Pork Husbandry and the Gremlin Family Tree

[Wombats]

As soon as Teddy is up the store I'm ordering a swag of Gremlins.

How many of each model am I likely to need, factoring in Git Yer Bro, The Other White Meat, Bacon! etc?

Currently I'm planning on:

6 Gremlins

6 Piglets

2 Warpigs

2 Hog Whisperers (One limited edition)

Would I need more for a 50SS game?

That looks like 60SS worth of models all up...will I need more?

I'm planning to go quite pig heavy and try to bring in more Gremlins for objective grabbing towards the end of the game.

I also have zero experience with S'omer so please feel free to speak to me a like a slow child, because I effectively am one

[Omenbringer]

I would say that will be enough for upto 50 SS games paired with Zoraida, but dont forget the 4 Skeeters.

Also not sure if you are planning on buying the starter box or not but either way, you will only need to purchase one hog whisperer if you place your order with Wyrd online before Dec 31. The other will come free in the form of the super sexy (and Limited edition) Gremlinette.

If you go with the Box starter then you'll end up with:

So'mer

8 Bayou Gremlins

6 Piglets (7 if you use the one that comes with the Whisperer)

2 warpigs

4 Giant Skeeters

1 Hog Whisperer

1 Gremlinette Hog Whisperer.

For $129.75 (plus Shipping and Handling)

This will also give you plenty of versatility when composing lists. If you are planning on going Pig Heavy the skeeters come in real handy for moving the Bacon.

Edited December 14, 2009 by Omenbringer

[Massaen]

8 gremlins seems like a good number as do the 6 piglets.

I second the skeeters!

[Justin]

I did a few battle reports with him if you would like to see how he plays.

As for the models, I would get more gremlins. I have eight as it is, and I find that I need more. And I've never played more than 30 soul stones. Git yer bro can be used three times in a turn. Then, when your gremlin is sitting next to sommer with 2 wounds, he can thwack it and summon a piglet. Six piglets sounds good to me, but I rarely go pig heavy.

As far as tactics, sommer himself is more of a support master. He sits in the back summoning gremlins, healing wounds, and making pigs. If models get too close, or you feel it necessary to move him close to danger, making your opponent ditch their hand with gremlin's luck is essential. With such poor stats, you need the fate hand advantage. Obviously survival of the fittest and the hog whisperer help as well. Move the whisperer forward where it's too dangerous for sommer so you can still take advantage of gremlins that die further up the table.

Gremlins are really good at grabbing objectives, and they're fantastic at reconnoiter. Assassination can be tough for them. Their strength is in scurrying around the board and claiming parts of it, so gear your schemes towards that. Eye for an Eye, usually one of the more difficult schemes, is actually easier for them since they can so easily expand or contract their numbers near end game. I don't think I would choose it though. (we always have random schemes)

Pigs pretty much play themselves.

Also be very careful with LoS to your own models. Between woops and rampaging pigs you're liable to do more damage to yourself than your opponent.

Edit: Wait, did you not ask for advice on tactics as well? Woops. Oh well, it comes free with my advice of get more gremlins.

Edited December 14, 2009 by Justin

[Hapless Peon]

Does anyone have a picture of the Gremlinette? My Search-Fu has failed me.

Edit: Found Daisy Duke :doh:

Edited December 14, 2009 by Hapless Peon
I fail at forum searching

[Justin]

8 gremlins seems like a good number as do the 6 piglets.

I second the skeeters!

I always forget about the mosquitoes.

I would give some advice on that, but mine are still in the mail.

[Wombats]

Thanks, Lalo, that is brilliant, I'll have to start checking out battle reports instead of asking inane questions

L D P, Mephetran has my first one, I swapped it away not realising how much I'd want it

I wish they'd hurry up and put Teddy up, I need to buy a christmas present for myself.

So...

4 x Skeeters (Do you often start with these or is it for summoning?)

