Tuesday 25 March 2014

ToMB Episode 2.1 - Amazing


Sorry for the delay in updating you on the next purchase., I’m sure you were all waiting with baited breath.

After a month of ToMB and still having only played 3 games with Jack it’s a tough choice on what to pick next to add to the crew. The most obvious choice would be Hanged, but to be perfectly honest I’m not completely sold on them, here’s why…

First off, I just think they are over costed at 9SS. I’ve been playing ressers for pretty much all my M2E and I’ve never been tempted to hire one, and I don’t think I’ve suffered from it. To be honest at 9SS I think there are better choices out there.

Secondly, I haven’t had any problems playing against them.  I’ve faced them a few times and they just haven’t caused me a single problem, I’ve just simply avoided them or hunted them down with something that ignored incorporeal, so I’m not sure how I can play them that would make them effective.

Finally, and this is relating again to the cost, you can summon them (well Nico can at least) There something that just doesn’t sit right with me about paying 9SS to hire a model that can be summoned quite easily by other masters.

Sure I’m probably missing something and they probably synergise fantastically with Montressor and will make me go ‘wow, so that’s what Montressor does’ but I wont find that out this month, or probably next month either.

So what else is there to consider? Looking at how my crew has failed in my first three games I am needing two things. First off is a second heavy hitter (if Montressor is considered a heavy hitter, I’m still not sure what he is at the minute) and the second is a replacement / supplement for The Guilty so this leaves me the following choices from my ‘thematic’ models.

Heavy Hitters – Ama no Zako, Killjoy or Lazarus (Lazarus has been added to my list of potential models, if there is ever a tormented robot its surely Laz-Bot)

Replacements / alternatives for The Guilty are Crooked Men, Drowned, Nurses or Hodgepodge Effigy.

So, after careful consideration and the fact that I’m now pretty close to month 3 I have decided to add…..drum roll…..


Ama No Zako –9SS, Henchman, Mercenary, Rare 1, 50mm base

Based, I believe, on Japanese legends Ama is a Daemon with a frightful temper, a bit of a personal hygiene problem and a liking for eating things in one go.

My choice was based partly on the fact that I hadn’t done much painting for ToMB and I had an Ama model sitting around that needed building and painting. In my force selection she offers the choice of another enforcer and she looks a lot more survivable that Montressor.

Looking at some theory faux the first thing to notice is that she’s fast, walk 6 with flight. I’m a big fan of fast moving models especially in M2E with the 5 turn limit and amount of objectives. DF is no great shakes at 5 but WP is very impressive at 7. She has 10 wounds which are supplemented by Hard to Wound and Terrifying 13 (Living) so she’s already looking quite survivable.

Her 2” melee attack (Vicious Embrace) hasn’t got a great ML (only 5) but does an impressive 3,5,7 damage and the trigger Quaff Blood, requiring a mask to add the her built in crow, allows her to make a 2,3,4 healing flip after damaging, which again adds to her survivability.

She doesn’t have a ranged attack but does have a 6” range 0 action (Promising Whisper) which provides an Obey but requires a meaty 8 mask to add to her CA6.

Her second melee attack is a mini devour (Swallow you Whole) with a 1” range. It requires a 7 tome to add to her ML6 with built in crow and it sacrifices anything HT1 or paralysed unless the defender discards 2 cards (and there are other things in Jack’s crew which can force card discard and paralyse)

Miss Zako’s tactical action is something that is often found at some tournaments, particularly in the summer. Miasma of Flies and Boils is a 0 action requiring a 6 crow to cast and creates a 4” aura of hazardous terrain around Ama, that’s a 1,2,4 damage flip for anyone entering or activating within the aura and this can obviously be extended by an inch is she is in LOS of something with the Creeping Terror upgrade.

I does have to be noted that Miasma affects all models within the aura and not just enemy models like Jaakuna’s aura does.

So what’s is she going to do then? Well I see Ama as a bit of a lone wolf within the crew. She’s gonna be tough to take down and ideally need to be taken down at range ‘cos if your going to get too close she can hit you with that nasty melee attack and hurt you with the miasma. Both Montressor and Jack can potentially shove things into her aura but I see the miasma as more of a deterrent than anything else.

While it certainly looks like she can take a few things out I see her more as a board control piece and even as an objective grabber with her high speed and flight. I’m hoping she will hold ground well and her 50mm base with 2” melee range will be great for squatter’s rights.

So I’m going to see how I get on with Ama over the next couple of weeks and roll the $12 over to next month where I should be able to buy two new sets of toys for the crew!

 

 

 

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