The Book of Pinhead

[Arkham]

If people want it to work, we can just go with this:

DENIZENS OF HELL
After revealing an Order Marker on a Slasher or Tormentor card in your army, instead of taking a turn with that card, you may roll 3 combat dice. Take a turn with up to X Slasher or Tormentor figures you control, where X equals the number of skulls rolled, and you may not take any additional turns with other figures you control.

I haven't tested with the Fire Demons, so it wouldn't change anything thus far, but it will dampen the effectiveness of squads in favor of more options overall when choosing what figures to use I suppose.

[Tornado]

I think I can give him a spin on Sunday if this Blood Demon thing gets ironed out.

I am going to need a Pinhead for Dummies course though.
I would appreciate a couple army builds and suggestions for opposing armies and a quick overview of how best to run the Slashers.
Hopefully I can assemble the cards and figures and get the map ready over the next couple days and knock out the tests Sunday.

[Arkham]

I'm fine going the route I last suggested with the figures taking turns. It's in line with Asgardians and Martian Manhunter, only including squad figures which should be fine.

As for armies:

Pinhead (335), Slashers (665) (1,000)
vs.
Nightwing(200), Starfire(210), Raven(190), Super Boy(240), Red Robin(160) (1,000)


Pinhead (335), Jason(175), Chucky(85), Leatherface(95), Malice(300) (990)
vs.
Frankenstein(320), Living Mummy(200), Lizard(200), Werewolf(Jacob)(270) (990)

Strategy would be to lead with some Slashers/Malice until some Slashers have fallen. Once one or two are destroyed, move Pinhead in to get within range for Hellraiser to start taking off wounds. You can also activate Pinhead and use Hooked Chains, targeting those with lower remaining life. Order Markers should go on whoever is the least likely to be destroyed, then use Denizens of Hell to hopefully net multi-turns. If the OM is revealed on Malice, you can use her bubble suffocation.

[Tornado]

Cool. Thanks. Slayers are 665? That is pretty awesome.
Freddy, Jason. Michael, Chucky, Leatherface?
I get Jason. Chucky and Michael look fairly straightforward. How does Freddy fit in?

[Arkham]

Yep, they just happened to come out to 665.

Freddy can go a couple different routes. You can have him attempt to wound a leader figure or hard to wound figure, at the risk of being pulled out and getting dominated. Or you can have him pick on someone left behind and less likely to get to him if he does get pulled out. With Pinhead, I think having Freddy go all out on a key figure is warranted, as he can be revived by Hellraiser if killed, making it not as risky. So it's best to get a turn in for Freddy as early as possible each round to go for the ones warranting the biggest gain.

So for game 1, which has Freddy, I'd focus Freddy's efforts on Nightwing > Starfire > Raven > Superboy > Red Robin in that order of preference. I've seen Freddy get lucky and roll some blanks or skulls in succession, and I've seen him whiff right out of the gate and get neutered. Another benefit to running him with Pinhead, would be softening up a foe with another Slasher, and having Freddy finish the enemy figure off to get back onto his card.

[Lazy Orang]

I'll probably avoid using Freddy in my games - others are using him, he seems a bit complex to play and I've never used him, so I'll focus on Slashers I'm more familiar with.

[Arkham]

That's fine. He's actually quite simple, but no harm in leaving him out of yours. If you're wanting the Demons more represented, I'd include them in both your games so we have them covered and accounted for. Best strategy with them would be to swarm I'd imagine.

If Tornado runs those suggested armies, we'd have:
Fantastic Four x 2
Fighters/Crime Fighters
Mutants
Titans
Creatures

Then whatever you and Scape run them against can add to it for a solid range tested. A game against Ninjas/Assassins would probably be good and I know that's your comfort zone which is probably best when dealing with so many new figures on Pinhead's side.

[Lazy Orang]

Originally Posted by Arkham

That's fine. He's actually quite simple, but no harm in leaving him out of yours. If you're wanting the Demons more represented, I'd include them in both your games so we have them covered and accounted for. Best strategy with them would be to swarm I'd imagine.

If Tornado runs those suggested armies, we'd have:
Fantastic Four x 2
Fighters/Crime Fighters
Mutants
Titans
Creatures

Then whatever you and Scape run them against can add to it for a solid range tested. A game against Ninjas/Assassins would probably be good and I know that's your comfort zone which is probably best when dealing with so many new figures on Pinhead's side.

