There are loads of new characters out today, and you know what that means?

New rules!

With 2 fully fledged new doctors, some “help” and a big ol’ crossbow, we’ve got a real rules update treat today! Not only that but we’ve got a few tweaks to existing characters.

As always, all of these rules are now available in the Carnevale gang builder, so head over there for the full details!

Rules Updoots

Whenever we release new miniatures we take the opportunity to do a little rebalancing of existing characters, focusing on the factions getting new sets.

This time it’s nice and easy, mostly just a couple of Ducats adjustments.

• French Guard have seen the biggest changes, losing a Mind point and a Will Point (they really don’t care about being there), but also getting cut down to a measly 9 Ducats. What a bargain!
• Patriarch Bishop de Bernis has had a Ducat decrease too.
• The Inquisitor has had a bit of a tweak, losing Penetration on his Hands of God, but he is now able to use the Stigmata ability on the attack he hits with, which nets him actually an increase in Penetration!
• For the Doctors the Plague Doctor has dropped a Ducat too, which is a nice treat for the expensive characters in the Doctors.
• Finally the Morgue Doctor has dropped a few Ducats, which makes him a very affordable magic user!

The Scorpio Marksman

Right, for new rules we’ll start with the Vatican, since they have 1 new character and the Doctors have… more than that! We’ll take a look at the Doctors a little later this afternoon.

This guy is big and he is annoying.

The Marksman and the Altar Boy here are actually just counted as a single character. It’s really the Marksman’s profile, the little guy is just there to carry bolts and help aim the crossbow (he’s the stand!).

Purely on stats, the Marksman is only okay. With such low movement and low dexterity he won’t be running and climbing much. However, carrying that massive weapon, you wouldn’t expect much more.

He’s not in full plate armour, so not quite as tough as the Avignon Guard, but he doesn’t sink in water either! Protection 5 with 2 re-rolls thanks to Expert Protection means that he’s plenty survivable though.

But we have to talk about the crossbow really. The Scorpio has a decent range and a massive +2 Damage (with Attack 4 and 2 Expert Marksman re-rolls, that’s a lot) and -2 Penetration. So many targets, so little time! With Two-handed and Reload (1) it’s not the fastest weapon ever, but definitely makes up for it in sheet power.

The biggest draw though is the Pinning Bolt rule. Any enemy that loses Life Points when hit by the Scorpio is pushed backwards directly away from it – the massive bolts are just that powerful! Now, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you all the practical implications of this rule. Not only is it great at keeping your distance from enemies and moving them to combat the Vatican’s typically slow movement, but on a 3D Venetian board there’s a lot more to say.

How about shooting someone directly into the canal? That’ll slow them down. Or how about sniping someone off a rooftop? The scorpio already does decent damage, but add onto that a 6″ fall? Now that is an extremely nasty weapon!

 

As far as tactics go, how about pairing this guy with an Avignon Guard ready to drown people shot into canals? Or if you’re worried about his movement, give him Intercepted Documents to start on a rooftop? We’ll have some more advice on how to use this guy next week with some tactica articles!

Are you excited about the Scorpio Marksman? How about cheaper Leaders and Henchmen? The Marksman and his fellow Insurgency Force members are out today, so check back this afternoon for all the details, and in the TTCombat webstore to pre-order yours!