maximum 8). This, along with his  trigger which doesn't let the enemy reduce damage, and his ability to charge out of engagement has made him into an even more effective front line beater that is very capable of taking out most anything. His Armor +2 and Freikorps Suit keep him pretty safe, and he has a decent gun attack if needed. He's actually paired quite nicely with Parker, who's base crew really lacks a ML beater to tie up opponents. I've been very satisfied with him in my games, especially ones with Show of Force in the pool, and plan to take him more often in the future. He really shines at times with Parker & Co. get tied up in engagements with models further away, outside of their engagement ranges, attacking them, as Strongarm can just leave whatever combat he's in potentially (charge range providing) and support them or put pressure on the opponent.

 

Envy

A very solid, and highly enjoyable ranged attacker that gains bonuses ('s and better shooting) when targeting models near scheme markers (which Parker and crew can set up to happen). He works very well with a Parker crew due to the ease they have of dropping enemy scheme markers at range near enemy models, thus allowing him to either get controlled by Parker's 0AP to attack a target near said marker(s) or to follow up after a Marker has been dropped. He can, for a discard, also hand out Focus to a friendly within 6" as his 0AP. Remember, he is friendly to himself as well. 

 

Dead Outlaws

Another Bandit for Parker's crew. This one is a bit tougher than the standard Bandido with it's Hard to Wound and the potential self-healing whenever another model places a scheme marker within 6 of him. His melee, though less than stellar on damage, has a built in Slow or Push trigger (controller's choice) that helps to at least minimize enemy AP.

His gun comes with decent damage, though only 10" range vs the rest of the Bandidos & Parker's 12" range, but has a host of triggers. On the built in  he can do +1 damage to targets with upgrades (useful for Show of Force schemes, or just in general against Enforcers, Henchman, and Masters) or a self-push. On  he can place an enemy scheme marker just like his 5SS cost living Bandido brother or can ignore Armor, Hard to Wound, and Hard to kill like a dead version of Leveticus and Rusty Alyce (I can see him playing very well in their crews as he's 6SS, as well as Jack Daw crews as he's also Tormented). 

He also comes with a 1AP action called "Curse of the Covetous" that gives the target a condition limiting them to only take Walk or Interact actions. It stays on them until they place a scheme marker, or they can end it at the start of their activation by taking 3 damage. There are a number of ways this can be used in the game depending on strat/schemes to really give the opponent tough choices.

These are very much worth their points to me, unlike their poor Wokou Raider cousins who, try as I might, I just keep regretting taking every time I use them. 

Convict Gunslinger

Solid fighters. With Return Fire and the ability to trigger extra attacks on it, along with Rapid Fire they can cause some serious punishment. Couple that with Parker's ability to push them, which helps offset their slow Walk 4" and they become mobile killing machines. They fit in very nicely with a tactics style master like Parker.

 

Greed

Greed offers more SS shenanigans to compliment Parker as well as some area control via his aura. He really starts to become costly for the opponent between his discard or take damage aura and his attack for 4 damage, or reduce it by discarding soul stones. He also has a Df  trigger that causes enemies to take damage, or burn a SS to prevent. His walk of 6" means he can get into position relatively easily first or second turn, especially if Parker is pushing him around with The Job's Not Done, allowing him to hold off activating until late in the turn to retain his only real defensive, Manipulative 12. Another added bonus, which I didn't appreciate until after running him in a few games is his 0AP use a SS to heal a friendly model. Between Greed and Doc I was able to keep my crew going a lot longer than they should have vs my opponents.

 

Performer

A very worthwhile investment for a Parker crew. Her ability to interact while engaged (Don't Mind Me) is always useful, as is her ability to destroy scheme markers (Friend or Foe) to potentially put the opponent on  for Df & Wp flips until the end of the turn (after a simple duel). This compliments Parker and crew nicely as they drop enemy scheme markers near opponents. As such she can cause quite a headache for the opponent. Couple that with giving the Parker crew a reliable lure which also can cause Paralyze (if enemy ends in base to base with her) and she is a solid 6SS investment for the crew.

