By far my favorite mechanic this year was the Expendable Goon trait.
EXPENDABLE GOON: When [this goon] is KO’d by an opposing character, after resolutions you may roll a D6.
[1-3]: [some kinda consolation effect].
[4-6]: Generate a character with an Expendable Goon trait on its 15 point starting line adjacent to a friendly character.
Already a fan of generics, I glommed on this ability to respawn new goons of any type: Black Manta Goon, G.O.O.N., Gorilla City Warrior, Joker Goon, Polar Bear, Qwardian Thunderer, Riddler Goon, and White Rabbit Goon. And most have a consolation effect even if they don’t get the 50/50 respawn.
Here’s a flash F.U.N. review of the pieces, in alphabetical order.
Black Manta Goon (Notorious 012)
At 50 or 15 points, this goon in the employ of sea pirate Black Manta is mega-Useful with Enhancement all dial long. High level has Running Shot and Invulnerability, too, with Willpower elsewhere. Leaves water terrain on KO, which is fine for swimmers like him.
It loses a bit on my F.U.N. scale because when played as a pure force with their natural boss, it’s a team full of wild cards with no team ability to copy. But oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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G.O.O.N. (Notorious 004)
Like a melee version of Manta men, 50 or 15 points gives full life of Empower here. Charge+Blades (with Bat Enemy TA) characterizes the top dial while Plasticity+Poison is the low one’s strength. Willpower and Underworld TA is really useful, too.
Unlike all the rest of the goons, there’s no consolation effect if you don’t respawn. But it’s a 3-6 roll instead, so you’re more likely to activate it anyway. This might be my favorite of the goon squad.
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Gorilla City Warrior (Notorious 008)
These apes are a little unwieldy, starting with Stealth at 50 points (meaning they’re kinda stationary) but missing it at 15, where moving attack is less important. The hindering terrain they leave on KO isn’t super, either. But plenty of Super Strength, Close Combat Expert, and Invulnerability on both lines is welcome. I’m loving them as extra bodies for a Gorilla Warfare team led by, say, Grodd.
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Joker Goon (Notorious 009)
Charge+Precision+Exploit is his 50-point power. 15 points grants Flurry+Blades but his 9 AV is weak — he needs Batman Enemy help.
Most other goons, it’s just cute to play them with their respective boss. But this one’s consolation respawn that generates Smoke instead keys directly into The Joker (Notorious 047a) and his “Poison via Smoke” trait.
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Polar Bear (Notorious 011)
The pets of Mr. Freeze, these Battle Furious animals are Super Strong, Impervious tie-up at 50 points. 15 buys a still-angry Quaking Charging Tough bear. They leave behind blocking pieces that force breakaways — making them excellent employees for Mr. Freeze (Notorious 040), their natural boss. Not my favorite goon but a good goon.
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Qwardian Thunderer (Notorious 017)
50 points is a Perplexing Running Shooter while the budget version has Sidestep, Willpower and Shape Change. Both start lines boast Pulse Wave. KO consolation is generated objects. Also not my favorite, but I’ve already had great fun running them with their boss, Sinestro (Notorious 025). Note: This is one of the rare goons lacking the Brute keyword.
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Riddler Goon (Notorious 014)
At 50, the Riddler’s minions are Close Combat Expert thugs. But thanks to Toughness, they might see their smarter Perplex on clicks 2, 3 or 5. 15 points also starts with CCE. Sidestep for movement pairs very well with Underworld. And their consolation KO effect to token up their attacker is pretty OK.
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White Rabbit Goon (Notorious 015)
The 50-point minion of the Mad Hatter (Jervis Tetch in this set) is underwhelming with Charge+Incap, though Shape Change and Toughness makes him survivable at least. 15 points is the sweet spot: He’s a Mind Controlling medic with Willpower. On KO, if he doesn’t respawn he shunts the attacker 2 squares away. One of the better goons, but missing the Brute keyword. HE’S TOO REFINED AND LATE FOR TEA
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