M2E+Ramos


 * Ramos, Arcanist Master**

=__Overview__= toc Viktor Ramos is the leader of the Miners and Steamfitters Union in Malifaux, but is also secretly the leader among a group of rogue magic users. He and his followers are constantly doing what they can to wrest control of Malifaux away from the corrupt Guild and hand it back to those who should really be in charge: the people. At least, that's the press. The M&SU are really the front for a Soulstone Smuggling Ring and Mafia operation designed to take power for themselves. Ramos uses the cover of the M&SU to do his work in the shadows, with the publicity of being the M&SU leader giving him some much needed protection, as the Guild would not dare eliminate him and incite a riot.

Ramos is best known for his ability to turn Scrap Markers into Steam Arachnids to replace losses and/or bulk up his crew. However, he has some potent spells and upgrades that let him do more direct damage.

As all Arcanist masters, playing Ramos with a general summoning plan is easy; however, mastering him requires much more than building a constructs list, it requires good resource management ( control hand and scrap markers), and good positioning in all scenarios. ||  ||

=__Mobility__= At Wk 4, Ramos isn't the slowest guy on the table, especially with the three AP Masters get to work with. Getting close enough to reach a Scrap Marker isn't going to be a problem. However, you should consider to use his zero tactical action //Magnetism// more, with reasons below.

His //Magnetism// (0) attack action, with a fantastic 16 inches **Ca** range, also adds to his mobility, giving him a push of 6 inches **directly** towards a construct following a cast against it's **Df**. Note that the key words, push 6 inches, **NOT** **up to** 6 inches. In other words, you cannot deliberately choose to push Ramos less than 6 inches. If there is nothing between Ramos and its target to stop the push, i.e., blocking terrain such as a **Ht** 1 wall/fence, Ramos has no choice but getting himself pushed 6 inches. Another keyword here is **directly** pushed, effectively this is a "base centre to base centre" push, so think and **pre-measure** carefully.

The attack inflicts 2 Damage ignoring Armor to the construct in the process as a "side effect", not necessarily always a bad side effect though. As in extreme cases this can of course even be used against your own constructs to get Ramos out of trouble. Another reason for targeting your own constructs hence destroy it after the push is a means of getting yet another much needed scrap marker, as well as denying your opponent to score VPs by killing it. Oh, did I forget to mention Ramos can be healed 2 Wounds due to his **Opportunist** ability?

=__Offense__= Being a typical supporter and summoner, Ramos tends to prefer using his constructs to do his dirty work. But when he does have to get mixed in, he's got options.

His main Attack is going to be //Electrical Fire//, which has a range of 8, ignores Armor, and does not require him to Randomize when shooting into Engagement. And a reasonable damage profile. It is a **Ca** attack action, which is good, however it also his a gun icon associated with it, so forget about it while engaged.

His //Clockwork Fist// is a decent melee attack, but low range and low weak and moderate damage make it a last resort. But if you get lucky and get a severe damage flip, it's going to hurt badly. Alternatively be prepared to Focus and cheat the severe damage in.

//Uncontrolled Detonation// is also going to be a constant option with Ramos, as he can sacrifice a construct to make every model within 2 inches of the construct face a Df duel; if they fail, they take 4 damage. It won't do damage often, but if placed carefully, it should drain your opponent's hand, to set up another attack or action later on.

=__Resilience__=
 * //Armor// +2** allows Ramos to reduce damage from most sources by 2 to a minimum of 1 damage. This means that a typical Severe hit of 4 or 5 will deal only 2 or 3 damage to Ramos.

//Df Trigger **Repulsion**// //Repulsion// increases the Final duel total of Df duels by 1 for every tome in the final duel total. This means that the total can go up by as much as 2 over the final total, making Ramos fairly hard to hit for a 4 Df Master. Note that this trigger is not baked-in, meaning Ramos is among one of the most Tome hungry master in this faction. It has a nice effect, after resolving (i.e., no matter you win or lose this Df duel), the attacker gets pushed 2 inches **directly away** from Ramos. Remember to laugh at those who take a shot at you but then get himself killed by dropping from top of the building.

