![[2]](https://lotrtcgdb.com/forums/Smileys/classic/2.png "2")
•Jacob Keyes, Hero of Sigma Octanus [UNSC]
Companion • Man
Strength: 6
Vitality: 3
Signet: Master Chief
Star: Gold
Marine. Commander: UNSC Pillar of Autumn.
Jacob Keyes may bear [Covenant] ranged weapons.
While Jacob Keyes or Master Chief is wounded, each marine is strength +1.
"‘We need to beat the Covenant to Halo's control room. Marines! Let's move! Chief, you have the point.'"
1U?
Great fun. I assume that his text overrules "bearer must be" requirements for Covvie weapons, then?
That would be correct.
Okay, with Keyes now out, it's time for our first ship. And what better vessel than the good captain's cruiser itself, perhaps the most famous ship in the
Halo series?
Let's hope I do it justice. Enjoy!
![[5]](https://lotrtcgdb.com/forums/Smileys/classic/5.png "5")
•
UNSC Pillar of Autumn, Venerable Warship [UNSC]
Ship • Capital Ship •
Halcyon Cruiser
Weapons: 13
Armor: 5
Staff: 2 Gold, 2 Silver
The
Pillar of Autumn is
damage +1 if Jacob Keyes or Cortana is staffing (or
+2 if both are staffing).
While you cannot spot a Shadow Capital Ship, each Spartan II, ODST, and marine played during the company phase is twilight cost -1.
"...a Halcyon-class warship that has seen decades of service. An aging but sturdy vessel, and one of the smallest cruisers in the human fleet...."Like most Capital Ships, the main purpose of the
Pillar of Autumn is to rule the skies and aid the company. If it has challengers in space (Shadow Capital Ships), it cannot claim "air superiority" (not a term I plan on using in the game...just a military term you've probably heard in the news), and therefore cannot directly help the company out. That's where engagements come in.
A new phase called the "engagement phase" will be inserted into the game. It will work exactly like skirmish phases, but these "skirmishes" will be between ships. This version of the
Autumn is obviously a very potent warship, as it can potentially reach
damage +2 and dish out some serious pain. Most Capital Ships have anywhere from 4-6 armor (vitality), so if it wins,
Pillar of Autumn can finish off most Capital Ships in just two engagements if all goes well.
As mentioned before, a Capital Ship must ALSO be fully staffed to use its text. It CAN enter into engagements without its full staff aboard, but when doing so, it can only defend; even if it "wins" the engagement thanks to a higher weapons (strength) number, the losing ship takes no damage (wounds), but if it loses that engagement, it still takes damage. Ouch. Plus, like I said, it can't use any other text, so even this
Pillar of Autumn out without another ship in the sky would STILL not help the company out without a full crew aboard.
The costs for playing companions and allies aboard a Capital Ship to meet the typically high staffing requirements would be, admittedly, too restrictive if left as is. Instead, by rule, each character played aboard a Capital Ship is
automatically twilight cost -2. This means that many characters that are good at staffing (like Keyes) play for free on a ship they're going to staff. Another good example....
•
Aki Hikowa, First-Rate Tactical Officer [UNSC]
Companion • Man
Strength: 4
Vitality: 3
Signet: Keyes
Star: Silver
At the end of the maneuver phase, you may exert Aki Hikowa to make a ship she is staffing weapons +2 (or its staff members strength +2) until the end of the turn. Then, if that ship's matching commander is staffing, you may make that ship weapons +1.
"‘Firing solution online, sir. MAC gun hot and missile safety interlocks removed. Ready to launch.'"1R?
Anyone who has read the Halo novels should remember this cool, calm, and VERY competent
tac officer. Not much good in a fight, but that's okay...the only fights you want her in are the ones where she's weilding a ship's gun against another vessel, anyway! Aki is a wonderful trump card when you're engaging slightly more powerful ships, giving you a very nice weapons +2 when you need it...or +3 if that ship's "matching commander" is aboard. What's a matching commander? Go back and look at Keyes and note his "
Commander: UNSC Pillar of Autumn". That means that Keyes is the matching commander of--you guessed it!--the
Autumn. There will be other benefits to having a ship staffed by its commander, but this is certainly one of the simplest and more immediately helpful ones.
The potential strength boost to crew members may seem odd, but we'll cover why she has that option another day. For now, let's just say that destroying a ship in an engagement isn't the ONLY way to potentially take it out of your opponent's hands.
•
The Legacy of the Pillar of Autumn [UNSC]
Condition
Strength +1
Vitality +1
Bearer must be Jacob Keyes.
Company: Exert bearer twice to play a [UNSC] ship from your draw deck. If bearer is that ship's matching commander, heal bearer.
1R?
Just a fun card my old Halo TCG partner Frodo59 created. The original actually played possessions, if I recall, but I figured a little help getting ships out was needed.
By the way, the "bearer" stuff instead of "Jacob Keyes" is because, even though this card SEEMS to be limited to him, we'll see in the future that that's not necessarily ALWAYS the case.
Topic: Halo TCG - Halo - UNSC (8/27: "She's blue, but she's hot!") (Read 44817 times)