Hello Venetians, with the impending release of the Prince’s Court box we thought we’d take a look at each of its characters and how to make best use of them in your games of Carnevale.
The Prince’s Court alone comes in at 75 Ducats, you can play this in a whole bunch of scenarios straight out of the box. Bringing it up to an even 100 Ducats is as easy as adding a Barber and a Citizen. Lets have a closer look at each of the characters in the box and see where their strengths lie.
Prince of Thieves
Getting stuck in with the leader of this gang, the Prince of Thieves is a great leader for any gang that makes use of a large amount of characters or a couple of specific characters that we’ll get into later.
Take it for the Guild!
While the Command Ability of the Prince of Thieves may not be much use in a gang that already has Pickpocket on every character, it can be a great source of Will Points in gangs that make use of numbers. Any gang that makes use of Pulcinellas and Citizen / Recruiter combos will have plenty of targets for this. Take it for the Guild really shines on characters that already have the Slippery rule, such as the Rialto Assassin and Ostrich Riding Pulcinella, turning them into powerful skirmishers.
If you didn’t want to make use of Take it for the Guild, his Mind of 5 means you’ll be able to get around 4 re-rolls each time you use the Guilds Command Ability, Mob Mentality.
Venetian Outfitters
As one of the highest ranking members of the Guild you’d expect a Prince of Thieves to have the best of equipment, in this regard he does not disappoint. With weapons that would make a Venetian Noble jealous, it turns out that money can buy everything (if “everything” is a Gilded Sabre and Concealed Pistol). The Prince’s Sabre has to be one of the finest in Venice, sporting not only +1 to any damage dealt and -1 to your targets Protection, it’s so well balanced the Prince has a much easier time hitting his targets, conferring -1 to their Dexterity.
While not the largest of guns in Carnevale (that honour goes to the Doctor of the Arsenal) the Concealed Pistol of the Prince strikes with such force it deals both +1 damage and -2 to your targets Protection. While strong, it’s got a kick like a mule, granting your target +1 Dexterity.
Special Rules
As befitting his position, the Prince has many skills to his name. Acrobatic (2) lets him get more out of his 4 Dexterity, while Infiltration and Slippery (2) allows you to get him into position and out of tight spots. Expert Marksman (2) makes up for the Evasion +1 on his pistol and Pickpocket is basically expected on someone called the Prince of Thieves.
Baroni
These guys are the enforcers of the Guild, while they’re technically bodyguards, they’re more proactive than a proper bodyguard, more likely to shoot first and loot later.
Second in Command
Sporting 2 Command Points the Baroni is able to help get a couple more activations out of a round than you otherwise would, his own Command Ability is something to remember as well, as First Strike (1) can lead to some great alpha strikes, especially if you use his remaining command point to give an extra AP for charging.
Armed and Armoured
The Baroni evidently goes to a better armourer than the rest of the Guild. He’s just as mobile as a citizen but at 6 Protection he’s a lot harder to take down and sporting a set of Duelling Pistols he’s also a more capable damage dealer, if you can find time to reload. When you do take the opportunity to shoot something, you’ll have 3 Will Points you can use as well as a couple of re-rolls from Expert Marksman (2).
Getting outnumbered isn’t a problem either, he can comfortably take on 2 opponents and not break a sweat due to Brawler (1), just make sure to disengage before attempting to reload those pistols.
Plays Well With Others
The Baroni is a solid second in command, he can provide an extra point of First Strike during a round the King Pulcinella uses his Start the Horrorshow! Command Ability, making for some devastating Pulcinella charges at First Strike (3).
A Capo can give him Slippery (3), making disengaging so much easier. The Baroni wants to be away from melee combat to reload and already has Pickpocket so you may as well put a single Will Point into getting away, you’ll be able to get it back with a successful disengage.
The Prince does not do much for a Baroni through his Command Ability but is a solid leader with the ability to restore allies Will Points, which potentially means more boosted rolls.
Pilferer
Rounding out the Prince’s Court we have two Pilferers. While these kids might not have much attacking potential, they are as hard to catch as a toddler that’s had too many juice boxes.
Gotta go Fast
The Pilferer does not stick around anywhere for long. 5 Movement lets him cover almost a third of the board in one activation without using Will Points. 6 Dexterity means he’s tough to hit, most ranged weapons will be hitting him on a 7, or more due to Concealment (1). His Attack, Protection, and Mind leave a little to be desired, but if this little urchin needs to make use of those, you have bigger problems to deal with.
Pick a Pocket, any Pocket
True to his name this guttersnipe will steal any valuables he can get his hands on. 6 Dexterity, Slippery (3), and Pickpocket can let him steal the purse out of even the most vigilant Patricians pocket. While, due to child labour laws, we wouldn’t recommend it, you can set this waif to work around the fringes of a melee, vacuuming up the will points of any character that values their uh, valuables.
Top Tier Carry
Where the Pilferer shines is in carrying objectives. If you manage to keep your opponents away from him, he’s safe from almost all ranged attacks and can shift a middle of the board objective to the edge in a couple of rounds, even quicker with Command Points.
The Prince’s Court makes up for its small model diversity in utility and versatility. Each character in this box set can find a home in almost any Guild gang, or you can use it as a great 75 Ducat starter.
You can order the Prince’s Court here and the rest of the Carnevale range here.