Inhuman Royal Court Character Pack

I’m still very much a noob when it comes to MCP. But that’s exactly what creates an opportunity. I’m taking you along on my journey of discovery into the world of Marvel Crisis Protocol and sharing my thoughts and impressions along the way. For a more competitive focused point of view head over to SGP Protocol. 

After recently diving into the Core Set, the next step was obvious: Which affiliation do I want to play first? I decided to go with the Inhumans. Simply because they had just been released at the time and their miniatures looked really cool. Was it the right decision? Let’s find out! I started with the Inhumans Character Pack, so I’ll mostly focus on that instead of the whole affiliation in the following text.

The Inhumans Character Pack (Inhuman Royal Court) is a great starter set for anyone looking to begin their journey with the Inhumans affiliation. The pack includes four characters: King Black Bolt, Maximus the Mad, Karnak, and Gorgon. On top of that, you get six team tactics cards.

Miniatures

I’m generally a huge fan of AMG’s miniature design, and this pack is another great example of what their designers are capable of. King Black Bolt stands out the most, of course. He’s a Threat Level 6 superhero, the centerpiece of the affiliation pack and it shows. He’s soaring through the air, lightning crackles around him, and the ground beneath him is shattering. It’s a very atmospheric sculpt and looks fantastic. But I also really like the rest of the Inhumans. Their designs are more grounded, but their dynamic poses still make them look full of life and mystery. They all have strong visual identities, which immediately made me curious about their backstory.

Lore

I’ll admit it: I didn’t know much about the Inhumans before getting into MCP. Even though they’ve been around since 1965! Their lore is quite fascinating. The Inhumans are descended from regular humans who were genetically altered thousands of years ago by the Kree aliens. The Kree eventually abandoned the project, and the descendants of these experiments went on to form their own secret society on Earth. They live in Attilan, a hidden and secluded city. What makes the Inhumans unique is a process called Terrigenesis. It’s a ritual where they are exposed to the Terrigen Mist, a toxic substance that activates their latent powers, which stem from the Kree's genetic experiments. This is super cool and it’s reflected in the game too, as the Inhumans are immune to the Poison condition in MCP. They’re kind of like mutants but with a twist.

Gameplay

The Inhumans are often played “tall,” meaning they function quite well with fewer but stronger characters. They're generally considered an aggro affiliation, confronting enemies head-on without too many tricks. That said, they’ve recently shown quite some success in scenario play as well. So they’re a bit more flexible than they might first appear. Right now I play them tall but in the future I'd like to switch to scenario play.

Characters

King Black Bolt is a Threat Level 6 character. Unlike the classic version of Black Bolt, he doesn’t have a leadership ability. Instead, King offers more offensive potential, mobility, and durability. With a total of 15 stamina, solid defense stats (4/4/4), and damage reduction through his “Anti-Graviton Control,” he’s very hard to take down. Offensively, he has a beam attack (Sonic Blast) that can hit multiple enemies and even push them, and a strong spender ("Wrath of the Midnight King") that allows for movement and a throw after the attack. His superpower “Increase the Volume” adds +2 dice to his attacks. He’s especially deadly when paired with Hit and Run. In practice, though, I would likely find myself spamming “Sonic Beam” with “Increase the Volume.” King Black Bolt is great for players looking for an aggressive, mobile frontline bruiser. He works particularly well in “tall builds” focused on elite characters. His main drawback is that he’s not the classic version of Black Bolt. The classic version is more flexible, cheaper, and has an amazing leadership ability. King is more of a one-trick pony, and savvy opponents can play around him by keeping their distance, I found.

Rating: B+

Maximus the Mad offers a very interesting leadership ability based on dice manipulation. This is essentially the central trick of the Inhumans. Max’s leadership forces an Inhuman to reroll one die during their first attack or defense roll each round. That’s cool! But if the reroll results in a skull, the opponent gets to move your character short. That’s something that can be a big deal in MCP, where positioning often decides games. Thanks to our lovely selective memory, we’re bound to notice this at the worst possible moments. So Max’s leadership comes with a bit of a "feels bad" mechanic. Statistically, however, it’s solid and improves your average rolls over the course of a game. He also has ways to move enemies and a strong mystic spender ("Neuro Annihilation") that rolls 9 dice! However, his weak physical defense makes him vulnerable, so using Gorgon as a bodyguard is what I usually try to do. I think Max is often underestimated. Unfairly so. Yes, his leadership can feel frustrating, and yes, he’s often compared unfavorably to the amazing classic Black Bolt. But Max supports and optimizes the rest of the Inhumans in surprisingly effective ways.

Rating: A-

Karnak is an incredibly strong melee fighter. His ability to analyze enemy weaknesses makes him a powerhouse in close combat. He rolls a ton of dice and can also support allies through “Teachings of the Three Worlds.” That said, to use his abilities regularly, you’ll need to feed him power which means he benefits greatly from Black Bolt’s leadership. Still, since Karnak rolls so many dice, Max’s leadership also suits him well. Karnak is a killer for just 3 threat. A must-pick! I never play without him.

Rating: A+

Gorgon, on the other hand, is a fairly standard brawler with decent damage potential. He even has a beam attack with range 3 and a bodyguard ability that works well against physical attacks. His physical defense of 4 makes him quite tanky. However, Karnak outperforms him as a close-combat fighter, and since both are 3-threat characters, I’d usually take Karnak unless I need a bodyguard. That said, Gorgon is a good pick with Max’s leadership or when you simply need another Inhuman on the roster. He’s not bad but he doesn’t particularly shine either.

Rating: C+

Tactics Cards

The pack includes six tactics cards: Genetic Prophecy, Inhomo Supremis, Inhuman Queen, Plots within Plots, Royal Guardians, and The Great Refuge. Here are three that stand out to me:

Inhuman Queen is interesting because it lets you make Medusa your leader. That’s opening the door for an especially aggressive, offensive playstyle.

The Great Refuge is a fantastic card. You can spend any amount of power to reposition Inhumans by Range 3 for every 2 power spent. And again: good positioning wins games in MCP.

Royal Guardians is also great. It gives you an extra bodyguard ability and can even apply conditions like Shock or Stun to attackers (if you take Gorgon).

Some cards not included in the pack also synergize extremely well with these Inhumans. So here’s a quick tactics card detour:

Inhuman Royal Family is a reusable card that lets you reroll any number of dice during an attack or defense roll for 2 power. Very strong in high-stakes rolls. That's something the Inhumans often rely on.

Attilan Rising is kind of a revenge mechanic, letting injured Inhumans generate power for others.

Terrigenesis (throwback to the lore!) is highly situational, but it can be game-winning. It lets you make a 4-dice attack on an enemy holding a Civilian token. If they’re Dazed or KO’d, you score 2 VPs!

Conclusion

The Inhumans Affiliation Pack is a strong and thematic way to get into the world of Inhumans. This team is ideal for players who enjoy reroll mechanics, power management, and aggressive characters. I personally enjoy all these mechanics. The included characters mainly offer strong offensive options but can also be adapted for scenario play. The Inhumans do require some experience and planning, I think. But for those who embrace that challenge, they offer a surprisingly flexible and (according to Longshanks) competitively viable team. I didn’t know anything about the Inhumans before MCP, but now I’ve become a real fan.