Afters some matches Deadly Dance as well as missions with Xenotech I will use following house rules for my future tournaments: - Deadly Dance: After rolling for the first quadrant the other quadrant is the diagonal mirrored quadrant (without roll) to achieve an equal starting situation for both opponents. This has been tested and works well. :) - Xenotech: a) With every missed try you get a cumulative +3 for the next WIP roll. b) Using a long skill let's you auto-achieve placing the multiscanner. I think a) is better here, but will have to try this. What are your opinions on this?
Further ideas: c) Using a long skill gives you a +3 MOD for the roll. d) Spend a Command Token to reroll the failed roll. [Point d) can be in addition to a) or c).]
Dropping the Multiscanner is a bit of an issue in general. There is just so much luck involved and no way to adjust for it by having the right specialist or an EVO or get rerolls or anything like that. I do like the cumulative +3 idea. That said I wish the issue had been adressed from the start by building in an option to adjust these rolls by, for example dropping them further away and getting bonuses on how far from your DZ you are or something like that.
Just change the +3 WIP mod for having an Engineer/Hacker on the table to be +1 Burst. But honestly, my preferred solution. * Give Xenotechs the Designated Target profile. * Xenotechs are Hostile. * Xenotechs drop a Multiscanner (Disposable (1)) when they enter a null state. * Any (yes, any) Trooper can pick up the Multiscanner by passing a WIP roll (if this Trooper subsequently enters a Null state they, in turn, drop the Multiscanner). * Troopers possessing a Multiscanner can not enter a Marker state. * Deploying a Multiscanner does not require a roll. * When successfully deployed the Multiscanner is placed on the table in the Deployed state. * You can only deploy your own Multiscanner (ie the one that your Xenotech started with). * When in the Deployed state the Multiscanner can no longer be picked up. * Multiscanners are markers and consequently are not affected by attacks. This introduces actual gameplay around Xenotechs. * It's possible to prevent your opponent placing the Multiscanner. * Xenotech assasination is a decent play as it forces your opponent to pick up the Multiscanner (with a chance of failure). * Killing your opponent's Xenotech and stealing the Multiscanner is legal and a tactical option. * If implemented mainly in missions with a second turn advantage (IE Aquisition) if provides a slight advantage to going first. The other option I like is "just remove Xenotechs".
I like the idea of having one of your actual dudes be the xenotech, like the datatracker, they gain Sensor and can place the scanner.