Hiring Crews

[Lucidicide]

Hey all,

I'm just wondering how people tend to play with hiring crews -- when you get to the hiring crews section you get to choose everything including your faction. However, your schemes are done before that, and some are faction specific.

I'm just wondering how many people actually come with a list or faction in mind, and how many people choose it all at the very end of set-up.

I could imagine that choosing everything at the end (including Faction) could sway the game somewhat to whoever has invested more money and has more models.

Thoughts?

[dahli.llama]

I'm also a bit curious on this.

Is choosing you list done in secret and then both players reveal simultaneously?

Knowing what your opponent is planning on taking could make a huge difference in what you take for your crew, especially if playing Guild.

[nilus]

First.

You do pick schemes before you pick your faction. So make sure you pick a scheme for the faction you are going to play or else you wasted VPs.

In a friendly game you can do what you want but from a competitive approach I would say the assumption is both players hire there crews in secret. Of course those are my thoughts there are no hard or fast rules on it.

[Hatchethead]

Prior to hiring:

Is my opponent meant to know what my faction is?

Is my opponent meant to know my mission?

Is my opponent meant to know which schemes I intend to run, assuming I announce them?

All of the above would have a huge impact on deciding who is hired, which seems to be the point. You learn who you're up against and what they're attempting to do, you then build the best possible crew to counter AND complete you own objectives.

I imagine the actual hiring process would be done in secret.

[Lucidicide]

And one thing I really like about the game is the ability to pick your force after you know your objective(s). You can actually make a group that would be good at accomplishing what you're supposed to... which makes sense in a game like this.

However, I've been thinking about at least deciding on faction beforehand with my opponent, and I was just wondering how other people played it. Then you hire the master/crew from that faction that helps you get the job done.

I know one problem I always felt with 40k is that my friends mostly just had 1 army. I knew what I'd be facing each time. In this, you might not know until the end, but I still feel like it favors the individual who invests more money. If you have every single option available to you, you're far better off than an opponent who has his X crew.

Anyway, I get what the rules are. Just wondering if anyone else alters that at all. I believe I read that some tournaments make you come with one crew.

[tenabrae]

You announce schemes after deploying.

Assuming the whole sequence:

Choose size of game

Choose terrain type

Setup Terrain

Choose deployment type and identify deployment zones

Choose Strategy

Choose Schemes

Hire Crews

Choose deployment order and deploy

Announce Schemes

Play

Locally we tend to throw scenery at a table, either agree or randomly pick a scenario and get down to it.

Edited April 22, 2010 by tenabrae

[Iron Man]

i would suggest for friendly games that your faction, and possibly master, would be known beforehand, then the rest of the crew is picked in secret.

this takes away the rock/paper/scissors effect of someone who owns all 15 masters just choosing the one he knows plays best against his opponents only master.

although to be fair i usually decide on my crew before i even turn up for a game, possibly swap i and out 1 or 2 models.

[Hatchethead]

You announce schemes after deploying.

Assuming the whole sequence:

Choose size of game

Choose terrain type

Setup Terrain

Choose deployment type and identify deployment zones

Choose Strategy

Choose Schemes

Hire Crews

Choose deployment order and deploy

Announce Schemes

Play

Locally we tend to throw scenery at a table, either agree or randomly pick a scenario and get down to it.

So, officially, your choice of faction isn't technically announced until deployment, at which point you plop down your first mini. Even at that point you could place an Outcast. In effect you delay revealing your faction, potentially for two individual deployments (assuming two mercs and not an Outcast crew).

Edited April 22, 2010 by Hatchethead

[tenabrae]

So, officially, your choice of faction isn't technically announced until deployment, at which point you plop down your first mini. Even at that point you could place an Outcast. In effect you delay revealing your faction, potentially for two individual deployments (assuming two mercs and not an Outcast crew).

That's how I understand it, if you play the sequence as written they wouldn't know anything about your force until you put your models down. This is possibly why in the sequence you announce schemes after deployment (for faction-specific schemes).

[dreadpiratelynx]

So, officially, your choice of faction isn't technically announced until deployment, at which point you plop down your first mini. Even at that point you could place an Outcast. In effect you delay revealing your faction, potentially for two individual deployments (assuming two mercs and not an Outcast crew).

You deploy your entire crew at once, so you really can't delay anything.

I have always wondered whether your opponent should know the faction you're playing when choosing their own crew though. Although to be honest I usually tell my opponent either my faction or even sometimes my master before we even flip for location.

Edited April 23, 2010 by dreadpiratelynx

[Mandoryan]

I think I misread the rules, I thought you deployed one at a time (I go you go, much like activation).

[Hatchethead]

You deploy your entire crew at once, so you really can't delay anything.

I have always wondered whether your opponent should know the faction you're playing when choosing their own crew though. Although to be honest I usually tell my opponent either my faction or even sometimes my master before we even flip for location.

Oh, cool. I guess that's the Warhammer in me talking.

My rulebook arrived yesterday! I should be up to speed soon enough.

Judging from the rules alone, it would appear faction/master details are meant to be kept a secret. I assume it's a moot point often enough, when your opponent is a known quantity and owns but a single crew.