IshMEL's Customs: Updated 7/11/2018

[IshMEL]

Great suggestions @Ixe and @obfuscatedhippo !

So I'm thinking of dropping the Dread Rising, as you suggest, and going with:

Dread March
After revealing an Order Marker on the Army Card of a Unique Arachnomancer, Sorcerer, or Wizard Hero you control, you may choose any number of Dread Minions you control within 4 clear sight spaces of that Hero. You may move all chosen figures up to 4 spaces each. Figures moved by Dread March will take any leaving engagement attacks.

Added Arachnomancer. Is "any number" too many?

Minions of the Magus
Figures engaged with this Dread Minion cannot make normal attacks or leaving engagement attacks on an Arachnomancer, Sorcerer, or Wizard you control.

And for a third power, I'm thinking of either:

From The Dust
After taking a turn with a Unique Arachnomancer, Sorcerer, or Wizard Hero, if that Hero did not attack that turn, you may place a previously destroyed Dread Minion from your army adjacent to that Hero. You may immediately take a turn with that Dread Minion.

It could be useful for the mage to give up an attack if it's threatened by a powerful figure, and cause a DM to engage with that figure so it would take the attack instead.

OR

Dread Rising v2
At the beginning of the round, after rolling for initiative, you may reveal the X Order Marker on the Army Card of a Unique Arachnomancer, Sorcerer, or Wizard Hero to place a previously destroyed Dread Minion from your army adjacent to that Hero.

This way you won't have to give up an attack, and can still bring back your DMs if necessary, but only once per round.

Dread Horde Attack
After revealing an Order Marker on this card, you may choose up to 3 Dread Minions you control. Take a single turn with the chosen figures, during which those figures may only attack.

The "lets give them some offensive use" option as per Kai's suggestion.

Of the three, I'm most leaning toward the second right now.

Thanks for taking a look!

[IshMEL]

OK, so I've thought about these guys a little more. Here's the next iteration:



Dread Minion
Utgar
Undead
Common Hero
Minion
Terrifying
Life 1
Move 4
Range 1
Attack 2
Defense 3
15 points

Dread March
After revealing an Order Marker on the Army Card of a Unique Arachnomancer, Sorcerer, or Wizard Hero you control, you may choose up to 3 Dread Minions you control within clear sight of that Hero. You may move all chosen figures up to 4 spaces each. Figures moved by Dread March will take any leaving engagement attacks.

Minions of the Magus
Figures engaged with this Dread Minion cannot make normal attacks or leaving engagement attacks on an Arachnomancer, Sorcerer, or Wizard you control.

Tenacious Engagement
When a small or medium figure leaves an engagement with this Dread Minion, it reduces its remaining move by 1. When this Dread Minion defends against a normal attack from an adjacent figure, it adds 1 to its defense.

Changes:
Dread March: It's 3 figures now, within clear sight of the Hero. (Which happens to be the number I own....)

Tenacious Engagement: There were a lot of ideas for what could be done with a third power -- some kind of necromancy, or something to give them some offensive punch, or basically make a "thrall for wizards". I felt however that I was retreading old ground, and that I should really just embrace what the function of these figures is going to be: screen for your mage, and tie up potential attackers. The Tenacious Engagement is my attempt to up the ante on becoming engaged with one of these guys. They're harder to kill (+1 defense) and will try and tackle you as you leave (even if you have Disengage). Note that the -1 Move will stack, so putting two of these next to an opponent will make it even harder to get through to your mage.

As always, thanks for your comments!

[IshMEL]

Originally Posted by IshMEL

I like all those changes! Glad she has seen some action. Do the points seem right at 80? I think I used my formula to set her initial cost.

And hey, Sayyida is an Actual Historical Personage. (I suppose " Sayyida al-Hurra ibn Banu Rashid al-Mandri al-Wattasi Hakima Tatwan" is too long to fit on the card, eh?)

I'll make a new version of the card soon (I'm picky about the typography).

Look forward to seeing your Pirate Crew!

As promised, a new version of the card:



Thanks again for researching Sayyida and your suggestions!

