hippieshopper Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 I suppose I am making this post because I would like to hear what you guys think about Marcus. I am planning on getting a new Master and it was between him and Kirai...the latter, well I didn't much care for her. I know a bit about him, mostly that he seems to be a jack of all trades in a sense. I know that he can take any beast much like how Nicodem can take anything without a pulse. I've heard a lot about Molemen, and the 'Defend Me!' trigger but I also notice that the mobility of them are somewhat limited in opposition to Marcus. I would just like to know a bit more about him, I might try to proxy him and see how he holds out. He seems so..."unknown" to me, he's not mentioned much at all in either book other than a "dusty man". Compared to all the other players that play either Ramos, Colette, or Rasputina, it seems it's not just a story thing either, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictor Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 If you are into speed you will love this guy and his crew. They cannot maneouvre like Collette's crew, but especially in severe terrain I don't think any other master or crew can be developed to match what he can produce for raw speed. As much as he is a 'jack of all trades', his weakness and strength is his specificity to any given moment. You can make him super fast, or better your chances to hit your opponent, or cause more damage to your opponent, but you can't combine these skills without being really lucky in producing extra Tomes for Wild Heart. There will be moments of glory however like if you can get Wild Heart a free Shilleleagh strike in on Lady J before she activates, turn her into a Beast, Alpha her into killing Judge before he activates and rendering her useless for the rest of the turn, pull off the trigger which increases the combat prowess of a friend which at that moment meant any of my beasts so it went to the Rattler waiting to go next, and laughing heartily as I know I may never see a turn this sweet ever again with Marcus lol. All in all he lacks being a brutal beat stick himself, but his synergy with crew builds like Myranda, Silurids, Raptors means you can move your entire crew in two turns. I want to run a game with him and the Student of Conflict as a Totem. Oh the possibilities of an extra AP with this man make him as dangerous as he probably ought to be. As much as he himself is not a beat stick, the Rattler and Cerberus are not lacking any luster in the combat department. Shikome and Rogue Necromancer are fantastic additions to his purring hoards and Wendigo's. I want to also see how well the Lawyer plays with this crew as the Lawyer has the Beast characteristic. And yes the Moleman is slow but you will find that since Marcus and his crew lack ranged weaponry (other then 20" charge attacks with leaping Silurids, Cerberus and Myranda borrowing abilities; which is longer than most guns and spells) you will find Marcus and his crew tend to sneak around behind cover. So the Moleman will tunnel in a straight line to where Marcus will eventually be without too much fuss as he is armoured like a Sherman tank. I like Marcus a lot. Although I think I have only ever won one game with him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictor Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 OH! Ooh!! Also important, Raptors causing damage on Tome's gives the enemy the Beast Characteristic til the end of the encounter. (Which is easier said than done as they have below average Cb). But if you can make one or two key injuries, between Marcus' Stare Down (Negative flips while Marcus is in LoS) and Alpha the potential is huge to ruin your opponents day :vb_devil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 (edited) He seems so..."unknown" to me, he's not mentioned much at all in either book other than a "dusty man". Compared to all the other players that play either Ramos, Colette, or Rasputina, it seems it's not just a story thing either, I think the reason why Marcus is so underrepresented is that he doesn't fit like Ramos and Colette do in the setting (I likewise think Rasputina is a poor fit, by the by). It's just the whole living-in-the-wilds-with-the-beasts thing. Now, that said, Marcus is nasty if used correctly. I personally would try, in a larger game, to run him with a Saberooth Cerberus, a pack of Silurids, and a Mole Man for defense--Miranda can sit at home. Throw in a Jackalope and you've got an extremely fast crew that can leap into range before doing their thing. Don't forget, Marcus and the Sabertooth hit pretty darned hard, too. And yes, I expect Marcus and the beasts to kind of leave the Mole Man behind, but that's just what happens. He keeps plugging along and catches up when things get nasty. Edited October 26, 2010 by JPRoth1980 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poko Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 but especially in severe terrain I don't think any other master or crew can be developed to match what he can produce for raw speed. Too bad the rest of the crew can't keep up. Apart from Myranda and Waldgeist none of the original book beasts have scout, so if you happen to play on a dense-terrain board the army's at a disadvantage compared to other masters. The new book redresses the balance with all that flying, but his list is still slower, overall, than Nephilim luftwaffe. as I know I may never see a turn this sweet ever again with Marcus lol. Yes, the chances of that happening are very small. You have to have a good hand, good flip, and the enemy has to have very poor hand and flips. Much more likely is that you'll hit Lady J for 4-6 damage, and then she activates and turns Marcus into catfood. In fact, most masters can turn him into catfood, and a good deal of minions as well. He's a melee master with sub-par attacks, he's a buffer master with one, weak buff, and he's a control master whose control spell is insanely expensive and hard to pull off. All in all, he's best treated as another, 7-8SS beast rather than a "real" master in game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictor Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 (edited) He's a melee master with sub-par attacks, he's a buffer master with one, weak buff, and he's a control master whose control spell is insanely expensive and hard to pull off. All in all, he's best treated as another, 7-8SS beast rather than a "real" master in game. There was an interview with one of the fluff writers recently and he eluded to Marcus getting some interesting changes in Book 3. In Book 2 you will notice a stong Beast representation within the Ressurectionist