Divergent Paths Tactica

[anencephalous]

Since we are all in this together, I thought it would be useful for us to pool our intellectual resources on how to win these games. It would be great if some of the TT veterans could chip in and lend a hand to those with less experience.

Strategically thinking, I think in week one our focus should be on the Self Righteous Man, because if he gains Illuminated or Darkened, it is useful to Lynch even if he ends up in another faction, and we can potentially get traction off two models by the end.

Tactically, the first week looks like a good week for us. Two of the events are a rush to the middle to interact with with a marker. This is where we excel. The other is going to be a lot trickier.

Panicked Flight. This one looks like the easiest for us this week. There is no restriction on moving the token first turn, so with all our pushes and speed ups (thinking Shenlong, Sensei Yu, Lust, Emissary, Kamatachi, Soul Porter, Mr Graves etc), it should be possible to start moving the marker on turn one. To help with this, I suggest putting lots of terrain in the middle of the map during set up, both to cover the marker-movers, and to slow up other models. If you take a flighting or incorporeal model, a big patch of severe terrain in the middle might be worth its weight in gold. Once the marker is on your side, the Witchling Stalkers will start moving towards you, and it will be easier to score those points as well.

Breakout. Not quite as easy, but much of the same applies as above. Try to get a model ready to interact with the carriage (7” from the side) at the start of turn two. Because the interactive model can be 1” away from the carriage maker, and the SRM marker appears in base to base contact with the interacting model, it seems possible to get a fair amount of movement from that first interact, especially if you put it on the far side of a 50mm base. Models with From the Shadows (Katanaka Snipers, Guild Trapper, Clockwork Traps etc) might be particularly useful, to set up for that turn two interact. As above, incorporeal and flight might be the way to go, especially if you were able to put down a lot of terrain on the sides of the midline.

Chaos Unleashed. This one looks like madness. The blind start and the randomness of the middle interact means this one could be crazy hard. I recommend a mix of ranged and melee, and preferably models that are strong independently, because you may not be able to synergise as you normally would. Toragake might be particularly good for their capacity to both score and move immediately out of engagement. Because you will be spending cards trying to modify the middle flip as well as the normal cheats, anything that gives more cards would be helpful here (Lynch, Low River/Emissary/Shenlong, Asami etc).

[Eclipse]

  It is true that we need targeting priority system, but only insofar as time constrains us. Only if three (or even two) games in the span of two weeks is too much for a given player should we resort to this. I'd rather we participate for all three and win as much as possible
What the OP above says about models ending in another faction is true for all three characters - if they get keywords that allow us to take them in Thunders we are still good to go (even though it's still limiting compared to being able to take a model with all TT Masters).
  Heavy and fast schemers that I like to run in Thunders are Ama no Zako, Dawn Serpent, Hungering Darkness. Other quick (but not as durable) models are Wandering River Monks, Tengu, TT Brothers, teleporting Last Blossoms. Mobility provide Sensei Yu, Mr. Graves, Lust, Kamaitachi. Obviously Shenlong, McGabe and to some extent Yan Lo (Spirits) can aid their models with this. In addition, we can use solid ranged support - a Katanaka Sniper or a Guild Pathfinder upfield can quickly start to pelt at the Stalker Markers and afterwards at the opposing force. The latter can also set up traps, which is indispensable for Panicked Flight and Breakout.
  A note about the 2 VP for touching the carriage first: As far as I understand nothing prevents us from scoring the points on turn 1, only the other interacts score 1 VP per turn. A Luna or Dawn Serpent in McGabe or a Fast and pushed Wandering Monk can do this as an alternative to the second turn From the Shadows/racing with some other model.
  In the Chaos Unleashed encounter as you said good choices would be models with mixed melee/ranged abilities such as Illuminated, Samurai, Fuhatsu with the 0ss upgrade from Ripples of Fate, Katanaka Snipers. The Emissary is an all-around solid model, and the Lone Swordsman and Mr. Graves might get to see chaotic action earlier than usual (except in Shenlong, of course ) All of those are naturally expensive so be careful when choosing your crew. If you decide on filler models for more activations try to take slippery or tanky models like Komainu, TT Bros, etc.
  Our faction has great mobility and excels in scoring quick - calculate so that you can get the most VP as quickly as possible. Try to hold off the opponent from catching up to you as much as you can and decide whether to sacrifice your models to delay his, or to hang back and still his Thunder (!) again and again.
  It is also possible to throw some games on purpose with other factions (infiltration, hehe) whenever you feel you might lose. Certainly viable, but rather lacking in sportsmanship. Not that shadow skulkers have a need for sportsmanship, but still
  Most importantly, have fun! May the Thunder illuminate your Path!

