Loving the Lurkers: Part 2

Making a Lurker List is never an easy task; you have so many elements such as:

• Lurkers
• Upgrades to Lurkers such as Demagogue/Queen/Etc…
• Weapons, Spells, Armor and Skills
• Artifacts (From Strange Aeons Magazine)
• Scene’s of Horror
• Mob Rules

Wow! That is enough to drive a player mad! Wow! Where to start? Seems a little daunting eh? Unlike a Threshold list you will always have the same list unless you are limited in your model selection (or just plain lazy). Plus, you are in the spotlight to whip out a villains list as the Threshold player relaxes and waits for you to slap something down on paper.

 Let’s break this down into elements to consider while making your Lurker list, we already touched on the Command Structure for a Lurker List and now on to the meat of the list building.

Part 1: The Scenario dictates some elements you must have.

This is the hard part sometimes to building a list is the scenario. You have to look at the Lurker goals in the mission and how you can achieve them with what you have in your collection on hand. Often you will be asked to have at least the same number if not more models than the Threshold which can restrict your point expenditures. Also, some scenarios will also limit your pool of what you can take for the current game.

A good rule of thumb here is that say you have to have one more Lurker than the Threshold team, so you look at the total of the team (for this example we will use 15) and so you know that you will need at least 5 Lurkers and on average each Lurker will be about 5 points (give or take). This should help to quickly narrow down choices for your list.

Part 2: Economics of list building.

The best way I explain to people about building lists for any wargame is to think about it from an economic point of view.  If you are wasting points on a list, you will find that you are not getting the most for your investment. Think of each Build Point as money instead, cash (not credit here boys and girls) and when you go somewhere to eat you may look at that Dollar Menu for something cheap and filling but not as tasty as the premium things on the menu (or at least by their standards). Do you buy a bunch of cheap stuff and fill up? Or do you eat the slightly better food (perhaps healthier) instead and enjoy the flavor instead of the filler option.

Purchase what you are going to use and just that. Don’t go nuts and buy something because it is there or won’t have a huge impact to the game. If your list is full of undead and one cultist, taking the Plot Point Drug Crazed would not be a good deal. If you had more than one cultist, well it becomes a bit more reasonable to purchase once you get to 3 or more as it makes the cost impact not as painful.

Keeping a list lean means you have more room to perhaps add another Lurker, upgrade to a better Lurker or add another option onto something that would be more useful in the game. In Strange Aeons you usually are working with small point scales that can be eaten up quickly after a few models are selected so points are at a premium for you. Pick your purchases wisely.

By a simple case of balancing your costs you will come up with the right amount of Lurker’s for the game. Otherwise you may end up in a game with not enough or too many models on your side.

Part 3: You become the Storyteller or Writer.

This is the point of the article where I talk about being a “fluffy bunny” or “a hard core gamer” when you looking at your list.

The fluffy bunny will take things that make sense to the scenario, weave into a story that you could discuss or even write up in an after action report. A good example would be taking a Mad Scientist, henchmen and undead to round out your list. Now, would a demon work in the list? Yea, but it would be a little out of place without some type of explanation.

The other side is the hard core gamer. You want to put that powerful list out there and wipe the Threshold team from the board, you want to win. Well, we all want to win don’t we? Nobody likes to lose a game, but it is a fact of life. You be dammed that it doesn’t make sense or not, you just want to kick some ass.

There is always that middle of the road sometimes, but often you may find your list going one direction or the other. Sometimes on purpose and other times the models you purchase may dictate what you can put on the table. In any case, put what you will have fun with on the table and what the other player will have a good time playing against. Nothing more annoying than playing a list that is frustrating and the game is not enjoyable. We all have had those games, avoid them if you can.

Part 4: Balancing your list

When you are building a list factor in the balance of everything as a whole that would include the requirements of the scenario, what you have on hand to use and what you would want to put into a list.

