Primer: How to have fun with ATAs and keywords
comment on 3/19/2017
Wiz Kids has recently announced that it is working on revisions to the various rules, powers, abilities, etc of the game.
What follows (below) is based on the rulebook from 2014. Once the new rulebook is published, what follows ... may need to be significantly updated.
It's been real.
contents last updated 2/13/2015
Tom's Primer: How to have fun with ATAs and keywords:
In other words, to use an ATA, you must be playing a theme team - each member of the team must have at least one keyword in common with all other members of the team (excluding bystander tokens).
Note that a theme team has to have more than one character on it (see comment, below, about entities and the recent errata on how they don't count as a character on your force). No ATAs for a "OMA" (one man army) - sorry. It's just not allowed.
The keyword will be either generic (see current list on back of rulebook) or specific. If generic, then you have a generic theme team. If specific, then you have a named theme team.
Either of these give you the addition to the dice roll for maps/first player. (again - a OMA is not a theme team, so no bonus at all for map roll/first player if you're running a OMA).
Only named theme team gives you theme team probability control.
Either gives you the ability to then "purchase" an additional team ability (ATA). For you to purchase an ATA for a figure, that figure needs to have a keyword that matches the requirements for the ATA.
Note: if you purchase an ATA for a figure with a qualifying keyword, the rule book (page 23) requires you to purchase that ATA for ALL such members with the qualifying keyword. No "picking only a subset" of your characters with the qualifying keyword.
Also per page 23 - max of one ATA per team - you can't have different ATAs for figures with different qualifying keywords.
For example, SLOSH Bizarro and SLOSH (chase) Superman. Both have "monster" keyword, so that would be a generic 2 member theme team. You would get +2 on the initial 2d6 roll.
You would not get theme team probability control because "monster" is a generic keyword.
You are then allowed to "purchase" the ATA for the SLOSH Superman's keyword "Servant of the Great Darkness" - the "Great Darkness: Minions", but only for SLOSH Superman, not for Bizarro, as he lacks the necessary keyword to use the ATA.
Please note that nothing in this interferes with the ability to use a "regular" team ability. Let's note that SLOSH Superman has the Superman Ally team ability printed on his dial. The use by him or any other member of the team of any/all ATAs will not preclude the use of that TA by him. In other words, ATAs are "additional" - they are in addition to any already permitted use of team abilities.
So, in this example, Bizarro would have no TAs and no ATAs, SLOSH Superman would have his "regular" TA (Superman Ally) and his "purchased" ATA (Servant of the Great Darkness, and you'd have +2 on your dice roll ("monster" generic theme team) but no theme team probability controls.
Additionally, after "purchase" of the ATA, other members of your force with the ability to "copy" team abilities (wildcards, calculators and the like) can copy the ATA for "free", just like any other team ability they can copy.
Enjoy!
Tom
Wiz Kids has recently announced that it is working on revisions to the various rules, powers, abilities, etc of the game.
What follows (below) is based on the rulebook from 2014. Once the new rulebook is published, what follows ... may need to be significantly updated.
It's been real.
contents last updated 2/13/2015
Tom's Primer: How to have fun with ATAs and keywords:
In other words, to use an ATA, you must be playing a theme team - each member of the team must have at least one keyword in common with all other members of the team (excluding bystander tokens).
Note that a theme team has to have more than one character on it (see comment, below, about entities and the recent errata on how they don't count as a character on your force). No ATAs for a "OMA" (one man army) - sorry. It's just not allowed.
The keyword will be either generic (see current list on back of rulebook) or specific. If generic, then you have a generic theme team. If specific, then you have a named theme team.
Either of these give you the addition to the dice roll for maps/first player. (again - a OMA is not a theme team, so no bonus at all for map roll/first player if you're running a OMA).
Only named theme team gives you theme team probability control.
Either gives you the ability to then "purchase" an additional team ability (ATA). For you to purchase an ATA for a figure, that figure needs to have a keyword that matches the requirements for the ATA.