[anencephalous]

I played Panicked Flight and it was as easy as anticipated. Turn one Ama No Zaki pushed it once, then chained it to two other models for a total of three pushes on turn one. Witchlings took a hard turn and that was pretty much the game.

The other two do not look so easy, however.

Breakout, the one I most want to win, is pretty random - "Once per game starting on the second turn, a model within 1” of the Patrol Wagon Marker may take a (1) Interact
Action to spring the Self-Righteous Man from the wagon". As I see it, unless one team is very immobile or there is lots of terrain, whoever wins the initiative check on turn two gets a big jump. The marker and 2 vp. That is pretty hard to manage.

Oh, and I also found Yin to be very useful. Wicked meant she got multiple attacks on the neutral Witchlings as they tried to walk away from her engagement.

 

[Eclipse]

Use pushes and give out Fast if available to scum the race for the wagon and grab the Man. Having a model or two go as quick as possible should go a long way in this encounter.
For the Blind Deployment try to avoid squishy models and models that require a lot of synergy - high Wounds, and Ml score as well as speed 5 at least should go a long way here. If you are playing a little bit more open games as far as terrain is concerned to try to mix this with some shooting - added to the above mentioned traits to look out for.

[Pyrflamme]

I only got one game in tonight during Malifaux night, vs our resident Arcanists man. Sadly, he had already played (and beaten) a Gremlin player for the Man, so I wasn't able to take a crack at putting us one up on the Arcanists there. We played the Woman scenario and I won, 8-5, so at least we got one point towards a new Oiran (Last Blossom?).

We're doing a campaign and I have Misaki with Sensei Yu in the crew, so I'm hoping that when the Man comes around (heh), I can spring him first turn with Yu handing out Stalk/Airburst.

[InvokeChaos]

I also put up a point towards the woman. The blind deployment was interesting, but it actually enabled my schemes and I brought Asami to help pad the field. Still a really close game though.

[anencephalous]

I just saw a Chaos Unleashed match where the Outcast player cleverly took two Trappers. That way he could put cards in out of the way corners on high terrain. If it is his card, its a good spot for a sniper, if it is there card, they have to get down and spend a turn or so walking towards the action in the middle. We could do the same with Katanaka Snipers. 

[Valgaav]

First time doing a campaign, and also first time doing a Global Campaign.  I'm going to be doing the Child on wednesday, after winning my Man and Trickster games.  I'm looking for suggestions on what to take, and tactics, based on what I've got and what I can remember of their crew.

 

My Arsenal:

Toshiro the Daimyo: 9
- Cursed (lose all printed suits)
Katanaka Sniper: 7
- Crippling Pain (-1 WK)
- Thick Hide (Regen +1)
Dawn Serpent: 10
Shadow Effigy: 4
- Missing Fingers
The Lone Swordsman: 8
- Off-Hand Fighting (+ to all ML attacks)
Ten Thunders Brother: 5
- Shaken (- to DF and WP duels for 1 game)
Obsidian Oni: 6
- Unfocused
Shadow Emissary: 10
Equipment and upgrades:
Smoke Grenades(1), Command the Graves (1), Metal Plate(1), Lead from the Front(1)

 

I'll be playing against an Outcasts player that's recently discovered the joy of Tara, after staring with Viktoria.  I don't know what Campaign stuff she has, other than Blight(!) and a Jetpack for Taelor, but I know she has Scramble.  In her Arsenal are Viktoria of Blood, Taelor, the Nothing Beast, Aionus, some Void Wretches, and possibly Ronin?  I don't know if she removed the Ronin to get the Wretches, or if she just hasn't used them since she got the tiny things.

 

Any suggestions?

[Gottkaiser]

I will play the Blind deployment soon and I'm going to face Neverborn, most likely Titania. My current list aims for individual models which can look after themselves. The list is:

Lynch (The Rising Sun)

Hungering Darkness

Izamu the Armour

Samurai (Favor of Jigoku)

Yin the Penangalan

The Illuminated

The Illuminated

The Illuminated

 I think these should do fine. If Yin pulls of the to Ca an Wp on an enemy, the affected model is more ore less useless as there are almost no models without terrifying.

