Marvel Crisis Protocol event - Hydra-de-hi!

Last weekend, I treated the Hydra crew to a stay at Maplins, where the blood flowed across the Hawaiian ballroom and into the Olympic-sixed swimming pool.

Four games of Marvel Crisis Protocol coming up!

I always agonise over which affiliation to bring to these all-day events (I only need ten models and I've got a few more than that). My narrow win against Kraken decided matters for me: I was going to stick with Hydra.

The role of Jeffery Fairbrother (ineffectual minor aristocrat) went to Baron Strucker. Chief yellowcoat and organiser Gladys Pugh could only be Armin Zola. Boisterous camp comic Ted Bovis is Abomination. Shadier aristocrat Clive Dempster is Baron Zemo. Ballroom dancers with one eye on the exit Yvonne and Barry shall be Spider-Woman and Winter Soldier. Avaricious jockey Fred Quilley is the mercenary Taskmaster. Enthusiastic workhorse Spike Dixon will be Black Widow (in her Yelena guise). That leaves Red Skull and the Hydra Troopers to be senior yellowcoat Sylvia and the girls. Finally, the breakout star and absolute force of nature Weapon X is Peggy.

And that's far more thought that I actually put into building this list.

Game 1 - Brotherhood of Mutants

Hydra: Red Skull Master of Hydra, Arnim Zola, Abomination, Baron Zemo, Spider-Woman

Brotherhood: Magento, Exodus, The Blob, Toad, Sentinel Mk4
Crises: Skrulls Infiltrate World Leadership, Super-Powered Scoundrels Form Sinister Syndicate!

Given that Brotherhood of Mutants was one of the few factions I've played a few times, you'd think it would help me out. What I did remember is that when Magneto is leading them and destroying terrain, all the characters start swimming with power (and that includes the Sentinel that has been retro-fitted to join the team, which is a nice touch and very good use of surplus power).

One of the peculiarities of this crisis is the Skrulls we're grabbing have the opportunity to pull the characters around. Clearly these aliens aren't neutral, because they tended to leave the mutants alone and disrupt my Hydra team quite a bit.

This didn't help when I got over-ambitious with Baron Zemo's first move and tried to steal the centre-right objective, only to be dragged towards Magneto and soundly beaten up.

Elsewhere on the movement game, I found that Abomination's ability to push or throw characters was impossible against The Blob, who took up a central stance and instead shove Abomination out of position.

Spider-Woman did manage to pick up the centre-left objective, but found herself facing the Sentinel (placed neatly within her Stealth range but outside her Martial Artist range) and continually blasted her.

Losing on both points and attrition, I found myself chasing the game early on. Red Skull eventually got moving and took out Exodus (who had been a general menace), while Toad also got stepped on by the combined efforts of Zemo and Zola, but it was too late by then and we ended on a whopping 21:10 defeat.

It proved a very instructive game against a very good opponent. As well as the usual brawling and scoring, the displacement game was very strong and cost me in both points and opportunities. 

Also, having the restraint (I had none of this) to not always pick up an objective seemed useful, as it might be better to let the point go rather than risk getting pushed away.

Game 2 - Black Order

Hydra: Baron Strucker, Arnim Zola, Abomination, Baron Zemo, Weapon X

Black Order: Corvus Glaive (Reality Gem), Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, Black Swan
Crises: Alien Ship Crashes in Downtown!, Infinity Formula Goes Missing!

I've never played against Black Order before (and this will become apparent), but after Red Skull's poor showing last game, I've benched him in favour of Baron Strucker leading the crew.

The crises we pick make an odd pairing: the secures give us extra power for contesting them (yay!), while the extracts have the potential to explode if characters are holding them with too much power (ah).

There are only four Black Order in the squad, and they all deploy to the right in a very refused flank. I take advantage of this by grabbing some early points, but also can't resist sending forward some of the more aggressive Hydra characters to challenge them.

This is the point where I discover that Black Order are very killy (even Ebony Maw, who must be 90lbs soaking wet). The husband-and-wife duo of Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight also allow them to activate together, meaning they can lay on some serious hurt (and still keep the initiative for next turn).

By the mid-game, I realise I'm not going to punch my way of of this, and focus heavily on out-scoring the Black Order. As I've already built up quite lead, this is not impossible. However, the scenario doesn't help me out, as the secure objectives choose precisely the wrong moment to explode (I lose Abomination this way).

I also get unlucky when Weapon X is taken out by Black Swan (who is left on a single wound). Weapon X gets to flail around in his death throes, but can't land a single hit, which leave Black Swan alive to eye-laser Baron Strucker away.

As the game reaches its end, Baron Zemo and Arnim Zola have fled to the extremes to score as many points as they can. Zemo is mercilessly chased down, but Zola runs into a far corner to keep scoring.

Then we discover that Round 5 has ended in a tie: 16:16.

There's no need for sudden death (thankfully for Zola), as we decide everyone is just going to score out what they have, and with the Black Order in possession of the field, it ends 22:17 in their favour.

I do wonder if I could have nicked the win in the fifth round by being more aggressive with Zola. In my defence, it was nearly lunchtime, so mental maths wasn't top of my priorities. And I had seen the Black Order cleave through the rest of my team, so running away seemed like a wise choice. I certainly learned something about facing them for next time.

Game 3 - Criminal Syndicate

Hydra: Baron Strucker, Arnim Zola, Abomination, Baron Zemo, Weapon X

Criminal Syndicate: Kingpin, Abomination, Wrecking Crew, Shang-Chi
Crises: Inhumans Deploy Advanced Weaponry, Infinity Formula Goes Missing!

I was on more familiar ground for this game, as I've played against Kingpin's Criminal Syndicate quite a bit. Interestingly, we also had an Abomination-off (although neither monster got near each other - I think had far too much respect for what they could do).

