W1 Shadow Slayers of Kresnik- RELEASED

If you both like slayers of kresnik though, that is ok with me.

I'd like to see them in a game against the Einar Imperium to see how they fare. If the SSoK beat up on the EI than 130 might be more fitting. If the EI beats up on the SSoK then 120 is probably spot on.

In choosing the name, I think there should be some reference to Demon/Undead before the Slayers of Kresnik part.

Demon Slayers of Kresnik
Shadow Slayers of Kresnik
Monster Slayers of Kresnik
Soul Slayers of Kresnik
or

Kresnik Soul Slayers
Kresnik Shadow Slayers
Kresnik Demon Slayers.
Kresnik Slayers of the Dark.

Deep in the basement in the back corner of the Royal Library, a group of young Kresnik watch as the strange elder, Konrad von Bramgur, tilts the book "Morindan Contaminated" to a 45% degree angle and pushes down.  The shelf twists 25 degrees exposing a narrow passage of stairs leading even further down.  Konrad urges the hand selected recruits to follow him down.
When they reach the bottom of the stairs a large room is occupied by a group that Konrad calls the Shadow Slayers, "a group of the best hunters from Kresnik".  "But to become a Shadow Slayer it takes more than being a good hunter" Konrad explains, "it takes a belief that the evil monsters they encounter in the forests of Morindan can only be cured in the afterlife, thus the evil must be destroyed in this life, and this is why I have chosen you."  
Konrad shows them books that only the Shadow Slayers know exist.  Books that delve into the darkness of the enemies they face.  "The Shadow Slayers must know every aspect of the darkness they face to truly defeat them.  But beware", Konrad warns, "for every verse read the reader is changed, becoming more and more like our adversaries, and if your heart is not pure, there is chance of becoming pure demon yourself."

Rough draft for the bio.

NAME OF THE TEST UNIT: Shadow Slayers of Kresnik

THEME TEST: Are there are any powers or stats on the test unit card that do not accurately reflect the theme or likeness of what the character should be able to do? Also consider whether or not this character's powers should affect destructible objects. PASS.

FUN TEST: Was the unit fun to play? PASS.

FUN OPPOSITION TEST: Was the unit acceptable to play against? Could it be considered annoying? PASS.

USAGE TEST: Were all of the powers on this card used, or at least usable? PASS. Since the Einar Imperium and Kiova are Kyrie, the special powers limiting Demons and Undead did not come into play.

STRATEGY TEST: Does the unit offer any real strategy or interesting tactics to the overall game? PASS. Very versatile squad. Tried melee to get double attacks in the first round, then podded up near the start zone until they could see the whites of the EI’s eyes. The SSoK picked off a few guys and then charged in to get the double attacks when the EI were close enough.

BONDING TEST: Compare the unit card with all currently existing Bonding abilities. Are there any Bonding loops that do not stop appropriately? PASS.

SYNERGIES TEST: Think of all the current cards that would have synergy with the unit card. Are there any factors that could break the game by making a unit too powerful or too weak? PASS. Didn’t affect Demons and Undead in this battle because there weren’t any.

POWER CHECK: When considering the test unit against all existing units (including released C3V and SoV units) and all glyphs, are there any powers that could be overamplified and break the game? PASS. Even though the SSoK won I have to remind myself that the EI are a very low rated unit – so they should win. Plus, this map is very conducive to podding up.

DRAFTING TEST: Is this unit worth drafting? PASS. I’d draft them every time.

MIRROR TEST: Consider the test unit against itself. Are there any loops that would upset the balance of the Game? PASS.

ARMY TEST 1

Did the unit perform adequately? What should be the unit's point value? Give a brief summary. [insert pass/fail, point value, and brief summary] PASS. 120 points seem about right to me. Maybe I we should play test them against an A+ army. If the SSoK win, maybe we could bump the points a bit.

Map: Mole Hills

Units:

Army 1: Shadow Slayers of Kresnik x3, Van Nessing, Sylvan Animae = 510 points

VS

Army 2: Einar Imperium x3, Empress Kiova = 510 points.

