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D's comprensive first look of Ripples of Fate


D_acolyte

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If you wanted rules then there are plenty of others for that, I am giving you my opinion and takes on the models and upgrades. This by definition will be long and I have only really scratched the surface as I got the book this weekend. I highly recommend ctrl F and typing in the model name or faction.
Guild:
Nellie: This model is purple, or at least should be. She is awesome and totally not the standard of guild masters that tend to be killy or support.
Delegation: let me make a model fast and possibly put down a scheme marker. This sounds ok, until I do it to your model and put down a marker then have reveal Plant Explosives for points. This to me is an auto include.
Misleading Headlines: So it does some things but the best part is I can sacrifice cards to delay activations, which can be very handy early game.
Guild Funds: Nellie has a lot of way to spend evidence already, do I really think I will have enough to spend on this.
Embedded: Depends on your composition and Merc number.
Transparency: It is a good upgrade except for a lot of Journalist they have so many triggers they want to do why would I buy one more for the competition pool. Also I would put this on Phiona or Allison.
Printing Press: most all Nellies reporters are annoying and worth taking. This model is a tar pit that gives slow, for cheap do you need more reason to take it.
Phiona: She is a henchmen that is about terrain and beating face. If you want just a close combat fighter then she is fine but for a point or two more you can have a model like Ryle, and you always want Ryle if you want a pure combat monster. Also you will always want her upgrade and probably the armor upgrade.
Allison: She is a henchmen reporter, enough said. Of the non-master box models she will probably see the most play as she is a solid control model and can be an easy way to introduce that to your guild on the cheep.
Reporters: A WOE IN GUILD, more about this later. This model should be the new ruler of the 4 stone section as it is an effective scheme runner and the bane of my crews. This is also the only model in a long time that makes me think about changing my composition so I have a gun.
Death Marshal Recruiters: Are you playing marshal heavy, Lady J or expect burying then why are you not taking them. So despite my hatred for the Guild, Guild Marshals are some of the few guild organizations I like. These models are sort of specialized Jacks so I expect them to get sidelined by many.
Witchling Thrall: I like them, though witchlings lore scare me to death. I think they will find a place with Lucius, McCabe but not really with Sonia. They will also be used by those that like card cycling or those that plant schemes to utilize their close attack.
All other upgrades are Solid for there models or factions. My favorite are the zero stone ones and Numb To the World with Curfew being my least favorite and I suspect will see the least play but would be good in an elite crew.
Resurrections:
Reva: She is a scary artillery model that can fight in close combat. The trick with her I feel is how to get the coverage you want or need for her artillery strikes.
Litany of the Fallen: This is a must take to me even at 2 stones as it has the suit built in and opens up effective damage vs things like a peace keeper.
Blood Mark: this is optional to me based on your crew, if I ran Reva I would probably take this.
Guises of Death vs Beyond Death: I am a fan of Beyond Death because of the trigger and the regen but if you want a pure artillery build then Guises of Death is the more tempting of the two.
Corps Candles: Reva’s spotters but they have some extra uses. Not sure if I have much more to say, if you’re using Reva then you’re using them.
Vincent: Spirit Molly, spirit heavy Yan Lo and Kirai will all want him for a nice range model. He also has some play with corpses and using them, which competes a little bit with Reva. All and all I think he is solid but very crew dependent, as for his upgrade I can see taking it or leaving it as a play option.
Archie: He needs a bow on his head to go with Molly. For a 13 stone beater he works well, but for 14 stones he is great with armor 1 and hulking leap though the tentacle upgrade is not bad. Is he better then Nekima, possibly but only just barely though the armor helps a lot with that.
Shieldbearer: I suspect to many they may be situational but I like them, they can switch between tank roles at armor 1 df 6 to a beating role with 2/3/5 with a positive damage flip but only at skill 5. The soul bound upgrades I would do are Another Purpose fallowed by The Gift of Death.
Draugr: I would have him be Ht 1 or 3, but what is nice is all the auras he has. If you are using him for those it is important to remember the ht of the aura is equal to his, hence why I like the ht 2 well that and the damage.