When a friendly construct within 8 inches and LoS is killed, i.e., **NOT sacrificed**, Ramos heals 2. It doesn't matter whether this miserable construct fellow is killed by opponent or its merciless crew peers, as long as it is a kill, Ramos heals.
 * //Opportunist//**

**Upgrades**
As detailed below, the (1) **Arcing Screen** Action is an aura, and effects constructs. This includes Ramos, giving him a Positive flip to Df.
 * Field Generator**

Between the easy Positive flip on Df, the ability to increase your Df, and the Armor, Ramos is hard to hurt. In addition, Ramos has one of the higher Wp available. Given that he will often be surrounded by Constructs, and can use Magnetism to finish a construct off, He will heal much of the damage that he does take as well, making Ramos one of the more resilient models, and a poor choice for anyone to choose to assassinate.

A must take not only because this gives a **passive** ability to other friendly constructs [+] flip of MI attacks within range, but it also gives Ramos Counterspell. So Ramos should feel less scared when facing the dreaded Rotten Belles, or other minions/enforcers who cannot use soul stones to add suits.
 * Under Pressure**

=__Upgrades__=

Ramos' Upgrades
Ramos doesn't really have any bad Master specific Upgrades. Depending on your scheme, and what kind of build you have for your crew, all of them are worth considering. As the Aura effects in the Upgrades usually only apply to Constructs, it is worth remembering that most of them will also apply to Ramos himself. The only issue? Too much cost in stones...

Ramos gains (1) //Arcing Screen//. This requires an 8 of any suit to cast, and provides an Aura of 6 inches within which any friendly model receives a Positive Flip to Df. This makes even your more squishy ones a lot harder to hit. What's more, this aura **is stackable**, meaning most models without a third AP to double focus cannot penetrate through your Df. Note that this aura literally provides Df boost to **all of your models**, regardless of being a construct or not.
 * Field Generator - 2 Soul Stones cost**

Ramos can discard a Scrap Marker to use //(1) Combat Mechanic//, which gives any Construct within 6" Moderate Healing. He can use this on himself. It does require a 3 of Rams to cast. Ramos also gets **//Accomplice//** from this upgrade, this opens more crew tactical options which we will get in the Tactics and Tips section. If somehow in your Ramos crew you manage to fill in another healer model, then feel free not to include this one; in most cases this healing, even from a moderate flip can make your models survive much longer.
 * Combat Mechanic - 2 Soul Stones cost**


 * Under Pressure - 2 Soul Stones cost**
 * Other** friendly construct within Aura 8 of Ramos gets a Positive Flip to Ml actions. Most of Ramos Crew use Ml. not a hard decision. This is a 99% auto-include as it works automatically, saving your previous APs on something else. The exception you ask? When you build a Ramos crew that doesn't heavily rely on MI attacks of course. In addition to that, Ramos also gains **//Counterspell//**, which makes spells against him a lot less likely to go off, because they lose printed suits. If you think you are going to be hit with a lot of Ca actions, or want to do a lot of Ml-based Damage, then this Upgrade will shine.

Allows Ramos to Summon an Electric Creation For a (0) Action. This does not require a Scrap Marker, but it does require a 7+Tome and so it competes with summoning multiple spiders for mid-high tomes, and more importantly can compete with Magnetism for Ramos' (0) Action. The Electrical Creation is a useful source of scrap, and can also help take down a model that is difficult to hit, or deal direct damage to. They can also serve as a (rather flimsy) blocking model if Ramos is in the threat range of an enemy beater. Having 2-3 on the board can be very messy for your opponent. It is not bad, being a (0) Action that can summon, however, the aforementioned actions are better. The drawback of this summoning is its pathetic range of 6 inches. when you think of summoning a bomb on enemy's face, what you really should think is to Magnetism away...
 * Electric Summoning - 1 Soul Stones cost**

**Joss**: **Open Current**
Provides Joss with some decent Crew support, in the form of a (0) Action Pulse 5 simple duel against enemy Df on all non-Construct models, and those that failed would get a [-] flip on subsequent Df duels. As it is not Damaging Effect, //Freikorps Suit// does nothing to protect against this. This is highly valuable to Arcanists in general, for a faction that puts 90% Attacks against Df. If Joss is not burdened with other valuable upgrades, take it, you will never regret.