Keep in mind that a good well rounded list is going to have ranged ability, hand to hand options and a leader to be able to keep the Lurkers moving in the game. A heavy shooter list will be weak once the Threshold players close in and engage in close combat and your list could quickly fail you. The same goes for a heavy hand to hand based list, you could risk being shot apart quickly by a well built Threshold team ready to handle threats at range. Sometimes using a Plot Point could give you a cover saves but is it worth it to take that risk? Look at what you may be up against and plan accordingly.

Part 5: Making Quick Pick Lists

I do this with several types of miniature games and make it easy to pick what you want to add to a list in a fast and efficient style.

Write down a list of models and options you would like (or may tend to want to use), sometimes a model may have more than one “package” as I call it as you may want to add things as you go.

Here is an example of a Cultist with a Rifle:

BP 2 Package: Cultist (1), Rifle (1)

BP 3 Package: Cultist (1), Rifle (1), Dex to 4+ (1)

BP 4 Package: Cultist (1), Rifle (1), Dex to 4+ (1), Lighting Fast (1)

BP 5 Package: Same as 4, add Hollow Point Bullets (1)

Now when you are trying to figure out what to plug into your list you can look at your points and go, well BP 3 Package works the best or well, I could drop this and add the BP 4 Package to make for a 2 shot sharpshooter.

This is an easy thing to do, as you can quickly go through your collection and setup a few packages for each model making it easy to just plug-n-play to save time. After all, we all would rather be throwing dice instead of making lists right?

Part 6: Bringing it all together

Hanibal from the A-Team could not have said it better! “I love it when a plan comes together!” There is nothing better than beating some do-gooders that want to foil your plans to ending the world. HOW RUDE OF THEM! So, it’s time to pull this all together now.

• Look at the Scenario and any limitations or requirements you need to follow.
• Select a leader model that can give you the option of Command.
• Consider any outside elements like Mobs and Artifacts as they will factor into the list building.
• Select your list and try to keep balance and budget in mind. Make sure to have the Quick Pick Packages on hand to make list building faster!
• Round out with any leftover points.
• Go kill some Threshold Agents! 

Loving the Lurkers: Part 1 of 3 (Players Guide to Lurkers)

Lurkers are a different breed from playing a Threshold team and requires a totally different mindset at some points and yet some the elements in building a good Threshold team still applies to building a solid Lurker villains to challenge a Threshold player.  In this article I am going to break it into two parts, the first will discuss understanding the importance of leadership in the Lurker list and the second part building that list into something effective.

Command Structure Part 1: Picking a Leader

First, you have to develop a balance of leaders to followers. By this, you should have at least one model that has the “Command” ability so you can match a Threshold team on a basic level by being able to activate not only that model but two other models as well. By adding other models with “Lieutenant”, adding the “Improved Command” or adding other models with the ability to “Command” to allow more options for you to move more pieces in the game. Sadly, the last option can eat your points up quickly and the first two are easier to purchase with 1 extra build point yet is limiting in that same fact.

Models with Command: Cult Leader, Fishman (with Demagogue), Ghoul King, High Priest, Mad Scientist, Mummy, Rouge Threshold Character, Serpentman (with Demagogue) and the Witch.

Also, the Rouge Threshold Agent has Lieutenant and some other unit types like Swarms can take the Queen option to command just their specific type of models on the table, a cheaper option in some respects but limited in application.

Looking at the list above, you have a good variety of options, but many are very expensive as the cheapest two are 5 and 6 points (Cult Leader and Mad Scientist) and the highest could cost you 12 and 15 points base with no upgrades (such as the upgraded Fishman and High Priest). The Mummy and the Witch are your middle of the road options, but the witch is very weak but a spell caster plus when you start into upgrades she can start to be pricey also and she can only Command her Familiars. The Mummy is solid except he causes Fear so you have to look at other options to keep your human Lurkers from making Resolve checks. When you are looking at your build, this is a critical step as it determines what you have leftover to upgrade your leader and add to the rest of the Lurker list.

Another option is again to take Lieutenant on a cheap option like a Cultist (costing 2 points) that would allow you to activate another model. So, if you had a model with command (that is 3 models active), a Lieutenant can add another one allowing you to chain a Lurker group together allowing you to activate more models. The only downside is keeping within command range which I will talk about later.

