Laughing all the way to your grave

Well I couldn't resist them. They are so shiny and nice and well .... joker'ish. I have ordered the Gas Canisters.

My understanding is that they do not cost any Rep or $'s. They can be taken as one of the Joker Crew Objective choices and, like Riddles, you can take 2 for a single choice. I'm sure we can fit it into the story line - the Joker planning to gas the city and these are the canisters that are being taken to the balloon - or something along those lines.

They give 1VP each to the player that controls them and will also increase the number of counters in play. (which is good for me)

But being Joker Crew they have a wicked side, in that all characters with 5cm take 1 Blood Damage unless they pass a Willpower test when the Canister is activated. The actual wording will be important to understand if there is choice when it comes to activating the canister but I believe all will be revealed when the blister pack arrives.

I am imagining a fleeing Clown being chased down by some of Batmans henchmen. When he gets the chance he activates the canister causing damage to everyone close by. Clearly in the upcoming game I am only facing Batman & Robin - no henchmen - but imagination is a great and powerful thing.

Anyway they will look cool on the board and add to the general atmosphere - provided they arrive on time ;-). I foresee mad painting late into Saturday night to get them ready.

Joker Crew, 200 rep

Well we are in the final week of build up. The big game is on Sunday and so I figured that I should make some decisions and then apply some more detail, paint wise, to the chosen crew.

I have been attempting to max out on both the 200 rep and the $1000 dollars. As I began to pull the various rules together and compared this to their weaponry, proposed role for each character and overall Willpower, I had a rethink.

I am beginning to think that this game is going to be about controlling space or at the very least applying threat to space. Sure it will be important to have bodies on the ground but they will be 'easy meat' unless they can be supported, preferably from distance.

The Joker and Sniggering will be excellent at applying this threat. Mr J has Total Vision allowing him  to effectively ignore the dark and even see around corners. This compliments his Explosive Teeth as they are Remote Controlled. Once an opposing model is within 20cm - the One Shot Gun becomes a potential killer. Sniggering offers similar threat in that he has full range over the entire board. His devastating 3-9 Blood damage can also be an outright killer. This will allow him to support other models from distance provided there is light and Line of Sight. The preference will be for him to get a good vantage point and stand still, maybe even sitting on an objective.

The Clowns (tube & knife) are still worthwhile and will be able work with Mr J and / or fan out up the board. If they stay with Mr J they will benefit from Inspire and they have Demential Laughter to Distract. This is a nice combination. There is also the potential opportunity to Outnumber. Lets face it they are cheap and are present in the Crew to provide numbers.

August is also a strong choice. His 2 Blood damage from the Axe is strong. And his Run ability saves a Movement Counter so that it can be for Movement purposes. He is good value for his cost of 25 rep and can operate with a clear purpose in the game.

I have reviewed Contra-August and I have figured that his Obsessive trait could be a big problem. Basically once he gets into hand to hand combat he has to stay with his target. I could want him to be doing something else - like holding an Objective. This is a big potential downside. Also his Baseball Bat is only a 1 Stun weapon. In play testing he has not done much in a fight.

So I have thought it through and I think that Triston will be a better choice. His weapon is ranged and does 2 Blood. He can move and fire so is agile. He can offer real support / threat and can move around to take Objectives if needed. He costs $300 so I will lose the Drugs and Clown Paint that I had been planning on. I will also have to drop the Prisoner Tube who was costing 10 rep.

I am not spending every single rep point or even every single dollar but I think that the result is more stable and predictable.

The final list therefore is as follows: -

90 Joker
26 Triston ($300)
25 August
25 Sniggering ($600)
15 Clown (knife)
14 Clown (tube)

Total 195 rep, $900

Excitement levels increasing be the day - bring on that 'Batman'!

Joker Crew - 200 Rep & $1,000

Well the first game is only a week away. In the week I discovered that a 200 rep game has $1,000 of spend associated with it. This changes the possibilities for inclusion in the crew. I have been doing a tad more research and putting combinations together. The result is that I really am liking Sniggering.

