The other half of the Inhuman Royal Court is up for a look. How will Karnak and Gorgon work on the tabletop in Marvel: Crisis Protocol?
We already got a look at King Black Bolt and Maximus the Mad. I even fell down a semantics rabbit hole for King Black Bolt’s Beam attack. Thankfully, I found an answer to that one. Anyhow, today we’re taking a closer look at the other two members coming in the Inhuman Royal Court — the upcoming character pack for Marvel: Crisis Protocol. Karnak and Gorgon are jumping into the fray!
The Inhuman Royal Court is well known for its collection of stout defenders. This is perhaps best underscored by Karnak and Gorgon, respected allies of King Black Bolt. Karnak is a trained Martial Artist, known for his ability to find the weakness in any object, idea, or opponent. He often serves as a strategist and advisor to Black Bolt. On the other hand, Gorgon is characterized by his superhuman strength, agility, and durability. He is well known as a loyal protector of the royal family, with a complex personality shaped by his experiences and the responsibility of training young Inhuman warriors.
Karnak The Ultimate Analyzer
Starting off with Karnak we’ve got a look at his full card stats. Defensively, he’s coming in with 3/3/4 and 5 stamina on both sides of his card. He’s tougher than he looks thanks to his other two super powers: Inhumans and Martial Artists. Inhumans grants him a single reroll for both attack and defense rolls. And Martial Artists also allows him to add blanks to defense rolls vs physical or energy attacks originating within range 2. I think he’s going to be a tough Threat Level 3 to take down. He’s also got a size of 2 and a move of medium.
Attack-wise, his builder is Shattering Strike. It’s a range 2 and 5 dice and he can also score a push on a wild. His spender is more impressive. Let Me Show You Your Flaw is range 3 and is 7 dice for 4 energy. However, this attack gets to add in skulls from both the attack roll AND the defense roll for total successes. That means it can really spike if you get lucky — or if the defender is really unlucky!
To help out with his energy gains Karnak also has Meditate. It’s an Action: that basically gives him 2 energy. Not bad if you’ve got no other actions to use. Teachings of the Three Worlds is 4 cost power but it’s could be a game flipper. Why? Because it allows for another allied character within range 3 to add up to 2 of their skulls to their total successes. This can worth for either an attack or defense roll, too. So having that energy banked could be a very good thing.
Karnak also has Pinpoint Weakness for 2 energy. This allows you to place a Weakness token on to an target that either attacked Karnak or was attacked by Karnak. The token by itself doesn’t do anything. However it works with Analyzing Strike. When attacking or defending against a character with the Weakness Token Karnak can roll 3 additional dice. After it’s resolved, remove the token.
To me Karnak seems like a setup type of character. Once he picks his target and gets situated he can really drop a hammer on them. Alternatively, he can also really save your bacon with the ability to convert Skulls to successes. I think he’s tougher than he looks and might surprise folks with a powerful attack seemingly out of nowhere.
The Mighty Gorgon
If Karnak is a setup character that takes subtlety then Gorgon is a much more straight-forward brawler. Defensively, he’s clocking in at 4/3/3 with 6 stamina on his healthy side and 5 on his injured one. He’s also size 2 with a medium move. All of that comes in at Threat Level 3 as well.
His basic builder is a Mace Strike. It’s range 2 for 5 dice and can cause a stun with a wild. This one isn’t anything mind-blowing but it’s not bad. He also has a Beam attack with Hoof Quake that also costs 0 energy. It’s range 3 and does 4 dice and can also causes shock on a wild. Not bad in the right circumstance.
Gorgon’s big hitter is God Crusher. It’s range 3 and 8 dice for 4 energy. However, if the target is size 4 or less it’s thrown away short and if you get a wild you can cause a stagger. The throw and stagger could be pretty helpful in this kit.
Charge is another super power we’ve seen before. For 2 energy, Gorgon gets to do an Action: to move and then attack. I always appreciate action economy options. He also has a form of bodyguard with You’re Going To Have To Deal With Me First. It’s a 2 energy ability that makes him the target of an attack instead of another character provided he’s in range. Gorgon is also an Inhuman and gets the same re-roll ability and is Immune to poison.
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If you’re looking for a decent brawler that will force the enemy’s attention then Gorgon is a good pick. I think he’s a good addition to the Inhuman Affiliation overall.
Both of these characters are coming in the Inhuman Royal Court pack which is due out on March 14. It’s currently up for pre-order.
Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Inhuman Royal Court $64.99 (pre-order)
CP166 boosts the ranks of the Inhumans in Marvel: Crisis Protocol with Maximus the Mad, Karnak, and Gorgon, along with a more powerful version of King Black Bolt joining the fight. Exposed to the Terrigen Mist, these Inhumans are another exciting group of heroes and villains in the Marvel Universe.
How are you feeling about the Inhuman Royal Court?
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Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and now Tex-Pat, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.
A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam’s current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.
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