**M&SU**:
These can be taken by Joss, Howard Langston, Johan, and the Rail Golem.

Gives the model it is taken on an Aura 8 that provides Regeneration for all Friendly Minion Constructs. Ideal for instantly repairing summoned Mechanical Spiders as soon as they activate - 2 summoned spiders will come in on 1 wound each (2 wounds reduced by Armour +1), meaning that as soon as they activate they are restored to full health. Also provides the model that takes it with //(0) Disruption Field//, which makes any Enemy Ca action within 3 of the model much more difficult to complete. Putting this on M&SU makes them more of a tarpit in the midst of enemy casters, disturbing them unless they focus. Howard being a model not born with a zero action is a nice carrier of this upgrade, situational but when it works, it really does.
 * Bleeding Edge Tech - rare 1**

__**Ramos**:__
Ramos doesn't realty benefit from this. The (0) Action is nice, but it isn't worth giving up an Upgrade slot for it.
 * Philosopher's Stone**

Ramos can always use another card in hand. A serious contender for an Upgrade slot.
 * Arcane Reservoir**

Not bad, but Ramos generally doesn't want to be that close to Living models. Not worth the Upgrade slot.
 * Recharge Soulstone**

__**Henchmen:**__
Much Better on Joss than on Ramos. Joss is likely to kill many models himself. Even you only get one soul stone recharged, this upgrade is paid off; whatever comes more is the bonus you deserve.
 * Recharge Soulstone**

__**All Crew:**__
Gives models with less than 4 Df to 4 Df, and Models with 4 Df +1 Df. Put it on Models like Ice Golem to make them last longer. Put it on models like Howard, Joss, or the Rail Golem to make your Opponent feel like they just can't hit anything. The problem is that this is a 2 SS cost upgrade.
 * Imbued Protection**

If this model is going to die, you get to draw 4 Cards. if you want an extra attack, discard the upgrade for Fast. Either way, often worth the price. Joss and Howard are not fast to get into position, so this is seen most of the time equipped on them.
 * Imbued Energies**

=__Tactics and Tips__=

Hire the Electric Creation. On your first activation, double walk with it. This will put it 8 Inches out, with two Wd left (bonus if you get next to a model deployed with //From the Shadows//). Then When Ramos activates, use his //(0) Magnetism// to pull Ramos 6". This kills the Electric Construct, which blows up out of range to hurt Ramos, and leaves a scrap marker 2" away for Ramos to use to Summon 2 Steam Arachnids, which are each worth the same as what you spent on the Electric Creation.
 * __The Electric Creation opening moves:__**

If you want Two Scrap, you can use Joss (or the Large Arachnid) to kill the Electric Creation, but unless Joss uses his //Arc Blast//, he will take 1 Damage from the Electric Creation's //Explosive Demise//. Either way, Ramos does not receive a push.

If you do nothing else with Ramos but move, put up an Arcing Screen, and summon two spiders, You have used your activation well.

__**The Mobile Toolkit opening moves:**__

Similar to its peer opening above, the reason why you take a mobile toolkit is to squeeze one more soul stone to use somewhere else. As the name suggests, this toolkit is mobile indeed, with a Wk 5 it can walk into Joss's threat range awaiting its fatal doom. Joss will charge, toolkit will relent, it is a guaranteed kill and, as a side effect, 2 scrap markers.

Comparing the two openings.

no need of other model to "prepare the scraps in advance" || 1 damage on Joss to get 1 additional scrap marker after Joss charges. || For activation flexibility reasons, Electric Creation opening is generally the better of the two. And don't forget nothing is set. If Joss needs to find cover to survive first turn enemy fire, then do so.
 * Openings || Pros || Cons ||
 * Electric Creation Opening || Ramos can Magnetism then Summon in sequence.
 * Mobile Toolkit Opening || one less stone to get scrap markers || activation order is sort of fixed, Joss activate early is mostly not a good thing ||


 * __Steam Arachnids tactics__**

Always aim for summoning two Steam Arachnids if you are going to summon them, unless you have an 11+ Tomes card in your hand. If you miss, you lose the action, and since it can only be used once per Turn, it is worth it take the relatively low risk of missing on two spiders.

