To this I say BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! here's your free participation prize resource. Oh you want to complete it with all the hammers? Buy this 20$ scenario pack. Oh you want to be able to use it the most efficient way possible? Buy this other scenario pack for $20. LAME!!!!!!

the venues I play fear itself at allow elements from scenario packs plus the book and hammers. I dont want to use the book of skull but I also dont want to get spanked so I decided im going to try it out in the next one. Now this. EVERYONE is going to be comboing splitlip with the POS I mean BOS. Ugh...

Free action you mad bro?

It's a good call the book on its own wasn't competitive as it was against the belt and the alpha strike meta we have this helps to level the playing field a bit, the 20 extra points keep the expense higher on the resource but allow the hammers to equip without the waisted actions

Saying this makes you happy?

Yeah, I may actually breakdown and get one, now. Just like they planned!

Yeah, we needed a 20 point character who can make a Resource perform even better, because Resources just aren't that good on their own.

Sadly we did because the belt is too dominant especially in 300 play, and yes they are in business to make a profit. Besides if he was I'm the fi boosters out would have unbalanced the tournament for those that pulled him so I'm ok with it being in a scenario pack

No. The rulebook covers this specific situation:
If a game effect allows you to perform a specific power or ability as a free action, then that effect is not considered to be the type of action which would normally be given. (For example, when Zoom uses Flurry during Hypersonic Speed, there is no close combat action given.)

Sometimes you have an action-as-a-free-action. The close combat action allowed by Charge is a "free" close combat action, and things that look for a close combat action will still "see" that.

But sometimes you have something that would normally be an action of one type being a different type of action: the Zoom example is one such, and Splitlip is another. He doesn't allow the power action to roll for the relic to be a "free power action", he changes it from a power action into a free action.

Make sense?

they're allowing the figures from the scenario packs, not just the relics? That's....interesting.

My opinion differs a bit. I feel that Resources (except for the Penguin) are overpowered/underpriced to the point that not including one on a team usually places you at a massive disadvantage, and an effort to make an already great Resource for 9-30 points even better by adding a really, really good 20 point character to your build is just overkill.

Where this effect can be purchased is not my issue, the fact that this effect exists is what makes me sad.

Interesting, and a great approach to make sure a store sells all the Scenario Packs they ordered. Even though I think it's a bit much, I can't fault a venue for attempting to boost sales in a legitimate manner.

I can see that, I suppose: didn't really think about that context because my venue hasn't been able to keep them on the shelf anyway. But a "Sealed" event where I can choose to use Skadi or Ironman as part of my build does seem a little...over the top.

I respect your opinion but I think resources are good for the game, if you remove heros for hire and team bases the meta becomes fun and not over centralized, look at last years gen con and the diversity of the top 16 teams it's pretty awesome yeah they all had a gauuntlet but atleast there was variety like never before. The belt however is a problem due to prep time and free action abuse right now. The gauntlet can't keep up and without the free action pick up the book would be useless in 300 play against the belt this five us atleast some options.

I agree resiurces are very strong and you pretty much have to play them I just want to see a variety of them.

Five was supposed to be gives*

I'm inclined to agree with silentscream. While this does give the Book a significant overall increase in efficiency of use, it also brings it more in line with other resources. I've used the book numerous times and despite its usefulness with hammer +2s and abilities, it remained very slow. While you would be taking action tokens to equip, then clear (as your first action is typically to move out 5 squares), you are smacked and/or based by the opposition. The book left you wide open to the opponents alpha strike unless you had a gentleman's agreement and both just sat there equipping hammers to your force. The change gives the book a huge boost, a boost it may not have always needed, but one that will make it more viable in competitive play. If this boost causes more players to build a full team for events instead of one tentpole + belt, with support, I'm all for it.

Two points:

1. Splitlip is great but so is the rest of the scenario pack. I'm not quite understanding the arguments that you have to buy product to have characters that work well together. 20 bucks for a scenario pack is less than the price of two boosters and you get a heck of a lot more than splitlip. This is a game that costs money to get product, why would some characters be different than others in that respect?

2. Resources are overpowered compared to character pricing. It is true, undeniable, and perfectly fine. Resources are meant to be balanced against each other. If a game allows resources, it is nearly guaranteed you should use one. However, ironically, Splitlip also tips the scales in favor of relics in general, not just the BoS. I had an awesome time fooling around with a Dr Octopus arms, mole man, splitlip, thule priest, The Zombie team. As more relics become competitive, Splitlip will be one of the driving forces making them more viable.

Don't compare resources to characters, compare them to each other. If you want to disallow resources entirely, by all means, but the balance between resources and the balance between characters is apples and oranges. This is the reason Splitlip is a good addition, because he brings the BoS up to the level that the Utility Belt (and IG) are performing at. Once there is a wide berth of resources to pick from, the feeling of being pigeonholed will diminish and the types of teams will expand.

Well, I'll restate one of my objections. It's not the price. It's not that the Book is being made better. It's that the Book is being made better only for teams with Splitlip on it, a character with only three fairly limited keywords.

Asgardian's not a bad keyword. Armor has some decent figures but lacks low point pit crew pieces. And Stark Enterprises (currently) has very few options.

I hate the idea that to use the Book well, you *have* to either go for a non-theme team (which I try to avoid like the plague) or go for just one of three theme teams. So it looks like I can only play one of three theme teams ever? I'm not happy about that.

Can I play any of my new cool Wolverine and the X-men figures? No... not with the Book... not if I want the Book to work as it should. Unless I play something stupid, like Colossus in his suit of high-tech armor (wait, what? he has the armor keyword?).