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Ripley
Jan 21, 2007
Two turns sounds good, it'd be nice to get all three characters levelled up.

I'd like to short rest right now, please, for totally legitimate reasons *cough*. Reroll if Grab and Go is going to be lost.

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That Italian Guy
Jul 25, 2012

We need the equivalent of the shrimp = small pastry avatar, but for ambulances and their mysteries now.
Bullwinkle executes a Short Rest! Recovers all the discarded cards, loses Balanced Measures (also suffers 1 damage to prevent the loss of Grab and Go!)

MarquiseMindfang
Jan 6, 2013

vriska (vriska)
Well congratulations, you monsters.

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
If we are going to wipe out an innocent tribe of Inox, then we might as well as go whole hog and loot the place while we're at it :v:

Elephant Ambush
Nov 13, 2012

...We sholde spenden more time together. What sayest thou?
Nap Ghost
Yeah the conclusion text for this one kinda drives the point home.





But hey, we're leveling up and we're rich! :v:

Omobono
Feb 19, 2013

That's it! No more hiding in tomato crates! It's time to show that idiota Germany how a real nation fights!

For pasta~! CHARGE!

Slaan posted:

If we are going to wipe out an innocent tribe of Inox, then we might as well as go whole hog and loot the place while we're at it :v:

Adventurers, no sense of right and wrong.

Reik
Mar 8, 2004
Having the best intentions and the worst outcomes is kind of the Torch Thieves's thing.

Narsham
Jun 5, 2008

MarquiseMindfang posted:

Well congratulations, you monsters.

If we were monsters, would we have failed to help that guy fix his wagon? We could have eaten him robbed him instead, but we refused to do that so we could go kill and rob these Inox!

We're still at least two scenario choices from someone needing to link to that Mitchell and Webb sketch.

That Italian Guy
Jul 25, 2012

We need the equivalent of the shrimp = small pastry avatar, but for ambulances and their mysteries now.
Inox Encampment, Conclusion

Pending actions from last Round posted:

- Bullwinkle executes a Short Rest! Recovers all the discarded cards, loses Balanced Measures (also suffers 1 damage to prevent the loss of Grab and Go!)


ROUND REVEAL posted:


- Master Splinter (Hand4, Discarded1, Active1, Lost4) is acting at initiative 14 with Into the Night and Feedback Loop.
- Bullwinkle (Hand5, Discarded0, Active0, Lost5) is acting at initiative 27 with Spare Dagger and Grab and Go.
- Rocky (Hand2, Discarded3, Active2, Lost4) is acting at initiative 87 with Massive Boulder and Avalanche.

Inox Encampment Round 13 posted:

- Master Splinter plays Into the Night top, Feedback Loop bottom to Loot the coin (+1 coin token) and head east, landing on the Top door hex. Master Splinter takes a Short Rest! Recovers all the discarded cards, loses Perverse Edge (suffers 1 damage to reroll Feedback Loop).
- Bullwinkle uses Grab and Go bottom to move to A3 and doesn't attack. Bullwinkle executes a Short Rest! Recovers all the discarded cards, loses Spare Dagger.
- Inox Guard 1 focuses Rocky! Attacks Rocky for 2 (1base, +1mod) damage. Suffers 2 RETALIATE damage and he's at 2 HP. Rocky gains 1XP
- Rocky moves to B1(TopLeft) and loots the coin (+1 coin token). Moves Opposing Strike to the Lost pile. Rocky executes a Short Rest! Recovers all the discarded cards, loses Massive Boulder.
- Inox Shaman 1 BLESSes.


ROUND REVEAL posted:


- Master Splinter (Hand5, Discarded0, Active0, Lost5) is acting at initiative 14 with Into the Night and Feedback Loop.
- Bullwinkle (Hand2, Discarded1, Active0, Lost7) is acting at initiative 15 with Shield Bash and Leaping Cleave.
- Rocky (Hand2, Discarded2, Active1, Lost6) is acting at initiative 82 with Dirt Tornado and Earthen Clod.

Inox Encampment Round 14 posted:

- Master Splinter Jumps to D3(1) to Loot the coins (+2 coin token).
- Bullwinkle Jumps to C4(TopLeft). Attacks Inox Guard 1 for 5 (4base, +1mod) damage! Gains 2XP.
- Inox Shaman 1 HEALs Self for 3 HP and is at 6 HP.
- Rocky attacks with Earthen Clod to trigger Backup Ammunition and gains 1XP. (It triggers even if there is no additional target!). Then moves to C2(TopLeft) and loots the coin (+1 coin token).

- Scenario Objective: 15/15
Scenario Ends!

MarquiseMindfang posted:

Well congratulations, you monsters.

Conclusion posted:

Running through the forest, fleeing the smell of burning flesh, you now find more than enough opportunity to contemplate your actions.

