Expanding Starter Set: Life and Death Struggle

“What should I get next?” is a frequent question from new players who have started their Moonstone collection with a Starter Set. I’ve written about the Dusk till Dawn Set previously, so this article is round 2 for Life and Death Struggle.

Shades

Charge of the Fright Brigade

Charge of the Fright Brigade: The Terrible Musician, Teacake of Torment, Flay Bearer of Knowledge, Lampy Darkson, Brave Sir Pidge, Jeremy Lord of the Deep.

At the time of writing the Shades have just released, so in comparison to other factions they may not have as many boxsets available. This doesn't mean they are at a lack of options however. First things first, 'Charge of the Fright Brigade' is an excellent addition to any Shades player's collection. It also gives you some high-quality miniatures for Brave Sir Pidge and Flay Bearer of Knowledge instead of the starter sets tokens, and it also gives you four more Pomps to play with. As Lampy Darkson and The Terrible Musician are a Familiar and Soldier respectively, these can be used alongside Greymair and Negroli immediately! As for the other two Pomps, other characters within the Shades will be able to bring them into play.

Freaky Fugday

Freaky Fugday: Jerry Heir, Abra Cadaverous, Roary

'Freaky Fugday' is one such box with Jerry Heir able to summon the Teacake of Torment and Abra Cadaverous able to summon any Psychopomp in the game. This troupe box is an excellent choice for any Shade player who enjoys summoning and commanding lots of Psychopomps. The third member of the box - Roary - can also summon Pomps. Additionally, he can also resummon slain Psychopomps and command Psychopomps to make supercharged actions and attacks. If you enjoy your Psychopomps, this is an easy next box to grab!

‘Eternal Servitude’ and ‘Echo of the Forgotten King’

Eternal Servitude: Igor, Viktor Petty, Viscount de Faulte

However, if the more martial focus aspect of the Risen interests you, Melee and Arcane attacks and aiming to slay your enemies, then 'Eternal Servitude' might be a better option than 'Freaky Fugday'. Although the troupe box only contains one Risen character, the other characters in the box are superb at supporting their Risen comrades. The Risen in question is Viscount De Faulte, who normally serves as more of a tank and disruption character. Alongside Negroli though, he can pack enough of a punch in melee to also deal some damage whilst sapping your opponent’s energy and melee.

Igor and Viktor by comparison give the Risen some more support options. Igor is able to heal and easily give energy to nobles, including Negroli and Viscount. Viktor also has some healing options for the Risen, however, it is more niche only applying to reanimated characters with a further bonus to the Risen. One final big trick of the box comes from Igor, who is able to summon the ‘Echo of the Forgotten King’ whilst playing in the Shades, sacrificing himself to bring a large scary melee threat into the game! So, it might be worth considering picking up the King too alongside this box.

Leshavult

Wild Things

Wild Things: Gloom, Wendigo, Chubs

For the Fauns the 'Wild Things' would be an excellent choice for those wanting to speed up and power up their troupe. With the 'Wild Things' you get an especially hard-hitting melee Faun and some great support for Fauns and Animals. Chubs in particular is a staple in many Faun or Animal lists, with his ability to chuck 2 Energy to either of these keywords along with some healing. Gloom meanwhile can provide some excellent mobility for his troupe with the ability to push any Animals around the board, such as the Jackalope, with ease. This certainly suits the 'Run' part of the Faun’s 'hit and run' playstyle, allowing them to snatch up moonstones out of their opponent's reach and make a hastier retreat. But what are some options that lean more on the 'Hit' side...

Malachite Mystics

Malachite Mystics: Klaus, Raegan, Gwendoline

'Malachite Mystics' is (on the face of it) a Cultist-focused boxset, so why am I mentioning it here alongside the Fauns? Well, two of the models in the box are Fauns, suited perfectly to Hoff's myriad of buffs and abilities he lends to the fauns. Because of these bonuses, the characters in the box will hit far faster with much more mobility than alongside there normal Cultist companions where they'd hit harder, but nowhere near as fast.

The model in question in 'Malachite Mystics' for handing out so much damage is Klaus. A Faun whose Melee is boosted by the presence of his fellow cultists. Whilst there aren't any cultists in the Starter Set, Hoff does happen to buff Klaus's Melee anyway due to him being a Faun. Klaus also has the other two characters present in the box, both of which are cultists, to buff his Melee further. This includes Gwendoline, a Faerie with some excellent healing and movement-focused abilities and Raegan, another Faun who can also buff her friends by distributing energy and healing.

Overall though these are just suggestions. If you like the look of 'The End is Nigh' troupe box and the crazy Cultists within, go for it! If you fancy trying out Shade Spirits and you fancy an additional character for the Fauns to borrow with Morag, go for the 'The Shady Bunch'.

Whilst some synergies might not be as impactful as others, there are very few times where another troupe box would actually be a “bad choice”. At the end of the day, have fun and choose what you like the look of best!