LexCorp- Crew Review

The first (and probably only for a long while) Organised Crime discussion on The Arkham Convicts, we're getting out of Gotham and talking about Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor. Somewhat different to the rest of Organised Crime, Lex brings a more elite kind of crew based around his technological mastery and heavy use of power armour. While he himself works somewhat similarly to the "mob boss" types, his crew as a whole are quite different thematically to the suited up mobsters in the rest of the faction. Indeed, Lex was one of the more odd choices of the rolling in Organised Crime had at the beginning of 2nd edition BMG, but his spot in the crew is now something quite solid.

The Leader of the crew, the owner of LexCorp and one of the smartest men in the DC Universe, Lex Luthor is an interesting model that is pretty decently balanced in his 2nd edition incarnation. Someone who was very underpowered in 1st edition due to being severely overcosted, he has been given a major point reduction as well as a buff and is now a choice to consider. 

Offensive

Lex isn't really a direct offence model, so he has nothing to help his attack (and at strength 5+ attack 3, he doesn't want to be attacking anyway). Kryptonite is a trait that would potentially greatly increase his chances, but as there are currently no Kryptonians in the game it is irrelevant. 

He does however pack a couple of debuff traits that can catch an opponent off guard, and even provide him with a great counter to Magic and Mind Control through Intimidate. This lets him completely shut down SC being spent (and thus Magic and Mind Control being used among other things) and at 8" range is fairly reliable to get off. He also had Goad, which he can use to pull models out of position and get them off objectives, all for 1SC and a failed willpower roll (and he can shut down rerolls to willpower through Intimidation). 

Defensive

Lex is pretty squishy for a leader of his cost, not having anything over Falcone or Maroni in his statline, and lacking Protect Me! as a defensive ability is noticeable. However he does have Energy Field which gives him an extra 5+ save against shooting and can work wonders in protecting him against sniper fire especially. He does still very much want Bodyguard models though to keep him safe, and as such The Tailor from the Ventriloquist set is a great take with him. 

Overall

Lex as a support piece is pretty much his primary role, and he has a suite of traits to play around with in supporting his own crew and denying his opponent's. The always great combo of Mastermind, Grand Strategist and Exhaustive Planner lets him pretty easily dominate the pre-game phase (and only gets worse in Society with things like Ra's or Captain Cold added), while Lord of Business adds $500 extra to the crew's funding pool, which is very helpful with the expensive Heavy Trooper, equipment or even taking ranged free agents like Deadshot. Leadership is a nice bonus against things like Hypnotise or Joker Gas Canisters, but can't be fully relied upon with lower willpower henchmen due to the natively low chance of success. His other major trait that affects his crew is Absolute Power, which lets him take henchmen with the Cop trait (those being in Brave and the Bold, which I have covered the standard, eternal and DKR box options previously) thus opening a lot of list options for him, but also doubles the range of his Inspire, giving him an 8" bubble instead of the normal 4" and lets his crew spread out a bit more and benefit from his buffs. 

Scientific is both a positive and negative on Lex, because he does have somewhat of a use for it with his various control abilities and Inspire. However, it means he gives up 7VP on casualty, which is a big thing (but not as big as the 8VP he used to give up with Invaluable)

Adaptable should be mentioned here instead of above, just because it boosts his various abilities a lot. A buff that he was given with his 2nd edition update, it primarily lets him become defence 4 and thus harder to kill (although the attack bump can be good in the Warsuit). 

Lex also has the "option" of taking his Warsuit as an upgrade card. This upgrade is amazing, and for what it does to Lex (that is, make him a flying tank and decent melee threat) it is almost always worth taking. It gives him the same trio of traits as his henchmen (namely Cybernetic, Medium Armour and Reinforced Gloves) but also Fly, which is a great speed boost to an otherwise slow leader (and can help him get out of bad situations) and Unstoppable, which combined with the 2+ strength of the Warsuit and Reinforced Gloves turns Lex into a decent henchman beater, pretty reliably being able to KO lower defence/endurance enemies. The 5 endurance the Warsuit has is pretty tough to crack as well between the Medium Armour and Lex's native Energy Field, giving an extra layer of defence against the traditional answer to most Armour (that being high RoF ranged attacks). 