 

Future Models to try

Bishop - Melee centric heavy hitter for the crew. I want to try him in various games with the Bigger They Are upgrade (attacks they do vs non-Leader models with upgrades gain +1 damage), for his ability to bypass defenses and has a lot of actions.

Rusty Alice - In general solid henchman that has an anti-charge aura built in

Aionus - Ability to bury, to turn enemy scheme markers to friendly ones, hand out conditions, and manipulate marker placements
 
Overall Impressions and Final Thoughts

I am really enjoying Parker and am looking forward to more games with him and to see what new tricks I can perform with him and his crew. To be honest I only started playing him instead of Titania or Reva as he had the least chatter about him vs the other new masters so I figured I'd use him instead just to go against the majority. However, the more I play him the more I am finding he is my style of master (I like the tricky, come at you sideways style masters like Colette, Pandora, Nellie, Jack Daw, etc). The way I described him to someone the other day in regards to all his upgrades and cycling is he's basically Batman. He's got a belt full of pouches with a tool for any occasion. At any given time he's a moment away from pulling out his Bat-Shark Repellent and solving the latest crisis. 

[asrian]

Roadblocks I've encountered thus far against opponents:

This is mainly a list of things that have given me pause in games, or had me change gears mid-fight. All are avoidable, dealt with, or minimized through crew selection and play style, but we are Outcast somewhere in our faction there is always a tool for any job. I'm just listing them so they don't take others, especially newer players, by surprise who might start with only the core thematic bandit crew. I'll list the main roadblock and then at least list a model or two (but not a full comprehensive list) as potential counters to them. I also plan to amend this list as I learn more and as others post so that other players can learn from it.

- Various Damage Resistance: Like anything, we all come across that one model who is armor +2 and realize our big hitter is suddenly limp-wristing his swings. Hammer meets Anvil. Some main ones that I've encountered with Parker's thematic crew (primarily SH attackers) are:

- High Armor - always a pain for anyone. Bring something that ignores armor like Ronin or Bishop.

- Incorporeal - an ability that halves damage from shooting and melee. You'll need to hire something with casting to beat these models down fast like Librarians

- Bullet Proof - Poor man's armor that only works against shooting, but alas Parker has that in spades. I found this especially painful when facing off against a Rasputina crew who brought SnowStorm as he has a natural Bullet Proof +3 and an aura that hands it out to nearby friendlies. You'll need to either barrel through this just as you would with something containing Armor or else bring anything else that doesn't involve SH attacks to ignore it. Most any non-shooting focused model in the faction will work.

- Any form of Conditions: The crew has no condition removal by default, so if you think you'll face a lot of conditions (Neverborn and Ressers especially come to mind) then grab Johan. I really wanted him in one of my last games as I played a Gremlin Zipp crew. They have an upgrade (Spotlight) for their Sky Pirates that can cause a model to be unable to perform SH actions (and he tried putting it on Parker who 90% of his actions, even ones targeting WP are SH actions). 

- Card Starvation: Parker and his crew can really burn through cards due to various amounts of Rapid Fire, Run & Gun, normal Cheating for specific suits or just to successfully attack or defend, Discard to Push Doc around, discarding for Parker to turn enemy scheme markers into friendly ones, etc. Some of this is offset with Parker's aura to draw a card (and keep it) whenever an enemy dies within 6" to a bandit. Some is offset by Highwayman upgrade whenever Parker uses an action to remove an enemy scheme marker. I offset some more by using Sue to Hurt himself each turn for a card or by hiring Hannah for 7 cards in hand per turn. Just be aware that Parker and his crew will chew through your hand if you let them so prioritize your cards and actions per turn for those key abilities you want to discard to accomplish.

- Soul Stone Starvation: As I mentioned below to @boots468 even though Parker, on paper, will be gaining Soul Stones hand over fist, he spends them just as fast as he makes them. He does gain one per turn if he discards an upgrade, but potentially immediately spends it to gain an upgrade if no enemy scheme markers are near. He might even spend an SS to retain an upgrade instead of ditching it. He and his crew will spend them for all the normal reasons of card draw, damage prevention, etc.