I found this guy online and I thought he was impressive

(If anyone fancies a look at the rest of the beautifully painted crew then go for it)

He comes with a dollar cost of $600 so he wasn't available when I thought I could only spend $500. What an asset he is! His weapon has a Rate of Fire of 3, so that is 3 amounts of damage each turn. Each shot does 3 Blood of damage, that is potentially 9 in total. This is simply unbelievable and is far more than anyone else. He is a massive threat and I just have to include him.

The play testing is also teaching me that Objectives are probably the best way to accumulate Victory Points. There will be 6 - 8 Objectives as a base line, maybe more in certain Scenarios. To hold an Objective a character must be in base contact with it. So I will need lots of bodies in the crew who can fan out and hold the Objectives. 6-7 bodies would be great so that I can keep some of them together. Safety in numbers and all that good stuff.

With this in mind I have come up with the following 7 man, 200 rep, Joker Crew.

Leader
90 - Joker - you gotta love the One Shot Gun and Explosive Teeth.

Henchmen
25 - August - who can run and has a Handy, Heavy, 2 Blood Axe (add $150 for Clown paint to give him Distract)
25 - Sniggering - ($600) - with his awesome gun
21 - Contra-Auguste - who has a Handy, Heavy 1 Stun Baseball Bat
15 - Clown (knife) - who comes with Clown Paint (add $250 for Neurotoxic Drugs giving him Fast & Dodge)
14 - Clown (tube) - who comes with Clown Paint
10 - Prisioner (tube)

If I can pick up some Titan Dose during the progress of the game so much the better.

I reckon this Crew is both Hostile & Agile. Hostile because it has plenty of ranged firepower and also some good weaponry when up close and personal. Added Strength when combined with Clown Paint to Distract and also Outnumber the opponent. All great options and the benefits stack. Agile because there are characters that can Run and also the Neurotoxic Drugs give Fast. There is also the potential to use the Sewers to get around the board.

Yes - I think this has some nice flexibility. I will need to get the Prisoner model though.

200 Rep Joker Crew - more thoughts

I have been doing a bit of play testing and am beginning to realise that the Batman Miniature Game is going to be very different to what we are used to playing. Its got the mental juices flowing.

Victory Points are amassed on a round by round basis and there are many ways to acquire them. You can kill the opposition, hold Objectives, solve Riddles or meet the criteria associated with Scenarios. I am beginning to realise that the total number of VP's could, in fact, be quite high. This game will not be about just killing the opposition - having said that, if the opposition is dead they can't hold objectives ;-)

I have also been looking at the way the Objectives and Urban Furniture etc are placed. The order is interesting because it forces a 'spreading out' effect.

First off, each player is allocated D3 Sewer Markers. These can be placed anywhere on the board but must be 5cm's from an edge and at least 20cm's from each other. Using the Sewers will be a great way to get up the board fast. Place one marker in a deployment zone, enter the Sewer at the start of the game and exit at another marker in turn 2. Pick up a piece of Loot or solve and Riddle and move on. Only one character from each crew can be in the Sewers at any time but it will be interesting especially if there are a lot markers in use.

Next come the Lampposts and again each player has D3 to deploy. The game is fought in darkness so these are going to be important as they cast a 10cm disk of light. Anyone standing in the light can be seen and targeted.

Finally come the Objectives which are interestingly placed after are the Crews have deployed. This time each player chooses three Objectives (out of the 4 types available) - so there will be a minimum of six in play. Objectives markers cannot be placed within 10cm's of a players own deployment area, they must be 5cm's from the board edge and importantly a minimum of 5 cm's from any others marker i.e. Lampposts, Sewers and other Objectives. They can be placed within the disk of light cast by the Lampposts though. This is going to really spread out the Objectives.

Loot (if any are taken) must be placed on neutral ground unto 20cm's from the enemy deployment zone.

