Jump to content

Colette Du Bois


Teal

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 174
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Got my first game in with Colette yesterday (bit of a marathon, trying to work out all the rules and combinations, so thanks to everyone who endured that!).

I just used the box set and a Dove, giving Colette 5ss to start with in a 25ss scrap. All I can say is that I doubt I'll get too many games in with her - people are going to hate her! She moves round so fast it makes your head spin - in one turn she was in melee with 3 or 4 models, killed one with Magician's Duel, took reactivate, got attacked, activated her Df trigger, swapped out with Cassandra, then reactivated, swapped Cassandra back out, then swapped with a mannequin linked to a performer, the performer activated next and when she finished her activation the mannequin snapped to her with link. At the end of the turn Colette's entire crew was more than 12" away from the combat, with 3 separate models having moved / pushed / swapped over 24"!

Magician's Duel is phenomenal - pick on the little guys, kill them, gain a soulstone, use the free ss to reactivate, bounce about the board, maybe kill something else with Magician's Duel, gain another ss, or just go for Manipulation, bin two low cards, gain a ss - I think by turn 3 I'd used 11 soulstones, and still had 4 in the pool!

And because the mannequins have Companion (showgirl), if you need to you can activate pretty much her entire crew simultaneously - which is like watching a pinball with about 6 balls in play!

I'm not saying she's unbeatable - as someone pointed out, her crew is fairly fragile once it's pinned down, but pinning them down is just so damn difficult - but she's going to give a lot of people a lot of headaches.

I think she's a brilliant master with some amazing rules, and very different to almost every other master out there (some similarities to Pandora maybe)

Edited by 13th Warrior
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My LGS is getting all of their Book 2 stuff in today, so my plan is to buy and assemble Colette and friends as quickly as possible and give her a spin against one of my usual opponents. If it doesn't go too embarrassingly for me (just kidding, I hope) I'll post up an after action report and review of how it went.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just played my first game with colette. It was a 25ss game, so I stuck to the box set. First thought was: Cassandra's a beast. She's fast, hits a lot and hits hard, and threatens just about everyone. I played against gremlins and kirai (I know, ,a three person game). It was easy to attack the gremlins with the sword and the spirits with firebreath to deal full damage. First turn, She got just shy of melee with Remi, who was on a building. Second turn, She chased him down and killed him, along with wounding ophelia and some other kin. then, because of her sublime performance spell, pushed and walked enough to reach an objective across the map, take it, tank a kin onslaught and being chased by spirits (with one wound, being able to use soulstones is amazing). Most definitely the MVP

Colette I didn't trust too much to disengage once models got into melee with her, but it wasn't a problem because should could just swap with a performer or mannequin 18" away, completing another objective in the process.

I spread my forces too thin, But I was pleasantly surprised at how mobile cassandra and colette are, how difficult the mannequins are to kill, and how annoying paralyze and poison 4 are.

One thing--the crew burns soulstones fast. To cause some serious shennanigans with cassandra is fun but she uses alot of stones, and if colette isn't making soulstones she's using them, so most of the time while she breaks even her other models use them up. I'm probably gonna start with some doves next game, and not take the "Perfect Performance" scheme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a near-future Colette player, I must say I'm more interested in battle reports where Colette has been beaten to pulp, than the easy victories against opponents who haven't learned how to counter her yet.

Just saying. :D

Good luck with that she seems to be a beast, and Casandra is no joke at all. She is 9 ss of pure win I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good luck with that she seems to be a beast, and Casandra is no joke at all. She is 9 ss of pure win I think.

I think she's a master with many tools and nasty tricks. But I bet there are tricks to make her really worried too, just like in Pandora's case, for example.

I have got no experience playing her yet, but her crew does seem easy to dismantle if you focus on killing it model by model. Ability to teleport things around is surely a counter to that, but when the entire crew has average Df and very low wounds, a model the opponent has focused on may simply not live long enough to get any help. Especially if the opponent has any larger Simultaneous Activation groups.

I want to see her weak points. Strengths are relatively easy to figure out - as a Colette player, I think I'd better know what to watch for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright, well then to add to her crew's weaknesses: Anything that ignores armor pretty much wrecks the mannequins. Also, terrifying, while easy to resist, breaks though the mannequin's harmless, as well as Cassandra's Sultry. The performer's irresistible can't be ignored, but it shouldn't be too tough with decent wp characters.