Goryo: a close combat spirit that ignore armor, that sounds like the shikome to me so why is he special. Short answer, he is not unless you’re playing a ten thunder Yan Lo or built a crew around adversary. There are some minute differences between the two but all an all I rather have a shikome
The other new upgrades are sort of meh to me. I like Wronged Spirits, now if only Onryo had a way to be bought other than the Kirai box, I do love those models and what they can do.
Arcanists:
Sandeep: He is a generalist that has a neat mechanic. As a generalist he is good and does not need a subset of models which is big for the arcanists because there masters like there subsets a lot.  That being said I do not think he will see a lot of action in the competitive areas.
To Behold Another World vs To Command Another Plane: both up an attack I do not care about using if possible. They both give you summoning so you’re going to take them. Then it just a matter of interaction vs combat and that comes down to the scheme pool.
I like Enlightend Souls as incorporeal on other models and drawing cards I feel will help this master and his crew.
Unaligned Sage: Normally I would say it depends on terrain or build but I know this will be taken because people want to do an academic crew. I feel that this is a little bit of a trap and is not as simple as people will think to make it work “right”.
Banasuva: you will summon him with something of flame attached be he is a close combat fighter so you want him to move and you want him to attack. The only other question is that is he worth a 12, yes he is. I also like his model.
Kudra: moble and deadly while doing some stone conservations. I think she is good but better vs some target then others, mostly those that have armor she is better vs because she gets 4 attacks on the charge with min 1 rather than 2 at min 2 which would be standard for 7 point in most factions. If you plan on doing the Gamin summoning thing for more than just the totem her upgrade looks worth it.
Amina: She is a control model that knows her role, messing with models with slow or interesting conditions. You will also want her near the center of the board to try and get soulstones. In short I Like her and if I ever get back to this faction I will be using her.
Carlos: He seems odd to me, well only partly. I think he will be great in a Kaeris crew, ok in a Mei crew and possibly used in a Collet crew. His upgrade is a must take and you need a card for it to work otherwise he will burn himself to death and because he likes being on fire you will want him on fire. Important to note his upgrade is 0 stones in a Collet crew.
Poison Gamin: I do not like the sculpt of these models. These guys have a good amount of naturally build in synergy with themselves and unless someone has condition removal they will work very well. These also feel like a soft patch to Scorpius.
Shastar Vidya Guard: They read neat, they look neat but at 8 stones I do not think they will see to much play. They are a Jack model and that sort of makes them meh to most people I know but they are accurate. I am sure there is some use to them but for the most part they just seem ok to me for now.
The general upgrades for the Arcanist seem to be more about introducing beast to the line up. The Mauler upgrade is nice and you will take it if you run them, Blade and Claw will need some rereading to figure it out, Temporary Shielding is not for me as I tend not to run three of any one model. Well Rehearsed I feel is the neatest and will work well to do some mobility or create some play around living models in the Arcanist faction.
Neverborn:
Titania: In a world where scheme markers matter more and more she is the Neverborn answer to it all. She is new and different and great but she is killable or at least hit able unlike most Neverborn.
The queen’s champion is almost an auto take and I almost do not care who gets it because it will guaranty make them better. As long as it is a combat model and 7 stones or higher, think of it on any of the trio, rougarou, Graves or a mature.
The Forest Claims All is nice for Titania as she likes scheme markers but you might need to be careful on how close they are to each other for schemes.
The rest are up to how you want to play, I will probably put an Audience With the Queen on her and Taproot on Aeslin.
The Gorar: It is an ok totem with some neat tricks. He is worth trying be he probably will not live up to the primordial magic.
Aeslin: She will probably not get the love she deserve but she is a good range model and I like Bound and Rooted. I think she will have a small place outside of Titania’s crew but it might take a while to find it.
Tooth, Claw, and Thorn: if you cannot find one of them to do a role you want then you’re not looking at them. I will probably run Claw and might run Thorn as well, but I could see Tooth being good as well. The possibility with these 3 and in what combinations will take months of trial and error.
Bandersnatch: A NEVERBORN SPIRIT, more on that later. He is an interesting summon for the Dreamer, nor sure he will see much play outside of the Dreamer but he is 5 point with interesting mechanics.
