Before we get the full release of the newest Malifaux book Wyrd Miniatures are putting out a series of new starter sets for each faction that contains a Henchmen Hardcore valid crew of 4 Versatile models that can be used by anything in the faction and some of which belong to specific keywords. The Outcast set is strange in that it's all Syndicate keyword, meaning it belongs to the Explorers Society's Anya Lycaryen but is also all available for the Outcasts as a faction (and only Anya can take them in Explorers). I managed to get it all painted recently and figured I'd also write up my thoughts on the models too
Yannic Waller- The henchman of the set, Yannic does a lot of very good things to support the crew although she does a lot more for Syndicate as a whole. 5s for pretty much every stat, 7 wounds with Hard to Kill and being a henchman for stones she is fairly average for 7SS in that regard. Gunfighter on her shotgun is quite nice and 2/4 blast/5 blast is a decent enough track IMO while not being super amazing either. Her 2 tactical actions are very nice, with Democratic Elections acting as a bunch of ping healing and damage (in an equal ratio) with ways to bump up the damage or drop a scheme marker (provided you heal more enemies, so you won't always want to do it). Consolidate Power as a bonus action is good enough, and with a heal on a ram trigger it's just a nice little bit of support for very little cost. Price of Progress is less important on Yannic than the others but it still gives you a means to save on Soulstone use (and Democratic Elections is a great way to heal back up so the cost of it is less meaningful). The last thing to note is her card package which is better in Syndicate because it has a lot more synergy but is still really useful in Outcasts in the right situation. Shouting Orders (Syndicate) is great in this starter set and really works in the Henchman Hardcore situation, but otherwise isn't huge and is more just a nice thing to have. Ingenuity though is huge, and a 6" aura of helping card discards at the cost of discarding scheme markers within 2". It's a steep cost if you aren't throwing out markers without taking Interacts (and the AP cost or the scheme is important to note because the card draw often won't be worth it when considering that).
Catalan Brawler- A bit of a hybrid bodyguard/tank/beater the Brawler is in a bit of a weird spot but it is still useful. 8 wounds at Df5, 8 wounds, Armour 1 and Hard to Kill is already nice, then you look at Juggernaut as their bonus action and Cage Fighter on a Df trigger and they have a really good defensive package, which then works with Condor Security forcing enemies to hit him and keep your other models safer if you can get the positioning well enough. Toss in the Mud for aggressive condition removal isn't huge and you'll use it more on your own models which is still a good niche, but in the right situations (Kaeris and McMourning especially) it will be very nasty and something the opponent will try to avoid a lot. Their Brass Knuckles is ok damage and Staggered works well for control (and is great with Jack Daw) and Hold Down synergises great with any guns you take (Rusty Alyce or Mad Dog for example)
Catalan Rifleman- 2 simple and effective cost 5 minions, as far as Versatiles go they are pretty well designed IMO because they're good but will never overshadow keyword competition outside of their one specific role. Very weak defensive stats although Hard to Kill is nice, and Mv5 is fairly good but it's their actions that really make them worth taking. Bonus action Interact at the cost of a card (which with Yannic becomes cycling) lets them be very versatile in what they do, and although both their attacks are projectile actions Expert Shot ignores Friendly Fire and the Clockwork Rifle ignores cover so you're only really suffering from Concealment. Warning Shot for ranged Distracted can be useful, and both triggers are helpful in the right situation (the action in general is really nice with Viks for example) and the Clockwork Rifle has a fairly average damage track but Stunned on a trigger is also very good because of how rare it is in Outcasts. Whatever the trigger you want in any situation you can also choose to have it at the cost of a wound via Price of Progress which is helpful, but when they don't have a high amount of wounds it becomes something to remain careful of.
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