Trouble using Performers

[Uncle]

As the title states, I'm having quite a bit of trouble understanding the role Performers are supposed to fill in a Colette crew. I'm sure I'm overlooking something incredible, but they've spent every game thus far hanging out in the back while Colette, Cassie, the Coryphee, and Doves do all the important stuff.

I'm just having trouble justifying a Performer and Mannequin when I could be taking Johan or a Gunsmith or the like, and I'm sure it's a failing of mine. So someone, point out what I'm missing. Please?

[swordsman82]

I had my first game with Collette this weekend, and I had the same problem with the Performers. The manquins were good at blocking charge lines and protecting the girls. But the performers just didn't hold up at all against anything. I think i might drop 1 set for something harder hitting. got to have at least one on the table for collette can save her self

[MrNybbles]

So someone, point out what I'm missing. Please?

This is normal. The Showgirls take a little while to figure out and the Showgirls Tactica needs some updates to help people understand how to use them from the get-go (among other updates regarding The Dreamer). Yes, I've been working on it.

I think i might drop 1 set for something harder hitting. got to have at least one on the table for collette can save her self

The Showgirls are not about being hard-hitting. If you want hard-hitting you could read a Ramos Tactica and learn how to use Joss. Just remember to keep him behind cover until you are ready to kill something with him. There is also the Steamborg Executioner. However, you can win just fine without either heavy-hitter.

Also, Colette is usually better off using a Soulstone to do a Healing Flip as a Slow to Die action than sacrificing another Showgirl via Death Defying. Both a Healing Flip and Death Defying cost one Soulstone.

Performers by themselves are not very useful but fill the Debuffer and Utility rolls.

Their zero-action Mesmerizing is great for Slowing enemies. This often means an enemy model can't perform a dangerous 2 AP action such as Rapid Fire or Flurry. They also have Seduction which gives :-fate to the target's resist and defense flips. Just make sure you have Cassandra, Coryphee, Coryphee Duet, or Colette locking your opponent into melee to take advantage of the debuffs.

Notice that Mesmerizing, Seduction, and Expensive Gift lack the icon so you don't need to randomize firing into melee.

They have some other utility uses as well.

If an opponent's master is nearby you can use Expensive Gift to try and drain Soulstones from them.

Very rarely you might want to move a model away from another one like the Voodoo Doll totem which can allow Zoraida to ignore LoS and Spell range to one of your models.

Their melee/ranged strikes really are not much and anything with an immunity to Wp duels are immune to their debuffing.

Hiring Performers also means you get 2 extra activations per turn. I really like waiting until my opponent activates everything then Colette gets to activate and reactivate without interruption.

Last, but not least, the Performers can hold objectives.

Edited November 15, 2010 by MrNybbles

[Jonas Albrecht]

Try to think of the Performer and the Mannequin as separate entities. They don't have to be the ones who are Linked. Cassandra benefits greatly from having one attached to her, allowing her to cast Mirrors for added protection. The Performer herself is great when trying to deal with any low Wp minions your opponent might be fielding. You may need some Colette shenanigans to get her into range though.

[Uncle]

Their zero-action Mesmerizing is great for Slowing enemies. This often means an enemy model can't perform a dangerous 2 AP action such as Rapid Fire or Flurry. They also have Seduction which gives :-fate to the target's resist and defense flips. Just make sure you have Cassandra, Coryphee, Coryphee Duet, or Colette locking your opponent into melee to take advantage of the debuffs.

See, here's what I've noticed...

Showgirls are great with Mesmerizing and Seduction, assuming you can get them into range to use them and your opponent hasn't things that either haven't activated or are about to get beat up on.

So basically, if you manage to use Colette to swap them down the field and activate them before the duet/Cassie, they're good models. Of course, if you're activating them first, then the duet doesn't have Use Soulstone and Cassandra doesn't have Southern Charm (if needed). Once those two have activated, you've really used up most of your damage-dealing possibilities, so a debuff becomes largely useless.

I can see all their potential, I'm just not seeing how to put it to use without risking a 9 or 14-cost model.

[Ratty]

Also, Colette is usually better off using a Soulstone to do a Healing Flip as a Slow to Die action than sacrificing another Showgirl via Death Defying. Both a Healing Flip and Death Defying cost one Soulstone.

Really.. can you heal yourself with a Slow to Die, I had always assumed it just tempererally stalled model removal, but the model always got removed after the (1) action. Can Gaki really Snack to keep themselves on the table?

[Uncle]

Really.. can you heal yourself with a Slow to Die, I had always assumed it just tempererally stalled model removal, but the model always got removed after the (1) action. Can Gaki really Snack to keep themselves on the table?

Off the main topic, but yes, you can. This means that Lucius, Von Schill, and Colette are all very difficult to actually kill.