[Eclipse]

  Tara is a Master that essentially has 6 AP. Overall, I am not too familiar with her. Her thematic models can bury model and then target them in the void - which means they leave no scrap/corpse markers behind afterwards. Try to use range to your advantage - take the sniper (what I'll be taking for the Witchling Markers) to shoot her crew from a distance.
  I would take the Dawn Serpent in a combo with the Shadow Effigy: The Effigy can give him to condition to drop a scheme marker, while the Serpent either flies 6" and schemes, then drops from the condition, or flies 12" and drops a scheme marker (and is also solid stat-wise). The Serpent would be the model I will take to get to the child in the center as quickly as possible. If the bury shenanigans of Tara's crew have printed suits, they will have a hard time against the Dawn's Counterspell.
  Since you are playing Toshiro you have to be careful with him - he has to stand there to buff your minions, which might leave him too exposed, and you also don't have a way to summon before a model dies. In addition, she has Taelor that can Leap, essentially. I also think with bury shenanigans she can bury models and then unburies them at some point (EoT?) similar to the death marshals (not sure on this one, if I have time I will read Tara and crew's abilities). Which means Taelor has a huge threat range. Try to tie her up with something like the TT Brother, he has to get rid of 'Shaken' anyway. 
  If you suspect Victoria of Blood for some reason, I'd bring Smoke Grenades on him or the Emissary. One of them can drop the Bombs to deny her LoS for a charge first, second or third turn. It's worked out for me, but it's hard to predict and set up most of the time.
  Other than that, good luck and have fun! I hope what I said is useful to you and kudos for bringing the Thunders ahead

[anencephalous]

@Valgaav

That is a big squad! Late in the campaign, I take it?

First thing, I don’t think Toshiro can have Cursed, since he doesn’t have a suit on his statistics.
Secondly, I don’t see how your opponent can have have Tara and Vik of Blood on the field at the same time. She can be in the Arsenal, but once you get to the hiring crew phase, Vik of Blood cannot be hired into the crew unless she is the leader or Vik of Ash is. If she has a master, and you dont, it will be a rough game. Did you mean Taelor?

Your squad looks tough, but a bit low on numbers, and you lack any clear scheme runners.

In terms of the general campaign, I would get a few scheme runners, and try and get an injury or skill on the Dawn Serpent asap so it can take the speed boost from the Emissary.

I can easily see that crew winning Chaos Unleashed, they are all such independent solid models.

For the Inquisitive Child, you are going to make good headway with the Lone Swordsman, if there is a clear run to the centre. If he has a straight path to the centre the math is = 12 inch start, plus the push from the Emissary's 4, plus his own 2" push is 18. He then can walk to get 23 inches into the board, enough to move the marker (2" plus half the width of the marker on the 25.5 inch line). However, if there is any terrain, you will struggle to get it on turn one. If you don’t get there one turn one, you can be sure Tara will with her reactivate (or whomever with Aionius).

If you are feeling radical, you could suicide the Lone Swordsman for reactivate (with los on an opponents piece, of course), and then push the marker twice more before dying (second 2" push, interact, walk, interact). For the cost of 8 points you will have put the marker among your other troops and pretty much guaranteed the game.

If you get the marker, I would focus on just one side of the neutral Witchling Stalkers. The Dawn Serpent and the Oni should be able to flame them down pretty quickly, and because they are hostile to anyone, you might even pick up an extra corpse counter. Toshiro should be on that side to convert the deaths into Ashigaru.

After that, simply fight a war of attrition, trying to achieve your schemes, to make time for the strat to tick over in your half of the board. Try and keep Taelor away from Toshiro, so she doesn't get free charges. Go double defensive on the TT bro to try and tie up a big model for a few rounds. Attack the Nothing Beast at the start of the turn, when the opponent has cards.

Remember that you dont have to win the brawl, their team looks pretty tough, you just need to squeeze VPs out of the marker on your side of the map.

[anencephalous]

@Gottkaiser

Good looking deployment for that team. Illuminated should shine in that mode (sic), as they are so good independently.

I would try and spread out the cards wide during deployment, so they cannot group up to take out your heavy hitters.

Be very careful where you place Lynch, however, because there is no front line he can sit behind, you would do well to keep him out of LOS of their hitters.

Try to get the Samurai central and on high, with a lucky hand/draw you might be able to spray and pray a good number of models on your first activation turn one.

[Valgaav]

6 hours ago, anencephalous said:

@Valgaav

That is a big squad! Late in the campaign, I take it?

First thing, I don’t think Toshiro can have Cursed, since he doesn’t have a suit on his statistics.
Secondly, I don’t see how your opponent can have have Tara and Vik of Blood on the field at the same time. She can be in the Arsenal, but once you get to the hiring crew phase, Vik of Blood cannot be hired into the crew unless she is the leader or Vik of Ash is. If she has a master, and you dont, it will be a rough game. Did you mean Taelor?