Ways I've offset this (other than starting with a large cache which, up until now I really haven't needed overall versus hiring an extra model) is to use things like his Stick Up (enemy takes damage or gives you an Soul Stones, not guaranteed but helps), hiring Hodgepodge Effigy so when Parker does kill something he can discard for a Soul Stone (see above for Card Starvation on that one, especially if you have a really good hand), Hiring Ronin who can self-sacrifice mid/late game to give you more soul stones. Cross Roads 7 Greed model can also be hired to help in this regard. Also good positioning of Parker in proximity to enemy Scheme markers so that he can use those instead of spending Soul Stones to gain upgrades. This last can be harder than you think sometimes though if the opponent isn't dropping markers, and you're using Parker's AP for other actions instead of shooting (which is why I like the Hail of Bullets upgrade as it builds in a trigger to drop a marker when using Hands in the Air). Parker's Black Market upgrade can give you a Soul Stone once a turn if Parker uses an ability to discard an enemy marker if you have it attached instead of Highwayman.

Long story short, just like the potential for Card starvation and basic game play in general, you need to manage your resources when it comes to soul stones. Don't think they are endless just because of Parker's tricks. Just like saving for GenCon each year, when all is said and done you find out you spent more than you originally planned in all the excitement. 

-- More to come.

 

Strategies

Turf War/Extraction/Guard the Stash - Parker and crew do well enough in this style of game. Outcast having access to multiple Hard to Kill units and upgrades, along with healers like Doc and Librarian help ensure his crew either sticks around, or uses up so a lot of the opponent's AP which sometimes makes them not worth killing. Parker's ability to Push friendlies, and to debuff opponent's outside the respective zones with Hands in the Air (discard to take tactical actions) or to lay down hazardous terrain can really interfere with an opponent's plans.

Reconnoiter/Interference - While Parker and his crew doesn't really excel at this Strat, they don't do any worse either than most of the other Outcast crews. It's doable to play this with Parker (anything is achievable though with any crew, just not always the best option). If given a choice and wanting to optimize, however, I'd likely go for Leveticus or Hamelin if this Strat came up.

Reckoning/Collect the Bounty/Head Hunter - Parker and crew does well at all of these. His 0AP ability to force a friend to take an attack along with his pushes for re-positioning and his debuffs really help to put a monkey wrench in the opponent's own abilities. Parker can also lay down steady fire power if needed between his gun and his upgrades. Keep in mind that he is a ranged crew, so for Head Hunter you will want to close the distance between you and the opponent (or wait for them) before you start dropping them, but I've really not had any trouble with that as of yet.

Squatter's Rights - Again, Parker is on par with the rest of Outcast for this one. No better, no worse. His crew can get the job done and he can help them with movement and terrain tricks while debuffing key models to keep them from taking tactical actions, or by just killing them.

Stake A Claim - This is the only one I haven't played yet with Parker. I will make the safe assumption, judging by how he performs in the other strats, that Parker will be a generalist enough master to support his crew well in this Strat, depending on what you want to do with him. This one really comes down to crew selection though and his crew will have the same issues as any other Outcast crew (minus Leve who can hiring leaping Necropunks) in that it will take planning to get the job done. Parker can help out more than most though in that he can push friendlies up to their walk from 18" away, so will be able to speed up anyone trying to Stake a Claim prior to their activating.

 

Schemes (GG2016 Only as they are variations on the theme of the book schemes, the newest ones available, and the ones most likely to be seen at events currently)

 

Marker Schemes - 

Convict Labor, Leave Your Mark, Covert Breakthrough, Detonate the Charges, Search the Ruins, Set Up

Scheme Marker objectives are what make Parker so good in the Outcast, a faction typically known for heavy damage dealing. He and his basic crew are able to lay down enemy scheme markers fairly easily, and if Parker is near, at the end of a turn he can discard to any number of cards to turn that same amount of enemy scheme markers into friendly markers within 4. While this isn't always viable due to discarding, it can lock up things like Deotante the Charges, Set Up, and Search the Ruins in a given turn to score you VP while possibly denying the opponent. Add to that, at the end of the game, though less useful under GG2016 Schemes, Mad Dog and the Bandidos (man, that sounds like a bad cover band name) all have an 2 similar to McMourning that turns enemy markers into friendlies. This can still come in handy though, especially on last turn moving near Convict Labor or Breakthrough Markers to deny the opponent points.