Remember, the name of the game isn't "Kill the Master". It isn't even "Kill your Opponent's Crew". It's "Accomplish more Schemes and Strategies than Your Opponent." You have an advantage here. The Steam Arachnids are all cheap, summonable(and you should not have any trouble getting scrap with Joss, and the Electric Creation...)and most importantly, Significant(Neither Insignificant nor Peons). Don't forget they get Unimpeded, too. Scheme Markers should not be a problem, especially with Joss the Unkillable and his most-things-ignoring Axe being a big old roadblock, and Howard being a killing-machine. People tend to ignore the spiders with those two hitting their backfield. If not, Howard has //Nimble//, and Joss is consistent.

You also shouldn't have much problem with outnumbering your opponent for those Schemes and Strategies which require it

There are essentially two ways to play a Ramos Crew. The slow rolling wall of unkillable machines, with Ramos acting as healer and mechanic (Hereafter called the Wall of Steel), Or the fast moving hard hitters with Ramos sitting just in the back buffing the hits (Hereafter called the Brass Cannon Brigade).

To set up the Wall of Steel, You want to hire crew that facilitate Summoning, Healing, and support. Put out //Arcing Screen// and use //Combat Mechanic//. Use Joss and Large Steam Arachnids to generate more scrap, and bring Johan to heal. A Malifaux Child is most useful in this type of crew, and putting the Bleeding Edge Tech upgrade on one of your enforcers is a must. Between the //Arcing Screen// and the healing, as well as the fact that most of the crew has //Armor//, it will be very difficult to thin the ranks, and once you spread out, even if you do lose some models, they just provide fuel for summoning and healing. Also, Positive Defense Flips with the Steam Arachnid's Df 6 and Armor +1 is just nasty.

The Brass Cannon Brigade is the closest Ramos comes to an elite killer crew. To set it up, you want to bring more expensive, faster models. Most of these that Ramos has access to tend to be a bit more fragile, but hit very hard. You will be looking at models such as the Rail Golem, the Coryphee, and Howard Langston. The emphasis here is on getting in and hitting hard, with Ramos using //Magnetism// to move, and Electric Fire to attack models in combat. Ramos will summon Spiders in this crew as a way to reduce Df, which is the primary stat that will be targeted, and as a way to leapfrog up the table, to keep in range of his larger models with Under Pressure. The crew should be loosely grouped, and if you have room for it, taking Field Generator will make your hard hitters hard to hurt. It isn't necessary, but it does make the killing last longer. In this tactic, You want to use Ramos primarily as close support, and make use of his //Electrical Fire// as much as possible.


 * Why Ramos is sooooooo Tome hungry?**


 * Math time!**

Scenario: after flipping the initiative at the beginning of game round, a Ramos player draws 6 cards out of his fate deck. Let's assume he is lucky enough not to get a Tome J Q or K flipped for initiative.

Question: what is the percentage to see at least one of the Tome J Q and K in his control hand?

Answer: The probability is evaluated as 1 - C(50, 6)/C(53,6) = 1 - (47*46*45)/(53*52*51) = **30.78%**

Further Question: what if Ramos has smart enough to upgrade himself with **Arcane Reservoir?** Would it increase the chance dramatically?

Answer: The probability is evaluated as 1 - C(50, 7)/C(53,7) = 1 - (46*45*44)/(53*52*51) = **35.2%**


 * TL;DR**


 * Normal chance of getting at least one of Tome J Q and K is 31%, with Arcane Reservoir, the chance is increased to 35%. Two precious stones to increase a mere 4%, your call.**

However, the real beauty of Arcane Reservoir is that it allows more chance of collecting Tome cards in hand, no matter if it is a Tome 1 or Tome K, for the following reasons:

How many ways Ramos himself can make good use of a Tome card?