[Ixe]

New Dread Minion
Definitely a much more powerful version. These guys are a cheap screen that you can mobilize without even needing to use order markers on them. I would make sure to test them in the Wizard army (you would draft more than 3 of them) to double check that they don't actually do too well in this category. Tenacious Engagement is interesting with the movement reduction, though I'm pretty sure there is a corner case in there where you move away with your last move. I suspect these guys may function well under a reduced synergy (where you could have more control over what they couple with) and may otherwise be too effective of a screen for the already synergistic wizard based army.

Sayyida Al Hurra
Keep Your Powder Dry is not likely enough or high impact enough that it really affects her all that much. A 10% chance to not shoot is annoying but will most likely never come up. If it does, it's inconvenient but not as game changing as other unlikely powers like Marcu's Eternal Rage, losing Sir Hawthorne, or having having a Stinger be destroyed on top of losing the attack. Essentially, it is a thematic power that accomplishes little else in most games (which can be fine).

Your Cutlass Sharp is a nice ability that keeps her a little more threatening in melee, although it isn't terribly likely for her to counterstrike with her defense. And Laugh at Death is almost a reuse of the Frost Giant's Dying Swipe (you can trigger it by killing her yourself), but it again adds some bite and fear to attacking her in melee.

As a total package, I like her. Her abilities make her threatening enough to justify her otherwise slightly higher point total and she can give the enemy some pause in melee. She's versatile enough to squeeze off some ranged attacks as well, most likely being able to do so.

[IshMEL]

Thanks Ixe!

With the Minions, I could either add "small or medium" to avoid Ulginesh, or Utgar / Valkrill to avoid all the Elf Wizards. I'm leaning toward the former. Also Kurrok doesn't really need the help, so I can take out Sorcerer.

Regarding Tenacious Engagement movement, perhaps this:

When a small or medium figure moves normally out of engagement with this Dread Minion, count that hex as 1 additional space.

I think that works (mirroring the Heavy Snow rules) and it still stacks. If you don't have enough move left, you can't leave the engagement.

Regarding Sayyida, well pretty much everything you said. I didn't realize I had left out the opponent clause of Dying Swipe but I don't think it's worth changing. Arrrh!

[IshMEL]

Through the generosity of another Scaper I recently acquired some "Haloclix" figures. So, Space Marines!






FPC Marines
Jandar
Human
Unique Squad
Soliders
Valiant
Life 1
Move 5
Range 6
Attack 2
Defense 4
110 Points

Plasma Weapon Concentrated Fire
When a figure defends against a normal attack from an FPC Marine, it subtracts 1 from its Defense for each time it was previously attacked by another FPC Marine this turn. Figures with a Defense number of at least 1 cannot have their Defense reduced below 1 by Plasma Weapon Concentrated Fire.

Return Fire
When an FPC Marine defends against a normal attack from a non-adjacent figure, if any excess shields are rolled the attacking figure takes one unblockable wound. Each FPC Marine may use Return Fire once per turn.

FPC = Free Planet Confederacy, an interstellar federation I just made up.

The figures are:
Marine Magnum Pistol 13
Marine SMG 14
Marine SMG 88
Marine Battle Rifle 15

Their value is going to drop a lot once the squad's been whittled down, but Return Fire might encourage your opponent to attack someone else. Keeping them out of engagement will be key.

I'd also considered making them a "Bug Hunt" unit, with something like:

Ultrasonic Disruptor
When a Marro figure rolls the 20-sided die for a special power on its Army Card, subtract 1 from the result for each FPC Marine within 3 spaces of that figure.

Too much? Too specific? I have a habit of throwing 3 powers on a card because, well, 3 powers. On the other hand, Space Hulk / Aliens coooool etc.

------------





Microcorp Strikers
Vydar
Human
Unique Squad
Agents
Tricky
Life 1
Move 6
Range 6
Attack 3
Defense 3
90 Points

Stealth Tactics
At the beginning of each round, before placing Order Markers you may move any or all Microcorp Strikers you control up to 4 spaces. For each Microcorp Striker moved with Stealth Tactics, subtract 1 from your initiative roll. When moving with Stealth Tactics, a Microcorp Striker does not take any leaving engagement attacks. You may not use Stealth Tactics on the first round of the game.