How your actions sit with you must be visible on your face as you meet once more with Jekserah, this time in her manor. She hands you a sack of coins with a frown.
“They were thieves and murderers,” she says blankly. “They deserved what you gave them. And that is all I will say of the matter. I have one more task I would like you to perform. I require a diamond of considerable size for a customer, but I cannot find one anywhere in the city.
“There is a diamond mine, however, in the southern mountains long since lost to the wilderness. I’ve heard reports that it is now overrun with Vermlings, no doubt with some other more intelligent force behind them. If you can fight your way in and grab the biggest diamond you can find, I will give you a considerable reward. (9)
“Now leave me in peace.” Jekserah’s two massive Inox bodyguards step forward, directing you to leave the manor.

Outside, contemplating your new task, you hear a small voice behind you. “She’s not looking for profit, you know.”
You turn around to see a female Quatryl step out of the alley beside Jekserah’s house. She’s clad in dark leather armor and holds a conspicuous contraption full of whirring gears and topped with a conical metal piece connected to a tube. “

Argeise, city guard,” she says, introducing herself. “I know, I don’t exactly look the part, but if anyone isn’t what they appear to be, it’s that Valrath you’ve been talking to. Sure, she’s a merchant, but she’s up to something far more sinister. “
She’s been trying to overthrow the military in Gloomhaven for as long as I’ve been here, and we’re all very curious about what her current machinations are.
“Look, you can go do her bidding like a good little puppy if you want, but if you’d rather actually help this town keep the peace and not get overrun by the wilds, I have a different idea. We’ll get to the bottom of Jekserah’s plans and expose her for who she really is.” (8)

Rewards posted:

New Locations:
- Gloomhaven Warehouse (8)
- Diamond Mine (9)
Party Achievement
- Jekserah's Plan (COMPLETED)
Scenario Rewards
+15 gold each
+1 Prosperity
Victory Rewards
+6XP each!
Updated Prosperity:

The whole town rejoices now that the "dangerous" natives have been put down! :bahgawd:

Battle Goals posted:

These are the Battle Goals that have been picked by our players for Scenario 3:
- Master Splinter: Streamliner: have 5+ cards in your hand and discard pile at the end of the Scenario. Zulily Zoetrope has managed to accomplish the Battle Goal! BG Completed, +1 Checkmark. +1 PERK!
- Rocky: Explorer: reveal a room tile by opening a door on your turn during the Scenario. Narsham has managed to accomplish the Battle Goal! BG Completed, +1 Checkmark. +1 PERK!
- Bullwinkle: Zealot: have 3 or fewer cards in your hand and discard pile at the end of the Scenario.Ripley has managed to accomplish the Battle Goal! BG Completed, +1 Checkmark.

Final Stats posted:

Final stats after Scenario 3 are as follows:

Each coin token at Scenario level=1 is worth 2 gold. Updated $$$ and XP for our party are as follows:
- Master Splinter: +18XP. (New Total 46XP) and +29 gold (New Total 49 gold). Master Splinter has enough experience to advance to Level 2!
- Rocky:+18XP. (New Total 49XP) and +23 gold (New Total 23 gold). Rocky has enough experience to advance to Level 2!
- Bullwinkle:+17XP. (New Total 45XP) and +23 gold (New Total 30 gold). Bullwinkle has enough experience to advance to Level 2!
Every time a character levels up, they get to pick 1 new card to add to their deck, a perk and their Hit Points increase! In this case, since everyone is now Level 2, we have also increased the difficulty of the game, since the new "normal" level for Scenarios has also increased to 2.
EDIT: this is not true! Recommended Scenario Level is calculated by taking the average party character level and dividing it by 2 (rounded up), so we won't graduate for Level 2 Scenarios at Normal difficulty until one of our characters reaches Level 3.
These are the cards currently available to choose from:



Personal Quest progression posted:

- Master Splinter: still no progress to show!
- Rocky: 1/4 (Bandit Commander), as before.
- Bullwinkle: 6/20 (Bandit Archer, Living Bones, Living Corpse, Inox Archer, Inox Shaman, Inox Guard).
Updated Sheets:

Our heroes are back in Gloomhaven. While they're in the City, something happens...

City Event 20 posted:



YOU CAN NOW VOTE FOR THE FOLLOWING THINGS (and please remember to bold your choices):
- MVP/Play of the Game for Scenario3!
- City Event outcome, A or B!
- Master Splinter's NEW PERKS (2) AND CARD! The list can be found in her character's sheet just above.
- Rocky's NEW PERKS (2) AND CARD! The list can be found in its character's sheet just above.
- Bullwinkle's NEW PERK (1) AND CARD! The list can be found in his character's sheet just above.
- Money matters! Please specify if you want someone to buy/sell an item; the current Market pool is available HERE. Also, please if you want someone to donate 10 gold to the Sacred Oak Sanctuary, please remember to specify who!
At this time PLEASE DO NOT VOTE TO CHOOSE THE NEXT SCENARIO. As said, we'll stagger the vote to allow everyone to participate :)

A big thank you to our players, Zulily Zoetrope Narsham and Ripley! Hope you had fun. I'll reach out to Flamester, power word- Jeb! and SporkChan to let them know they're up next.)

That Italian Guy fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Feb 19, 2019

That Italian Guy
Jul 25, 2012

We need the equivalent of the shrimp = small pastry avatar, but for ambulances and their mysteries now.
I've just realized I don't have a contact for SporkChan yet! SporkChan, please send an email to gloomhavenlp@gmail.com with your preferred contact details.

