Marvel Crisis Protocol event - All Webbed Up

 Do I hear the patter of tiny thwip thwips?

I'm off to another Marvel Crisis Protocol event! This one was held in Firestorm Games Cardiff, and was the conclusion of a 'how to play' series of evenings. So a lot of the players were beginners or returners (I wasn't gatecrashing - I did check beforehand if I was able to attend. Besides, my experience is more than levelled out by my incompetance).

Sticky Situations - Web Warriors

Characters: Amazing Spider-Man (5), Spider-Man 2099 (5), Gwenom (4), Scarlet Spider (4), Ultimate Spider-Man (4), Silk (4), Ghost-Spider (3), Spider-Man Miles Morales (3), Spectacular Spider-Man (3), Spider-Man Noir (3)

Team Tactics: Web of the Spider-Verse, All Webbed Up, Brief Reprieve, Spider-Tracker, Aunt May‘s Wheat Cakes, Great Power, Go Get ‘em Tiger, Spider-Sleuth, Brace for Impact (R), Indomitable (R)

Secure Crisis: Guardians Save Shi‘ar Empress in Style (17), Infinity Formula Goes Missing! (17), M‘Kraan Crystal Gets Heroes Home! (19), Super-Powered Scoundrels Form Sinister Syndicate (20), Wedding Party Targeted in Terrible Attack! (20)

Extract Crisis: Scientific Samples Found in Discovered Universe (17), Spider-Infected Invade Manhattan (17), Unexpected Guests Crash Royal Wedding (17), Inhumans Deploy Advanced Weaponry (18), Ship Security Breached in Royal Rescue (20)

Having just painted them, my obvious choice was Web Warriors. This also intrigued me, as they have a reputation of being a good 'crisis' team (i.e. one that runs around scoring points, rather than doing damage), As this is counter-intuitive to the way I play, I reasoned I might learn a few things.

The biggest hurdle, as I discovered, is that you have to give every character their full name when explaining to your opponent. 'I'm going to move Spider-Man now' does not cut it.

Game 1 - Web Warriors vs Uncanny X-Men

Web Warriors: Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Man (Miles), Ghost-Spider, Spectacular Spider-Man, Spider-Noir

Uncanny X-Men: Professor X, Psylocke, Beast, Iceman, Shadowcat
Crisis: Unexpected Guests Crash Royal Wedding, Guardians Save Shi‘ar Empress in Style

Threat: 17

My first game was against a returner to the game, who was getting to grips with Uncanny X-Men. Both teams seemed suited to racing around the board, flipping objectives and avoiding trouble, so this should be an interesting match-up.

On the left flank, Spider-Noir once again over-extended himself in my obsessive quest to play the Spider-Sleuth tactics card. He found himself getting chased down and beaten up by Psylocke for the whole game. She seems naturally lethal, and her mystic attacks were particularly troubling, since they're the only ones my team's spider-senses can't anticipate. This would become a theme of the game - and indeed the whole day.

Elsewhere on that flank Spider-Man Miles managed to get the better of Beast, stealing his objective and zapping him for the trouble. Ghost-Spider had little to contribute except using her long move to dash back and forth between objectives, flipping them back to me (I was very lucky with my dice rolling flips; my opponent was less fortunate).

On the right flank, Shadowcat made an early dive for the objective on my end of the table - a gutsy move that could have cost me 2VPs. Fortunately, Spider-Man 2099 was at his lethal best and cut her down before she could move again.

Spectacular Spider-Man leapt forward and used the team's critical tactics card, All Webbed Up, to set up Professor X, Iceman (and Shadowcat, leading her to be KOd by Spider-Man 2099).

Things has swung too far in my direction, so by the time Beast and Iceman were KOd in the next round (I stayed well away from Psylocke), I had won 20-11.

It was a fun game, and I had a big run of luck, but hopefully learned a little about what the Web Warriors could do. The problem with my early victory was that I was no heading into much tough opposition in the next round.

Game 2 - Web Warriors vs Midnight Sons

Web Warriors: Spider-Man 2099, Silk, Scarlet-Spider, Ghost-Spider

Midnight Sons: Blade, Doctor Voodoo, N'Kantu the Living Mummy, Black Panther Chosen of Bast, Wong
Crisis: Ship Security Breached in Royal Rescue, Mayor Fisk Vows To Find Missing Witnesses

Threat: 16

A familiar opponent for my next game: Jose, whose Midnight Sons I had played (and lost) in an earlier tournament this year. 

Seeing Immortal Hulk and Ghost Rider lurking in his squad, I opted for the lowest threat game possible. That did succeed in keeping out the big guys. What I hadn't anticipated is that the lower-threat models in Midnight Sons are also really good.

Before we begin - a moment of recognition for the terrain. How awesome is this board with the elevated train tracks! (I wish Spidey could have braced himself against a runaway train). It was also something of a nightmare to play on, trying to reach under the tracks and see what was going on, but worth it for the immersion.