Command Structure Part 2: The Minions

Every good villain has a cast of minions to die on his behalf and carry out his evil plans, so your leader should to!

Adding the shock troops can seem like an easy task but can quickly become a daunting task once you start looking at various options including Skills, Weapons, Plot Points, Spells and other Upgrades.

The only real limit is what is available for you to use as Lurker models as the rest is up to you. Do you feel like building something to a theme or just putting out an A team of villains to challenge the Threshold team?

One of the easy solutions to any psychology issues you may have in the game is simply taking the “Drug Crazed” Plot Point for 4 points. Pricey, but if you are human heavy and there is some factor of psychology this could become a very wise investment. A good case in point is the King in Yellow Scenario that would keep your “actors” sane while they summon the Yellow King in their play.

Many missions also require you to have at least as many Threshold models that the other player has or perhaps even one or two more. This has to be considered along with the command structure you want and how much you want to be able to activate Lurkers in the game to do things. If you have too few Lurkers once you take a loss or two, you may find you have wasted Command options and become frustrated.

An option to consider is taking some “Alert” Lurkers as I call them AL’s. They sit in a spot and guard a spot. Usually they (Cultists or Henchmen) have a rifle, shotgun or .45 pistol (if anything a .22) and they wait for a Threshold model to walk within 10” and you can take a snap shot at them. I found this works well with the Plot Point “The Stars are Right” for some nice rerolls making your Lurker even more effective. Plus, in the event the leader is taken out, they can still maintain their Alert status and be useful as you activate other elements in your Lurker list.

Sometimes a balance to a list is required for a good Lurker list to be effective. If you build a strong hand to hand and no shooting only to go up against a Threshold team packed full of long ranged firepower of rifles for example you could be in for a tough game. Having a good list of ranged ability and hand to hand allows your leader to use his Command skill to where it is best suited. Early on, a Cultist or two with a rifle can snipe at the Threshold team, then as they get closer, the hand to hand elements activate and go forward leaving the “shooter” Lurkers in Alert mode to defend some vital spot or protect something and if anything can be activated to assist in a fight as you take losses in the Lurker list.

Command Structure Part 3: Protecting your Leader

It is vital that you keep your leader from harm when possible as he (or she) is the key element to being able to activate more than one model at a time in the game. A canny Threshold player will try to take out the Leader quickly to limit the Lurker’s ability to act and react to the game giving the Threshold team a huge advantage.

Always try to keep your leader in or around some type of cover to gain some type of cover save, it may even be worthwhile to invest in an upgrade (like a vest or skill) that boosts their ability to survive (extra wound or CON for example) but again, these can get expensive quickly so these options will have to be looked at wisely. Also, try to watch range differences when you’re deploying and moving. Pay attention to the range of the Threshold weapons on the other side, because they will aim your way if possible.

Building a Successful Threshold Team

Designing a Threshold team is easy part; making one that is successful is a bit harder. In Strange Aeons there is always the random element of the dice but building a proper team and planning can have a significant impact just like any other skirmish games.

1) In Strange Aeons you have control of your skills and upgrades you receive. This allows you to customize your models to specific roles that can allow for success in a game. Planning out the skill progression can be a key component to skirmish games that are played over the course of several games or known as a campaign. Planning out the growth of your adventurers, adding new weapons and items to the group can allow you to build a successful group.

For example, you want your character Bob Smith to be the burley hero type with the browning .30 machine gun, shooting from the hip blowing the crap out of Cthulu agents. Well, let’s look at the skills you would need to make that a reality as the good ole .30 caliber guns requires two people to shoot. Clearly you are going to want the “Action Hero” skill, but that requires a Constitution of 7 or better on your character. Well, that means you need to take a “Characteristic Increase” to bump that up first. Survive your first game and snap up “Action Hero” and grab your .30 caliber and add 3 points to your team. After that you will want to grab “Lighting Reflexes” or “Heroic” to remove the “ready” restriction on the weapon or add an extra action to allow you to shoot it every other turn. Take a Dexterity increase next to allow for a better chance to hit!