In case one of the players is unable to participate, Fat Samurai, you're the first sub :)

Ripley
Jan 21, 2007
That was a fun experience, thanks for letting me play!

Voting on some things:

- City Event outcome, A or B!
A This offer seems shady as hell, but based on the last mission, that's how we like it.

- Master Splinter's NEW PERKS (2) AND CARD!
Hostile Takeover, Remove two -1s and Ignore negative scenario effects

- Rocky's NEW PERKS (2) AND CARD!
Swap a -1 for a +1 and Ignore negative scenario effects

I don't know if it's the smart choice, I just don't like negative scenario effects. Not sure about the card choice, they both look interesting.

- Bullwinkle's NEW PERK (1) AND CARD!
Juggernaut and Remove two -1s

- Money matters!
Bullwinkle could do with a Warhammer...

MarquiseMindfang
Jan 6, 2013

vriska (vriska)
MVP I'm going to say Rocky, not for one single play, but for the barriers and healing. I can't imagine that ending well without those.

City Event: A This is ostensibly our job, right? Can't imagine refusing a job would do our rep any good.

Splinter: No idea how optimal I'm being but Ignore negative scenario effects sounds good, assuming it means ignoring stuff like those two curse cards from #2. Also remove two -1 cards for more consistent stabbing. As for card, Hostile Takeover seems like a great addition to the suite of control cards. Plus it's a fast, ranged and a reuseable XP source.

Rocky: Ignore negative scenario effects on the same logic as Splinter, and Add one -2 and two +2 should be a net positive with the goggles, surely? Sentient Growth seems like it would be the most clutch. It does basically everything you'd want a card to do. Lobbing it into an ally's melee to turn the tides of bad luck seems like a pro move.

Bullwinkle: I'm going to go Remove two -1 cards just to lower the probability of missing any vital kills. Consistency is key. It's a tough choice but I'll have to nominate Juggernaut because I don't think we should be relying on loss cards for single kills of mooks... Longevity seems more important.

Splinter and Bullwinkle can afford to donate and I kinda wanna see what the end goal of this is. Rocky doesn't have much money, but Hide Armour doesn't cost much and made quite the difference last scenario but... I dunno. I have no foreknowledge so I don't know if there's anything better just over the horizon. Feel free to correct me.

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
MVP: Shaman for nonviolent resistance in the face of despair

City event: A, work is good

Splinter: Hostile takeover, remove -1, ignore scenario effects

Bullwinkle: Juggernaught, ignore scenario effects

Rocky: Growth, ignore scenario effects, remove -1

Slaan fucked around with this message at 13:47 on Feb 19, 2019

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
Gonna do a quick card review



Hostile Takeover is great. It's got great initiative. For the top, a Ranged Immobilize is as good as a stun for most melee enemies, it grants XP, and it makes cold. The bottom is iffier but can still see some use to get pressure off your team and get a strong-hitting enemy to attack it's allies (bonus fun if they have retaliate).

Wretched Creature sucks. Not a good summon, and a move 3 is mediocre for the Mindthief. A low initiative can be useful when you are invisible or waiting for enemies to move up, but nothing about this card stands out.

Hostile Takeover is the clear pick.


This is a much harder pick, since both cards are pretty decent.

Sentient Growth gives us another AoE ranged attack, this time with a bonus of being able to heal allies caught in the area. The bottom is another heal and attack option. If we're looking for healing, it's the option to go for. Pity about it's slow initiative.

Explosive Punch is really fun. Getting to remove an obstacle can really help in certain scenarios, and an attack 4 that can often hit 2 enemies is decent for a Cragheart loss card, since the Cragheart can afford to lose a card. The real gold on this card is the move 4 and the fast (for a Cragheart) initiative, meaning you're happy to wait until the top will hit multiple enemies before using it.

There's no real wrong choice here, but I like Explosive Punch


Again, no real wrong choice here.

Juggernaut gives a move on top which is great, and the bottom is useful for tanking purposes when you want to stand up to a big enemy.

Fatal Advance has a move 4 on bottom, which we're always happy to see. I've seen a couple people in the thread say things to the effect of "killing a normal enemy isn't worth a loss." This is incorrect, assuming you use the card near the end of the scenario.. "Kill a normal enemy" can also be phrased as something like "Deal 6-9 damage, ignoring shields and retaliate" at this level, and only improves as you go on. Being able to, for certain, delete an enemy is a good option. Since Fatal Advance has a move 4 on the bottom which we are perfectly happy with, we can use that until we're in the back half of the scenario and not lose much longevity. (Though instakilling an enemy in the first room can sometimes be a good choice as well)

Again, no real wrong choice, but I like Fatal Advance

Perk Analysis: For now, ignoring scenario effects and getting rid of negative cards is what we want. Consistency is king, and getting rid of negative cards makes our attacks more consistent and improves the overall damage.



