It’s an exciting week for Carnevale fans, and maybe none more than Gifted players!
Blood on the Water is available for pre-order this Friday! Alongside that, there are new boxes of miniatures for every faction. Yes, that includes the Gifted!
Gifted are a strange faction. They’re extremely powerful, can be taken in any gang, but are also a faction in their own right. However, as powerful unique mercenaries, it’s been a while since they’ve had some real reinforcements.
Luckily enough, this week sees the release of the Unhinged Understudies!
Not only that, but the entire Gifted faction are getting a balance pass, and we think you’ll be surprised and happy with the changes.
Faction Command Ability
Sorry, what does that title say? Up until now, the Gifted have only had one unique rule: that you can take them in any gang. Well, no longer! Gifted also get their own Command Ability!
A Gifted player typically will have fewer characters on the board than anyone else (unless you’re playing Flame + Morgraur + Slave for 102 Ducats with an Ill Tide).
What’s My Cue? offers them some degree of control over the flow of the battle. Trading a Command Point for a guaranteed first turn is a pretty good deal I think!
Leaders
But who can use this ability? Previously the Gifted only had one choice: Il Capitano. And while he gives every Commedia dell’Arte character Companion (which also replenishes their Will Points now!), he is no longer the only Leader on the stage. Allow me to introduce (although I’m sure she’d rather do it herself): La Signora!
A member of the Commedia dell’Arte by virtue of the new Unhinged Understudies box, La Signora offers something a little different to Gifted gangs. While Il Capitano is a decent Leader with some good Command options, La Signora is a bit more selfish.
La Signora cares about herself and making sure everyone knows she’s there. She’s wearing the largest dress we’ve ever made, affording her a 40mm base! While her weapons aren’t quite as damaging as Il Capitano’s Greatsword, the massive amount of re-rolls she brings and potential 20 Will Points means she’s extremely reliable!
Oh but wouldn’t it be nice if there weren’t just two Leaders?
You know him, you love him, it’s The Duke!
You may have noticed those little circle symbols on the top left of the cards. They’re there for easy flipping through when you print them all out. An empty circle means a Henchman, half circle is a Hero, and a full circle is a Leader. If they’re in orange, it means they’re Unique.
But what’s this? The Duke has two circles! That’s because – much like the new Sopracomito – he’s both a Leader and a Hero! While he’s had a little bit of a nerf in both losing Smoke Bombs and his Will and Command Points, he’s still a great choice for a Leader. Or a Hero if you already have one! He’s also a fair bit cheaper as well.
The Duke has swapped his Command Ability for an… action? That’s right, this is a new addition to version 2.2. Some characters come with their own unique actions, and we’re going to be seeing a lot of them in the Gifted. Disappear is otherwise almost identical to before, it’s just that now he can do it as many times as he wants in a game!
Special Special Rules
Speaking of unique actions, the Gifted have always been singularly special in Carnevale. They have incredible powers that make them excellent warriors for hire. In this balance pass that’s more apparent than ever, as each character has a special rule that’s just for them.
Black Spectre is cheaper than ever at 30 Ducats. It’s still a lot, but he’s an Ethereal Flying ghost with ATTACK 6.
Black Spectre’s special rule makes him a truly unique character, ignoring all Protection values, and instead making his targets save themselves with their MIND value! That can be extremely harsh if you’re going after colossal dummies!
Even characters like Harlequin have seen some changes. While his stats have gone down generally (as has his Ducat cost), he’s also gained his own rule which can mess your opponents plans up just enough that they get extremely mad at Harlequin. Which is exactly what he loves best!
Oh and just because he’s lost a Dexterity point, don’t fret. You can always Dodge your way up to DEX 9! With the Commedia dell’Arte keyword, he can even replenish Will Points when Il Capitano is there!
The Twins
There are two super cool characters that barely saw any table time in their previous form: Fate and & Justice.