The LexCorp Troopers are all effective, if expensive, henchmen that are great ways to add some tanky(ish) bodies to an Organised Crime crew. They all have the same statline and come down to smaller changes between them to affect cost, but they are all worthwhile for different reasons. 

Offensive

All 3 have attack 3, strength 4+ and Reinforced Gloves, which is pretty great for henchmen even at their cost. They all have different tools to put them into different roles, however, and only one will use the Reinforced Gloves often.

LexCorp Trooper 1 is the one who will be using his Gloves above all else, as he brings Close Combat Master for rerolls to hit and can punch above his weight pretty effectively. It gives him a degree of consistency to his offence that helps a lot in any crew

LexCorp Trooper 2 is the second melee model of the lot, and has an Electric Blade to play with instead of his fists. This blade is pretty much a straight upgrade for him, wounding on 3s from Mechanical, doing blood/stun damage and having built-in Unstoppable in the form of Crushing (so each attack needs 2 blocks to remove). Doing better damage, and more reliably, there is never any reason to use his Reinforced Gloves unless the incredibly unlikely happens and his blade is stolen. It also has the benefit of crit:Stun from Electric (and some bonuses vs Bot models)

LexCorp Trooper 3 is the only one that costs funding, but this is because of the gun he has. His Hand Cannon is a single shot short ranged Beam weapon, which may not seem that huge but it is triple blood damage and 3 ammo for $300, which is great value, and it has built in Push. This lets him force models out of position simply by hitting, and the ability to do it at range with penalties to Ping against it is fantastic. 

Defensive

Defence 3, endurance 4 is not good, that much is obvious. However, they all benefit from Cybernetic and Medium Armour, meaning they have +1 to block rolls, they are at a -2 penalty to be wounded, and can reroll their recovery rolls if KO. They have the tools to stay on the table if needed, but a dedicated effort will easily take them out of action. If you're looking to face these guys, chipping them down with ranged attacks will work very well (only need to hit to start stacking stun, and 4 or less on 2d6 is unlikely even with a reroll). Otherwise simply overwhelming them with weight of attacks can be successful, because with most "combat" models doing double damage you can fish for 6s fairly easily anyway. 

Overall

The only thing still worth noting is LexCorp Trooper 2 having Follow Me! which helps speed up the traditionally slow OC, and in Lex crews helps the movement 2 henchmen greatly. 

Their willpower of 5 is notable, but at their cost it is expected more than anything. 

The big hitter for LexCorp, the Heavy Trooper is a beefy, expensive model that definitely pulls his weight and most opponents will rightfully fear.
Offensive
Getting a bump in his attack and strength stats compared to the regular troopers (attack 3 to 4, strength 4+ to 3+) he is better at punching things than they are (excepting the rerolls to hit on LexCorp Trooper 1) but where he really shines is his shooting. The Laser Cannon weapon is a pretty amazing ranged attack, and can really mess up all manner of targets pretty reliably. Doing double blood at medium range, it also has RoF4 and 3 ammo to let it shoot consistently and often, while Beam sets it to 2+ to wound and -2 to Ping, meaning what he hits will most likely do damage. The other thing of note on it is Assault:2 which gives it a degree of mobility, and lets him get stuck in far quicker while still shooting.
Defensive
Same as the others, but with some slight differences to reflect the size change. Large gives him a penalty to Ping, his defence is a very low 2, but his endurance goes up to 6. Overall it means he is significantly harder to kill against melee models, but against guns he will still be very easily shot at (he's basically as good as a Bulletproof Vest before equipment)
Overall
Willpower 5 for his cost is on the lower end, but comparable to most other big hitters like Damian and big Borgon, and as a gun piece with fairly low stats he doesn't need to max out attack all the time. At movement 2 with Large he is about average in terms of movement, but with equipment (mentioned below) he becomes very quick and dangerous.
Having Invaluable as a trait offsets his huge role in the crew, and means he nets an opponent an extra VP when he dies. This means he will need to play smart and safe, but he can do a ton of work.

