Distinct Markers and differentiation

[dancater]

So throwing out this as a warning and advice as Malifaux Burns hits the wild. For most it is plain and obvious, but if the years have taught me anything it is to be most wary of what seems obvious to you, as that is the thing you don't account for and it burns you.

Several of the new titles have an ability to create a type of marker which is what I'll refer to as a "common" marker, one which they, their crew and other crews can create in multiplicity. But, the marker they create has unique special additional rules, while in all other ways is the same as the "common" marker.

Everyone must make sure that these unique variant markers are clearly differentiated on the table, so all players know what are the "common" markers and what is the "special" variant.

The masters or models which do this include (please others feel free to add more):

• Rasputina the Abominable throws out (potentially multiple) Creeping-Ice Pillars which also prevent movement effects and Bury to models in base contact with them. This is a trigger on her Northern Winds attack, in all other ways these markers are normal Ice Pillars. This ability is especially complicated as it is not time limited and you can multiple Ice and Creeping-Ice Pillars at the same time.
• Lucius, Dishonourable at the beginning of his turn uses Planning Ahead to throw out a single Scheme Marker which, for the remainder of the round (so this is strictly time limited), allows Elite and Mimic models within 2 of the marker to add one suit of their choice to declared Attack actions.

I'm certain there are others, so if we get a list that will be really useful. The critical thing is that these are not a new special type of marker but a special rule variant. As long as this is known to both players and clearly differentiated on the table (so both players know what is the "common" and what instead is the "special") then we have no problems. So everyone playing titles which do this need a second distinct marker, and everyone playing against them needs to clarify what is going to be used.

Let's avoid unnecessary table conflicts. And for this reason as a house rule I would play that if the dropped marker is not clearly differentiated then it has none of the special rules.  

[Maladroit]

29 minutes ago, dancater said:

So throwing out this as a warning and advice as Malifaux Burns hits the wild. For most it is plain and obvious, but if the years have taught me anything it is to be most wary of what seems obvious to you, as that is the thing you don't account for and it burns you.

Several of the new titles have an ability to create a type of marker which is what I'll refer to as a "common" marker, one which they, their crew and other crews can create in multiplicity. But, the marker they create has unique special additional rules, while in all other ways is the same as the "common" marker.

Everyone must make sure that these unique variant markers are clearly differentiated on the table, so all players know what are the "common" markers and what is the "special" variant.

The masters or models which do this include (please others feel free to add more):

• Rasputina the Abominable throws out (potentially multiple) Creeping-Ice Pillars which also prevent movement effects and Bury to models in base contact with them. This is a trigger on her Northern Winds attack, in all other ways these markers are normal Ice Pillars. This ability is especially complicated as it is not time limited and you can multiple Ice and Creeping-Ice Pillars at the same time.
• Lucius, Dishonourable at the beginning of his turn uses Planning Ahead to throw out a single Scheme Marker which, for the remainder of the round (so this is strictly time limited), allows Elite and Mimic models within 2 of the marker to add one suit of their choice to declared Attack actions.

I'm certain there are others, so if we get a list that will be really useful. The critical thing is that these are not a new special type of marker but a special rule variant. As long as this is known to both players and clearly differentiated on the table (so both players know what is the "common" and what instead is the "special") then we have no problems. So everyone playing titles which do this need a second distinct marker, and everyone playing against them needs to clarify what is going to be used.

Let's avoid unnecessary table conflicts. And for this reason as a house rule I would play that if the dropped marker is not clearly differentiated then it has none of the special rules.  

I think this is a good point.

For Raspy however, it is a little more complicated than that, it isn't any model in base contact with the marker, it is only the model the pillar was created in base contact with.

"While in base contact with the Created Marker, the target cannot be moved or buried." So there is only a distinction for one model - which I guess is worse, but in practical terms probably means that the targeted model will either stay attached to the marker or destroy it, effectively keeping the marker distinct.  

[Angelshard]

You already had things like this. Thoons frozen trophy trigger. 

In the case of lucius you would have to replace the marker with another marker in the exact same spot. That, to me, seems more fiddly than remembering the right marker. 

In rasputinas case you would ideally need several unique pillars for individual models. 

Also there's several effects that confer an effect you have to track until end of turn, but doesn't require a marker, schill2's explosive payload, for example. Would you require markers for those abilities too? 

I can agree with you in principle, but I'd never refuse to use a generic marker as a special.

[Maniacal_cackle]

You can just throw a die, a token, or anything else to distinguish it if you have trouble remembering (which I typically do, so I tend to do that sort of thing).

If playing on Vassal, you can change base colours.

[Maladroit]

1 hour ago, Maniacal_cackle said:

You can just throw a die, a token, or anything else to distinguish it if you have trouble remembering (which I typically do, so I tend to do that sort of thing).

If playing on Vassal, you can change base colours.

This is what Imagined too, there is no need to replace the marker, just identify it in some way. All these are good, most of mine I can just mark with a whiteboard marker too - in Lucius's case you could just write the turn number on it in case you (and by you, I mean me) forget to rub it out at the end of the turn. Or even have some numbered scheme markers made if you were so inclined - you'd could only number one side so that you'd be able to use them in other crews too as regular markers. 

[dancater]

Yep. All I'm advocating is that both players make sure, as the variety of common/special markers expands, that they clearly identify the unusual special markers so both players can clearly identify them.

And perhaps putting together a list of models which generate special markers. So far Thoon (Frozen Trophy), Lucius-2 (Planning Ahead) and Rasputina-2 (Creeping Ice).

[Mycellanious]

I mean it is really not that big of a deal. Strat markers have needed 3 unique versions since the start of the game, and Leylines actually requires four unique strat markers!

[Angelshard]

@Mycellanious do you replace your leyline markers every time o e is scored?

I've just made some where I can hang another marker on to represent whether they've been claimed or not. 

[Mycellanious]

41 minutes ago, Angelshard said:

@Mycellanious do you replace your leyline markers every time o e is scored?

I've just made some where I can hang another marker on to represent whether they've been claimed or not. 

We usually each have our own markers and we swap neutral ones out for our personal ones. If we both claim a marker, we stack them on top of each other. Or we do something like place one of our scheme markers under the Leyline