MVP: Rocky
City Event: A
Splinter: Hostile Takeover, Remove two -1s and Ignore negative scenario effects
Rocky:Explosive Punch, Ignore Negative Scenario effects and Replace one -1 card with one +1 card
Bullwinkle: Fatal Advance, Remove two -1 cards

Splinter and Bullwinkle should donate, Rocky is saving money for a Piercing Bow

Piell fucked around with this message at 14:12 on Feb 19, 2019

Zulily Zoetrope
Jun 1, 2011

Muldoon
Thanks for letting me play! Mindthief was the first class I played, and it was fun to give it another whirl. Master Splinter is a she, by the way, and Rocky has no gender. :)

- MVP/Play of the Game: Gotta go with Rocky, for their usage of healing and obstacles.
- City Event outcome: A. We've got a sneaky character to deal with skullduggery, and one who has "Caravan Guard" literally listed in their job description.
- Master Splinter's NEW PERKS (2) AND CARD: Hostile Takeover is really good, and while I love the flavor of using literal rat armies, the Mindthief's summons are not good. Remove 2 -1 cards, x2. While getting rid of scenario effects is nice when it happens, there are 7 bad modifier cards and this lets us get rid of more than half of them at once.
- Rocky's NEW PERKS (2) AND CARD: Explosive Punch combines low initiative and a non-loss move 4 with a really powerful situational attack. It's a card I quite like. Ignore negative scenario effects, Add -2, +2, +2.
- Bullwinkle's NEW PERK (1) AND CARD: Juggernaut. A top move makes a character much more versatile, and executing one non-elite enemy is rarely worth a loss. Juggernaut's bottom is pretty mediocre, but it's good for 3 exp in a clutch.
- Money matters: This is a bit more complex. I feel like everyone should donate to the Sanctuary given our paycheck and the amount of orphans we created to earn it, but the War Hammer is also really good with Rocky's predilection for War Hammers. Are we allowed to vote conditionally on this one? If not, just make Splinter and Bullwinkle donate to the Sanctuary and Rocky buy a War Hammer

If we are, keep Splinter and Bullwinkle donating, and Rocky donates if they get Sentient Growth, War Hammer if they get Explosive Punch, and both if the payoff from the city event allows it.

Fat Samurai
Feb 16, 2011

To go quickly is foolish. To go slowly is prudent. Not to go; that is wisdom.

Phone posting, so I’m jus going to vote this, except get Fatal Advance for the brute, because having the option of erasing annoying high shield enemies, while having a repeatable move 4 bottom is really good.

That Italian Guy
Jul 25, 2012

We need the equivalent of the shrimp = small pastry avatar, but for ambulances and their mysteries now.

Zulily Zoetrope posted:

Thanks for letting me play! Mindthief was the first class I played, and it was fun to give it another whirl. Master Splinter is a she, by the way, and Rocky has no gender. :)

This is what I get for mass/copy pasting stuff in the Spreadsheet! :doh:

Elephant Ambush
Nov 13, 2012

...We sholde spenden more time together. What sayest thou?
Nap Ghost

That Italian Guy posted:

YOU CAN NOW VOTE FOR THE FOLLOWING THINGS (and please remember to bold your choices):
- MVP/Play of the Game for Scenario3!
- City Event outcome, A or B!
- Master Splinter's NEW PERKS (2) AND CARD! The list can be found in his character's sheet just above.
- Rocky's NEW PERKS (2) AND CARD! The list can be found in his character's sheet just above.
- Bullwinkle's NEW PERK (1) AND CARD! The list can be found in his character's sheet just above.
- Money matters! Please specify if you want someone to buy/sell an item; the current Market pool is available HERE. Also, please if you want someone to donate 10 gold to the Sacred Oak Sanctuary, please remember to specify who!
At this time PLEASE DO NOT VOTE TO CHOOSE THE NEXT SCENARIO. As said, we'll stagger the vote to allow everyone to participate :)

A big thank you to our players, Zulily Zoetrope Narsham and Ripley! Hope you had fun. I'll reach out to Flamester, power word- Jeb! and SporkChan to let them know they're up next.)

MVP will always be Rocky because Rocky can do cool awesome stuff that nobody else can do.

City Event: I don't trust fake smiles and just because we're scumbags that doesn't mean we roll with every other scumbag that offers us a gig. I vote Option B.

Splinter perks: ignore negative scenario effects and remove 2 -1s.

Splinter card: Hostile Takeover. poo poo owns.

Rocky perks: ignore negative scenario effects and replace a -1 with a +1.

Rocky card: Explosive Punch. You reuse the fast initiative bottom move until you need the top near the end of the scenario then blow something up and kill poo poo. It rules. Exploding obstacles with your fist rules. Lastly the ability to destroy obstacles is something nobody else in the party can do.

Bullwinkle perk: Remove 2 -1s.

Bullwinkle card: Fatal Advance has a much faster initiative than Grab n Go and it's another Balanced Measure enabler. Like Explosive Punch, you reuse the bottom until you need the top. Juggernaut sucks. Top move and attack is nice but Balanced Measure spam is what we're all about and Fatal Advance does it better.

Bullwinkle shopping: Our Inox could use a shield.