Will O’ The Wisp: I think there will be a lot of crafting around Ever Changing Form, though you can only target a model once with it a turn. More importantly it is a 3 stone activation. Normally I would say the model is a no go but I will think about it, I think some of the other parts gives it hidden potential.
Rougarou: I love the art of them but a far as 8 stone combat models in the neverborn it is only ok. It has a low damage of 2 when at this cost our normal is 3 but it 0 actions are both really neat. I can see them with Pandora or Lucius, Bloodborne Lucius any one (I am just waiting for a nightmare box).
General upgrades: I like Lelu’s upgrade and do not care about Iggy as I use him for a cheap model in show of force and hunting riders. I love the other two upgrades and will probably have A Thousand Faces on an enforcer.
Outcast: Parker Barrow barrows your enemies schemes. He is good vs standardly range heavy crews. He is all about the upgrade switching and enemy scheme markers. I played vs him recently and he seems like a Swiss army knife sort of model.
His upgrades this could be a post in and of itself but start with a limited of your choice, I like black market, coordinated heist, and one other. Then discard and replace as needed. For damage: Crate of Dynamite, Stick Up, Hail of Bullets; for defense: Human shield.
Doc Mitchell: he a cheap heal that is worth it in and of itself.
Mad Dog Bracket: a range henchmen but I like Rusty Alce more and am not sure how much play he will see. If you take him you want his upgrade for hard to kill, then you heal him and he is aback to needing to hits to die. Finally he can carry a Crate of Dynamite which is nice in Parkers crew.
Aionus: I like him and I bet there are those with some experience with him on the forum so I am done.
Bandido: cheap range models with a great tactical action and some scheme marker tricks so if you see them be mindful.
Dead Outlaws: Tormented bandits that look like they will hit henchmen, enforcers and masters hard. So they get a bonus damage vs models with upgrades so they can work with Jack handing them out or with your enemy taking them, take that McCabe lol.
Wokou Raiders: the only outlaw which can do close combat well. They are fast with a charge threat of 10 and no Df triggers vs close combat. Lastly they can be taken by Misaki so I am getting them eventually.
I like the outcast upgrades, especially Hans and Return Fire. The Bigger They Are might be good on Rusty to go enforcer and henchmen hunting.
Gremlins:
Zipp: Justen called him on a pod cast the first disruptor master, and I agree. He has a lot of ability to just mess with what your enemies want to do by standing around but this also make everything else he does feel subpar for a master. Zipp is a mosquito, put and simple; he flies around and acts as an annoyance.
No Quarter Vs The Gift of Gab: Both are pretty much the same but one focuses on zero action where the other is soul stones. I like No Quarter because a lot of things have zero action and there are a lot of models that use soul stone I would not want Zipp near. Also it is easier to ditch to card then a soul stone to remove conditions.
Rambling Diatribe: The only other Zipp only upgrade and yess I would take it as you can use it on your own hand or your enemy hand. It looks very use vs summoners.
The other sky pirat upgrades are ok, I would probably give Poorly Handled Explosives to Zipp or an iron skeeter, Treasure map to the First Mate, and the other to on an iron skeeters if you want them.
Earl Burns: he is good because he can heal but that is common in the gremlins otherwise he does some stuff with giving construct a suit which is nice.
The First Mate: He is out there to destroy scheme markers so give him his upgrade for armor, anything else he does is gravy. His is ok in combat and can eat models. You will want him acting as an interceptor or lurking on the periphery of the board.
Iron Skeeter: I like these guys, I know a shocker. They are fast and have some neat tricks as well as can carry Ht 1 models, like Burt or a slop hauler. I see some good tactical uses with them, if your clever enough.
Akaname: Why is this think a gremlin, ten thunder Tri Chi; So this is something that really bothers me and that is when you take a dual faction master and give them a way to run the same list in either faction. Choices matter, the choice on your faction should matter even more then what sort of PJ you have on. Calm down D, this little putrid pullup is basically protection from poison or stealing it from enemies to do better. It is ok but need high poison to work well, best steal it from McMourning’s crew.
Banjonista: It adds a little more speed to the faction and is better with more models. Not a bad model but it seems counter to most gremlin crews I have been seeing which rely on more expensive models then there numbers that I tend to associate with gremlins. Though an expensive gremlin is 7 stones so you might still get some numbers.