2 x Box Set

1 x 4 Gremlins

3 x 3 Piglets

1 x Pork Whisperer

1 x Daisy Duke

Which comes to:

12 Gremlins

9 Piglets

2 Warpigs

2 Pork Whisperers

4 Skeeters

...and a spare S'omer to get some poor fool addicted to Malifaux then feed his crew to my pigs, Deadwood style.

Thinking about going up to 12 Piglets just so they get painted together.

Does your card denial / drawing become considerably weaker if you go pig heavy?

Edited December 14, 2009 by Wombats
Added more typey word thangs.

[n0signal]

Personally speaking, and I only play 25-30SS games, I've only ever needed about 5/6 Gremlins and 4 Piglets. Jones only gets a control hand of 5 cards, so the chances of having a load of 11+'s to cast "GYB" are pretty slim, I get one, maybe two cast a turn if I'm lucky. Meanwhile the piglets are dying all over the place further up the board, so I'm often killing the spawned gremlin to summon a healthy new pig to replace it. I dunno how people are having the cards and time/relaxed game to sit them making LOADS of Gremlins!?

Neither would I want them tho really. I don't rate Gremlins except, as Lalo pointed out, for scenario grabbing towards the ends of the game (they can run 15" with reckless). When I build a force, I start with the Warpig, Whisperer and a few Piglets. I usually put a single Bayou Gremlin into my crew so that I can start the "GYB" shennanigans from turn one, when it's quiet and I can afford to sit there and spawn. I've not factors Mosquitoes yet because I haven't got around to picking them up but I think, like Gremlins, I would only bring about 1 or 2 and spawn the rest. The real meat and bones of the army IMO are the piglets, as they're pretty fast, do decent damage, have decent defence and once they're in a good position, just cast flight on them from the Whisperer and pull him back so they stampede all over the place.

[Justin]

Well, in my games, all sommer does is sit in the back making gremlins. Meanwhile I run up the board with a warpig and some piglets, maybe a few spare gremlins and the whisperer for card draw. By the time my opponent is finished with those I usually have a brand new army. The need for all the models happens when my opponent doesn't kill my gremlins fast enough, which happens from time to time. Plus I usually start five gremlins and I own eight, so three git yer bros later and I'm out.

My gremlins usually serve me fairly well. Between reckless abandon and dumb luck they can do some alright damage. Plus there is always the tactic of sitting one two inches from an opponent, shooting at it, and then cheating so you do severe damage and getting your opponent's models in the blast so you don't have to duel against their higher defenses. (this does not work on models with a melee range greater than one)

As for git yer bro, you essentially have two draws to make it. The initial flip, and then the ability to cheat. But maybe I've just gotten lucky.

Also, I don't think going pig heavy would really hurt your draw/discard control. The discard is all sommer, so only draws from survival of the fittest would suffer. But with two gremlins to get the engine going, you could probably still draw some decent cards.

[Wombats]

So multiple Skeeters are really just there for casting another (1) spell?

Sounds like 12 Gremlins and 9 Pigs is the way forward for 50SS.

[Justin]

So multiple Skeeters are really just there for casting another (1) spell?

Sounds like 12 Gremlins and 9 Pigs is the way forward for 50SS.

Well, yeah, but that (1) spell is pull my finger.

Granted, I haven't used them yet.

[Omenbringer]

So multiple Skeeters are really just there for casting another (1) spell?

Well, yeah, but that (1) spell is pull my finger.

Granted, I haven't used them yet.

No, if you are going pig heavy then the multiple skeeters are there to give you a pig delivery system and to boomerrang them back to safety. 20" from the deployment zone on the pigs first activation is nice (made better if they fly).

[Justin]

No, if you are going pig heavy then the multiple skeeters are there to give you a pig delivery system and to boomerrang them back to safety. 20" from the deployment zone on the pigs first activation is nice (made better if they fly).

Indeed.

My point being, casting another 1 spell is nothing to scoff at.