[LoboStele]

You can use Mesmerizing on a model that has already activated. Slow/Paralyze last until the model's next activation, not until the Resolve Effects stage like most things. So, Mesmerizing is almost always useful. The Mannequin's make for excellent blocking pieces, and you really don't lose hardly anything if one of they gets killed.

I hadn't thought about Cassandra using Sublime Performance and then Understudy to cast Mirrors. That would indeed make her nigh invulnerable.

The Performers are VERY good at holding objectives, IMO. Basically, it sort of ends up being 3SS each for a Performer and a Mannequin, and 3SS for a model that is not Insignificant, can hold objectives and such, and then can still help out in the fight a bit too is pretty nice.

People keep saying that the Showgirls do not "hit hard", but I've often found that they do just fine when necessary. With 2 Doves on the table, plus Cassie and the Coryphees, it's pretty easy to dish out 20 damage or more in a single round, and that's with all Weak damage flips. If you can manage to pull off Seduction or the Coryphee's Hypnotic Movements it makes it much easier to pull off larger amounts of damage. For instance, I had no problem killing off an entire Viktoria crew in a game this past week. Strategy was Shared Line in the Sand, and I was the attacker, but it was obvious that I was going to have to defend myself as he pressed down the line and began attacking my models with his ranged attacks. I ended the game with only having lost some Doves and a single Performer.

[JustAnotherDummy]

In the few games I've played--sadly, only three thus far--I always, always cry when a Performer is taken down. For me, they're a clutch performer with the capability to not only paralyze a model but make that model really hurt as a result. Though more difficult to make it work in a smaller skirmish (25SS or less), you can set up a combo with Coryphee's Blinding, either using Seduction to give the Coryphee's target :-fate prior to the strike, or getting off the Blinding beforehand to attempt a paralyze and coming in with the Performer after the fact to lay down an Expensive Gift. What's more, if you keep the two nearby--Coryphee and a Performer--and your opponent takes out the Performer, you can grant the Coryphee a Reactivate that can easily pay dividends despite the loss.

Of course, two Performers in tandem are far more devastating when focused on the same target. Siren's Call the target w/in range to Paralyze it, then move in the other for Expensive Gift. If you're lucky, a couple of Expensive Gifts will do.

[Uncle]

In the few games I've played--sadly, only three thus far--I always, always cry when a Performer is taken down. For me, they're a clutch performer with the capability to not only paralyze a model but make that model really hurt as a result. Though more difficult to make it work in a smaller skirmish (25SS or less), you can set up a combo with Coryphee's Blinding, either using Seduction to give the Coryphee's target :-fate prior to the strike, or getting off the Blinding beforehand to attempt a paralyze and coming in with the Performer after the fact to lay down an Expensive Gift. What's more, if you keep the two nearby--Coryphee and a Performer--and your opponent takes out the Performer, you can grant the Coryphee a Reactivate that can easily pay dividends despite the loss.

Of course, two Performers in tandem are far more devastating when focused on the same target. Siren's Call the target w/in range to Paralyze it, then move in the other for Expensive Gift. If you're lucky, a couple of Expensive Gifts will do.

For a start, I think you're confusing Poison Gift and Expensive Gift. Also remember that Poison doesn't stack with itself.

And yes, if you have a high Masks in your hand and happen to be rather close to a low-Wp enemy, a Performer can do pretty well. I just don't see many opportunities tog et in that situation.

[LoboStele]

Well, getting off the Coryphee's Hypnotic Movements trigger can help you not need such high Masks. You can use the trick talked about elsewhere to have Cassandra use Understudy in order to cast one of the Performer's spells (since Cassie has a higher Ca to start with). Hitting an opponent with Seduction first is usually a good move as well.

[JustAnotherDummy]

For a start, I think you're confusing Poison Gift and Expensive Gift. Also remember that Poison doesn't stack with itself.

Right, sorry. I've played so few games I forgot there were two powers with the word "gift" in them. :slap:

And yes, if you have a high Masks in your hand and happen to be rather close to a low-Wp enemy, a Performer can do pretty well. I just don't see many opportunities tog et in that situation.

Depending on what else you have in your crew that hasn't activated yet, it's not all bad to target equivalent Wp models with a Performer power that would make them seriously consider burning a high card from the hand to prevent it from happening. That's one less card they can use later on in an offensive capacity.

People don't want their more powerful models Paralyzed, their Soulstones stolen or their Df/Rs flips negatively penalized. Though you may not necessarily get the effect off, it's still worthwhile culling their hand of high value cards so follow-up effects by other models are more likely to succeed.

[MrNybbles]

Try to think of the Performer and the Mannequin as separate entities.

Very true. They are hired together but don't have great synergy together (other than Companion(Showgirl)).