1. The most obvious answer - to summon Steam Arachnids, 2 for most of the time; 3 if you are the lucky 31%.

2. His other tactical action, **Uncontrolled Detonation**, which yields for a Tome 8+ to feed.

3. His **Df** trigger - Repulsion, lucky enough, any Tome card will work on this one.

5. As Ramos player, his Steam Arachnids have an interesting **MI** trigger - overheat, again, any Tome card will work.

Most of us would love to see lots of moderate to high Tome cards in hand; some of us will realize even the lower ones are valuable. In general, we should cherish all Tome cards in hand.

__**Ramos's scrap marker cycling process**__

What Ramos needs the most? scrap markers. What Ramos hates the most? Scrap marker removals.

Ramos starts the battle with either a mobile toolkit, or an Electric Creation. For one, or two, scrap markers.

Ramos on turn one summons Steam Arachnids from one of those scrap makers.

Ramos wants to summon more of Steam Arachnids on turn 2. If Joss didn't help his master prepare the 2nd scrap marker from Turn 1, Ramos has already running into the lacking scrap marker syndrome. . In subsequent turns, due to Ramos' Combat Mechanic healing, some scrap markers are gone. Some other scrap markers have been turned into Steam Arachnids and still remain on board.

When Ramos hired the Arcanist Emissary of Fate, this half-Minotaur-half-steel abomination also comes with a zero action Magnetism. It can also help getting your scrap markers back.

Of course your enemy crew will often help you getting some scrap markers. But most of the time they have other priorities to deal with - such like Howard or Joss, or whatever else you get to their face slaughtering them.

Yes, Ramos can use his zero action Magnetism to destroy one of his Steam Arachnids to recycle one scrap marker back, but will it work always? What if it has been healed by Bleeding Edge Tech from previous turns and now has 3 or more Wounds, instead of 2?

So... As Ramos player we need a backup plan: how to get the scrap marker in dire situations.

And no, **overheat** cannot help you in this case. Neither can Ramos' **Uncontrolled Detonation**. Anything that **sacrifices** Steam Arachnids, do **NOT** generate scrap markers.

For this very reason, Bleeding Edge Tech is indeed a double-edges sword. Healing the Steam Arachnids to 3 or 4 Wounds is not always good for Ramos. Luckly, since it is an aura effect, using LoS blocking terrain can stop one Arachnid to get healed. Ideally(31% of the time), when you have summoned 3 Arachnids onto the battlefield, try drop one of them out of the healing aura; drop the other two in the aura, and later get them in front of enemy fire-lines. In other times (69%) when you can only summon 2 Arachnids. Well, you should have let Joss finish off the metal scapegoat to get two markers, right?

Sometimes, especially when Ramos has managed to gather 3 Arachnids together base to base, it is so tempting to use the **swarm together** tactical action on the Arachnids to get the Steam Arachnid Swarm. If you have read into this line, hope you will realize now this is more of a trap-pit. You get an unharmed swarm of arachnids, but you have deliberately lost 3 scrap markers forever. Therefore,unless Ramos can guarantee other means of getting scrap markers back, don't do this.


 * Scrap marker providers list:**

No.1 source: from Joss. Yes he is the man.

No.2 source: from Ramos, and from his Emissary of Fate, thanks to **Magnetism** targeting low Wound Arachnids.

No.3 blasts, often from Lazarus. His rapid fire shots randomize between engaged models, this is good. If you hit enemy model, blast your own Arachnids to the death; if you hit Arachnids, cheat its **Df** duel low enough to generate blasts.

No.4 your enemy killing the Arachnids.

No.5 as last resort, you kill your own Arachnids.

No.6 From the Electric Summoning upgrade, Ramos can summon Electric Creation out of nowhere. This is already too late as you cannot Magnetism it to death in this activation.

=__Leading a Crew__=

Summoning
Not only does Ramos have the ability to Summon up to 3 Steam Arachnids a turn, but with the Electric Summoning Upgrade, he can summon Electric Creation as a (0). Between these, he can put a lot of constructs on the board, and it isn't unusual to see him spend his first actions doing so. However, he is only allowed to summon Steam Arachnids once per turn, so he generally has 2 AP left after doing so.