Leave Your Mark can be achieved at range with Mad Dog provided the opponent doesn't have models near and are far enough back when he kills something. He's the only crew member that drops Friendly Scheme markers when he kills something, rather than enemy scheme markers on triggers like his cohorts do. This can get even nastier with his Blast ability to potentially take out two or more enemy models at once. 

Parker also has the Black Market upgrade with the 0AP ability "Stick to the Plan" which allows him to force a friendly within 6", on a 5+, to make an interact action. Coupled with his Push ability "Job's Not Done" he can move his guys around a bit before they interact, or even use their own AP, and help achieve any of the above, depending on positioning.

For Scheme denial, Parker and crew also can cause havoc to the opponent by attacking them and dropping Enemy scheme markers, denying them things like Convict Labor by placing those markers within 2" of other Enemy markers. This means you can potentially shoot one enemy scheme runner in the distance, drop a marker near their marker, then walk into proximity of a different scheme marker (or shoot a different scheme runner who is near a marker) and deny that one as well. This puts a lot of pressure on the opponent to get more markers than normal down for Convict, while also allowing Parker and Crew the freedom to stay back while denying VP.

Other denial is gained via pushes to either get out of combat, thus away from enemy markers, or to push near markers in the case of Convict or Leave Your Mark. Parker and Mad Dog both have push abilities on their attack triggers (Parker for his basic SH, Mad Dog on his ML attack). Parker needs a  and Mad Dog needs a , neither of which are built in, so be prepared to cheat or use a soul stone if you find yourself in a bad position. Parker's push also comes in handy here as he can do it from up to 18" away. The Bandidos have two potential pushes. The first is their Df  trigger after resolving (so hit or miss) to get away, and their Run & Gun ability to push 5", attack, then push 3".

 

Interact with Opponent Schemes - 

Catch & Release, Exhaust Their Forces

Both of these are made slightly easier for Parker's crew with his ability to force 1AP interacts via Black Marker and to push friendlies near enemies then force interacts (or push so they can use their own AP). Catch & Release is easier than Exhaust due to only ever needing 1AP to achieve. Exhaust needs 1AP only after the opponent has activated, 2AP if they have not.

For denial pushes are a strength for you. Just like above, various members have various forms of pushes to get out of combat, thus freeing them up to interact and remove the Exhaust Condition. Parker can also use his Black Market to make an unengaged friendly remove Exhaust. For Catch & Release, Parker's push to move friendlies comes in nicely to get them away, freeing up their AP as they need 2AP to remove Catch & Release. Bandidos can discard for Run & Gun if they fear getting Exhaust or Caught to push out of combat (or further away from opponents in general), attack, then push again, causing the opponent to waste AP to get near them again, and needing 2AP to Exhaust as the Bandido has now activated (though only 1AP to Catch & Release).

Another way Parker can really mess with the opponent is via his Hands in the Air ability (discard two cards to interact). I've used it along with Black Market to force a friendly to Interact (Catch & Release) the opponent, then did Hands in the Air to that opponent. Then used his push to move my friendly away from the enemy. Now they are left with the option of discarding to remove the condition (thus denying me VP) or, if they also have Exhaust/Catch, to discard two cards to walk, then two more to interact (thus giving me points, but potentially gaining VP themselves). It's a Sophie's Choice.

 

Kill Schemes - 

Hunting Party, Neutralize the Leader, A Quick Murder, Mark for Death

Depending on crew selection for Hunting Party most of these are pretty standard fair for Outcast. They have plenty of ways to do damage, and Mark for Death isn't as bad either (interact prior to killing) as Parker can force someone via Black Market to interact if need be, or use Highwayman to force an Attack. Neutralize just depends on the Master as always.

For Quick Murder and Neutralize the Leader, Parker's Stick Up ability comes in handy to do a quick 4 damage on a target, or at the least deprive the opponent of a Soul Stone (and you gain one) once a turn, which you can then follow up by firing at them anyway, ditching your Stick Up upgrade for extra damage, then 0AP'ing and buying it right back with either the Soul Stone they gave you or an enemy scheme marker (or with your own Soul Stone in the event that they took the damage).