Elephant Ambush fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Feb 19, 2019

Reik
Mar 8, 2004
We should probably wait on items until we complete the city event since we're one box away from prosperity 2 and city events are one of the ways to gain prosperity.

MVP: Rocky
City Event: A
Splinter: Hostile Takeover, Remove two -1s and Ignore negative scenario effects
Rocky:Sentient Growth, Ignore Negative Scenario effects and Replace a -1 with a +1
Bullwinkle: Fatal Advance, Remove two -1 cards

Sentient Growth: Because of our party composition, there's a pretty good chance we'll be able to get a lot of value out of the top of this card, and the bottom of the card is great for clearing poison.

Brute card choice review:

Juggernaut
-The top of Juggernaut is a situational top on par with a level 1 Scoundrel card. While movement on the top can be useful, when you don't need top movement this card is a basic Attack 2 with an enhancement dot, which is not good.
-The bottom of Juggernaut is bad. It triggers on any source of damage, so even if we get hit for 1-2 we're going to lose 1 of the three charges. It's also redundant with Warding Strength, which is a better bottom loss.

Having a situational top is fine, but without a consistent bottom that you can use when the situation is not present, a lot of times Juggernaut is an Attack 2/Move 2

Fatal Advance
-The top of Fatal Advance is another situational good top. There are certain enemies we have yet to face that you will be glad you have a way of consistently removing without relying on an Attack. Also, because we are playing with 3 players, we will have more normal enemies to choose from. This is because many rooms are balanced by having a set number of fixed enemies, and one or more enemies that follow the "none/normal/elite" scaling formula. Because we will always have 3 players, these enemies will always be normal.
-The bottom of Fatal Advance is a good non-situational bottom. The card pairs especially well with Balanced Measures, one of our best top actions, allowing us to perform the desired Move 4 (6 with boots) + Attack 4 (6), but instead of being at 77/72 initiative (Grab and Go is 87, Trample is at 72 but requires a loss) we are at 40 initiative, which is a significant improvement. This also frees up the top loot 1 from Grab and Go. As it currently sits, any rest in which we use our loot 1 top action makes one of our best top actions worse. By having a second Move 4, we remove that dependence.

Because Fatal Advance pairs a situational top with a solid bottom, and the initiative difference is relatively small at 34 vs 40, I think Fatal Advance is a better choice.

Reik fucked around with this message at 17:59 on Feb 19, 2019

That Italian Guy
Jul 25, 2012

We need the equivalent of the shrimp = small pastry avatar, but for ambulances and their mysteries now.
I previously stated that, since everyone in the party is now Level 2, the new "Normal" difficulty Scenario would also scale to 2. This is incorrect!

Recommended Scenario Level is calculated by taking the average party character level and dividing it by 2 (rounded up), so we won't graduate for Level 2 Scenarios at Normal difficulty until one of our characters reaches Level 3.

Elephant Ambush
Nov 13, 2012

...We sholde spenden more time together. What sayest thou?
Nap Ghost

That Italian Guy posted:

I previously stated that, since everyone in the party is now Level 2, the new "Normal" difficulty Scenario would also scale to 2. This is incorrect!

Recommended Scenario Level is calculated by taking the average party character level and dividing it by 2 (rounded up), so we won't graduate for Level 2 Scenarios at Normal difficulty until one of our characters reaches Level 3.

It's easier to think of difficulty level with 3 players as "total party level divided by 6, rounded up". So yeah, still difficulty 1.

Reik
Mar 8, 2004
We may want to bump up to +1 difficulty for the sweet 3 gold per token, though.

That Italian Guy
Jul 25, 2012

We need the equivalent of the shrimp = small pastry avatar, but for ambulances and their mysteries now.

Reik posted:

We may want to bump up to +1 difficulty for the sweet 3 gold per token, though.

Also +2 Victory XP each (which is honestly peanuts compared to the amount of extra gold)!
Stole this nice table from the Trad Games thread, I'll put it in the OP too:

dwarf74
Sep 2, 2012



Buglord
Having just played a Cragheart, I took Sentient Growth. I kept it in my deck for a good long time until... Well, until all the numbers were too small. The initiative sucks but that's Craggy for you.

I think it's a good choice here. The top is great with melee allies, and it looks like Rocky is going to need to lean into its support sub-role with the friends it has.

Reik
Mar 8, 2004
I've always wanted to make a rock puncher Cragheart build work, but I think our current composition is not ideal for this build, and given that the two scenarios we just unlocked contain bosses (shouldn't be a spoiler since we'll see the monster preview tomorrow), there's a good chance Rocky retires first.

Narsham
Jun 5, 2008
Thanks, everyone! Playing was a lot of fun, and the turn-per-two-days structure really makes the game experience feel different (more strategic). The bad thing is that now I've had my first taste of the Cragheart, I want to play it some more, but odds are I'm waiting until the expansion comes out before I can do that!

Some additions to Piell's card review:

Piell posted:



Hostile Takeover is great. It's got great initiative. For the top, a Ranged Immobilize is as good as a stun for most melee enemies, it grants XP, and it makes cold. The bottom is iffier but can still see some use to get pressure off your team and get a strong-hitting enemy to attack it's allies (bonus fun if they have retaliate).