Note: if you purchase an ATA for a figure with a qualifying keyword, the rule book (page 23) requires you to purchase that ATA for ALL such members with the qualifying keyword. No "picking only a subset" of your characters with the qualifying keyword.
Also per page 23 - max of one ATA per team - you can't have different ATAs for figures with different qualifying keywords.
For example, SLOSH Bizarro and SLOSH (chase) Superman. Both have "monster" keyword, so that would be a generic 2 member theme team. You would get +2 on the initial 2d6 roll.
You would not get theme team probability control because "monster" is a generic keyword.
You are then allowed to "purchase" the ATA for the SLOSH Superman's keyword "Servant of the Great Darkness" - the "Great Darkness: Minions", but only for SLOSH Superman, not for Bizarro, as he lacks the necessary keyword to use the ATA.
Please note that nothing in this interferes with the ability to use a "regular" team ability. Let's note that SLOSH Superman has the Superman Ally team ability printed on his dial. The use by him or any other member of the team of any/all ATAs will not preclude the use of that TA by him. In other words, ATAs are "additional" - they are in addition to any already permitted use of team abilities.
So, in this example, Bizarro would have no TAs and no ATAs, SLOSH Superman would have his "regular" TA (Superman Ally) and his "purchased" ATA (Servant of the Great Darkness, and you'd have +2 on your dice roll ("monster" generic theme team) but no theme team probability controls.
Additionally, after "purchase" of the ATA, other members of your force with the ability to "copy" team abilities (wildcards, calculators and the like) can copy the ATA for "free", just like any other team ability they can copy.
Enjoy!
Tom
Total Comments 4
Comments
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Note: per errata issued today, 10/21/2015, possession only grants keywords to the possessed figure. The possessing figure (whether a WoL entity or Jocasta or anything else) is not part of your force for any game effect purposes, including is not a member of your force for purposes of determining whether you have a theme team or not.
Before this errata, you could take TW Superman and possess him with Parallax. That would give TW Superman the Sinestro Corps keyword and your force would then have two members with the keyword, qualifying as a named theme team, giving you map roll bonuses and ... most importantly ... allowing you to "purchase" any qualifying ATA for Superman, such as a Justice League ATA. No longer - post errata, Superman is the only member of the force, and a "one man army" is not allowed to "buy" an ATA. |
Posted 10/21/2015 at 17:36 by BertieWooster
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Note: Per WK, bystanders can't participate in TTPC.
http://www.wizkidseventsystem.com/bb...der+ttpc#p6731 |
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Posted 12/07/2015 at 15:45 by BertieWooster
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RB, page 23:
Additional Team Abilities: Additional Team Ability (ATA) cards can be added to your force when it is a themed team. Each ATA card indicates the cost per character that must be added to your force in order to use it in the game; all characters that meet the prerequisites must be assigned the ATA and your force’s build total is affected accordingly. ATA cards provide either different or additional team abilities to the qualifying characters on your force. These team abilities are possessed by the qualifying characters and can be used by wild cards (unless the ATA specifies otherwise). A force may only include one ATA card. Comment: this is why/how a wildcard can copy an ATA; if they were not possessed, then wildcards would be out of luck. |
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Posted 12/10/2015 at 13:42 by BertieWooster
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additional note: to purchase an ATA, you (a) need a theme team and (b) you need to have one or more characters with the keyword(s) required for the ATA.
There are a few ATAs which require more than one keyword. GCPD comes to mind. ATAs are listed in the Units Section (top of your screen) - very first "group". As of this blog update, there are 118 listed. Note that the ATAs for "animal" and "robot" are the only two (presently) that can be given to a figure with a generic keyword. All other ATAs have keywords which are non-generic (such as Green Lantern Corps or ... 115 more like that). |
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Posted 01/13/2016 at 23:25 by BertieWooster
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Recent Blog Entries by BertieWooster
- another way to abuse keywords and the Sinestro Corps battery (06/07/2018)
- Undying team (02/08/2017)
- George Carlin on rights (02/01/2017)
- 300 point Metropolis Theme Team (11/09/2016)
- This shouldn't be allowed (11/03/2016)