Swine-Cursed: This is a mix model for Wong and Ulix, which is a good move as I am all for models being viable to multiple masters in a faction. It is an interesting Ml model and there may be some interesting play around it 0 actions. I think it can find rooms in other lists especially because of the Magical condition.
I dislike the war pig upgrade, yes I said it, I feel it brakes some of the structure that I as a player come to expect and apreiciate because it goes on a minion. I also see the war pig played and feel that giving it one turn of acting “normal” takes some of the tactics away from it. The two one point upgrades are fine though pork whisper’n seem to undercut the hog whisperer.
Ten Thunders:
Asami: As far as spear tip summoners go she is no Dreamer or Molly as she lacks the breath of support or control abilities the have. Conversely does she need to start the game with oni minions in her crew, no. I am interested to see how she does in some games I have coming up.
Nefarious Pact is an auto include. I feel A heavenly Design is just shy of an auto include. The last two, Feigned Weakness and Grasping Strands comdown to schemes and if you want to summon tengu and yokai when your enemy makes point. Of these two Feigned Weakness will influence your play a lot and could be called a trap, even if it is not. The Fate of Mortals is an upgrade I will probably put on an oni henchmen or enforcer or totally ignor.
Amanjaku: The question on tacking him is how much work will you get from Onwards Into Night and A Taste of Life. I am on the fence about him because his ability read a late activation model and his actions read early to mid-activation to me. Conversely other than the Malifaux child I am not sure I run another totem with Asami, I might even go totemless because of how many stones I will be putting into other things.
Ohaguro Bettari: She can give a mask to Ml with in so an aura or make an oni take an interact action which is good utility. Otherwise she is a combat model which gets around Df and Wp triggers, Zipp hunting anyone. I would defiantly give Ohaguro Bettari her upgrade to try and keep her around.
Yokai: probably the model Asami will summon the most and they can be good combat models and good utility if you have enough flicker. Are they worth buying, I think so because your enemy will say they will die anyway and may ignore them; there is power in anonymity. That said if you want to regulate them to just summoning that works to, they are defiantly worth it on a charge.
Terracotta Warriors: everyone I talk to seem to be crazy about ancient treasures and thousand strong. These ability are nice but I see them as a good scheme runner and fighter. Also a Guild Lucius player pointed out Lucius can get 4 or 5 stones form one, I told them I play Neverborn and Lucius gets 4 stones form a depleted. I do think they will have a place, but just focusing on 2 abilities I feel pigeon whole them, also switching upgrades, you probably already have recall training on the model lol.
Sun Quiang: I think this guy is great, absolutely interesting and very deep play wise. He is great for schemes, good at healing and has more interesting tricks on what can happen then I thought possible. Downside is that he is card heavy.
Yasunori: This is sort of like a Ten Thunder rider with some good attacks and good utility to him. Unlike a normal rider he is not a rider and does not take turns to rev up to power nor is he as survivable as they are.
I am iffy on Fuhatsu's upgrade, it takes a range model and adds a Ml attack but if I want that I would buy a samurai. Peaceful waters is nice and will let low river monks see the board. Equality screams Sun Quiang to me. Death Contract will be taken, because it is a pain to your opponent.
Final Thoughts:
The faction that won this book is the Never... Guild yes most defiantly Guild as it brought neat toys and a new style to the faction that crosses the spectrum.
The "loosing" faction because someone will ask, is the Grem..... Arcanist. Though it gave the Arcanist what they needed and what some will want id do not see many of there models getting the penetration they should vs some older masters and models or except in very few situation. The 2 which will have the most play I feel is Carlos and poison gamin because now the Arcanist poison crew is a thing.
I think all the factions came out better off in this book and made a good showing.
The masters that i think will have the highest penetration in tournament are Titania, Nellie, and Asami. I do not know about Zipps penetration, does his novelty or annoyance cause a prolong play life, we will find out. I feel Parker is often to complicated to get right to be common. Reva is great but I think the traditional powerful resur masters will still hold the light. Sandeep is to much of a "I work with everything", but that what I wanted when I played Arcanists.
Interesting things for the future: Could we end up with a Woe Guild Master or a Spirit Neverborn Master as these are two new sub typing for these factions.
Also what is up with the gremlin on page 167.
Please comment and post your thoughts or ask me about my thoughts.

