Question. Really, a bunch of comments followed by a question. Is Unsubtle Kismet supposed to be an easier version of Kismet? Regular Kismet is not exactly a threat, but she is usually a fun fight, and can bare her teeth when she wants to. The promo, however, is almost entirely passive until she flips...which is very difficult for her to do without the heroes just letting by defeating her talisman.
I've only played her twice, and each time she's nothing more than a damage sponge waiting to be taken out. Sure, we get Jinx cards, but it's not much pain to barrel through them (or get rid of all but one to prevent her from playing extra cards on her turn). Her regular version is all about manipulation of the talisman, which is fun and fine, but Unsubtle removes that, since Kismet has very, very few ways of getting that very talisman back, which nullifies most of her shenanigans.
I'm just wondering what the intent was with this promo Kismet. I had hoped I was missing something after the first game, but the second was even easier to manage. As it stands, she might just have to sit next to Chokepoint in the (short) pile of villains I'll either forget exist, or lament. I haven't a problem with easier villains, but Baron Blade is easy and also consistently a fun fight, especially on advanced, while Unsubtle Trickster and Chokepoint just...sit there and fizzle.
Am I missing something, or should I just walk on by?
I fall up the stairs.
"Right, Left, Right, Left! Chu! Chu! Chu!
Didn't playtest her as that was before I was a playtester but from one fight with her she seemed more difficult overall to me. Hard to tell overall whether she is or isn't more difficult as there are only 14 recorded games on the statistics project.
Crush your enemies, drive them before you, and laminate their women! - Guise, Prime Wardens #31
In the couple games I've tried with her, she feels like a slightly harder version of Kismet, but given Kismet's usually a pushover, that's not saying much. She's easy to manipulate, yes, but her big problem is being the One Big Villain Target. And starting the heroes with the Talisman removes her big damage self-boost.
Being a One Big Villain Target definitely doesn't do her any favours, especially since she doesn't have much in the way of protection. So I guess she's just a villain more dependant than many others on the environment doing some dirty work for her, as if she can flip, she has a slightly higher potential of ruining at least one person's day, depending on her card draw. So...she's swingier than before?
This all reminds me of GloomWeaver a bit. He can be threatening on the off chance he flips, but there is very little chance that he ever will without the heroes trying for it.
I fall up the stairs.
"Right, Left, Right, Left! Chu! Chu! Chu!
That wasn't my experience the one time I played her. She flipped a few times when I played her and we were actively avoiding hitting that card.
Crush your enemies, drive them before you, and laminate their women! - Guise, Prime Wardens #31
IIRC it was not ever put up in the PT forum. You didn't miss anything.
That seems rather odd.
Crush your enemies, drive them before you, and laminate their women! - Guise, Prime Wardens #31
They were playtested at the same time as Villains of the Multiverse. One change I recall occurring was Crushing Cage being removed from Infinitor's deck.
Villains was a rough playtesting time, it seemed to hit when a lot of people couldn't test and there weren't a lot of people reliably testing a whole lot of stuff.
Chokepoint, and the Kismet Promo didn't get enough (at least my idea of enough) attention from playtesters, sadly.
BurningStickman7 on Steam.
My first novel: "Brothers of the Curled Isles"
The C-Team Podcast
I just tried out her advanced rules the other day, and that really cranks her up to a decent threat. Like, even regular advanced Kismet isn't that bad, but with extra damage and extra card plays, whoosh!
I'll definitely give her a more chances, especially on Advanced! I like Kismet, and wouldn't want to shelve her forever. At the very least, her original version is still a hit-or-miss fun ride. She, too, I play on Advanced almost exclusively.
Villains did have, I would have to wager, an intense amount of villains to attempt to balance. Sad some may have been overlooked, but it's impressive that so much gets done with all of these interactions sparking all over the place in Sentinels. I remember thinking 'Wait, what!?' when the Kismet and Infinitor promos were announced, since I'd heard not an inkling before. And I'm quite a lurker!
I feel the opposite, Mwc146! Well, not quite the opposite, but y'know. I felt Vengeance was a bit of a bog with constant manipulation of multiple targets and decks every single turn. Villains turned most of the decks into a more self-contained affair, and while some (Sgt Steel) are quite an ordeal, I have much more fun against any combination in Villains than I do agains the Vengeance Five. Often, the original five are completely ignored in deck choice, with the exception of Proletariat.
I fall up the stairs.
"Right, Left, Right, Left! Chu! Chu! Chu!
BurningStickman7 on Steam.
My first novel: "Brothers of the Curled Isles"
The C-Team Podcast
I quite like Villains! It really made a less impressive way to play the game (Vengeance style) something that isn't immediately dismissed at the table. Preferred? Still no, but it is indeed quite fun when everyone is in the mood for a Team v Team.
So, yes. Agreed!
I fall up the stairs.
"Right, Left, Right, Left! Chu! Chu! Chu!