Here is what Bob should look like in his career path:
“Burley” Bob Smith the .30 caliber gunner: Characteristic Increase (Con 7)>Action Hero>Lighting Reflexes or Heroic>Then take the other skill (Heroic/Lighting Reflexes)>Dexterity Characteristic Decrease (Dex 3+).

2) The second thing to consider is Duality, while not essential isn’t a bad thing. Those of us that has played wargames over the years understands the simple fact, things will die in a game. Thus, taking a backup isn’t a bad idea. A lucky dice roll can change the game for either player and taking out a key element of a team could be a game winner. Having two ensures you will have the advantage on the board longer if possible.

For example, if you want to play a ranged shooter group, it is best to have two models armed with rifles and building to the same direction in skills to improve their effectiveness with their weapons. By taking two of the same type, you double your chances to hit, kill the enemy at longer ranges and weaken them enough to win the scenario. A monster runs towards one of your riflemen and takes him out, the other one is still standing and can avenge the loss of the other model along with any remaining members, then the rifle can turn back to the work of using range to its advantage.

3) The Third is synergy among your group. This is a balance of supporting roles to give you an edge and minimizing duplications except where you need them. Each model on your team should have a role already assigned to them or they should be developing towards within a skill increase or two. Some roles (but not limited to) for example would be: two gun or two weapon fighter, brute, sniper/ranged shooter, heavy weapons specialist, machine gunner (Tommy gun user), dynamite thrower, etc…

Example: Your team has one character with a rifle and another agent with a second rifle. The last two agents have a meat cleaver and an extra .45, one improving his two fisted ability for close combat and the other to be able to shoot two pistols at once. When you deploy, the pistol and close combat specialist can either hide or try to sneak around to a better spot where they can engage lurkers or wait until Lurkers come in range and surprise them with a counter attack to protect the rifle users.

4) The fourth element is goes back to planning for the future (wow sounds like real life!), this is a focus on the future of your group after a few games. As the characters grow and agents/civilians die, you will recruit new ones back into the fold and with luck you should have a few map elements to take on some “special agents” as well. I cannot stress how critical a map piece is and using them wisely to your benefit. Taking on a special agent can fill a gap in your group that perhaps the average civilian or agent would take time to develop. They are clearly “short timers” as they stay for one so many games before they leave the group and you will have to hire another if you wish to maintain that same element in your team.

When you plan out a team thinking of where you want to end up isn’t a bad thing and helps speed up game play to get to the next scenario instead of the agony of trying to figure out what to do next. What is also great about this is it helps you figure out the miniatures you want to buy as well. Nothing sucks more than buying a bunch of miniatures and not being able to use them

5) Not it is time to put this together to build your team! In my example below I am going to take Bob and merge him with the team I mentioned later….with a twist. I won’t post their basic gear or starting skill (command for the character)

Character (6 BP) “Burley” Bob Smith: Rifle, Lighting Reflexes
Agent “Deadeye” Dirk Dastardly (3 BP): Rifle, Dex 4+
Agent “Slash” Slydo (3 BP): Meat Cleaver, Two Fisted (Hand to Hand)
Agent “Popper” Paul Garvoli (3 BP): extra .45 pistol, Two Fisted (Shooting)

So you know right off the bat after the first skill increases would be like this and so on:

Bob: Increase to CON 7>Action Hero and add .30 (3), sell rifle (1)>Heroic>Decrease Dex to 3+.

Dirk: Lighting Reflexes>Heroic>Ambush

Slydo: Tough>Heroic>+1 Wound>+1 Attack, at some point pick up a saber

Paul: Decrease Dex to 4+>Heroic>Ambush>+1 Wound

Along with this the plan is to hire a Medic for 1 MAP and 3 BP ASAP to help keep injuries from causing issues in games. The next hire may end up being an Antiquarian to translate scrolls for another 1 Map and 3 BP depending if you want to add magic to the mix or hold onto the Map pieces for special scenarios.

NOTE: On thing you may notice is the duality goes away after you add the .30 caliber to the team, but he still serves as a fire support specialist to the group, so his role is similar, just changed. If you desire, you could hire another agent on to fill that gap as well.