N18 Group Activation and AM Bots

Ravensmane

Juve
May 21, 2021
30
7
8
Another question that has been thrown up after yesterdays game!

(Using House Cawdor as an example) Group Activation states that you can activate ready friendly House Cawdor fighters

An Am Bot does not have the Cawdor Keyword...so can not be activated as a group activation

Or, being a hired brute, does an AM Bot then get classes as a House Cawdor fighter and then can be activated as a group activation

What is your take on this?

Cheers in advance
 
I violently disagree!!!

Well, I mean, I kinda disagree. The House of ____ books are the only ones that specifically specify specific gang members are eligible for Group Activations. That's a rule I never noticed, and it does have some merit. But, ALL of the regular rulebooks and all of the other gangs do not have this specific restriction.

Plus, the rulebooks say of Hangers-On and Brutes, "can be fielded alongside the rest of the gang normally." I submit that "normally" means treat them like gang members for all purposes, i.e., Group Activation, Nerve checks, reinforcements, Victory Conditions, etc. So...much...easier.
 
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Given that Ogryns, another Brute, have a specific rule that prevents them from taking part in a Group Activation it can't be a blanket rule that Brutes and Hanger-Ons can't be activated this way or the Ogryn rule is superfluous. So I'd suggest they can be activated as part of a Group Activation.

Notably Exotic Beasts and fighters added from House Patronage have clear rules preventing them from being activated this way, and this wording is completely absent from any of the sections around Brutes or Hanger-Ons.
 
Sounds like this topic:

Interesting to see Brutes here, cause they have a precedence with Ogryn's Slow-Witted rule as mentioned. Other Brutes don't have that. Aslso mentioned is the faction keyword was introduced in N20. It continued after N20 with other gang books, so same applies to for example "friendly Ironhead Squat Prospectors fighters" or "friendly Ash Waste Nomads fighters". I think this was only used in N20-N22. It was actually removed in later rulebooks for Group Activation (and possibly other rules).
 
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Exotic beasts is a different category. A exotic beast activate at the same time as his owner. So a Escher wyld runner with three phelinx that is activated also has her phelinx activated.

That's why exotic beast can be more useful than a brute sometimes.

But you better have their owner protected by good armor and war gear or played cautiously because if the owner is out for whatever reason the pet is out too.

A "all the eggs in one basket" situation.

For the brutes including dramatis personae like Lizbeth the iron angel there is nothing that you can't activate them in a group activation except the ogryn.


Considering that the ogryn can't have access to other equipment after he has been recruited it makes him even less interesting to recruit.


It need to be house rules to be interesting like let him get access to grenade for example.
 
Pet comes with "free" GA included, so you don't have to spend GA slots from the owner yeah. The mechanics of group activation is otherwise identical. I think the Ogryn is more interesting for its stats than equipment options. Ogryns traditionally never used grenades or other small weapons like pistols, probably because they won't fit well in their huge hands. In Darktide, the Ogryn chucks an entire box of grenades instead :LOL:

darktide-grenade-box.jpg

Also Darktide, nades hanging off the pins:
renades-are-hanging-by-their-pins-v0-gk5fliufgsca1.jpg
 
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Pet comes with "free" GA included, so you don't have to spend GA slots from the owner yeah.

Yes I should have precised this point but I thought I was clear enough. :unsure::(:D

I will allow with specifications from the arbitrator a brute to have access to any market.
 
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