Riddles (if any are taken) are deployed in pairs (I only recently spotted this) and like Loot must be placed on neutral ground unto 20cm's from the enemy deployment zone.

So there is a lot of Objective counters to be in control of. VP's are awarded at the end of each round and to be in control of the Objective you must be the only character in base contact.

I believe that the impact of all this will be force each Crew to start at the edge of its Deployment Zone and then to move forward onto the Objectives as quickly as possible. It might be interesting to place an Objective or two at the back of the opponents deployment zone. Cause a little confusion by effectively taking someone out of the game although this could give away a lot VP's.

The thing is that you will need to have a lot of characters, quite spread out, to be in control of the counters and therefore gathering VP's.

With this in mind and taking account of some of the comments received from my first thoughts I have reviewed my options to improve the number of guys in the crew. This option brings the total to 7 but does dilute the Joker influence a bit.

The Crew

Joker - 90 rep
August - 25 rep - comes with a Handy, Heavy Axe doing 2 blood damage and he can Run
Turk - 25 rep - has two hand guns, firing twice a round
Contra-Auguste - 21 rep armed with a Handy, Heavy bat
Clown Knife - 15 rep
Clown Tube - 14 rep
Prisoner Tube - 10 rep

The cash could be spent Neurotoxic Drugs giving a couple of the crew both Fast and Dodge, probably Turk and Contra-Auguste. Alternatively a couple of Clown Paint guys to gain Distract and a spare Ammo Magazine for the Turk.

The thinking here is to fan out and own some of the Objectives while the Joker sets up to take pot shots at any advancing force.

I don't have all the models for this list and both the Turk and the Prisoner will not benefit from Trickster but an interesting option none the less.

Joker - One Shot Gun

I am building up to the main event and reading through the rules with care. The Joker has many tricks up his sleeve and there is a zany element to him that the rules are capturing very nicely. I am beginning to get that 'Warhammer 40k, Ork' glow. This happens when a rule has a fantastically unpredictable upside that could just totally change the game.

I give you the One Shot Gun!

It can only be used once per game but 'me oh my' I could be laughing for a very long time afterwards.

It is relatively short range at 20cm but the stats ... auto Hit, Strength 2+ to Damage (who said anything but a one - wash his mouth out with soap), the damage inflicted is 3 Blood which is heavy duty but if the Collateral Damage die (a separate die rolled for additional effects) is a natural 6 you score a CRT that results in the enemy character being a Casualty! Take him away please. Ouch.

You find yourself thinking I just got to have me one of those. I mean why not? There just should be a model already?

I can imagine the game unfolding and announcing 'stand aside - I am taking my shot'. You reach down under the table and and produce a replacement Joker model that has been made to measure. Surely he can't miss if you have the model on the table?

I love the pose. I am thinking that the current Joker model could be easily adapted. Turn the head to the right, straighten and lift the right arm and then perhaps cock the left arm having removed the knife so that the hand comes back to the hip. Add green stuff at the elbow and then a bloody big pistol with a really long barrel (piece of paper clip) to the right hand. With a nice weighty base, all should be fine. He, he.

I say - Boom!! Send The Batman to morgue!

Dare I purchase another Joker model - oh dear. I already have another delivery on the way and a second in my wish list. Steady now, steady. Perhaps a look on eBay might be a softer way to go ;-)

200 rep Joker Crew

I have been working away, building my Joker crew, and so far it has really been enjoyable.

We are looking to get our first few games started in April and as such my thoughts have been straying back to crew lists. My first thoughts were largely based on the models in my possession at the time. Things have moved on.

We are intending to start with a couple of 200 rep games so therefore my first Joker crew will need to be constructed accordingly. This limit will also place a $500 maximum spend on crew assembly. So how do I build a Crew that can take down The Batman?

I have been contemplating lists that range from higher numbers of low cost models v's lower numbers of expensive characters.