Two other bonuses - we got to play on this fantastic Deadpool & Wolverine' wasteland table; and for once, the crisis objectives couldn't hurt me!

The game quickly divided into two flanks: Baron Strucker, Arnim Zola and Weapon X facing Kingpin and CrimAbomination on the left. Baron Zemo and HydraAbomination facing Shang-Chi and The Wrecking Crew on the right.

After a couple of disappointing games, Baron Zemo showed why he is still a top-tier 3 threat character: darting forward to pick up objectives, weathering The Wrecking Crew's attacks, then running back to secure.

HydraAbomination also wasted no time in dazing both Wrecking Crew and Shang-Chi (his radiation zone proving useful for bypassing martial artist skills). When Shang-Chi woke up, he did a good job of kiting the Abomination around the board, but it still came to an injured Shang-Chi and Wrecking Crew trying to push Baron Zemo off the back point.

Things were even more violent on the right flank. Kingpin took an early daze, but then woke up angry and started throwing around headbutts that dazed Weapon X and Baron Strucker.

It became an attrition battle as the Hydra gang avoided putting any attacks into Abomination in favour of KOing Kingpin. With the various healing factors in play, plus the leadership ability to heal by giving out conditions, Strucker and Arnim Zola were surprisingly robust to Abomination's attacks (Weapon X had been squished - again).

It all came down to possession of the back point that Baron Zemo was ferociously defending. The Master of Kung Fu threw a ten dice attack that inexplicably missed every time. It was bitter ending to a very tight game, and Baron Zemo closed it out by impaling The Wrecking Crew in one hit (they must have all lined up for him.

A very exciting game ended 16:15 in my favour - commiserations to my opponent for that one.

Game 4 - Midnight Sons

Hydra: Baron Strucker, Arnim Zola, Abomination, Taskmaster, Winter Soldier, Black Widow

Midnight Suns: Blade, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Doctor Strange, Wong
Crises: Scientific Samples Found In Discovered Universe, M'Kraan Crystal Gets Heroes Home!

My final game of the day, so I used it to rotate in characters I hadn't used yet - Taskmaster, Winter Solider and Black Widow. I benched Baron Zemo because he wasn't going to top his last performance.

The crises were straightforward - with the slight exception of the M'Kraan Crystal secure objectives. They could be secured automatically if uncontested, but if they were contested, you could secure them on a 50/50 dice roll. Shouldn't be a problem, right?

I was facing a Midnight Sons list with some heavy hitters: Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider. Blade was leading them (with an excellent leadership ability to 'bump' forward), along with the formidable Man-Thing and Wong as the final support piece.

I immediately throw Abomination up the right flank, and almost immediately regret it when Ghost Rider races up and smacks an unholy amount of damage on him. I send Taskmaster to support him, but Blade races in and dazes Abomination, then happily drinks everyone's blood.

It's a better story on the left flank - Black Widow grabs the centre objective and is attacked by Man-Thing, who has already been plinked by Arnim Zola and Winter Soldier. Black Widow manages to survive Man-Thing's attacks and then counter-strikes to daze him!

Abomination wakes up in a bad mood and dazes Ghost Rider. Black Widow uses her speed to leap off the building and race diagonally to the back-right objective and steal it.

While Arnim Zola guards my back objective, Baron Strucker and his Soldat bodyguard, Winter Soldier move onto the back-left objective to face Doctor Strange and Wong.

Man-Thing wakes up and lumbers over to Arnim Zola, taking the objective from him. Those two will face off for the rest of the game, unable to damage each other and unable to flip back the objective.

Doctor Strange unleashes his Crimson Bands of Cyttorak against Winter Soldier, dazing him (we've seen this before, and you may remember the ending).

The next round is absolute carnage. Winter Solider wakes up and goes Red Fury onto Doctor Strange, pummelling him and following up with close range Assault Rifle shots until he is dazed (Bucky really doesn't like wizards). Black Widow runs up to join the melee, but didn't have any power to contest the objective (I think I forgot to add it in the Power phase).

Abomination dazes Blade, and Ghost Rider's attacks against him are ineffectual. This leaves me in a pretty good position, but there's something about Ghost Rider you should know...

Ghost Rider has a special tactics card, Deal With The Devil that, when he is KO, he can essentially swap places with an allied character and come back on full health with another activation. Given that Wong is still on the table that would mean trading a 2 threat for a 5 threat character and giving them another turn, So I'd be mad to try and KO Ghost Rider.

But Taskmaster hasn't had a go yet, and there's no harm in giving Ghost Rider a little tickle, just to set him up for next turn.

After three games on the bench, Taskmaster has a point to prove. His dice spike massively and he one-shots Ghost Rider. Uh-oh.

Sure enough, Wong is replaced by a brand new Ghost Rider, right in the thick of the fight, where his Flames of Hell beam attack can be most devastating. Black Widow, Baron Strucker and Winter Soldier are all dazed and things are not looking good for Hydra.

A quick note on the secure objectives: throughout the game, as we rolled dice to flip them, my opponent only failed one roll. I made around 8 attempts, and only succeeded once (I'm no maths genius, but I don't think that's 50/50).

In the fourth and final round, there wasn't enough I could do to prevent Midnight Sons from out-scoring me (three more failed flips!), and so despite trying to eke out the game to a fifth round, we both threw a few more punches, but the game ended at 20:15. Great fun!

Hydra-de-ho!

I had a really good day of gaming, thanks to the organiser and all my opponents, and I definitely enjoyed the Hydra faction. With a few adjustments, I'd like to give it another go - I'll have to see if my butterfly instincts stick to that, because I now also want to play Brotherhood of Mutants, Black Order, Criminal Syndicate and Midnight Sons!