I'm not sure whether Colette needs LOS to swap or not, but if she does, pushing effects (toss aside, obey, etc.) ruin this layer of defense as well. Cassandra is one tough cookie, and lots of companion strikes will probably take her down, though the kin didn't seem to do so well.

Also, Sonnia counters Colette pretty much outright, or at least demotes her to a support model.

There's also a chance that you'll spread your crew too thin or not far enough. In the first case, you'll leave easy targets to FF. In the second, swapping won't do much for those set on killing your models one by one, and won't give you much board control.

Also....Soulstones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have only played her once, and I got destroyed (I was using Karia for the first time) I think I have some ideas to do better next time.

1) Strike hard and strike fast. Pick one model and go all out against it. If you let stuff get away it is as good as back to full. Her crew also seems to sort of nickle and dime you as well, so I think opponents can leave their crews exposed a little more without worrying about being dismantled by an alpha strike.

2) Isolate, isolate isolate. Her crew can move things around like crazy, but if you can separate someone from that pack they do not have a lot of survivability.

3) Bring a heavy. Her crew has a solid stat line, the only stat is on the weaker side is wounds. For the most part a good shot from a heavy could down anyone in her crew. They are hard to hit (I think focused strikes might be the best shot) but like before I don't think you want to spread your hand out, just use whatever good cards you have on that turn to deal with one threat. Next turn new hand new threat.

4) Rekindle my love affair with Bete. A well placed Bete should be able to take Colette without much problem (or at least take out her SS cache). Plus I think once she is paralyzed no trigger for her, and I don't think she can use her slow to die action, meaning she will need to rely on soulstones to prevent damage, which is much nicer then using them to heal damge.

That is the game plan anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hmm wel with a healing flip its possible to heal all your lost wounds lost durign the battle with a lucky (or well places with card control) red joker

also i think she has slow to die? giving her a free AP to spend if she dies thus allowing her to do a healing flip for free and not die,

tough i tought she had more special actions she can take, i havent really looked over her rules yet

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're going to use a Soulstone, use it to change the Starting Total. Preventing the hit altogether is ALWAYS better than reducing damage, or healing afterwards, and Colette has a rather nice Df trigger that can go off if she manages to win Df duel.

In fact I'd argue she has better Df than Lilith herself, albeit dependent on proximity of other showgirls.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are already low on wounds and you aren't dead certain that you'll win the duel then I'd rather just die and heal afterwards..

That might just be me though.

Also.. Are you certain that she have to win the duel in order for her trigger to go off?

I thought it just happened at the end of the strike resolution since it doesn't specify when it happens, and I believe that is where triggers default to. Not entirely sure on that one though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are already low on wounds and you aren't dead certain that you'll win the duel then I'd rather just die and heal afterwards..

That might just be me though.

It costs you a showgirl to do that. Mannequin may seem an obvious choice, as you can try to bring it back later, but a Mannequin is so low on Wounds it won't do much of healing. Either way you sacrifice a model and Colette's crew isn't exactly cheap. It's easier to get Soulstones with her, than to get a Mannequin back.

Also.. Are you certain that she have to win the duel in order for her trigger to go off?

I thought it just happened at the end of the strike resolution since it doesn't specify when it happens, and I believe that is where triggers default to. Not entirely sure on that one though.

I'm certain I've been wrong on that. You are right. She doesn't even have to win - all she has to do is cheat with a tome and the opponent is Slow and fighting another Showgirl. Of course if you can avoid the damage on the top of that, it's even better.

As for the resolution... Here's a controversial thought -> if there's no timing mentioned, shouldn't it trigger immediately?

Wouldn't that mean she can break out of an Opposed Duel before it comes to applying damage (right after determining her Starting Total and announcing the trigger), even if the opponent has won the duel?

Either way that is one of the best Df triggers I've seen. If your opponent has Flurry, it may be wasted after first Strike, so it makes no sense to even risk using it. If he does normal Strike, he may get Slow and lose his second AP. Even if he's Fast or Melee Expert, the model will have to use that one last AP against a showgirl that swapped places with Colette - a waste of activation.

It even works against spells that use Rst: Df. She can trigger it against Rasputina's December's Curse or Ramos' Electrical Fire for example.

Normally Df triggers offer buffs, debuffs or counter-strikes, but don't guarantee success. This one simply cannot go wrong if you only get a tome in your flip or cheat.

I'm beginning to wonder if that crew isn't heading for Pandora's treatment. With so many synergies and tricks, there must be some that are unintended and will result in adjustments.