For Denial, I like taking Hodgepodge Effigy who has hard to kill and Doc who is in the back and heals, so those help cut down on Hunting Party deaths. My Bandidos or any other minions chosen just have to play as safe as you're willing to go with them.

Parker is pretty beefy due to wounds for Neutralize, and Doc, along with his heals and ability to hand out Hard to Wound help. Being Outcast, if you really fear for his safety, Survivalist is available (gives him Hard to Kill and  to heals received). A Librarian can also be hired to not only help achieve potential Hunting Party as she's an enforcer, but to also add more heals if needed.

Human Shield also comes into play here as it allows Parker to pass off damage to a nearby friendly and gain soft cover if within 2 another model, friend or foe. So if he's engaged and the opponent decides to just shoot into combat, not only would they need to randomize (special rules on attacker notwithstanding) they would also have to worry about cover.

Positioning Schemes - 

Undercover Entourage, Inspection, Occupy Their Turf, Public Demonstration

I have yet to take Occupy Their Turf (minions in enemy deployment), though I'm sure with Parker pushing friendlies, incorporeal Void Wretches, or Bandidos Run & Gunning, or even Freikorp Trappers deploying From the Shadows it can be achievable, I just haven't bothered with it as of yet.

Inspection and Public Demonstration can both be achieved with Parker helping out with his Pushes and Bandidos Running & Gunning to close the distance with a target if needed (or so that they can move into Inspection position while potentially taking out enemy models doing the same). 

I've had success achieving Undercover Entourage with Parker. Between his Walk 5, Oathkeeper, his  attack push 3" trigger, and his Stick Up upgrade that allows him to take a free walk action at the start or end of his activation (at the cost of discarding the upgrade) means he is actually quite mobile. I like dropping Stick Up at the start, walk for free, then 0AP to regain it sometime during the rest of my activation.

As for countering these, that's depending on the opponent's crew, but use your ranged attacks to your advantage to kill minions before they get into position for Inspect, Occupy, and Public Demo, and make sure to utilize things like Mad Dog's push enemy away trigger, and Parker's push himself trigger if needed to keep them at arms length. Parker can also put down his Hail of Bullets hazardous terrain. It might not kill the opponent, but it will either weaken them or use up their AP as they walk around it.

If you can figure out the Entourage Target then either kill it, or if that's not possible, Parker's "Hands in the Air" again comes in handy as they will have to discard to make basic walk actions. If you can engage them and do this, then they will start losing their hand very quickly.

Misc Schemes - 

Show of Force, Take Prisoner, Frame for Murder

Show of Force is probably one of the easiest for me with Parker's crew due to Mad Dog enjoying his Lucky Poncho, using Return Fire on Sue so much, and typically having another model with Oath Keeper, Scramble, Bigger They Are or something else running around. Take Prisoner isn't too hard to achieve depending on opponent and the target you pick. Parker's friendly pushes, or his ability to gain extra walks via Stick Up discard means he or his crew can move about quickly on the last turn if needed to tie up the target. Frame for Murder, as always, is dependent on the model picked and your ability to get the opponent to kill it with a Master or Henchman for full points.

Denial is both straight forward and tricky with these. For show of Force you want to either kill or tie up the opponent's scoring models before they can get into position, or use pushes, like Mad Dog's attack trigger, to move them out of position. Remember, they don't have to beat you, they just have to Tie you to still score their own Show of Force. Take Prisoner will come down to who their target is, but Parker can use pushes to move his guys out of combat, or if it's possibly himself and he can't kill whatever's engaged with him, he can go defensive (if you feel you need the ) and try to disengage, then even drop Stick Up if it's equipped for an extra walk, or he can go offensive and try for his Push 3"  trigger.

For Frame for Murder, either don't kill anything, or if you do, try to do so with Mad Dog's Burning +2 ML attack (or Sue's Ring of Fire also if you use him), or use Mad Dog's push attack trigger to push enemies into hazardous terrain so that they die from conditions or terrain and not your attacks. If that can't be done, then try to have minions, peons, and enforcers make the killing blow at least. Parker's No Witnesses (friendly makes an attack) 0AP can come in handy here as he can soften up targets first, then finish them off with someone else (I like Sue or Convict Gunslingers for this as they have built in  to attack making it easier to hit). 