Stealth Armor 12
When a Microcorp Striker receives one or more wounds, before removing it, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 12 or higher, ignore any wounds.

HMD Targeting Special Attack
Range 8 Attack 1
A Microcorp Striker that did not move or attack normally may use HMD Targeting Special Attack against a non-adjacent figure. Small and medium figures targeted by HMD Targeting Special Attack reduce their base Defense to 0.

Figures are:

ODST SMG
ODST Battle Rifle
ODST Magnum Pistols

Stealth Armor is standard Microcorp equipment. The Unique Squad gets the upgraded version. The Head Mounted Display Targeting enables them to make pinpoint, long-range attacks. A figure can still have height advantage, or Raelin etc., to help them out with defense. Stealth Tactics can get them into position to use it. An alternate version of Stealth Tactics I'm considering:

Stealth Tactics v2
At the beginning of each round, after placing Order Markers, you may move any or all Microcorp Strikers you control up to 4 spaces. For each Microcorp Striker moved with Stealth Tactics, subtract 2 from your initiative roll. When moving with Stealth Tactics, a Microcorp Striker does not take any leaving engagement attacks. You may not use Stealth Tactics on the first round of the game.

More powerful, but a greater initiative loss. It feels "stealthier" to do it after OM placement, but it could be too much?

As always, thanks for your comments!

[Ixe]

FPC Marines
Interesting new squad. The FPC Marines remind me a bit of the Protectors of Ullar with their Plasma Weapon Concentrated Fire, although that power takes on a bit different of a tone with a unique squad. I actually recall an SoV submission getting turned down on the basis of confusion over order of operations by stopping the defense from being lowered beyond 1. With so many attacks needed to do it, do you think that the 1 limit is really necessary with these guys?

Return fire is a little interesting that it is only usable once per turn, but I don't think that should be a problem for memory issues. Otherwise, these guys seem relatively solid but their first power only exacerbates the Unique Squad weakness (damage results in immediate loss of efficacy). The Bug Hunt idea is a little weird when it applies to entire squads where only one figure is in range (for things like Stinger Drain) and is otherwise pretty marginal hate.

Microcorp Strikers
Stealth Tactics is a very interesting power. I like the downside of dropping in initiative, although I'd likely give it up in a number of instances in order to take advantage of the power, although I could definitely see shying away from it on some critical moments. I don't think them moving the first round is that big of a deal. I don't think doing it after order markers translates to online games terribly well, since the app is set up so OMs aren't shown until after you roll initiative, although I believe it feels stealthier that way.

Beware of Stealth Armor 12. Lowering something even by a few points can greatly increase your likelihood of seeing it come up. These guys will be annoying having your attacks fail nearly half the time, although it is mitigated by the fact that they are a Unique Squad.

HMD Targeting is also an interesting special attack that I could see wanting to use in a number of instances. I think the base defense aspect of it is interesting and something that I like to see played around with. It's probably pretty potent to put that on a unit with 4 attacks, however, especially if you use Stealth Tactics to get them into place to begin with.

In general, I think their biggest point of power is the fact that they are a 4-man ranged squad with 3 attack. That alone is probably grounds for upping their points from 90, without even considering all the other whistles and bells they have (which is not insubstantial).

Cool units in any case.

[IshMEL]

Thanks Ixe, always great to get your feedback!

On the FPC Marines, I'm trying to figure out if Plasma Weapons is the best choice for a Unique Squad. It gives them a "space marines" feel and will be useful against high defense targets, but I probably wouldn't draft a unit whose power was so easily weakened.

Another possibility I've thought about for them is:

Suppression Fire Tactics
After attacking, for each FPC Marine that attacked a non-adjacent figure this turn, you may choose one Soldier figure you control that did not attack this turn. Move all chosen figures up to 2 spaces each. Figures moved by Suppression Fire Tactics will take any leaving engagement attacks.

In this case, they'd make a good vanguard unit for other Soldiers, or help move another FPC Marine up into position. I would probably changed them to "Disciplined" to avoid 4th Mass overload.