Wretched Creature sucks. Not a good summon, and a move 3 is mediocre for the Mindthief. A low initiative can be useful when you are invisible or waiting for enemies to move up, but nothing about this card stands out.

Hostile Takeover is the clear pick.


Let's talk summons for a moment. People's experience of summons tends to be terrible, in part because they take finesse to use well and they work like nothing else in the game. The short take on summons is that they can be very powerful or virtually useless, that most characters have to add or remove them from their deck based on scenario, and that they scale very poorly as everyone levels up. You'll notice summon stats do not increase with monster level. So the Monstrous Rat's 4 hp are fairly good right now (only 2 less than L1 Splinter) but at high level it probably can't survive one hit from a monster. (Instant kill effects scale too well with level.) This is a bad pick for Splinter with this party mix, but let's discuss why and when a Mindthief might find taking Wretched Creature worthwhile.

Summons 101: the loss card that keeps on killing
Suppose, instead of a summons, the top of Wretched Creature said "Attack 3 and stun. Next turn, attack 3 and stun again. Loss." That's probably worth taking, although the Attack 3 isn't great against shield and at higher levels you'd play the card for the stun effect. The theory here is that summons absorb monster actions by absorbing attacks. But of course, there's no equivalency for a range of complex reasons, because the summons might die without attacking at all, or it might get six or seven attacks off and be amazing. In practice, because people often don't use summons, they get them killed very quickly or deploy them in the wrong circumstances. Also, because summon attacks and survival depend upon the modifier decks, a brief string of bad luck makes them look terrible.

Basic summoning protocol involves using the summons to hit and then as distractions for monsters. When first brought out, you want to go very slow to prevent monsters from hitting them before they get an action. Splinter is actually well off in this regard: the Wretched Creature init is pretty slow, and she can play a very fast card the following turn and ensure the rat gets at least one action (Move 3, Attack 3). With 4 hp, most enemies at our level require two hits to kill it, so assuming you position it to only get attacked once, it will take two monster attacks to remove it. But a +attack monster action and a +1 modifier draw will kill the rat in one hit. Advanced summon usage involves understanding monster focusing and movement; suffice to say that the Move 3 on the rat is enough to keep it relevant for as long as it survives. But it almost certainly won't survive. Your average Mindthief goes fast most of the time, usually fastest in the group, and that means the other characters can't go faster and draw monster focus off the summons, which is the only way to keep it alive.

Note in passing that summons are very sensitive to monster abilities. Shield 2 makes the Rat all but useless. Retaliate, even Retaliate 1, means the Rat dies to a single hit on average instead of taking two. Any multitarget attack voids most of the advantages of having a summons to steal focus; worse, you can't run up and distract a monster from the summons. This means, for example, that the Living Bones we've already encountered all but negate the advantages of summoning anything that lacks a ranged attack. (In this scenario, the Rat would have been acceptable.)

So, relevant only some of the time, probably not useful once we hit monster level 2 and definitely not at monster level 3, works poorly with most Mindthief approaches. If your Mindthief focuses on ranged attacks (stun/immobilize) and is willing to go more slowly, there's bare utility to the Rat, but that's a very different play style (go late to stun/immobilize monsters for their next turns, not this one) and works best with a party that has multiple melee characters who are all pretty speedy.

Piell posted:


Again, no real wrong choice here.

Juggernaut gives a move on top which is great, and the bottom is useful for tanking purposes when you want to stand up to a big enemy.

Fatal Advance has a move 4 on bottom, which we're always happy to see. I've seen a couple people in the thread say things to the effect of "killing a normal enemy isn't worth a loss." This is incorrect, assuming you use the card near the end of the scenario.. "Kill a normal enemy" can also be phrased as something like "Deal 6-9 damage, ignoring shields and retaliate" at this level, and only improves as you go on. Being able to, for certain, delete an enemy is a good option. Since Fatal Advance has a move 4 on the bottom which we are perfectly happy with, we can use that until we're in the back half of the scenario and not lose much longevity. (Though instakilling an enemy in the first room can sometimes be a good choice as well)

Again, no real wrong choice, but I like Fatal Advance

To augment the utility of "kill a normal enemy," not only does it scale (too well) with level, but sometimes having an automatic deletion button is extremely valuable. Normal enemy going to disarm or stun someone who is going to otherwise take an important turn? If you beat them on initiative, you can simply remove them. Not needing to pull a modifier card is valuable; not needing to worry about a monster pulling a bad card and having big shield/retaliate is even more valuable. In the meantime, the Move 4 on Fatal Advance is always, always useful, and having a top action you probably don't use until late means you free up other cards with both move and attack. (Also, recall that with the boots and Move 4 the Brute can deliver an Attack 6!)