[SinJ]

@asrian

Curious on your thoughts on Envy. He seems like a natural fit into a Parker crew with his ability  to easily get a scheme marker where you need it.

I poured over the upgrades and agree with your starting upgrades, athough Coordinated Heist is a very good upgrade if you are taking Mad Dog and at least another Bandito to begin with. That extra Scout the Field movement can really get your models into ideal positions. The Undead Outlaws look like they will be a very solid addition once released.

[SuperFly TNT]

Some random Parker thoughts.

Though costly at 8ss I find Wokou Raiders pretty essential. Combat Finesse gives them annoying survivability in engagement and their built in  for the Drop It trigger gives you enemy markers to fuel Parker. usually use the Raider to set up Coordinated Heist.

Coordinated Heist: A good way to get a lot of attack actions from Parker. After discarding Coordinated Heist, attach Crate of Dynamite with FFD.

I'm not overly enthusuatic about Mad Dog tbh. Blown Apart is the best thing about him really. 

[jphealy]

I'm looking at running this list initially with Parker.  Gives good long range fire support, close up damage with Parker and Mad dog, as well as the librarian who can hit very hard as well as healing. 

 

[boots468]

14 hours ago, asrian said:

The only negative I've come across is if you aren't taking Bandidos and the opponent isn't dropping scheme markers than Parker is either eating up Soul Stones like crazy to cycle upgrades,

Apologies if I'm missing something, but how are Parker's upgrade cycles a drain on soulstones?

He can only attach one upgrade per turn, which he'll only be able to do if he's discarded one that turn (assuming start with all 3 of course), which will have given him a stone from the discard? Unless you're swapping into the one 2ss upgrade, the cycle looks SS neutral to me, or even generating them if you are able to get enemy scheme markers involved.

Of course, him and Mad Dog do look to want a few stones for damage prevention, so mid game stone generation is always good!

[asrian]

Normally it would be Neutral, but you have to remember that Soul Stones are not only used for just buying upgrades mid-turn, but for various other reasons (card draw pre-turn, prevent damage, etc). Add to that Parker's gun get's bonus damage if you discard an upgrade to increase the damage (I typically won't, but every now and then that +1 or more damage is worth it to take out a key enemy model) which puts you at a deficit for a turn. There are also times when you have upgrades that you want to keep (Like Highwayman) so aren't discarding those to gain a Soul Stone, or, to use Highwayman again, if you use it to command a friendly to make an attack it forces you discard that upgrade or pay 1 soul stone if the friendly targeted wasn't a Bandit (I've targeted Sue quite a bit for his  attack flips) in which case you're essentially paying a Soul Stone to get that attack, which eats into your supply. The same is true for Black Market to make a friendly take an interact action. Sometimes the potential to gain a VP is worth the 1SS cost if it means you can still retain the upgrade and use it next turn straight away for another VP.

Things like this mean that I am usually either spending the stones as fast as I get them, or else I am 1 to 2 soul stones behind where I want to be. Parker can gain soul stones relatively easily, but he can spend them just as easily in a multitude of ways. I think that's what helps keep him balanced and why, unless the player is just not doing anything at all with Parker & crew except hording stones, you really won't see someone playing him have 8 to 10 soul stones piled up on their side unused.

[Pip]

Really god write up Jphealy! I've been really enjoying Parker as well. Love the fluff for him and his mechanics are heaps of fun!

One thing I've been doing is dropping Hail of Bullets behind some enemy models then using Mad Dog to shotgun them, then push them back into the hails of bullets for some extra cheeky damage.

So even if you do weak with both the shotgun and the Hail of Bullets Hazardous terrain, that's a min of 5 damage for effectively one shot. Add in blast damage and you can tag multiple models with the one shot.

Cheers,

Pip.

[asrian]

10 hours ago, SuperFly TNT said:

Some random Parker thoughts.