Steam Arachnids
Ramos requires Scrap Markers to produce these, but with the right cards and the judicious use of Soulstones, he can Summon up to 3 off of one Scrap Marker. They take 1 Damage for every Steam Arachnid Summoned in this manner, but this damage is reduced by the Armor of the Steam Arachnid, so that when Summoning 3, for example, each Arachnid takes 2 Damage.

Ramos finds it easy to Summon one Arachnid, Requires average cards and a Tome to summon 2 Arachnids, and requires an 11+ Tome card //and// a Soulstone to Summon 3 in this manner. Since he is required to announce how many he is Summoning before making the Casting Flip, unless you have a high Tome in hand, it is usually better to try for 2.

Steam Arachnid Swarm While Ramos cannot summon these directly, The individual Steam Arachnids he can summon form these in groups of three. Ramos can, in fact, summon Three Steam Arachnids at one time, and if he does, it is usually so he can make one of these. Keep in mind that once formed, there is no way to break apart, and they only drop one scrap, as well as losing unimpeded and 1 Df. However, they gain quite a bit, as well. Their Ml melee attack significantly improves, and gains a trigger for up to 3 extra attacks per (1) Action, and a trigger to move the enemy. They also have a great Scheme Marker removal ability.

Electric Creation

The only way that Ramos can summon this model is if he takes the Electric Summoning Upgrade. This model does not require Scrap Markers to Summon, but leaves Scrap Markers when it dies. It requires a Moderate (7+)Tome card to summon.

Support
For the rest of his AP, Ramos is usually going to want to support his crew, and with his upgrades, he can do that very, very well.

Upgrade: Combat Mechanic:
//Combat Mechanic// As a (1) Action, Ramos can sacrifice a Scrap Markers to Heal a construct. The Moderate and Severe values on the Healing Flip are amazing.

Upgrade: Field Generator
//Arcing Screen// A (1) AP Action that gives Ramos a 6 inch Aura in which every Construct(including himself) gains a Positive Flip to Df. This makes even Ramos' weaker models hard to hit unless you use one of your actions to focus, and on his larger Constructs, it can keep them alive a long time.

Upgrade: Under Pressure
Automatically gives Ramos an 8 inch Aura in which constructs make Ml at a Positive Flip. Your Crew will put out some serious Damage, especially if you surround the target with Steam Arachnids to lower the target's Df.

Strategies and Schemes
(General overview, then maybe specifics on what strategies/schemes are good and bad)

Henchmen
Joss is a clear asset to Ramos due to his //Creative Salvage// ability. Ramos needs Scrap Markers to make more of his spider buddies, and Joss' ability means no matter what he kills, it'll drop a Scrap Marker. Which is much nicer than having to wait for one of your own constructs to get violently disassembled before being able to make more.

Enforcers
Howard Langston He will likely be your choice for Melee Beat-stick. While he is expensive, Howard brings a lot of pain, and his //Decapitate// Trigger either forces the opponent to discard resources, or flat out sacrifice the model he hit. Howard also has the //Nimble// action, giving him an extra 5 inches of threat range, for an impressive 13" from start of Activation. It also means he can move and then make three attacks with //Flurry//. He also has the (1)//Steam Cloud// Tactical Action, Which provides himself and anyone within a couple of inches Soft Cover. While he probably won't be your tank, he does have a lot of survivability, ensuring that you will get at least one devestating attack off with him in most games.

Rail Golem While most people don't bring the Rail Golem with Ramos, or if they do, they Swap out Joss or Howard for him, The Rail Golem is a good model for the crew. It adds another beatstick to your crew, and is only limited by the amount of burning you put on it, as well as the cards in Your Hand. Locomotion gives The Rail Golem a free melee or Walk action for every time you cast it, and Triggers a recast of it for every point of Burning you have, so long as you continue to make the TN. He is a bit light on Df, but makes up for it with Armor and high Wd count. At 1 Soulstone less than Howard, the Rail Golem is an expensive but useful addition to your crew, and a decent replacement for Howard if you need that one extra Soulstone..