Edited by Q'iq'el
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1) She can use her Slow to Die action to just use a soul stone to heal, she does not need to kill a showgirl. That is an option but not the only one. Healing is better because a 10 damage hit on a model with one wd left only does 1 wd, so you can try and prevent 9 or you can just die and then heal from 0. You are right that using a soulstone to just up the df total is the best option, but that is not a garuntee. With your plus to flips it is a good chance, but not 100% certain. Black Joker pops for example.

2) The trigger would go off in the trigger step of combat. It is like the last thing right before the damage flip. In a perfect world if Bete hit, then she would be parlayed and not allowed to activate triggers. So she would just have to stand there and take the other strikes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2) The trigger would go off in the trigger step of combat. It is like the last thing right before the damage flip. In a perfect world if Bete hit, then she would be parlayed and not allowed to activate triggers. So she would just have to stand there and take the other strikes.

Bête's ability to give Paralyzed with Severed Spine is an effect on attack, not a trigger. As such, I don't think it's timed on "hit". I think you complete entire duel and only then apply the damage and the paralysis. Even if the damage was entirely mitigated, as long as there was a hit, you apply paralysis, but you don't do it before triggers go off.

Besides, if you play Colette smartly (against a crew with Bête), you'll gain Reactivate first thing after activating her. Even if Bête pops out of Colette's kill and manages to Paralyze her with her first strike, Reactivate and Paralyze simply nullify each other and the trigger will still go off. After that Bête cannot do any more strikes (because of Slow). Granted, it isn't half bad, because Colette loses 2 AP that way, but she won't be Paralyzed.

As I said, Rigor Mortis should be much more effective against her - even if she has Reactivate on her, Nicodem can simply cast it again and her Wp isn't all that high to resist it.

Edited by Q'iq'el
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might be right, I am not sure if it would happen immediately on hitting or if it would happen when damage is applied. You bring up a very good point with reactivate too, I should probably try to time it so she is on her second activation before I bring Bete Out. Bete is placed though she is not summoned, so you she does not have slow when she pops out. If you are lucky enough to get Colette stuck there she will get three swings at her with ca 6 paired, so it is a pretty even fight, although Colette has the SS advantage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bete is placed though she is not summoned, so you she does not have slow when she pops out. If you are lucky enough to get Colette stuck there she will get three swings at her with ca 6 paired, so it is a pretty even fight, although Colette has the SS advantage.

I know she doesn't get Slow from summoning. Colette's Df trigger gives Slow if it goes off, as well as teleporting Colette herself. As I said, it is the best trigger I've ever seen - very easy to get off, reliably saves her life and messes up the opponent on the top of that.

So if you Flurry Colette will teleport after first swing, give Bête Slow and provide her with a fresh target (showgirl Colette switched with) which Bête cannot attack (Flurry Attacks must go against the original target). On the top of that you waste a Control Card to activate Flurry.

If Bête doesn't risk it and uses regular Strike against Colette, Colette will still Slow her and teleport - not only no more strikes against Colette, but you lose the remaining AP.

The only thing that would prevent Colette from doing that is lack of Tomes. Considering she can use any Tome in her Control Hand (even if she loses the Duel she still teleports to safety) and considering that her Soulstone flip is on :+fate, the likelihood of her getting at least 1 tome and still winning the duel is high enough for Bête player not to want spending Control Card on Flurry IMHO.

Taking away that second activation is probably the best Bête can do against Colette... if it is the second reactivation, she may Paralyze her indeed, but if Bête goes for Severed Spine her damage output suffers somewhat and Colette may survive it anyway.

Last but not least, Colette is not the only tricky model in her crew. Any Mannequin can summon her (from 12" apart) or heal her (from 3"), thus removing her from direct contact with Bête and helping her survive till the Pralyzed goes away.

Edited by Q'iq'el
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm.. Wasn't thinking of using her (1)Death Defying (which I consider largely uselss) with her slow-to-die action.. Merely (1)Heal that all Soulstone Users have. PP pointed that out though I think.

Yes there's currently four Soulstone Users with Slow-to-Die (Colette, Molly, Lucius, Von Schill), can't take them down till they run out of stones..

As for the timing I think I saw in one of the lists BugKing or another of the all knowing guys once posted that triggers not specifying time go off at the last thing during the strike. This is just what I faintly recall though.

Really wish they posted those timing tables in the extra errata or in the FAQ as they are so ever useful!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information