Yeah, I'm also thinking that if everyone else is going to be testing the full Slasher build it's probably best if I do something a tad different. I know what other people are doing so I can cover different bases!

I'm not actually a super-massive fan of the Ninjas/Assassins - I've just been testing TMNT and Mortal Kombat units so often that they've gone in by default! I do quite like them, though, so if that's a specific request I'm happy to run with it (I'd probably have been more likely to go with a Kingpin vII build if we're talking about Assassins, left to my own devices). The Turtles definitely are one of my testing go-tos, but a part of that is how well they fit for lower points games, which I'm not feeling for Pinhead.

[dok]

If it's intended that Denizens of Hell can activate Freddy's Coming For You, then Freddy is amazing and a key card for this build as he gives you free auto-wound chances on bonding activations, plus he gets some early targeted attacks on the figure of your choice, then starts the return process from Pinhead's card very quickly.

If that's not intended, then I'd still probably drop a couple early OMs on Freddy in the hope of infiltrating the SZ, at which point I could start activating him with Pinhead. Much less powerful, obviously, but still effective on longer maps or maps with lots of LoS blockers.

[Arkham]

It is intended that you can use Freddy's Coming for You, which is why I have you able to take a turn with a Slasher in your army rather than just one that you control, and that's how I tested it. Never Sleep Again would require the OM to be on his card however, if he wants to heal or get back onto his card when unengaged.

I tested with him in all 4 of my games. I believe at least everyone else is testing with him in at least one of their games. With dok's comments, @Lazy Orang you probably want to ensure he makes it into at least one of your games as well.

I'm glad you feel he's a key part to the build, because he's one of the ones I felt was a bit underwhelming on his own, unless paired with someone who could bail him out when pulled onto the board, which was only Cosmo strangely enough. So him working super well with Pinhead is much better, and out of all the Slashers/Tormentors, he'd be the most thematically tied to Pinhead as a fellow Sadistic Demon that loves to torture.

[dok]

I assumed that was the intention from the wording here. We can test it that way; the issue should be addressed in Freddy's thread.

[Scapemage]

I don't have time to read the last page of posts right now but I barely finished this test so I want to post it before I have to run.

C3G STANDARD PLAYTEST FEEDBACK FORM

NAME OF THE PLAYTEST UNIT: Pinhead

Army Test
Map: Grundy’s Grave
Units: Pinhead (335), Michael Myers, Chucky, Leatherface, Valkyrie, and Malice (1300) vs. Nick Fury, Commander Rogers, Scarlet Spiders, SHIELD Agents x2, Hawkeye I, Chun-Li, Dum Dum Dugan, and Ant Man (Eric O’Grady) (1300).

Spoiler Alert!

Normal Attack Damage:
1 wound(s) on SHIELD Agent (kill) in R2T3

Hooked Chains Mutilation Damage:
None.

Denizens of Hell:
0 skulls rolled 1 times
1 skull rolled 1 times
2 skulls rolled 1 times
3 skulls rolled 2 times

Hellraiser:
No revives.

Commander Rogers is Michael Myers’ first Victim. Chun-Li, Dum Dum Dugan, and Hawkeye join Ant-Man join Nick Fury as the Drop Team. The Slashers get out early as Valkyrie and the whole Slasher team advance off a good roll for Denizens of Hell at the end of the round. The Heliteam does not drop, but instead squads and Hawkeye advance. The Slashers put Valkyrie to work as she engages some foes and slays Hawkeye with a swing of her sword. SHIELD Agents bring the hurt to Valkyrie in response but some good Denizen rolls allow the Slashers to further advance and get into the action, dueling Commander Rogers as he steps up to the plate. Leatherface gets lucky with a Chainsaw Massacre on Rogers but Chucky wounds him! In comes the Drop Team, and the Agents let loose with their double turns to combat the Slasher’s turn chains. Valkyrie falls but the Slashers come back fighting, handily eliminating Commander Rogers thanks to Michael’s stalking. Michael locks onto Chun-Li, but the SHIELD Agents get a well-placed Killbox to take out Pinhead after 0 skulls were rolled on the prior turn for Denizens of Hell! Yikes! The SHIELD Agents continue to do damage, finishing off Leatherface and soon Chucky before the following round ends, but the fight remains relatively even as Michael Myers and Malice put in great work to whittle down the Agents. Dum Dum Dugan falls to Malice and Nick Fury is wounded. All of a sudden the tables turn again though when Malice falls despite bubble markers to a Scarlet Spider. This leaves Michael wide open to slaughter, and the game is ended by Chun-Li.