Now, votes:
I don't much care for MVP voting, and less so in Gloomhaven where certain characters are flashy and others undistinguished (but powerful). Especially later on, there's some crowd-pleasing characters who might always get MVP regardless of play. Bullwinkle took vital hits for the party and had several clutch skewers; Splinter murdered things and ended the guard spawn. From Rocky's perspective, Bullwinkle was the MVP.
I can't recall this city event, so A and let's see how much trouble we get into.
For levels and perks:
Splinter: Hostile Takeover, Remove two -1s and Ignore Negative Scenario Effects (The Ignore Effects perk is best taken early if at all.)
Rocky: Explosive Punch, Replace one -1 with one +1 and Ignore Negative Scenario Effects
Bullwinkle: Fatal Advance, Remove two -1s

Some Numbers
Sep 28, 2006

"LET'S GET DOWN TO WORK!!"

Piell posted:

MVP: Rocky
City Event: A
Splinter: Hostile Takeover, Remove two -1s and Ignore negative scenario effects
Rocky:Explosive Punch, Ignore Negative Scenario effects and Replace one -1 card with one +1 card
Bullwinkle: Fatal Advance, Remove two -1 cards
This goon knows what they're talking about. I second all of these votes.

As for buying, I'm not sure anyone needs anything at this point, but Rocky could do with donating since they've got the Goggles

Zulily Zoetrope posted:

- Bullwinkle's NEW PERK (1) AND CARD: Juggernaut. A top move makes a character much more versatile, and executing one non-elite enemy is rarely worth a loss. Juggernaut's bottom is pretty mediocre, but it's good for 3 exp in a clutch.
So, I feel that Fatal Advance is a lot better for two main reasons. 1) An additional Move 4 works really really well to make Balanced Measure more consistently incredible and 2) executing a normal doesn't matter until it does (if the enemy has insanely high HP or Shield) and until it matters, a Move 4 is still a Move 4. I don't think Juggernaut is bad, but it's not great.

Reik
Mar 8, 2004
I was expecting more support for Bullwinkle purchasing the shield for 20g. Are people not keen on it?

Shield for Brute

Reik fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Feb 19, 2019

Some Numbers
Sep 28, 2006

"LET'S GET DOWN TO WORK!!"
I didn't even think about that, but sure. Shield for Brute.

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc

Reik posted:

I was expecting more support for Bullwinkle purchasing the shield for 20g. Are people not keen on it?

Shield for Brute

The 1 health per long rest the shield saves is rarely going to matter, and we're going to unlock prosperity 2 items shortly so I want to keep a good amount of money free for that (and to continue donating), that's why I didn't vote for it.

Reik
Mar 8, 2004

Piell posted:

The 1 health per long rest the shield saves is rarely going to matter, and we're going to unlock prosperity 2 items shortly so I want to keep a good amount of money free for that (and to continue donating), that's why I didn't vote for it.

Since we already get a lot from our hide armor and boots, we're encouraged to long rest more with the Brute. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to get 3-4 health from the shield in a scenario, which is essentially a minor health potion in a one arm slot.

Reik fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Feb 19, 2019

Telum
Apr 17, 2013

I am protector of the innocent! I am the light in the darkness! I am truth! Ally to good! Nightmare to you!

Either way, it doesn't hurt to at least wait until after the event to see if we get that last tick of prosperity.

Option A for that, by the way.

Splinter: Hostile Takeover, Remove two -1s and Ignore negative scenario effects 

Rocky: Explosive Punch, Ignore Negative Scenario effects and Replace one -1 card with one +1 card 

Bullwinkle: Fatal Advance, Remove two -1 cards 

That Italian Guy
Jul 25, 2012

We need the equivalent of the shrimp = small pastry avatar, but for ambulances and their mysteries now.
One of our players can't make it at the moment, so I've been asked to get a sub for them. Fat Samurai, you're getting a PM :)

Fat Samurai
Feb 16, 2011

To go quickly is foolish. To go slowly is prudent. Not to go; that is wisdom.
Got it. Here’s hoping we keep the streak going.

That Italian Guy
Jul 25, 2012

We need the equivalent of the shrimp = small pastry avatar, but for ambulances and their mysteries now.
City Management III, Update 1

City Event 20, resolution posted:



Effect: +5XP Each, +10 Collective gold!
If we had 9+ reputation, our name would be well known enough that these brigands would be too scared to mess with us. Free XP!

Some of the votes seems to be unanimous enough that can be already called!
- Master Splinter's new Card is going to be Hostile Takeover; here new Perks are Remove two -1 cards and Ignore negative Scenario effects.
- Rocky's Card selection is neck and neck so we'll keep voting on it, but its perk selection is quite clear: Replace one -1 card with one +1 card and Ignore negative Scenario effects.
- Bullwinkle's card is also still undecided, but his new Perk is going to be Remove two -1 cards.
- Our $$$ decisions are still to early to call, but we know we're going to Donate with Master Splinter and Bullwinkle.