And, while I'm workshopping them in public, what about:

Attack The Wild 1
When attacking a figure who has a wild personality, an FPC Marine rolls 1 additional attack die.

That would cover a lot of Marro figures, as well as some other fun thematic matchups.

As for the Microcorp Strikers, there are actually only 3 of these. So they're sort of like the Krav. They're probably still underpriced, though, with this powerset. If I ever get them to the table, I'll see if the Stealth Armor needs adjusting. And I think I will use v2 of the Stealth Tactics. Seems more fun!

[IshMEL]

Fire Archons Report
So I got to play two battles against Z-Man with the Archons. They were a blast to play! I had:

Vukanaar 200
Flame Wraith x2 180
Magma Elemental x4 100
Marcu 20

Vs:

Mok (Z-Man's fave): 220
Axegrinders x2 140
Syvarris 100
Wood Woads x2 30
Isamu 10

After I lost, we switched armies and I lost again.



Vukanaar is a beast to take down. The Axegrinders Fearless Advantage was a huge help (pun!). Also key is engaging him on uneven terrain so you don't get roasted at the end of the round by Scorched Earth. And of course ranged attacks to keep away from Infernal Heat's counterstrike effect. Syvarris got off a few good shots there.



The Flame Wraiths really take MVP though. Running around the board putting down molten lava is really fun -- denying perches, breaking up roads, and creating safe spots for the rest of the army. Ideally you can "leap frog" them with each other and/or Vukanaar so they get the Living Flame healing advantage, although I wasn't too successful at setting that up.



Magma Elementals also did well. Wildfire + 7 Move makes them good at board control. Magma Rising only happened once during both games. I could tweak the odds but I'm happy to keep this as a "mostly thematic" power.

My first loss ended with only Marcu left in my army, engaged with two dwarves. I of course rolled a 17 for Eternally Grumpy. Although the game was technically over, Z-Man had fun killing him by taking multiple leaving engagement attacks, and then flying him into my own molten lava. Ouch!

[IshMEL]

My every-couple-of-months-update to the OP is here! Toll the bells, stay for the parade, film at 11.

Not a huge amount of change here. First, I've revisted 2 cards that I had in the What Was I Thinking category. There's a Design Notes section that details just what was going wrong with the originals.

Begorn Thundershield *¤. Inspiring Dwarven Warrior. 120 pts.

Spoiler Alert!

Begorn Thundershield
General: Aquilla
Species: Dwarf
Unique Hero
Class: Warrior
Personality: Inspiring
Medium 4
Life: 6
Move: 5
Range: 1
Attack: 4
Defense: 4

Points: 120

Base: Single
Planet: Feylund

Undaunted Inspiration
At the beginning of each round, place one combat die on this card for every wound marker on this card. When a Common figure you control within 3 clear sight spaces of Begorn Thundershield rolls for defense or for a normal attack, you may remove one die from this card and add it to that roll. At the end of the round, remove all combat dice from this card. Friendly figures may not target Begorn Thundershield for an attack.

Thundershield Defense
When rolling defense dice, if Begorn Thundershield rolls fewer than two shields, add one shield to whatever is rolled.

Figure: Dwarf Battlemaster

Design notes:

Spoiler Alert!

The main problem with the old version was that I'd made a "better Mogrimm." Begorn was also a Warlord, and except for Commander's Strike, was just all around better. I made Begorn a Warrior instead -- he's a grizzled veteran who inspires by example, not a warlord leading combat. Here's the old powerset:

Rally The Troops
After revealing an Order Marker on the Army Card of a Common Squad you control, you may move and attack with 1 additional member of that Squad for each Order Marker on this card.

Undaunted Inspiration
At the beginning of each round, place one attack die on this card for every wound marker on this card. When Begorn Thundershield, or any figure you control within 3 clear sight spaces of him, rolls for a normal attack, you may remove one die from this card and add it to that roll. At the end of the round, remove all attack dice from this card.

Thundershield Defense
When rolling defense dice, if Begorn Thundershield rolls fewer than two shields, add one shield to whatever is rolled.