Rd 1. The SSoK charged out of the gate to the right with a move of 8 thanks to the Sylvan. Van Nessing moved out with an initial move of 7, then used his extra turn to reach the Def +1 glyph. Kiova moved out to protect the EI but earned a wound from Nessing and 2 EI died at the hands of the SSoK. One SSoK died and an EI rolled 7/8 skulls in his double attack to inflict 4 wounds on Nessing.

Rd 2. The EI quickly cleared the right side of the board, killing Nessing and 2 SSoK. One EI died and two more wounds were placed on Kiova. A stray SSoK on the left side of the board rolled 6/6 shields to defend against a double attacking EI. The SSoK realized it was folly to go hand to hand against the EI, so they podded up on the hill in front of their start zone on the last two OMs. The EI regrouped and surrounded Kiova and took the Def +1 glyph.

Rd 3. The SSoK held back and waited for the EI to advance – picking off three of them and getting another wound on Kiova. The stray SSoK snuck around the back and picked off the EI on the Def +1 glyph. On the round, two SSoK died while 3 EI died and another wound was Kiova’s.

Rd 4. A one-life Kiova and 3 EI against 4 SSoK and the squad of Sylvan were all the remained to start the round. Two order markers into the round, the battle was over. The SSoK charged in to get their double attacks, wiping out 2 EI and Kiova on OM#1 and then finishing off the last EI on the first roll of OM#2. One SSoK died.

Final thoughts: The battle went pretty much how I thought it would – the EI really has a tough time against ranged squads and although Kiova’s gift did safe a few EI during the contest, it just wasn’t enough. The SSoK did pull of some nice defensive rolls a few times, but the dice were not overly lopsided. With one squad of SSoK and one squad of Sylvan remaining, team Aquilla had 160 points remaining.

I am still not uncomfortable with the SSoK at 120 points. I will do a play test against an A team and see what happens.

Of the options for the names, I prefer Shadow Slayers of Kresnik. I like the bio, but I was waiting for Rudolph's nose to start glowing red. Typically, common squad members aren't given names in bios, I think.

Thanks for the playtest.  I figured the SSoK would win, but was curious to see them against a similiar point and design squad.  160 pts is not such a slaughter that point changes should or need to be made.  Did it feel like the outcome was a given, or did it seem the EI had a chance at times?

I hear you on the name Shadow Slayers of Kresnik.

Yeah, I thought about calling Zander Prancer.  Just a rough draft and I didn't want to lose my thoughts at the time, make any suggestions you want at this point and it might improve the next draft.

It seemed like the EI had a chance in the first round . . . until the Slayers decided to pod up and shoot from height. And then when they EI got close enough the Slayers charged down the hill to get their double attack in. A couple of nice defensive rolls by that stray Slayer kept him alive . . . and he is the one who took out the EI on the Def +1 glyph . . . it could have gone differently I guess if the EI had the glyph and Empress's gift when charging into the Slayers on height.

Really - it was just a game of range wins, as usual.

Kai and I got a play test in: SSoKx3, Van Nessing, Sylvan Animae v. KoWx4, Gilbert, Dendrick, Eldgrim. The Knights won with a couple of hundred points left. The most the Slayers could roll on attacks seemed to be 1. Still, we couldn't justify dropping the points from 120. I really think these guys are close to final editing. I also need to get started on the card.

Cleaned up the first post. These guys are getting close, I also ran across a D&D figure that could be a hero for these guys. I'll post that info later. Thank you for all the playtests.

A hero?

I would be leery of bonding, synergy, or powerful boosts that would cause the points on the SSoK to increase.

Yeah, I think a hero more in the back story sense than actually on the battlefield with bonding or power adds.

Bump.

Can we move these guys to final editing? Or do we need more playtests?

If there are no complaints we can move to final editing.

I think that the stats are right on (120-points sounds good).