Current tally for the other votes:
Cards:
- Rocky's Card: Sentient Growth (5), Explosive Punch (6)
- Bullwinkle's Card: Juggernaut (4), Fatal Advance (7)
Donations:
- Donate Rocky (2) (if no Warhammer)
- Donate Rocky (1) (no matter what)
Buy/Sell:
- Shield for Bullwinkle (3)
- Warhammer for Bullwinkle (1)
- Warhammer for Rocky (2) (if explosive punch)
- Hide Armor for Rocky (1)

Let's discuss where our party should head to next!
NOTE: we only know the basic creature and tiles composition for a Scenario at first; if we choose to pick one, I'll provide additional details (such as the map layout, creatures stat cards - and ability deck if we've met them before - and always active Scenario Effects).

Available Scenario Locations posted:

- We've found the location of the Clockwork Cove in a treasure chest in Scenario 1. As the name implies, we would face constructs, traps and puzzles. This is what we can expect from the Scenario:

- Snooping around in the pile of scrolls that Jekserah has sent us to recover, we've discovered the location of the picturesque Crypt of the Damned. If we want to learn more about this so called "Gloom", we'll have to face a bunch of Cultist, Undead and Elemental Demons!

- Jekserah's may be ruthless (and she may be involved in something dark), but her money is good, and her cut-throat methods are apparently increasing Gloomhaven's prosperity. If we want to keep being her fantasy PMC and kill some more natives (Master Splinter's people, this time) we can head off to the Diamond Mine. It's a BOSS Scenario! NOTE: succesfully completing this Scenario will prevent us from choosing Gloomhaven Warehouse in the future!

- If, instead, we feel bad about murdering an Inox tribe and we believe Argeise's accusations, we can try to sneak into Jekserah's Gloomhaven Warehouse to try and put a wrench in her plans. It's a BOSS Scenario! NOTE: succesfully completing this Scenario will prevent us from choosing Diamond Mine in the future!

In case this wasn't obvious, if we decide for either Scenario 8 or 9, this will have an impact on our rapports with Jekserah. We are also free to ignore all that noise and go and explore the countryside :)

Wherever we're going, we'll have to get on the Road to get there!

Road Event 5 posted:


How appropriate, after our last scenario.

PLEASE KEEP VOTING FOR THE FOLLOWING THINGS (and please remember to bold your choices):
- MVP/Play of the Game for Scenario3!
- Rocky's NEW CARD! Current Tally: Sentient Growth (5), Explosinve Punch (6)
- Bullwinkle's NEW CARD! Current Tally: Juggernaut (4), Fatal Advance (7)
- Money matters! Please vote on these three questions:
1) How should the extra 10 gold from the event be divided?
2) Shield for Bullwinkle Y/N.
3) Warhammer for Rocky (if Explosive Punch wins) Y/N or Donation for Rocky (if Sentient Growth wins) Y/N.

PLEASE NOW ALSO VOTE FOR (and please remember to bold your choices):
- Our Next Destination!
- Road Event outcome, A or B!

NOTE: I have not received any answer from Flamester and SporkChan. In case they are AWOL or simply can't make it, DarthRoblox and Car Hater are next in queue :)

That Italian Guy fucked around with this message at 12:35 on Feb 20, 2019

Elephant Ambush
Nov 13, 2012

...We sholde spenden more time together. What sayest thou?
Nap Ghost
Welp, I was wrong about the city event.

I vote to go to the Diamond Mine. Diamonds are a (Valrath) girl's best friend and she has money. Money owns. Also gently caress the police.

Road event Option A. gently caress the police and let's try to make it up to the Inox.

I don't think the Warhammer is all that great personally. If Rocky is going to continue to be throwing boulders at stuff he should probably save for the Piercing Bow.

Edit: changed my road event vote to the intended one.

Elephant Ambush fucked around with this message at 14:30 on Feb 20, 2019

Reik
Mar 8, 2004
Road Event option A. Between the encampment fiasco and our current party composition of 1 Inox 0 Humans I'm pretty sure we gotta side with the Inox in the race war.

Scenario 8 Gloomhaven warehouse all cops are bad, but genociding indigenous people is probably worse.

Reik fucked around with this message at 14:45 on Feb 20, 2019

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
If we give the gold to Rocky, he can immediately buy a Piercing Bow and solidify his position as the anti-shield guy.

1) Give All the gold to Rocky
2) No, don't buy a shield for Bullwinkle
3) Rocky buys a Piercing Bow

Bullwinkle is an Inox and we just murdered a bunch of Inox, so we should help the Inox this time. Option A
Let's go to the Warehouse, Jekserah is mean.

Piell fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Feb 20, 2019

Telum
Apr 17, 2013

I am protector of the innocent! I am the light in the darkness! I am truth! Ally to good! Nightmare to you!

Y'all are combining names. Diamond Mines, Gloomhaven Warehouse.

GH Warehouse, mostly because we didn't go that route in my playthrough :v:

Road events tend to suck, I wish there were a "walk on by" option. But since there's not, I guess we should take option A to help the Inox.

Everyone should donate. No other real opinions on spending.

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Zulily Zoetrope
Jun 1, 2011

Muldoon
Give the money to Rocky and have them both donate and buy a war hammer, superceding my previous vote.

The bow is good, but the hammer is pretty nuts for the Cragheart. It stuns everyone targeted by the chosen melee attack, which can be quite a lot of targets with attacks like Explosive Punch or Unstable Upheaval.

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