We know why though! They were a bargain on their own, but you had to take both, and only one was allowed on the board at a time. Well, no longer!
Both Fate & Justice can be in the same gang, fighting at the same time. They’re both very good at what they do (albeit a little less OP than before), and if they’re both there, you can use their unique action to swap positions. Fate is a little squishier than Justice, so being able to trade places is incredibly helpful.
You’re still spending a lot on getting them both in your gang, but at least they’re both contributing now!
The Commedia dell’Arte
The core of the gang is of course the Commedia dell’Arte. With the new box, you’re literally doubling the number of models in the Commedia (and then add 1 for Harlequin). But what’s the point in adding more? They’re so expensive that you won’t use many anyway.
Well that’s where you’re wrong! The Commedia characters have all been brought in line with other Henchmen, not just in stats, but in Ducat costs too. Now you can field the Commedia dell’Arte boxed set for 71 Ducats. That’s 19 Ducats cheaper than before!
Don’t expect them all to be crazy powerful, although each does do something unique.
Take Brighella for example. Although he no longer has the option to light his crossbow on fire, he gains 1AP every time a friendly Leader uses a Command that he can see. He doesn’t trust any Leader, and will use that opportunity to do what he wants. Considering his Atrezzo Crossbow is Reload (2), that means you can shoot it twice, and then move around as well!
Or how about someone a little more subtle? Colombina’s rules never really represented her personality in the Commedia dell’Arte. She is smart and cunning, and is always pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
Her new special rule All According to Plan shows that nicely! It’s an extremely subtle skill, allowing you to simply succeed a dice roll with a single Ace. While that might not seem like much, the opportunity to not fluff the roll when you absolutely need to can be so useful! And for only 11 Ducats, I think she’s going to become a very welcome addition to many gangs.
Unhinged Understudies
And that brings us onto the new cast members! We’ve already seen La Signora, but what do the rest of the players bring to their gang? Well we have two fighters and two annoyers. And two lovers, who we’ll start with.
The Innamorati are lovers and fighters! Torn apart by the emergence of the Rent in the Sky, these two lovers have finally found each other again in Venice, although absence has made their hearts grow madder by the looks of it.
The Innamorati are two characters that share a single base and a single statline. Armed with a sword and a pistol, they’re a solid Hero choice, and with Parry (1) they will last a little longer than the rest of your troupe.
Once down to 5 Life Points though, all bets are off. If you kill one of the lovers, the other will go into a rage. With 3AP as standard and going up to ATTACK 6, the remaining lover is truly a force to be reckoned with! Whichever is left, she’ll really give it her all, avenging her lover.
Speaking of fighters, how about an all-out fighter? Mezzetino is a Henchman choice, and – if he is to be believed – Brighella’s long lost brother!
A swordsman extraordinaire, Mezzetino is a reliable Henchman choice with a real mean streak. If you hit him, he’ll get extremely angry, and this player knows how to hold a grudge, re-rolling attacks for the rest of the game!
Onto the annoying ones, and no one is more annoying than Coviello. He even has an annoying special rule!
Coviello is a Zanni like Harlequin. He’s fast, he’s acrobatic, and he is just so frustrating! Being able to reduce the DEXTERITY of all nearby enemy characters can really turn the tide of a battle. Hide him behind the Innamorati and watch them wreck up the enemy!
Saving the littlest for last! Although not quite as annoying (probably), Scapino is a cheeky guy who provides some speed and an eye-rollingly frustrating special rule for your opponents.
Scapino moves fast and has Slippery (which, if you now automatically disengage without rolling), and every time he disengages, the enemy characters receive Stunned counters! For 11 Ducats, that’s an hilarious trick!
Right, that’s all we have time for today. The producer is giving me the signal. No, don’t start playing the music! I still have to remind everyone that Blood on the Water is available to pre-order on Friday with all these new models!
Oh and the whole balance pass will be available at the same time for free on the gang builder as well!
Okay, that’s all. Take a bow, and… curtain!
