Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Introducing Grunts!

Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Introducing Grunts!

Welcome back to another Atomic Mass Transmission. Today we have something all-new and long-awaited to show you. Introducing: Grunts, a unique type of character that will hit the battlefield in upcoming Character Packs like the recently announced Nick Fury & S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents and Shadowland Daredevil, Elektra, & Hand Ninjas!

So, what are Grunts? A Grunt character is unlike our usual heroic and villainous figures; they are nameless backup that appear to support the hotshot leading them into battle. In a game of Marvel: Crisis Protocol, these characters represent the unsung legions joining the battle behind their commanders. Every time a Grunt falls, there’s another one waiting to take its place if their master calls.

Mechanically this means Grunt characters are tied to a Parent character. A Grunt cannot enter the battlefield, be included in rosters or squads, or even take actions without their Parent character calling the shots. If a Parent character goes down, their loyal Grunts go with them.

While the Grunts can’t stand without their Parent, the reverse is not equally true. Knocking out a Grunt doesn’t hurt their Parent at all. In fact, Grunts tend to take the fall for their heroes. They fling themselves heedlessly into harm’s way, hoping to eke out an advantage their Parent can seize. This reckless fragility shows itself in the way Grunt characters handle damage. Grunts don’t have Injured sides and can’t be Dazed; if they would be Dazed, they are immediately KO’d instead.

These perpetual fall-guys are mission expendable. Their Parent characters will have superpowers and special abilities that call them in, and some that dismiss them just as easily. Since they’re not expected to stick around, Grunts don’t collect or use a lot of resources. They cannot gain or have Power, and they cannot play or be chosen by allied Team Tactic Cards.

But what Grunts CAN do is activate together with their Parent character. When a Parent is chosen to activate, if they have a Grunt character in play, the Grunts take their activation immediately as part of the Parent activation. They set it up; their Parent knocks it out of the park.

But Grunts aren’t here to swarm the battlefield. Only very specific characters have a reputation for leading Grunts, and a player can only have one Grunt character in play at a time. The focus of a Grunt is always on supporting their Parent character, harassing enemies where they can, and being the best damn backup the tabletop has ever seen.

So, watch out for Grunts in upcoming Character Packs! Until the next time, this is Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off.