They don't have to be the ones who are Linked. Cassandra benefits greatly from having one attached to her, allowing her to cast Mirrors for added protection.

Just a reminder to everyone that Cassandra's Celebrity says she may only be targeted by ranged strikes and spell attacks. Link is neither a ranged strike or spell attack so you can't Link to Cassandra while Celebrity is still active.

Of course, if you're activating [the Performers] first, then the duet doesn't have Use Soulstone and Cassandra doesn't have Southern Charm (if needed). Once those two have activated, you've really used up most of your damage-dealing possibilities, so a debuff becomes largely useless.

I can see all their potential, I'm just not seeing how to put it to use without risking a 9 or 14-cost model.

Here is where the Mannequins and Companion(Showgirl) comes into play. You can Simultaneously Activate the Performer, Cassandra, Coryphee, and/or Coryphee Duet and have the Performer do the debuffing, then Cassandra can then activate and use Southern Charm, and any Coryphees can use Soul Dancer, and Coryphee Duet can also do a Healing flip without your opponent getting a chance to attack. For this to work you need to have the Performers and your melee models within 6" of each other, but by turn 3 this usually isn't an issue.

I hadn't thought about Cassandra using Sublime Performance and then Understudy to cast Mirrors. That would indeed make her nigh invulnerable.

I always end up needing high Control Cards for other things (like cheating the damage flips). Your results may vary.

People keep saying that the Showgirls do not "hit hard", but I've often found that they do just fine when necessary.

I've always thought of their damage as being average, but very effective in high volume. Models like Teddy are probably what most people think of when they think of a heavy hitter.

Though more difficult to make it work in a smaller skirmish (25SS or less), you can set up a combo with Coryphee's Blinding, either using Seduction to give the Coryphee's target :-fate prior to the strike, or getting off the Blinding beforehand to attempt a paralyze and coming in with the Performer after the fact to lay down [a Poison] Gift. What's more, if you keep the two nearby--Coryphee and a Performer--and your opponent takes out the Performer, you can grant the Coryphee a Reactivate that can easily pay dividends despite the loss.

Of course, two Performers in tandem are far more devastating when focused on the same target. Siren's Call the target w/in range to Paralyze it, then move in the other for Expensive Gift. If you're lucky, a couple of Expensive Gifts will do.

These are probably their best uses in a Showgirls crew.

Also, if you want to Soulstone the Casting flip to add to it you can sacrifice a Mechanical Dove within 3" and get a on the additional flip.

[Uncle]

Here is where the Mannequins and Companion(Showgirl) comes into play. You can Simultaneously Activate the Performer, Cassandra, Coryphee, and/or Coryphee Duet and have the Performer do the debuffing, then Cassandra can then activate and use Southern Charm, and any Coryphees can use Soul Dancer, and Coryphee Duet can also do a Healing flip without your opponent getting a chance to attack. For this to work you need to have the Performers and your melee models within 6" of each other, but by turn 3 this usually isn't an issue.

Stop the presses. You mean I can activate all Showgirls within 6" of my Mannequin simultaneously? If so, I've been really misplaying that one.

[MrNybbles]

Stop the presses. You mean I can activate all Showgirls within 6" of my Mannequin simultaneously? If so, I've been really misplaying that one.

From the Malifaux Errata (Version 1, January 2010)

Abilities and Triggers

Companion

Replace description with “When activating this model, if it is

within 6” of (model), this model and any number of other

friendly (model) within 6” may receive Simultaneous

Activation. Complete this model’s activation before continuing

to the other model(s’) activation(s). A model may receive

Companion (model) during the course of another model’s

activation. In this case the model receiving Companion

(model) activates immediately following the end of the other

(model’s) activation as per Simultaneous Activation.”

The errata for Companion will be updated in the next errata. Read the thread on Simultaneous Activation Question - Relevant for Belles and Guild Hounds to find out more about how they intend it to work.

[Uncle]

Well, I knew I was missing something, and that'd be it. Simultaneous activation gets around all the issues I was having with the Performers, as well as keeping Paralyzed and Slow through the end phase.

[MrNybbles]

I forgot to include this one as well. Mannequin and Companion (Showgirl)

Keep in mind you are not the only one caught off-guard by how Companion has been changed. You might want to go over this with the members of your playgroup (including any Henchmen at your LGS), especially if you are going to use this. It is also useful for Seamus crews as well.

[Uncle]

I forgot to include this one as well. Mannequin and Companion (Showgirl)

Keep in mind you are not the only one caught off-guard by how Companion has been changed. You might want to go over this with the members of your playgroup (including any Henchmen at your LGS), especially if you are going to use this. It is also useful for Seamus crews as well.

Yeah, my little brother (who got me into Malifaux after I failed to get him into it a year ago--long story) plays Seamus and hasn't realized the full potential of Companion. Going to try to explain things to him soon...