Originally published at: http://gomorragazette.com/2016/04/27/culpability-scientizer-teaching-old-dogs-new-tricks/
by David Hammond
The Curtain Rises in four weeks, and it’s time for the spoilers to finally start flying. Today we have a special gadget for Law Dogs fans. Many players have long complained about weak support for the Dog’s sub-theme of mad science.
I present to you fine folks, the Culpability Scientizer! Ain’t she a beaut? Low cost plus one of the lowest inventing difficulties to date, so there’s not a lot more that you could ask for. The Scientizer isn’t exclusively for upholding the law. Nevertheless, we all know what group is meant to wield this “modern” marvel as its flavor differs from the typical Morgan contraptions or even what the Clowns churn out. This gadget demonstrates what Law Dog’s science looks like, as it essentially turns anyone into a weird west detective.
So how can we utilize it? First off, it’s not a weapon, which means that if you decide to go full Tesla and pack your deck full of skeletons and flamethrowers, you can also tote one of these along. Zoe Halbrook, alas, must recuse herself from the fun. Janosz Pratt, Drew Beauman, and Roderick Byre are all fine candidates for a Dogs’ starting posse. Similar to Andrew Burton, you can put a bounty on anyone, instantly and regardless of their influence. The Scientizer plays well with the Dog’s primary theme, opening up bounty hunter call outs and repeated judge blitzes if you care to go that route. It also buffs The Arsenal as it allows for multiple call outs from the home and its own ability. This card shares a value with Quaterman and the potent Sun In Yer Eyes. Quaterman plus one of these bad boys creates a legitimate Doomtown Robocop, making players with a taste for thematic decks quite happy indeed. Being able to make the first play upon apprehending a wanted criminal should not be overlooked. This provides you with the opportunity to use Sun In Yer Eyes to de-power an opposing dude’s shotgun before it has a chance to go off (oftentimes a problematic goods for many of the low value law dogs ). Combine with Pearly’s Palace, or better yet also winning Lowball, and that’s two or three opportunities for hijinks and ensuing hilarity before the shootin’ begins (or at least their shootin’ n bootin’). Discarding for its ability appears sub-optimal at first, but re-draw as well as an increased tempo for issuing bounties gives your deck greater recovery power. Combine this with the versatile action card Framed and you will always have overflowing coffers! I’m eager to see how others revisit and revise Law Dog’s mad science.
Here is a sample deck to get your brains churning, since our newest shiny toy isn’t even in DTDB yet.
Outfit: Law Dogs - 1 wealth, 3 income, 3 influence
Spades ( *=starting posse ) ( 15 )
1x A Jake Smiley*
1x 2 Philip Swinford*
1x 3 Janosz Pratt*
1x 3 Tommy Harden*
1x 7 Roderick Byre
1x 8 Judge Harry Somerset ( exp. 1 )
2x 8 Steven Wiles
1x 8 Vasilis the Boar
1x 9 Dr. Dawn Edwards
1x 9 Mario Crane
1x 9 Xiong “Wendy” Cheng
1x J Clint Ramsey
1x J El Grajo
1x J Zoe Halbrook
Clubs ( 11 )
4x 8 Bounty Hunter
1x 9 Cheatin’ Varmint
2x 9 Framed
1x 9 Signing Over The Stores
2x J Flight of the Lepus
1x J Outgunned
Diamonds ( 11 )
1x 8 Circle M Ranch
2x 8 Lula’s Exploit
1x 8 Pat’s Perch
1x 9 Bunkhouse
1x 9 Epidemic Laboratory
1x 9 Old Marge’s Manor
1x J California Tax Office
1x J Jackson’s Strike
1x J Miasmatic Purifier
1x Q General Store
Hearts ( 15 )
4x 3 Culpability Scientizer
3x 8 Flame-Thrower
1x 8 Force Field
4x 9 Mechanical Horse
3x J Yagn’s Mechanical Skeleton
1x Joker ( black )
1x Joker ( red )