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Just a quick comment, on Banasuva, No other model can summon using Sandeeps upgrades, they only get  to copy Ca actions printed on his card. 

2 things to mention with Carlos. Firstly, he is a very good model with purifying Flame Kaeris, getting that heal for free, makes him very durable. Secondly, its worth remembering that you take the burning damage before you remove the burning condition, so you have to get him to burning 4 before he takes more than 1 damage from burning. 

 

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6 hours ago, Adran said:

Just a quick comment, on Banasuva, No other model can summon using Sandeeps upgrades, they only get  to copy Ca actions printed on his card. 

I changed that.

6 hours ago, Adran said:

2 things to mention with Carlos. Firstly, he is a very good model with purifying Flame Kaeris, getting that heal for free, makes him very durable. Secondly, its worth remembering that you take the burning damage before you remove the burning condition, so you have to get him to burning 4 before he takes more than 1 damage from burning. 

I did mention that he will see play in a Kaeris crew, I think either versions of Kaeris will like him for various reasons. This may be just me, but I do not care if it is 1 point or 3 points it is a slow death and has to be watched; now that being said should you use his upgrade every turn, probably not unless you have the cards for it but most often I see it on turn 3 or 4 or when his health gets low. Essentially his upgrade does the Kaeris heal by fire at the cost of a card and also gives him some triggers, what I did miss is it is a free upgrade in a Collet crew which makes him a little better for her, though I am still not sure he will see the field much there. Carlos will also spend most of his time at burning 2 because of the push and if you have one decent model to hand out burning when you are vs him you can get him to burning for 4 quickly.

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I would argue that the Swine-cursed are awesome in any of the Gremlin crews except perhaps the Brew Master.

In regards to Reva, well she is doesn't have any issues getting corpse nodes in position for her attacks. Really wish there were more models that could get rid of Corpse Counters (still dont know why the Pigs lost their ability in that regard). The Freikorps Specialist is going to be very popular against her

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I can see that about the swine-cursed, they are a good combat model until you remove the magical condition from them then they become lack luster. The reason why Wong is good with them is because of Ooh Glowy, I think it will make there magical condition un removable but I will have to check.

As for Reva and corpse nodes, I think it comes down to a logistic issue for her. The closer you want her to a node the easier it is go get a node there because of the corpse candles but if you want her to have maximum reach and coverage then you are probably looking at 4 or 5 nodes between 8 and 18 inches from her. I did get to see a game where Lilith pulled a shieldbearer in and then had Nekima "kill" it..... it was not a good day to be there after words but I suspect things like that will happen fewer and fewer after a month or so. Zombies and candles will be Revas NVPs and I do like the idea of her and Philip.

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I would hardly call them lackluster. They have good defensive stats (Df and Wp), good Ml AV, Reckless, a good Push mechanic, and can self heal. Magical is really icing on the cake.

In regards to Reva the Shieldbearers are a big part of her effectiveness. Our Reva player said he "felt dirty" playing her. His opponent agreed.

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Monks of Low River

In fact, most condition removal tend to be attack actions or self base actions

37 minutes ago, Omenbringer said:

I would hardly call them lackluster. They have good defensive stats (Df and Wp), good Ml AV, Reckless, a good Push mechanic, and can self heal. Magical is really icing on the cake.

Lackluster might have been to strong and antagonistic. If they loose Magical during the game there target priority shifts a lot. Before they could go reckless and charge Waldgeist and really mess it up now it can not. There may be some games where this change does not matter but there are others where this will make a big difference. He might also have more value in the gremlins because of outside of lightning bugs (if I remember correctly) the faction has trouble with armor and incorporeal, I am all for increasing the number of model a faction can field to deal with these problems. But to me outside of the Magical condition it reminds me of a rooster rider.

46 minutes ago, Omenbringer said:

In regards to Reva the Shieldbearers are a big part of her effectiveness. Our Reva player said he "felt dirty" playing her. His opponent agreed.

I agree that they are and that she is scary, it just in a few months Lilith will learn not to bring a Shieldbearers into base with her. I think Reva is very good at at what she does, that being said just as how I see guild love there guns, resurs love there summoning which is Reva's one weak point. If I played Resurs in the league I am in I would have bought her instead of Asami. I think all the masters in the new book are good.

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As a long time Gremlin player I can say without exaggeration that Gremlin's do not suffer against Armor, Incorporeal, or Hard to Wound. Between Dumb Luck and "Punches in Bunches" Gremlin's have a lot of tools to deal with those things. The Swine-cursed are just another tool in that arsenal, but again losing Magical does not neuter them significantly. They can still do what you want them to perfectly fine.