First things first - I have to take a leader and for me, this will be The Joker. He costs 90 points. I feel it will be important to understand the implications of fielding him and then play complimentary models to maximise effectiveness. This lesson was forged when playing Warhammer 40k, my Dark Angels. I played Belial as my leader and it was an effort to really understand how to build an army around him. However once achieved .... well it was worthwhile.

So - what do I know about the Joker?

First off, he has Special Traits that benefit Henchmen, not Sidekicks and Free Agents.

He confers Trickster onto all Henchmen and as such they can reorder their Action Counters when they activate. This is a unique ability and should be great as I learn the game. It will bring a lot of flexibility and help me get out of early errors.

He also Inspires Henchmen within 10cm so that they get an extra Action Counter and can take the total Action Counters above the normal maximum.

The Joker also reduces the game length by one turn, so a six turn game becomes 5. It will be important to gather VP's early before the clock ticks away.

Decision 1 - Max out on Trickster and Inspire so leave the Sidekicks & Free Agents at home for the smaller games - Total 90 rep spent.

Overall the Joker appears to be fairly slow but comes with decent ranged attacks. He has an awesome 'one shot' gun that really does look like it can do damage and also has medium range exploding teeth (of all things). These are template weapons with a 10cm diameter. This ranged ability is complemented by Night Vision which allows the Joker to see in the dark and is not reliant on the 2xD3 Lampposts which give a 10cm disk of light. He will provide long range threat, provided he has Line of Sight. He will need a little help to spread the threat to other areas of the board.

The only real ranged help available to the Joker Crew in a 200 rep crew is Triston. He costs 26 rep and £300.  He comes with a medium range Shotgun that does 2 Blood damage. I think that this will compliment the Joker nicely and also put some real threat into the well lit areas of the board.

I have $200 left to spend and an extra ammo clip might just be the thing for that expenditure.

Decision 2 - take Triston and the extra ammo. - Total 116 rep and $500 spent (84 rep remaining)

The Joker's 'hand to hand' abilities are less impressive and so he will need some muscle to help him when things inevitably come together. Although he does come with Luck forcing the opponent to reroll all successful Hits. (I like it) Bunching up will also help to spread the Inspire effect to Henchmen within 10cm.

Alternatives

This is where the thinking cap has to come out. Do I go for cheap clowns with a view to scuttling around the board gathering objectives or do I go for more punch?

Option 1 - 84 rep

Ringmaster - 32 (Chain)
Contra Auguste - 21 (Bat)
Clown shield - 16
Clown knife - 15

This squeezes every last point out of those available and gets a six man crew on the table top. Maybe the thinking here could be that Contra-Auguste stays close to The Joker and the others scatter up the board. A potential issue with this tactic is that he has Mental Disorder - Obsessive meaning that once he strikes an opponent he goes after him until he is taken out! Not very flexible, if very scary :-)

The Ringmaster has a 360 degree weapon which would be good in a crowd, but will I really need that against a Batman crew? Also it can damage friendly models so I would not want him close to the Joker in a defensive capacity. Much better attacking on his own maybe with Triston in support.

Another option is that I could take another couple of Clowns in lieu of the Ringmaster?

The cheap prisoners are also looking pretty good with this mindset - but I don't have the models for them yet and I have just spotted Turk with 2 pistols as well. Nice.

Option 2 - 82 rep

Master of Ceremonies - 36 (Axe)
August - 25 (Axe)
Contra Auguste - 21 (Bat)

This is more compact and comes with a couple of Axes for punch. They are 2 Blood damage weapons and when combined with Handy (reroll failed to Hit dice) then they look impressive.

Replacing The Master of Ceremonies with Asker at 38 rep would max out the 200 rep limit and add a short range hand gun / meat knife with 1 blood. He has a rather nice Distract ability (reduces an enemy Defense by 1 within 10cm. He is Fast so could be used to grab objectives and then support others later in the fight. He is also Bloodthirsty so gains an action if damaged.

Yes indeed - a lot to think about and I would welcome any thoughts.

Happy hunting.