The Pre-SoV Workshop

[Captain Stupendous]

I really like this custom; I think he's a fun way of tying the outlaws together even more without overshadowing the Tombstone Gunslingers and their role in the faction.

I also think the name Ace in the Hole is very thematic to the commander ability and I'd be disappointed to see it changed. The idea that the extra turn only happens once per round after everyone else has gone and all the dust has settled would feel quite thematic in practice I think. However, I did have a small suggestion for consideration which I think could improve the ability even further and draw out the theme some more:

ACE IN THE HOLE
At the end of the round, after all OMs have been revealed, you may choose a Unique Outlaw hero you control within 8 clear sight spaces that does not have any Order Markers on its Army Card and take a turn with it. Jedidiah Mulroney may be the chosen Outlaw hero.

With this change, it requires that your Ace in the Hole be a unit that hasn't acted this round previously, which in my mind further sells the idea of holding an Ace in your hand and waiting to play it until the end of the round. It would also create a bit of interesting tension with the Tombstone Gunslingers, who generally want at least one OM on a Unique Outlaw Hero. Since the Tombstones can still activate Outlaw Band with the X, however, I don't think that this proposed alternate of Ace in the Hole would make Outlaw Band too difficult to set up in practice.

Lastly, I'll also say that I have a slight preference against Utgar's Black Bullet simply adding more attack dice, for the reasons already mentioned. I'd be more comfortable with some number of autoskulls, or preventing opponents from rolling defense dice.

Overall though I think this is a strong custom that I'd be excited to see enter SoV testing with some minor tweaks.

[Knox]

Like Stupendous' suggestion for ace

Try +4 dice for black bullet. I agree that lots of dice is fun so I'd like to see that

I'd also love to see the "Crime Syndicate" (treasure glyph power) from my original design for this figure in discord added to this

[Just_a_Bill]

Couple of thoughts on power naming.

1. If the name sounds like it would apply to a lot of old west characters, then the ability should probably be generic. In general, Desperado or Dry Gulcher should probably be the kind of thing we would expect to see on more than one unit (I'm not saying more units should be created; I'm just talking about whether a power title sounds unique or general). On the other hand, if a power is so unique to Mulroney that it would never be used again as-is, then it should probably have a more unique/fanciful title that sounds like one man's trademark.

2. Ace in the Hole would not work well for me thematically in any version where you usually/always see it coming. For example, if it has to be an outlaw without an OM, and one of your outlaws does not receive an OM at the start of the round, then this power is certainly going to be used (if that guy survives). Mulroney wouldn't have an ace in the hole, he would have it tucked into his hat band facing toward the other players; they know it's coming every round.

In that sense, the reveal-X version works better for me because you won't (always) know at the beginning of the round where the X is, or even for sure whether it's on an Outlaw in some cases. Sometimes you won't know until that player's round 3. (Although realistically, why wouldn't it always be on an Outlaw? A free turn is hard to pass up unless you have some other X-horsepower going on, which seems unlikely. But this is at least better than always seeing it coming.) "Ace in the Hole" should offer some uncertainty: is that hole card an ace, or isn't it?

[Pumpkin_King]

JaB brings up something I had in mind during development - the idea is sort of equivalent to Jed having a hand of cards and you’re playing poker. You know he’s gonna cheat, but how?

[Airballshooter]

what if you make it a black bullet special attack. this way its more controlled and not influenced by height. would also open a custom range if is needed.
range 5 and attack 8 or range 6-7 attack 6.

[Pumpkin_King]

That is a definite option if the goal is to limit attack-stacking for BB!

[Just_a_Bill]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_King

You know he’s gonna cheat, but how?

Hmm... an Ace in the Hole is winning legitimately, but I like your angle better. One way to "cheat" is getting a fourth OM after the normal three.

What about a more cheaty reference, like say DIRTY DEALING or DIRTY DEALER? Those make sense in card games as well as in general life dealings, and I get a pretty good flavor of him being a villain. He's not lucky at cards; he's a good cheater.

Seems like that could also address the theme concern about the power being used every round. Naturally he cheats on almost every hand, and he's good enough to keep getting away with it.

[AndreThaGiant]

Another fun idea is STACK THE DECK, which is, "to cheat by unfairly arranging the cards in a deck before the deal." (First recorded in 1825, referenced from Western Fictioneers)

[Pumpkin_King]

I like Stack the Deck a lot too, actually.

[MrNobody]

Stack the Deck also makes sense - you're getting an extra OM/turn, which puts you at an unfair advantage to your opponent.

[Just_a_Bill]

+1 for Stack the Deck.

[Pumpkin_King]

At the risk of turning the thread into a workshop, how's this feel? I'll do some testing if we like it.