Reva doesn't suffer from the lack of substantial summoning (Corpse Candles not withstanding). She can access the Maniacal Laugh upgrade (honestly this one seems tailored to her) which allows her to summon Mindless Zombies for Attrition/ out activation and better positioning of those Corpse Counter node attacks. She has an awful lot of board presence given that each corpse counter is nearly a 7" circle of influence.

Having run through the book a few times I would agree there isn't much in it that isn't gold. Truthfully though I am more than a bit concerned about a few of them.

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Maybe, maybe.

It certainly seems as if there is power creep which is unfortunate.  Having said that it is also the case that:

  1. Several of these masters appear to bring a specific ability/play style that their respective faction lacked or had little of.  Nellie is the scheme manipulator Guild does not really have a lot of, Sandeep is a all-rounder in a faction of mostly specialists, Titania is a durable brawler in a faction of sideways hitting glass cannons, Asami is a summoner in a faction which did not heavily feature that mechanic.  All examples, the question is have they over compensated and turned traditional weaknesses into notable strengths.
  2. Several things in the book seem aimed at adjusting specific older release models, masters.  Obviously several upgrades (I'm Arcanist so Slate Ridge and Ox Mages) are directly aimed at bringing something more to certain perceived as under powered pieces.  In addition several crews/masters which were seen as 'weak' appear to have had models specifically designed to benefit them, for example Lucius and Thralls seem tailor made to work together.  This may be good but also may backfire as a number of these 'weaker' models were strong but difficult to play and now they have simply got much stronger and simpler.  Also inevitably some models are niche, in a limited resource game some things are commonly tool-box taken and others are specialist niche, buffing niche models to common standard.... problematic.
  3. All of this relies on the meta needing to adjust to the largest completely new and original release Wyrd has done in Mk2.  Seven new masters and crews plus a handful of extra models for every faction will mean a lot for the community to process and integrate.  We may see a number of significant power swings and complaints (of both 'too good' and 'its now/is useless').  The question will be in about 6 months from now as play normalizes and folks get experience will it be apparent that certain things are now weaker or overly powerful?

I'm not sure what the long term is, but given I (and I suspect many others) still have not even held a copy of RoF yet let alone constructed a (Sandeep in my case) crew and played with it I'm not going to worry that the cyclone is imminent until I step outside (but having said that I might include some wet weather gear in the bag, you know, just in case).     

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Bought it at GenCon sale and awaiting delivery to distant Australia, hopefully this week, it has according to tracking arrived in Sydney but sadly not yet to my actual door.

My theory-crafting is based off various internet spoilers and long experience with war gaming updates and expansions.

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I think there are a lot of strong models and masters but I also think most are very focused and not game braking. The masters are all powerful but I do not think any of them are really easy except at a cursory level or by abandoning other aspect, it similar to Lilith. You can play Lilith as a combat master but she is so much more, in fact I often say that she is a pact tactic master that specialize in separating out enemy crews and stratifying there advance so that she can have other gang up on individual models. That sounds simple right? So these masters have focus and have some deep levels to play and function, does that mean everyone will use them; no, in fact it sort of implies that most will not unless they bring something really interesting and needed.

Some models may be to strong for there points, cough cough reporters cough cough, this is not the first time it has happened in this edition or even in the same book. What do you think the strongest non master model is in the book and what is the strongest master in the book if you have it? I am going with reporters and Parker, as there presence much yet use will shape how I approach the game more then others will.

Also to an extent we will not know how this full changes things up for probably a year do to release dates and play needed. Then there are people like me, I hate proxying so it might take me even longer to figure some of it out because what is on paper is different from play.

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It is interesting to see how this will all play out.  Comments have been very, very contradictory (as they always are).

Popularity scale it appears pretty clear that Titania is the early winner, her box has been immensely popular and sold out and general commentary has been she is durable and brings an unusual (for NB) skill pool to the table with her crew.  However there has not been (that I've heard) acclaim that she is immensely powerful.

Nellie is a clear early power-mechanism winner.  Her card and crew have several unusual or (currently) unique mechanism's and she also brings a very 'outside the traditional' master to Guild.  Nellie herself seems strong and both her totem and minion reporters have received acclaim as being excellent and cheap pieces, her hench(wo)man has the poorest review and that is largely in light of the excellent array of damage dealing henchmen Guild already has in that SS range.  If any set of models will tilt the meta's this seems the most likely.

