Mime

This article or section is about something oldschool - and awesome. Make sure your rose-tinted glasses are on nice and tight, and prepare for a lovely walk down nostalgia lane.

A Mime. Bitch definitely knows whats up.

Mimes, also called Distaurs, are a type of Harlequin. Specialist dancers on the stage, Mimes are not permanent parts of troupes, rather kept under the direct control of the Master Mime. They also act as advertisers for the masque, being sent ahead of the company to organise performances. This role is reflected on the battlefield, where they act as infiltrators and assassins.

In performance, the Mimes play mystical and daemonic roles, using movement and gesture only. Even in everyday life, the Mimes speak little, communicating among themselves by lambruith, their system of hand-signals.

It is customary for Mimes to go in advance of a masque or troupe to announce their arrival. Frequently they simply appear on a craft-world or elsewhere, without anyone knowing when or how they arrived. This skill is also used in warfare - the oft-repeated stories of enemy commanders suddenly and unaccountable finding a Harlequin 'calling card' in their command centres are typical examples of the tactics Mimes use to undermine enemy morale.

Mimes are possibly armed with all sorts of covert and stealth weapons given their nature. One possible weapon would be phase weapons or weapons hidden with stealth technology. They are also possibly equipped with a advance set of chameleon armour making them blend in to their surroundings and close in on their prey.

As of Shadow War: Armageddon. Mimes are back in business! They are now part of the Harlequin Troupe Kill Teams and can be grouped with the regular old Trouper. The fluff of the Mime has been changed somewhat, acting as more of a 'rookie' Harlequin more than anything else. Harlequins play many different roles over time, changing masks and aspects time and again. Those perfecting their first role are known as Mimes.

Tabletop

Fan Crunch

Like the Master Mime, Mimes have been a bit outdated ever since the 90s. So we decided to create an updated crunch that would benefit modern Harlequin armies. Anyways, Mimes are pretty good infiltrators with a WS 5, BS 4 and a Leadership of 9. Unfortunately they are squishy with toughness 3, so don't be surprise if they melt like butter in the heat of battle. They do have a unique rule called Master Thieves. In terms of Fluff, it is a common initiation among the Mimes which is to remove a prized object from key personal. The adroit ability to mirthfully liberate objects from the hands of esteemed members of other races is one trait the Mimes are notorious for. It is not uncommon for a Lord Commissar to have his cap plucked from his head by an unseen hand, or a chaos sorcerer to find that someone has daemon-napped his familiar.

In Crunch terms, a Harlequin army that possesses Mimes may reverse one upgrade taken by a character from the opposing army. This can be from either an independent character or a squad leader. The character notices his wargear is missing and must make due with a hasty substitute for the battle. Example: an Aspiring Champion who upgraded his boltpistol to a plasma pistol is targeted by the Mimes who reverse his upgrade back to a boltpistol. This ability only affects tangible objects; the Mimes cannot steal psychic powers or abilities. Only hand portable objects can by stolen; the mimes can't ride off on a character's bike like Doomrider, for example, and items that cost more then 40 points can not be taken by the Mimes.

Shadow War: Armageddon

Mimes in Shadow War: Armageddon are part of a Harlequin Kill Team. Overall, other than having a lower WS and being 25 points cheaper, a Mime has the advantage of having concealed weapons, making them decent as infiltrators, which is an obvious given. In terms of equipment, a Mime has a concealed blade, Harlequin mask, flip belt, and holo-suit. In addition, a Mime can be armed with items chosen from the Harlequins, such as Hand-to-Hand Weapons, Pistols, Grenades and Miscellaneous Equipment lists.

There is also the Virtuoso, which is kind of an upgrade of a Mime. Not to the level of a Master Mime, but buff enough and have access to specialist weaponry to stand on its own. In the fluff, amongst the Troupe are certain Players whose roles emphasis the use of specialist weaponry, the better to unleash elegantly hideous destruction, these are aptly named as the Virtuoso. In all honesty, Virtuosos are like the poor man's version of the Troupe Master, costing the half the points whilst taking a penalty in WS, I, A and Leadership. In a way they can be seen as the 'heavies' of a Harlequin Troupe.