Rally The Troops is potentially far too overpowered, with some high-powered squads. "Undaunted Inspiration" is really the key power here. I changed it to only cover Common figures (and not himself) but added the possibility of using it for defense rolls. Also included the "no friendly fire" clause. You're really going to have to get Begorn out there and fighting for him to work.

Slaughterstone Eviscerator ¤. A stone Fen Hydra with SA resistance. 130 pts.

Spoiler Alert!

Slaughterstone Eviscerator
General: Aquilla
Species: Animate
Unique Hero
Class: Construct
Personality: Mindless
Large 6
Life: 4
Move: 4
Range: 1
Attack: 4
Defense: 6

Points: 130

Base: Double
Planet: Feylund


Dwarven Artifice
You may not place Order Markers on this card unless you control at least one Dwarf figure.

Eviscerator Blades
When the Slaughterstone Eviscerator attacks, it may attack up to 4 times. Reduce the number of times the Slaughterstone Eviscerator can attack by 1 for each wound marker on this Army Card.

Stony Resistance 3
The Slaughterstone Eviscerator rolls 3 additional defense dice when defending against a special attack.

Bio:

Spoiler Alert!

The Forgehammer Clan was long known for their cunning artifices that combined machinery and magic. Legend tells of forges that worked themselves, of wagons that hauled without horses or mules, of axes that flew back to their masters after hewing through foes. Most of the secrets of their making was lost centuries past with the death of Fabran Forgehammer in the Great Battle of Zakhar Pass, and the subsequent looting of the Forgehammer treasury by the Graath Horde.

But Mogrimm has spent his life searching for the lost treasures of his ancestor, and for the spells that made them move. The Slaughterstone Eviscerator is the result of his patient search and research. Originally crafted as a mining machine from a single block of stone, the Evsicerator has been refitted for combat, with four deadly blades that are poised and ready to strike at all who would oppose the Forgehammers!

Figure: Slaughterstone Eviscerator

Yes, it's a big stone Fen Hydra.

Design notes:

Spoiler Alert!

The earlier version (at 120 points) had the same stats but this powerset:

Eviscerator Blades
When the Slaughterstone Eviscerator attacks, it may attack up to 4 times. Reduce the number of times the Slaughterstone Eviscerator can attack by 1 for each wound marker on this Army Card.

Courage of the Clan
Once per turn, if the Slaughterstone Eviscerator destroys an opponent's figure with a normal attack, you may move up to 2 Dwarf figures you control up to 4 spaces. Figures moved with Courage of the Clan must be within 6 clear sight spaces of this Slaughterstone Eviscerator before moving.

Animated Stone
No special power on any Army Card or glyph can remove wounds from this Army Card.

"Courage of the Clan" was my attempt at the Dwarf tie-in. But it's not that interesting of a power, relative to the complexity of its wording. I replaced it with the Dwarven Artifice "weakness" which is a relatively mild (and simple) way of requiring a Dwarf "controller" for it. "Animated Stone" isn't really all that necessary -- if you really wanted to have Kelda heal it, I suppose the Wellspring magic would do the trick. I replaced with Augamo's Stony Resistance and upped the points to 130.

Next, a new Mariedian unit:

Balan Nor ¤. Mariedian bodyguard. 40 pts.

Spoiler Alert!

Balan Nor
General: Aquilla
Species: Mariedian
Unique Hero
Class: Guard
Personality: Protective
Medium 4
Life: 3
Move: 5
Range: 1
Attack: 3
Defense: 3

Points: 40

Base: Single
Planet: Alpha Prime

Mariedian Guard
After revealing an Order Marker on the Army Card of a Unique Mariedian Hero you control that is adjacent to Balan Nor, you may immediately move Balan Nor up to 5 spaces. When moving with Mariedian Guard, Balan Nor will take any leaving engagement attacks.

Engaged Challenge
If a figure that is engaged with Balan Nor makes a leaving engagement attack on another figure you control and at least one skull is rolled, you may place one wound on this card to ignore all wounds from that leaving engagement attack.