I think the names of these two powers are too similar though. So maybe during Final Editing we can come up with some new suggestions.

Study of the Dark Arts
A Demon or Undead figure never receives height, terrain, or special power dice bonuses when attacking or defending against a Kresnik Shadow Slayer.

Mastery of the Dark Arts
A Kresnik Shadow Slayer may never have his defense, attack, or move reduced by an opponent's Demon or Undead Army Card. When a Demon or Undead rolls the 20-sided die for a special power against a Kresnik Shadow Slayer you control, you may reduce the roll by 2.

Open for ideas for names.  Will note these guys are in final editing and make sure that the OP has all the information you need Damon.  Do you need pics for these guys?

How about changing Study of the dark arts to Fearless Advantage, Fearless in the Face of Evil, or just Fearless?  or something better.

I will work on the bio as well.

No need on the pics since I have the figures. I will have our staff photographer Caitlin snap a bunch of shot this weekend and I'll start working on the card.

I had a late minute thought on these guys. I would like to drop their move to 5, leaving everything else the same. When their hero is done he will add 1 to their move (only bonding or assistance the hero will add). What do you all think?

Their Move 6 was a pretty powerful stat. Are you wanting to drop them in points to maybe 110 with lower Move?

Dropping their move to 5 might drop them to 100 points. We don't know how fragile the hero might be . . . in order to bump their move up to 6.

I'm game, but I think we would need to do a whole new round of play testing. That 6 move was huge in all of the tests I did. Worth more than 10 points in my opinion.

Yeah, I like the Move of 6 as well. It gives them the freedom to be strong without the Hero.

I could see the Hero having a power like Parmenio's "Defy Death" - that might give them more survivability since they can be fragile.

Good idea, Kai.

This wouldn't change the stats of the Shadow Slayers of Kresnik, so new rounds of testing wouldn't be necessary.

Only the value of the hero would be in flux depending on how much he would benefit the Slayers.

I didn't want to open this guys to playtesting again, so I am sold to leave them alone. I think that idea might work for the hero. Thank you guys.

OK. Let's get the wording exactly how we want it. I can do the card this weekend perhaps.

Moving this to final editing.

as currently written:


Name Kresnik Shadow Slayers
Planet- Feylund
General- Aquilla
Figures Used- Confrontation Griffins of Akkylannie Demon Hunters Unit Box
Common Squad
Hybrid
Hunters
Fearless
Medium 5
Life 1
Move 6
Range 5
Attack 2
Defense 3
Points-120

DUAL WEAPONS
If a Kresnik Shadow Slayer attacks an adjacent figure with his first attack, add 1 attack die. If the Kresnik Shadow Slayers first attack was against an adjacent figure, he may attack 1 additional time.

Study of the Dark Arts or Fearless
A Demon or Undead figure never receives height, terrain, or special power dice bonuses when attacking or defending against a Kresnik Shadow Slayer.

Mastery of the Dark Arts
A Kresnik Shadow Slayer may never have his defense, attack, or move reduced by an opponent's Demon or Undead Army Card. When a Demon or Undead rolls the 20-sided die for a special power against a Kresnik Shadow Slayer you control, you may reduce the roll by 2.

I thought we were going with Shadow Slayers of Kresnik as the name, which sounds better in my opinion.

Here are some suggestions for wording on the powers.

DUAL WEAPONS
If a Shadow Slayer of Kresnik attacks an adjacent figure with his first attack, add 1 attack die. If a Shadow Slayer of Kresnik's first attack was against an adjacent figure, he may attack 1 additional time.

FEARLESS OF EVIL
A Demon or Undead figure never receives height, terrain, or special power dice bonuses when attacking or defending against a Shadow Slayer of Kresnik.

MASTERY OF THE DARK ARTS
A Shadow Slayer of Kresnik may never have his defense, attack, or move reduced by an opponent's Demon or Undead Army Card. When a Demon or Undead rolls the 20-sided die for a special power against a Shadow Slayer of Kresnik you control, you may subtract 2 from the die roll.