Who won? List figures remaining in the winning army (include life remaining for heroes): Nick Fury w/ 1 wound, Chun-Li w/ 3 wounds, Ant-Man unwounded, 3/3 Scarlet Spiders, and 4/6 SHIELD Agents.

___________________________________________________________

Army Test
Map: Grundy’s Grave
Units: Pinhead (335), Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Chucky (905) vs. Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi) (905).

Spoiler Alert!

Normal Attack Damage:
1 wound(s) on Raphael in R2T3
4 wound(s) on Scorpion (kill, 1 excess) in R4T3
4 wound(s) on Donatello (kill) in R6T2

Hooked Chains Mutilation Damage:
3 wound(s) on Raphael (kill) in R3T1

Denizens of Hell:
0 skulls rolled 3 times
1 skull rolled 7 times
2 skulls rolled 4 times
3 skulls rolled 3 times

Hellraiser:
Revived Freddy in R4T1

Leonardo is Michael Myers’ first Victim, and the game is off with Jason teleporting a little as he started behind a tree. Michael and Jason continue to move and the Turtles and Scorpion advance, but Raphael interrupts one of the planned Turtle turns, coming in hot to nearly kill Jason. Freddy gets some turns from Denizens of Hell and starts damaging Leonardo from off the board. Initiative goes to the Slashers in Round Two but nothing comes of the two turns they get. The Turtles activate Turtle Power to spend their whole round now, managing to take out Jason and Freddy. The Slashers only get 2 more turns in the rest of the round but Pinhead advances with Chucky and begins to fight Raphael, slowly healing Freddy from the grave. Scorpion moves but misses his Get Over Here, which is apparently enough to set off the Slashers. 3 skulls are rolled for Denizens and things go nuts. Raphael is wounded by Chucky then killed by an onslaught of Hooked Chains from Pinhead, bringing Freddy down to 1 wound. Leonardo activates Turtle Power, but Michael Myers is right behind him and finishes him off with some stalking right as the last Turtle activates. The Slashers can’t get anything else done before the round’s end, but they’ve gained an advantage. Meanwhile, Jason remains dead. Pinhead kills Scorpion after nearly dying to a Get Over Here, and Michael Myers advances toward Michelangelo as Chucky fails to find any damage. Freddy comes back, leaves the board and starts haunting figures. After a round of nonaction, Jason comes back to life just as Michelangelo falls to repeated hits from Freddy and Michael’s superb stalking. Pinhead lands a clean attack on Donatello in Round Six to end the game in favor of the Slashers.

Who won? List figures remaining in the winning army (include life remaining for heroes): Pinhead w/ 5 wounds, Michael Myers w/ 3 wounds, Chucky w/ 2 wounds, Jason Voorhees unwounded, and Freddy Krueger unwounded.

THOUGHTS ON THE TESTED UNIT'S COST, BALANCE, & DRAFTABILITY: Pinhead draws heavy fire against teams with the ability to deliver it. The Helicarrier Drop Team from Game 1 was able to focus down Pinhead and his bodyguard without extreme trouble.

Wow, was Game 2 much better for the Slashers. They decimated the Turtles here, though they did suffer a lot of damage and it could have gone a lot differently with a few just-slightly-better dice rolls. That all said, Pinhead really brings the Slashers together and is well worth his while. The risk of 0 turns is huge, though, so I’d consider bringing him down to 305 or 315.

GENERAL THOUGHTS ON THE TESTED UNIT: Pinhead got wrecked in Game 1. It was feeling close for awhile thanks to the Slashers “we’re never really out” vibe, which brings a fun and new feel to the army. I’d never used Malice before but this army build gave me a good reason to show off her power. Pinhead was hard focused after Valkyrie by the Agents, and man does it hurt hard when you roll 0 skulls for Denizens of Hell. That said, rolling 3 skulls is super rewarding.

The Slashers really feel like a unique army and I love that. All of the units do things you don’t see every day, and when they come together in harmony it feels great. Excellent job with these.