Equipment Options
As many Leaders do, Lex doesn't only add funding to his crew but he also adds new equipment options, adjusting how his crew may play. Jump-Pack as a piece of equipment is expensive at $400, but with Lex adding $500 this is offset a bit, and giving one or two of the LexCorp Troopers the Fly trait is a huge bonus in speed and can be a great help in general. It can only be taken on models that have the Cybernetic trait, so only the LexCorp models, but it is great on them anyway.
Most of your equipment in this crew is going on the Heavy Trooper, just because he is absolutely insane with a few things. Silencers are always really good to counter Acrobat, and Magazine keeps him shooting for 4 turns (but is also still good on Trooper 3). Jump-Pack helps his movement in huge ways, letting him pretty much reach anything with his guns at will, while Kevlar Vest or Bulletproof Vest keep him a lot safer when he is taking damage, stacking with his Medium Armour to make him a real pain to deal with.

Strategies
With Lex giving 2 extra Strategy Points, the crew has a lot to play around with. It largely just depends on playstyle, but I also want to mention the OC specific strategy Payday. At the cheap cost of 1 poitn, in effect it gives an extended Assassin:1 to henchmen in the crew, with an extra VP granted for making Leaders, Free Agents or Sidekicks casualties. In a crew like LexCorp where you not only have an abundance of Strategy Points but also henchmen that are big hitters like the Heavy Trooper, you can pretty well rely on it paying off. I would almost always take this unless the opponent only has a single Leader on the table and just henchmen, and against Teams especially this is guaranteed to be taken because it is a big gain for its low cost.

Comic review- 80s-90s Batman (Year One, Long Halloween/Dark Victory, Knightfall, No Man's Land)

Starting yet another new format, today we have a comic overview! Thought the natural place to start here would be with Batman, but given the huge amount of comic media I've decided to break it up into 2 parts for him. These are some of my favourite pieces of Batman media from the late 80s and into the 90s, a time that I personally feel is the beginning of consistently great Batman media until a little bit into the New 52 relaunch. In these, we have what is widely regarded as the definitive Batman and Robin origin piece and some other comics that are hugely important to the wider Batman mythos. Each comic is listed below with the characters/crews that I think are covered quite well in the stories, and I would put as "must reads" for each character.

Year One- OC/Batman/Gordon

This story is in my opinion the best piece of writing Frank Miller ever did for DC Comics bar none, and in itself is a great look at the grittier side of Gotham through the early careers of Batman, Gordon and Catwoman. While some matter in it has long since been retconned (and then all of it in one of the worst decisions of the New 52) it still holds up to this day as an amazing chronological starting point for Batman readers (or just a starting point in general). I tend to not recommend this as much as the next 2 in terms of starting Batman, and the storytelling isn't as captivating as them, but the artstyle alone is enough to make it stand out as a classic piece. 

The story itself is Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham at the same time as James Gordon transfers from Chicago, and through their viewpoints we get differing perspectives on the corruption that has set into Gotham. Both parties make a dedicated effort to clean up the town through their own methods, and come into conflict with the Falcone mob and the Commissioner. If you're expecting Gordon to get along with Batman right from the start, you'd be dead wrong, but watching them both grow as characters is well worth the read. A lot of the general story beats inspire Christopher Nolan in Batman Begins, and it really shows the quality of both. 

Long Halloween/Dark Victory- OC/Two-Face/Batman/Robin/Catwoman/Calendar Man

These two are together because they should always be read together, it's that simple. While they're very much sequels to Year One, it isn't 100% essential to "get" the story of Long Halloween, while Dark Victory is a direct continuation of the Long Halloween story. The one huge issue with these comics is that the art was dated when it came out, and leaves a lot to be desired in its weirdly abstract style. The story, however, more than makes up for this, and I recommend these stories to anyone wanting to read Batman, new or old.

