Steampunks

Purchase the Steampunks Faction on Forgefire! (link coming soon)

Jules Verne once said, “Hey, Steampunks. Nice threads.” Ever since that fateful day, these retronauts have been classing up the joint everywhere they go. Any base in the game will look smarter and be just a bit friendlier for full-on Steampunk domination.

Steampunks are from the Awesome Level 9000 set and do not have a Titan card.

Complexity Level: Low-Medium

Mechanics

Playing Actions on Bases
Minions and Actions Support Each Other

What happens with an engine when no one's there to operate it? Steampunks know the answer intimately well. Steampunks have tons of play-on-base actions. Pretty much all their other cards interact with play-on-base actions in some way. Conversely, pretty much all their play-on-base actions interact with minions in some way. Quite a symbiotic relationship going on here.

Strategy

Steampunks have a lot of power and mobility when they put their minions and play-on-base actions together, and lack it all when they separate. It is important to realize just how intertwined their minions and actions are. 6/10 of their actions directly rely on your minions, and 9/10 of their minions' abilities directly rely on play-on-base actions (Steam Queen also protects play-on-minion actions). This symbiosis tends to get ever stronger the more minions and play-on-base actions you have in play. As a consequence, the beginning of the game tends to be slow for Steampunks, and also just after bases they won score. Keep steaming on by recycling your play-on-base actions with Mechanic and Scrap Diving.

Usually, factions with abilities that draw extra cards also have abilities that play extra cards, but Steampunks do not. Drawing extra cards still helps you find the best cards in your deck, though, even if you have to discard down to 10. Note that the extra card from Difference Engine comes after Phase 4 of your turn, so you would end with 11 cards not 10.

Opponents may try to disrupt the plan. You should look out for this, but Steampunks thought ahead for you. Steam Queen, Escape Hatch, and Ornate Dome help you stay in control of the situation. Combine these three with Difference Engine to create a nigh-impenetrable fortress. The longer you keep the base these are on from breaking, the longer you will profit from it.

Synergy

Factions with play-on-base actions are great for Steampunks, and ones that play into their utilities.

Pirates - Abet Steampunks with the original kings of mobility. Steampunks have no minion destruction of their own, if you needed that.
Tricksters - Amazingly, Tricksters have almost as many play-on-base actions as Steampunks.
Bear Cavalry - Bears have a couple play-on-base actions that greatly buff your minions, as well as a couple extra minion plays to balance Difference Engine.
Ancient Incas - Sapa Inca can fetch Aggromotive and Rotary Slug Thrower.
Star Roamers - Plug into these guys' insane protective movement chains and extra minion plays. If you're smart, your power will end up exactly where you need it.

Cards - Minions

1x Steam Queen

Power 5 - Ongoing: Your actions are not affected by other players’ cards.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

2x Mechanic

Power4X - Choose an action in your discard pile that can be played on a base and play it as an extra action.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

3x Steam Man

Power 3 - Ongoing: Has +1 power if this base has one of your actions played on it.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

This triggers if you have more than one action on its base.

4x Captain Ahab

Power 2 - Talent: Move this minion to a base that has one of your actions played on it.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Cards - Actions

1x Aggromotive

Play on a base. Ongoing: If you have a minion here, you have +5 power here.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

The +5 power is not added to any minion, but just adds to your total there, during every player’s turn.

1x Change of Venue

Place one of your actions that is on a base or minion into your hand. Play it again as an extra action.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

1x Difference Engine

Play on a base. Ongoing: If you have a minion here, draw an extra card at the end of your turn.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

1x Escape Hatch

Play on a base. Ongoing: When your minions here are destroyed, place them into your hand instead of the discard pile.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

Minions placed into your hand do not count as being destroyed (c.f. Field of Honor).

1x Ornate Dome

Play on a base. Destroy all other players’ actions played here. Ongoing: Other players cannot play actions on this base.

Errata? Yes/No

Clarifications:

This does not affect actions on minions, nor prevent such actions from being played. This does not block actions that target a base but are not played on it (e.g., Rampage, Disenchant).