This crisis only had two secures, and both of them worth double points. This lends itself to a scrum in the middle, so I tried to go with punchy characters.

I was actually outnumbered by the Midnight Sons, so committed three of my Web Warriors to the left flank, hoping Silk could hold down the right flank by herself. Unfortunately, most of the Midnight Sons were throwing out mystic attacks, so there goes my spider-sense advantage.

I gained an early lead in the first round, which was pulled back to level in the second. I made sure to daze Doctor Voodoo (as well as being mystic, he has some nasty tricks) and Silk was dazed by a tag team of Black Panther and N'Kantu. 

That said, I felt I was in a good place to play All Webbed Up in the third round and lay down some hurt. Sadly, my main weapon, Spider-Man 2099, whiffed both of his attacks completely and I was set up for the counterpunch.

Midnight Sons then played their trump card, Siege of Darkness (a free attack to each member of their team) and did considerably better. Silk was KOd (before she could spend all the power she'd accumulated), Ghost-Spider was KOd and both Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man 2099 were dazed.

With so few characters left on the board, the forth round was spend scooping up points for the Midnight Sons. Scarlet Spider was also dropped. I think Spider-Man 2099 managed to hang on (he is quite tanky, even if he can't hit anything). The score was a thumping 21-8

In tactics terms, I think I played All Webbed Up at the right time, but I probably had no business getting into a scrap in the first place. Grabbing the objectives and using my displacement abilities would have served me better than trying to slug it out with the likes of Blade at close quarters.

Jose was a great opponent, as always, and eventually went on to win the tournament undefeated.

Game 3 - Web Warriors vs A-Force

Web Warriors: Spider-Man 2099, Ultimate Spider-Man, Silk, Scarlet-Spider, Ghost-Spider

A-Force: She-Hulk, Angela, Spider-Woman, Black Cat, Okoye
Crisis: Ship Security Breached in Royal Rescue, Riots Spark Over Extremis 3.0

Threat: 20

My previous loss hadn't managed to push me down the league table, as my final game was against another very experienced played, Matt, who was fielding A-Force. I've played a lot of A-Force, as it was my starting affiliation, but I don't think I've ever faced them, so this will be an opportunity to see how they should be played.

The game started with some early pressure as Angela delivered She-Hulk into the centre and they both grabbed objectives. I ventured an attack into She-Hulk and did a fair bit of damage, which gave me hope of taking her out of the game (this, as I discovered, as a trap).

Scarlet Spider went left to face down Black Cat, while Ghost-Spider once again drew the short straw of holding off Angela and Spider-Woman. That left three characters in the centre to take on She-Hulk and Spider-Man 2099 threw some massive attacks into her, bringing her down to just a few points of health. In response, She-Hulk flung 2099 far away and walked off to join Black Cat.

Not to be deterred, Ultimate Spider-Man raced after She-Hulk (who had now used Patch-Up to recover some wounds) and failed to take her out with his venom blast (though Black Cat was dazed in the explosion). Silk also tried to get in one the act and also failed to damage She-Hulk (those last 4 points proving a lot more stubborn than the previous 16!)

Ghost Spider proved unable to stand up to three times her own threat value and was KOd by Angela, allowing Spider-Woman to interrogate her for a bonus VP.

I was seriously behind on points, but hoping to regain the advantage - or at draw out the game - in round three. However, this was time for A-Force's trump card: Stalwart Determination which mean they could not be pushed or thrown this round.

Since most of my counterattack depended on pushing and throwing this team, I found myself completely stymied and desperately looking to deny just point to make it through to the next round.

Black Cat woke up, stole Scarlet Spider's objective and ran to the protection of Okoye (Silk followed them, but couldn't dislodge either). Ghost-Spider got thumped before she could do anything, Scarlet Spider and Ultimate Spider-Man both failed to take down She-Hulk and Spider-Man 2099 was still stranded where She-Hulk had thrown him.

The game ended 16-3, which has to be my biggest lost in Crisis Protocol. Even so, it was a very interesting game to ponder, and Matt was a very generous opponent with advice (even letting me take back some of my moves when I was clearly getting into a muddle).

I think the problem for the game lay in my team selection - I should have chosen more characters with web swing abilities, to get me back in the action or move me out of trouble. Tactics cards like Indomitable should also be in my roster, to stop getting thrown about the place.

I also should have avoided She-Hulk (but when you've come that close to dazing a hulk, it's easy to get tunnel vision). Remarkably, She-Hulk had a huge influence on the game while barely making an attack. Her role was to bodyguard or tank damage, and throw enemy characters away - which she did very effectively.

So I had a good schooling, but also a cracking day with three great opponents. I think I owe the Web Warriors another run-out, so I'll aim to bring them to the next event.