Your squad looks tough, but a bit low on numbers, and you lack any clear scheme runners.

In terms of the general campaign, I would get a few scheme runners, and try and get an injury or skill on the Dawn Serpent asap so it can take the speed boost from the Emissary.

I can easily see that crew winning Chaos Unleashed, they are all such independent solid models.

For the Inquisitive Child, you are going to make good headway with the Lone Swordsman, if there is a clear run to the centre. If he has a straight path to the centre the math is = 12 inch start, plus the push from the Emissary's 4, plus his own 2" push is 18. He then can walk to get 23 inches into the board, enough to move the marker (2" plus half the width of the marker on the 25.5 inch line). However, if there is any terrain, you will struggle to get it on turn one. If you don’t get there one turn one, you can be sure Tara will with her reactivate (or whomever with Aionius).

If you are feeling radical, you could suicide the Lone Swordsman for reactivate (with los on an opponents piece, of course), and then push the marker twice more before dying (second 2" push, interact, walk, interact). For the cost of 8 points you will have put the marker among your other troops and pretty much guaranteed the game.

If you get the marker, I would focus on just one side of the neutral Witchling Stalkers. The Dawn Serpent and the Oni should be able to flame them down pretty quickly, and because they are hostile to anyone, you might even pick up an extra corpse counter. Toshiro should be on that side to convert the deaths into Ashigaru.

After that, simply fight a war of attrition, trying to achieve your schemes, to make time for the strat to tick over in your half of the board. Try and keep Taelor away from Toshiro, so she doesn't get free charges. Go double defensive on the TT bro to try and tie up a big model for a few rounds. Attack the Nothing Beast at the start of the turn, when the opponent has cards.

Remember that you dont have to win the brawl, their team looks pretty tough, you just need to squeeze VPs out of the marker on your side of the map.

Going into the third week of the campaign, actually!  We all got a bennie on week 1 because we had a 'week 0' that was a giant cluster of bad - that's how I got the Thick Skin.

I'd thought that Toshiro having a tome in his Melee attack counted for Cursed?  That's how we've been playing it, anyway.  Shifting Loyalties is a little complex for a group of what amounts to 4 new players.

She doesn't have Tara yet, and I apologize for the misunderstanding.  She's working towards her, but for now, Vik of Blood is the Leader, because she was originally going to be the Sisterhood.

As for scheme runners, yeah, I can see that.  I was thinking of taking a Tengu, but I wanted the Emissary and I wanted to start another Bounty so I could get Proletarian ASAP.  I'm hoping to stack that, Lead from the Front, Daimyo, and the generic upgrade for the Emissary to get ridiculous flips for anything Minion.  I tried to get an Injury on the Dawn Serpent last game by ramming him down Dashel's throat in the middle of a Guild gunline, and instead, Dashel wound up bleeding to death and the Riflemen scattered.

Suiciding the Lone Swordsman seems like the thing to do, honestly.  Gods know there'll be enough high-tier models for me to target with him.

[anencephalous]

Fair enough, Cursed says reflip if you dont have a suit associated with a Statistic, and page 20 of the big rules has the arrow pointing to Dp Wp Wds etc. But you play it however your group plays it.

I get you on Tara, that makes their squad a little more managable. Vik of Blood goes down pretty fast if you can get to her, so that is something. Taelor is a bit tougher.

Anyhow, good luck with the game and the rest of your campaign!

[Adran]

20 hours ago, anencephalous said:

Fair enough, Cursed says reflip if you dont have a suit associated with a Statistic, and page 20 of the big rules has the arrow pointing to Dp Wp Wds etc. But you play it however your group plays it.

I get you on Tara, that makes their squad a little more managable. Vik of Blood goes down pretty fast if you can get to her, so that is something. Taelor is a bit tougher.

Anyhow, good luck with the game and the rest of your campaign!

Models also possess stats that are not listed in this block. The Melee (Ml), Shooting (Sh), and Casting (Ca) Stats. These represent skill with a specific Action. Actions that require a duel will list the stat that represents the relevant skill used in the duel.

From the last paragraph on statistics (Its page 10 on the little book, on the page after all the other stuff)

So yes, you are right, a Tome on Toshiros Ml stat is enough to make him eligible for Cursed. 

[Skitt_Happens]

Wonderfully, in the campaign I did I managed to get cursed on my Katakana Sniper: you know that completely useless crow attached to his blow dart...!

Think we may be heading slightly off topic here.