The Long Halloween details Batman still early in his career while he continues his crusade against Organised Crime in Gotham, this time framed amid the growing conflict between the Maroni and Falcone families. Right in the middle of the war, there is a bit of a murder mystery in the Holiday Killer, who is thinning the ranks of the Falcone family and fuelling gang conflict across Gotham, targeting Falcone members on holidays much to the anger of Calendar Man. Adding to this, we also see Gordon continuing to rise the ranks, Catwoman finding her thieving ways, and Gotham's costumed criminals beginning to take over the evolving criminal underworld. If you want to read more about the Falcones, Maronis, or Calendar Man, this is without question the place to start reading. 

Dark Victory is pretty much a direct continuation of Long Halloween, showing how the mobs are attempting to accustom themselves to the growing costumed crime in Gotham while they are being continually hit by the newly rising District Attorney, Harvey Dent. The way that Don Maroni attempts to deal with this will have repercussions for all of Gotham, and leads to the end of the story. Framed against the growing influence of Maroni, we also see the deaths of the Flying Graysons, and Dick Grayson turning into Robin. Again, this is a great piece for Maroni, but it is also a must read for fans of Robin or Two-Face because it is to this day the creation story for both of these characters.

Knightfall- Bane/Batman/Robin/Azrael

Knightfall. Everyone knows the basics, Bane comes in and smashes up Bruce, Azrael takes the reins and goes a bit nutty. The first arc, Knightfall proper, is without a doubt the best appearance of Bane to date, as its him at his most powerful and most manipulative, but its also a quick rattling off of a great amount of Batman villains, both major and minor. I'll admit I didn't enjoy the Azbat portion as much as other arcs I've read, but that is purely because I think it dragged on a bit too long. Azbat is a great example of 90s edge done well enough, seeing him slash up criminals is pretty cathartic actually, and its a perfect difference from the usual straight laced Batman. The one major complaint I have with this arc though, like No Man's Land after it, is Tim Drake and the drama with his father sucks. I have no love for it, if it went on for a quarter of the issues it did then maybe, but as it was it just bloats page counts for useless circular storytelling. To be fair, its something Robin simply couldn't have before Tim, and it is different, but its crap.
Knightfall starts with Bane blowing up Arkham Asylum, so the stakes are immediately set. Bruce is then at breaking point having to clean up the mess, and when he finally finishes Bane is waiting for him, leading to the famous "breaking". Cue Azbat and a long winded edgefest, and then Bruce is healed and comes back to take back the cowl. All in all I would recommend it up until the "breaking" but after that only if you're really looking to read a lot of Azbat. 

No Man's Land- Batman/Gordon/Penguin/Ivy/Harley/Joker
I'll be perfectly honest here, No Man's Land is one of my favourite Batman arcs of all time. Not only is it the first comic appearance of Harley Quinn and Cassandra Cain, it also has some of the best Penguin material ever published, and is where he truly comes into his own as a broker of all things, and it has a Batman stripped of all plot armour and in a bad way. The early stages of the arc (mainly Road to NML) are very Bruce Wayne heavy as well, with Bruce fighting in Congress to get government aid into Gotham instead of on its streets as Batman until a good way into the arc. All in all, its a refreshing pallet cleanser when compared to a lot of "traditional" Batman stories, and sets the tone for Gotham Central after it which is also awesome.
Set after the events of Cataclysm and Aftershock, Gotham is in a pretty bad way, and after the government declare it a no man's land almost all the residents leave. Those who are left behind have to deal with Gotham becoming a faction based playground for the various supervillains, and huge shifts in power are made among those at the top. Two-Face allying with police? It happens here, and its great. All throughout you watch eagerly as Batman and Gordon come to terms with what they've dealt with and crawl back into control of Gotham through both conflict and negotiation. The fact that Joker is largely missing for it is only an extra bonus, especially because when he does appear it's gnarly...