Ice Golem He can throw Ht 1 Models, leaves a Scrap Marker, and blows up when killed. It is immune to Horror and Paralyze, gets Melee Expert, and has a rare (3) //Smash// attack that deals massive damage. It is expensive, but not a bad pick for all of that. Just know that The Ice Golem will probably die before the end of the game. WIth Extremely low Df, even Armor +2 and good Wds will probably not save it from an opponent who knows what the Ice Golem can do. Of course, this just means you are free to grab objectives with your Steam Arachnids while they are focusing on the Ice Golem—Steam arachnids who you can push with said Ice Golem up to 10 inches using //Toss.//

**Mercenary Enforcers:**
Killjoy Killjoy does what Killjoy does. While he has no particular Synergy with the Crew, he doesn't Detract from it, either. If you bring Killjoy, you know what you are getting into.He isn't significantly more Damaging than your other options, but he is a lot more survivable, and not only provokes Terrifying(all) but will probably provoke a Horror Duel from your //Opponent// if you choose to start him Buried. .

Johan He isn't a construct, but he fixes them. He is tough, gets better attacks near M&SU(which make up a large portion of Ramos' Crew) with a weapon that deals Damage only slightly less than Howard Langston, and gives all MI&SU Models within 6 inches(including Ramos) a heal, He is worth the extra Soulstone to hire him as a Mercenary, especially if you plan to run Ramos primarily as a Summon factory.

Convict Gunslinger You may have noticed that Ramos Crew is light on ranged attacks. The gunslinger, while not getting or giving anything for Constructs, fills this role to devastating effect. //Rapid Fire// alone can seriously injure or kill almost any model, and his defenses include //Bulletproof, Relentless,// and the //Quickdraw// Trigger, which only requires a Mask to hit back the ranged attacker who just shot at him.

Minions
Steam Arachnid Often, Ramos will not hire any of these, because they are easy for him to make. Still, if you have free spots, or have a Strategy or scheme that would benefit from having a lot of models, hiring them is definitely never a bad idea. They bring decent Movement, good defense and survivability, and //Unimpeded// on a 4Soulstone model, making them good, cheap objective grabbers that drop a Scrap Marker when killed.

Steam Arachnid Swarm Ramos almost never benefits from hiring these, as they lose //Unimpeded//, their Defense is Lower than the Steam Arachnid, and they Cost twice as much as one of the little spiders, while still only dropping one Scrap Marker.. For other masters, they would be a good deal even so. However, Ramos can summon Steam Arachnids, and they can combine to form a Swarm, healing all Damage in the process.

Metal Gamin Metal Gamin provides protection to models that won't be moving much. It is easy to get out of range of them, however, especially with those models that most need higher Df. This is somewhat mitigated with the (0) //Magnetism//, which works just like Ramos' Ability.

Peons
Electric Creation See Tactics and Tricks. Short story, hire one, no more.

Outside of Hiring, this makes an excellent Summon, as when it dies, it uses Explosive Demise, which leaves a Scrap Marker and does damage of 2 in a 2 Inch Pulse. It can also detonate itself for damage of 3 in a 2 Inch Pulse. Properly Positioned, one Electric Creation can detonate itself, detonating up to 2 more through pulse damage, for a total of up to 7 Damage against a target which is resisted by no stat, and thus always goes through, granting no triggers. It is difficult to pull of though.

Totems
Brass Arachnid Ramos Personal Totem. You are really bringing it along for the Reactivate. 4 Stones cost is hefty though. It is best to be used in a fight-in-centre type of scenarios where it needs not to move to catch up other crew, as its reactivation buff can only be given to models within 6 inches.

Essence of Power The Faction General Totem. It gives benefits to SS use, and gives a +1 Ca, making it easier for Ramos to summon more Steam Arachnids, or attack with Electrical Fire..

Mercenary Totems
Student of Conflict She gives out fast, is fairly durable for a Totem, and Has a decent Melee attack. Still, probably not a great choice for Ramos crew, due to cost.

Malifaux Child He can heal anyone within 6 for a (1) action,but unfortunately can't cast //Summon the Swarm// with //Just Like You!// since it lists a model by name. Still, he can cast //Uncontrolled Detonation// for additional exploding shenanigans, and a couple of Ramos's upgrades give him extra ca actions the Child can copy.

=__Playing Against Ramos__= (How best to deal with the master, things to watch out for, etc.)

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