group... http://www.twilightemporium.net/journal/2010/10/10/interview-dave-nerdelemental-bowen.html I REALLY like the concept of Marcus, so him getting a buff is appreciated, but I don't particularly like the thought of him gearing towards Undead status. Edited October 27, 2010 by Lictor Linky finally found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werecat Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 there was an interview with one of the fluff writers recently Link it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictor Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 It's not a bad read at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rathnard Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 After winning the Viktorias box in a raffle I decided to swap it for a crew I have an interest in...so I'm now the owner of the Marcus box plus a Jackalope! I'm a bit of a fan for the underdog so I'm looking forward to giving Marcus a try. So many people seem to look down on him so I'm determined to prove that he's not as awful as commonly thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictor Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 I don't think he is awful. I just struggle to win with him... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamwyrd Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 Marcus is a constant uphill battle, he has to be played to the T for him to succeed. I love his background, his play style, and abilities. But he is the one master that has no Fast, Casting Expert, or Melee Expert, or a means of getting them. And he could use one bad...... If he got melee expert he may be able to actually fulfil his position of master. He needs something, hes a master. But i still love him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictor Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I never picked up on that before; that he does not have the skills you mentioned... In saying that, his Wild Heart ability grants him a free charge/strike/+ flips... So it kinda balances out, more options at the cost of only requiring a 4 to cast it. Get a 4+ Tome and you get to use 3 Wild Heart abilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werecat Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 If Wyrd were to retool Marcus, you know what would make him sing? Give him melée expert, and swap his beast control spell out for Obey. Call it a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rathnard Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Just making Alpha a (1) action would probably help alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictor Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Not Obey, kinda ruins the fluff. Alpha (1) is a nice thought. Because of his Wild Heart skills I think Melee Expert is actually too much, but damn!! Would be awesome. Free Charge action + another 3 strikes. Oh so sweet. Fast would be fluff appropriate. Also essentially covers the suggestions of Alpha (1) and Melee Expert as well. *co-wi-Eric-nk-ugh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werecat Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Alpha is a tad more fluffy, sure. But obey is MUCH mor versatile. And it still has the same essential feel. He's still dominating something mentally. Can you imagine obeying a Cerberus to advance up before activating? Oh, the lovely threat range... Heck, make Alpha an obey that only affects beasts. That would be cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictor Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Alpha is a tad more fluffy, sure. But obey is MUCH mor versatile. And it still has the same essential feel. He's still dominating something mentally. Can you imagine obeying a Cerberus to advance up before activating? Oh, the lovely threat range... Heck, make Alpha an obey that only affects beasts. That would be cool. An Obey for Beasts only. That is awesome fluff acceptable changes there. Excellent call Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamwyrd Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 If he got something, I would play him more. He just seems like a stress causing master right now. But I still love him. And will play him for demos and the sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunpowder saint Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 has anyone ever thought to use Alpha on the cat After it activates? cat moves into melee and gets two free attacks Marcus activates, Alpha on the cat Cat rapes face with 4 additional attacks. ???? profit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamwyrd Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Aalpha is target enemy beast, so it wouldn't work. Would be sweet if you could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunpowder saint Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Aalpha is target enemy beast, so it wouldn't work. Would be sweet if you could. Seriously!? I thought it was just a Beast Version of Override Eddict from C. Hoffman's Page! That's a little bit more the Bullox! does it atleast say that the model can't activate after you control it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamwyrd Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Ya, and if it has already activated It gets reactivate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipper Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I think if you dropped Enemy from his Alpha description, it would really change his playability 9however, it might make him a little too good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamwyrd Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I think if you dropped Enemy from his Alpha description, it would really change his playability 9however, it might make him a little too good. Even then it is a (2) action, so all he could do then is his two (0) actions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poko Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I think if you dropped Enemy from his Alpha description, it would really change his playability 9however, it might make him a little too good. He is, at this moment, at the absolute bottom of the list, even gremlins throw pig poo at him and laught. His only real "synergy" is with the shikome and moleman and the rest of the beasts don't even notice he's there game-wise. Short of giving him Lilith's stats and LCB's weapons, he's in no danger of being overpowered any time soon. And as powdersaint noticed, Hoff has an improved version of the Alpha, superior in every way and isn't overpowered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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