Sandeep is interesting, I've heard people say he's good and adaptable but several reviews have been underwhelmed.  Sandeep himself is regarded as strong but his box has received mixed review, Kudra has I think been unfairly labelled as under whelming (unfair because she is being compared to more expensive henchmen who have a different purpose), the poison gamin have been generally regarded as weak models and pieces (I think they have a place in poison builds and as construct/beasts at the very least).  His totem is so connected (and unique to him in nature) to Sandeep that I consider the master and totem to be nearly inseparable.

Arcanist had what appears to be a commensurate gain in upgrades with the other factions in particular the Slate Ridge and Scorpius may benefit from a directed upgrade (Slate) and Blade & Claw.  Blade & Claw in particular could have far reaching impact if it plays as the reading of the card seems to indicate it can, but it may be more hype than deliverable's.... maybe.  Ox Mages got a potential boost but it is number handicapped, it does potentially make 3x OxM's interesting but the 15SS cost remains prohibitive enough that it will be a niche thing I am near certain.

The two new Arcanist henchperson's have had mixed reviews, they exist in a faction which has a plethora of strong 9+SS models and strong henchmen.  Amina has a definite role and it will be interesting to see how often and with who she features but I imagine she will see solid table time.  Carlos is mostly schticked for burning lists and will be excluded or beaten out by other models in many lists I think, his most likely action will be in specific Kaeris and maybe Mei builds.  Ramos, Rasputina and Ironsides all benefit to much from other henchmen and their various station characteristics for me to think Carlos will be a frequent piece played.  Colette ironically has an already great henchwoman and also two others well regarded (Joss and Captain) with several high demand expensive enforcer/minion options, Carlos may bring the heat but it is a different heat than Colette's schtick, the fire of desire to impress is her thing, Burning not so much.  

The  Shastar Vidya Guard are an enigma, I really need to sit down and study these guys.  They are expensive pieces in a faction which has already got an array of strength at those levels.  They don't appear to have much station/type synergy.  Damage and durability wise they appear pretty vanilla, not to marvelous or bad.  I expect these fellows will be a niche and a build specific piece but I need to really absorb the stats they bring to be certain.

So I'd say Guild at least initially appears to have the strongest all around release which I think will be impacting the meta in 6+ months time.  Neverborn has a box (at least) which will see regular play time in whole or part if only because the models are regarded as superb, but they are also durable pieces in a traditionally less durable faction, at least for low-mid range minions.  I am happy with Arcanist's release in general and I think it will nearly all see play and some of it regularly but I don't think any Arcanist builds will suddenly break the meta open (although I reserve judgement until someone does something hideous with a Blade & Claw combo).

 

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11 hours ago, dancater said:

The  Shastar Vidya Guard are an enigma, I really need to sit down and study these guys.  They are expensive pieces in a faction which has already got an array of strength at those levels.  They don't appear to have much station/type synergy.  Damage and durability wise they appear pretty vanilla, not to marvelous or bad.  I expect these fellows will be a niche and a build specific piece but I need to really absorb the stats they bring to be certain.

The Shastar Vidya Guard are about attack numbers and trying to get use out of there ditch a card for focus when they activate. It goes something like this: Ditch a card to get focus, attack with Ten-Fist-Long Sword with focus and try and get one of the triggers you want, they have one for every suit but if you get a mask take that. You will probably do 2 damage. This triggers attacking with the Chackram which can auto trigger an attack vs another model in 2 inches with the Chackram, this also does not have a "may not trigger a trigger" clause but must be vs a new target each time. By the way the Chackram is not a projectile even though it is a sh action with rg 10.

Other Ten-Fist-Long Sword triggers are slow, damage on the 2/4/6 can not be reduces, and a :+fate to damage.

These models are also M&SU and have Hard to Kill, just incase you want to use Ironside. Also Df and Wp 6 and both there attacks are at a skill of 6.

I am not wild about them but they and Kudra seem to be able to just attacks over and over again.

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" These models are sort of specialized Jacks so I expect them to get sidelined by many. "

I think you underpower Guild Marshal Recruiters. they have a 13" charge range by themselves. They mess up Leveticus and Dreamer pretty hard. They can make Justice or Frank really hard to kill. They have a decent shooting attack and can give extra attacks to melee models. With A Debt to the Guild they have min damage 4 for an activation. They also have 6 Df. 

I`d say they are one of the best enforcers in Guild ATM.

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