Engagement Strike 13
If an opponent's small or medium figure moves adjacent to Balan Nor, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 13 or higher, the opponent's figure receives one wound. Figures may be targeted only as they move into engagement with Balan Nor.


Figure: Coruscant Guard (SW Mini)

"Engaged Challenge" is basically Combat Challenge, but for LEAs. You can move him forward with your Mariedian Hero so he can whack at melee challengers as they approach, or use him to get a unit out of engagement.

Also in the OP are "CheapScape" cards with alternative sculpts for Calibrax, the Crypt Guardians, and Sudema.

Thanks for taking a look!

[TexHex]

[Ixe]

FPC Marines

Spoiler Alert!

I think Suppression Fire Tactics is a nice change. Changing them to disciplined might be wise given the 4th.

Microcorp Strikers

Spoiler Alert!

I wasn't aware that I had issues counting to three. Even still, 90 may be a tad cheap but it does make them much more reasonable.

Vukanaar

Spoiler Alert!

I've never commented on these guys before so I'll do so now. Vukanaar seems pretty beastly and a lot of fun. The combination of counterstrike and the attack reduction off of Infernal heat seems to make him a nightmare to face in melee (not even mentioning Scorched Earth). He also packs quite the punch with that ranged attack, as limited as it is, although I'd probably prefer to close in melee for the most part to take advantage of his other abilities. I'm a little confused by the interaction between Living Flame and Scorched Earth on snow tiles. If I move him onto same-level, adjacent snow, will he take a damage or is it considered to be lava field? Cool figure in any case. I'd probably just keep him out of cold maps in the first place.

Flame Wraith

Spoiler Alert!

I must say that there is a big difference between placing molten lava tiles and shadow tiles. While I'm sure that it is challenging to do, it would seem to me that you can really wall off sections of the board with that power on the right map. I do think the power and the unit is cool, I would just advise caution about how it can get abused in some scenarios. In general, I'd like to take advantage of using it to set up bottlenecks and rely on ranged figures on my side of the lava line.

Magma Elemental

Spoiler Alert!

These guys are pretty speedy and cool, and their first power makes them fucntion beyond just a Kurrok Army. However, Magma Rising stands out to me as a potentially strange power. It is in many ways Rejected by Death, but this one does not require you to place them next to one of your figures. This could mean that you could potentially get them back even after everything has been destroyed. I believe most scenarios technically end when all figures of one side are destroyed (same reason why you can have the AE never drop), but I can see coming back from the dead in a multiplayer game being a thing with these guys (which again I suppose can be like the Airborne Elite).

Begorn Thundershield

Spoiler Alert!

No friendly fire? The only time we've seen something like that was for the MacDirk Warriors, and even then it only prevented them. In my experience, friendly fire is definitely a potentially useful strategy but it is not without its risks. It is best maximized when you are able to enjoy the bonus while leaving the wounded unit in question safe. Given that he must be within three clear sight spaces to take advantage of it, I am not certain that it is really the optimal strategy to spend the time to put the wounds on him yourself (especially since the benefit is limited to a +1 to attack or defense and can only be used up to three times a round). Otherwise, I agree that these changes make him more reasonable in line with Mogrimm. Thundershield defense seems to be the better part of tough (the consistency), since you probably don't need the bonus anyway if you roll high.

Slaughterstone Eviscerator

Spoiler Alert!

It more or less is a hydra, but losing reach is not insignificant. Even when it gets the extra defense against special attacks, I think the fewer number of targets it can hit without reach is a tough sell. Dwarven Artificie is an interesting downside that most limits what armies you can put the construct in. I think it is pretty easy to avoid losing activations with it in most match ups, however.

Balan Nor

Spoiler Alert!

Mariedian Guard seems necessary for his use but stands out a little given that the faction can already move their heroes around. Engaged Challenge is also pretty marginal, though I suppose it is better than nothing. It seems that the first two powers don't work together the best since, if you take a turn with an engaged Mariedian hero next to Balan, you must chose between moving Balan or having him remain behind to take the leaving engagement intended for the hero in question. Engagement Strike definitely seems to be his best power and certainly carries a nice guard theme.

Cool units overall. I really enjoyed the inclusion of the design notes.