Though costly at 8ss I find Wokou Raiders pretty essential. Combat Finesse gives them annoying survivability in engagement and their built in  for the Drop It trigger gives you enemy markers to fuel Parker. usually use the Raider to set up Coordinated Heist.

Coordinated Heist: A good way to get a lot of attack actions from Parker. After discarding Coordinated Heist, attach Crate of Dynamite with FFD.

I'm not overly enthusuatic about Mad Dog tbh. Blown Apart is the best thing about him really. 

I'll definitely give the Wokou Raiders another go and try them out with Coordinated Heist. That's an idea I haven't thought of yet. Ty sir.

 

 

27 minutes ago, Pip said:

One thing I've been doing is dropping Hail of Bullets behind some enemy models then using Mad Dog to shotgun them, then push them back into the hails of bullets for some extra cheeky damage.

So even if you do weak with both the shotgun and the Hail of Bullets Hazardous terrain, that's a min of 5 damage for effectively one shot. Add in blast damage and you can tag multiple models with the one shot.

Cheers,

Pip.

 

I like that little combo. I've only been using the Hail of Bullets passively to deter movement, but the idea of using it more actively really appeals to me and my style of play. Thank you.
 

[Pip]

2 minutes ago, asrian said:

I like that little combo. I've only been using the Hail of Bullets passively to deter movement, but the idea of using it more actively really appeals to me and my style of play. Thank you.
 

You're welcome! It gives me a chuckle if nothing else. Hail of Bullets is great for those areas of the table that are a natural bottle neck. Also, of your timing is right, you can shotgun them into the Hail of Bullets (towards the end of the turn) and, provided Parker hasn't activated, then next turn, when the models that are in the HoB terrain activate, they take more damage. So potentially for one shotgun shot, you're looking min 7 damage. Juicy!!

Cheers,

Pip.

[asrian]

Another trick I thought of that came up in a discussion with Michael Daly on the Facebook forums (Direct copy/pasting it as I just woke up and am not awake enough yet to retype things):

Parker + Focused Hans or Trapper:

If Parker were within 6" of Hans you could get 2 Focused shots a turn at the cost of a 7+  and a 5+ of anything. Hans' new upgrade gives him a focus for 0AP action and a 7+, so take that, fire, then use his second AP to focus again. Parker activates (with Highwayman upgrade that allows a friend to attack), flips/cheats a 5+ to have Hans fire. 

Granted, something like that I might do Turn 1, but I wouldn't have Parker sit around to just do that each turn. Still, two focused shots a turn with Hans is nice. You could do the same with a Freikorps Trapper as well if someone in the crew had I Pay Better and was within aura 10 of them at the start. From the Shadows a Trapper up a bit, discard via I Pay for a focus, fire, focus. Parker goes, walks forward to get in range if he wasn't already (thus getting him up the battlefield anyway), then he can use his 0AP for a second shot.

Again, not something I would do for Parker each turn, but it's a nice trick up your sleeve if need be. I like to do a similar trick with Sue. Double walk him up then do his anti-cast aura. If opponent decides Sue is no longer a threat and moves within his range, I walk Parker up and 0AP to have Sue take a shot (naturally built in +Flips and Ram for Crit Strike so min. damage 3).

[Axelst]

Hans upgrade doesn't need a discard to give focus, it needs a 7+.

[asrian]

4 minutes ago, Axelst said:

Hans upgrade doesn't need a discard to give focus, it needs a 7+.

Thank you for pointing that out. I was going off memory and lack of coffee, and was thinking about I Pay Better when I typed that. I'll amend the above post though to reflect that so as to avoid confusion for others.

 

[SuperFly TNT]

Doesn't "No Witnesses" require the upgrade to be discarded or 1ss if the target isn't a Bandit? 

[apes-ma]

32 minutes ago, Axelst said:

Hans upgrade doesn't need a discard to give focus, it needs a 7+.

That's so dissappointing (I haven't got my book yet) - that means not only is it competing with Reference the Field Guide, but it's STILL going to cost you a card to focus or just do nothing at all. Poor old Hans.

[Axelst]

It won't necessarily cost you a card, only if you don't flip a 7+. And if a model has taken I Pay Better it will be possible to fire two focused shots per activation.