Tactics and Strategy Review

[GhostCat]

Okay, after looking at the Steel Wolf thread for a bit, I guess something like this is needed.  The ongoing discussion there seems to be about whether Faction Pure is better than Rainbow armies.  I'm neutral on that subject, bring whatever you like and play it.

What I do miss is that Wizkids had a whole forum devoted to just discussing army builds and how to use them.  We can try that here, even if it's just a single thread.  Just keep adding the next army to the thread and we'll discuss each one as we find it.

It's good to mention the Terrain type and any Planetary Conditions that might be used.  Alternative units can also be listed as optional and available as long as it fits the theme or style of the army. 

Faction Pure 600 point House Davion army: "Fight like a Spirit Cat"

AN058 Havoc 104 pts. (House Davion)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts. Not Applicable)

AN058 Havoc 104 pts. (House Davion)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts. Not Applicable)

AN058 Havoc 104 pts. (House Davion)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts. Not Applicable)

AN058 Havoc 104 pts. (House Davion)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts. Not Applicable)

AN013 Angerona Battle Armor 16 pts. (House Davion)


Alternative Gear available for the same Cost:
AOD-G-001 Pulse (Light 23 pts.)

Terrain:  I'd include one Hindering for the Angerona to camp in, and lots of Blocking for the jumping mechs to hide behind.  Ranges for these units are fairly short, so the Blocking terrain will limit the range advantage opposing forces might have.  Also, units without jump jets will have to walk around the Blocking terrain, thus giving the Havoks a small advantage in mobility.

Planetary Conditions and Mission Objective cards:  Subzero Temperatures, Perfect Day and Horrible Day.  With Improved Targeting on the mechs, Horrible Day is a no-brainer, and Perfect Day keeps everything else off your back.  Subzero Tempertures allows Assault Orders with reduced Heat which can be valuable to this battle group, and it imobilizes tanks and damages non-BA infantry.  I don't use Mission cards very often, but 'Hooray for the Underdogs' is one of my favorites.  An army like this makes it easy to play that card.

Tactics and Strategy:  This is not a very complicated army even if it is faction pure.  It's a Fast, Fun, Hit and Run type of battle.  Lurk behind Blocking, Assault to ambush something, then run away when help arrives.  Speed is your friend and not being pinned down to fight in one spot is an advantage if you can use it.  Keeping the mechs together is also important, because one mech hitting a target will do a little damage, but, all four hitting the same target in one turn can even kill an Assault mech.

This Army has seen positive results in competitive play, so, it has been tested.

GC

[GhostCat]

It might be just a matter of style, but here's another 600 point army build I've had fun with. 

This time it's Steiner, and really running hot with lots of Energy Weapons.  Yes, it's Faction Pure with only a slight hint of Stormhammer in it.  When I first made this army, I wanted to keep the cost down on the mechs and CECs, and there were only a few useful accademy pilots to choose from. 

As for the metagame, all I can say is the army is not very fast, because, well, it's Steiner.  But as long as your units can keep moving toward the enemy, it can hold out better than most.  Everything has Jump Jets and even slow moving units that only jump seven inches can get across obstructions that other units have to take the long way around.

So here is "Two Mechs, No Waiting" ....

AN064 Stalking Spider 149 pts. (House Steiner)
WS-G-169 Improved Targeting (Medium 35 pts.)
BF-P-A14 Sergeant (Medium S:0 A:2 D:1 25 pts. House Steiner)

AN064 Stalking Spider 149 pts. (House Steiner)
WS-G-169 Improved Targeting (Medium 35 pts.)
BF-P-A14 Sergeant (Medium S:0 A:2 D:1 25 pts. House Steiner)

4x CA013 Scout ATV Squad 8 pts. (Stormhammers)
8x DOM029 Simian Battle Armor 16 pts. (House Steiner)   
1x FP031 Gnome Battle Armor 22 pts. (Stormhammers)


Optional:

VG-L-050 Jasek Kelswa-Steiner (Medium S:2 A:2 D:1 27 pts. House Steiner-Stormhammers)

FI-F-013 House Steiner/Stormhammer Faction Pride  Points: 20
 Expansion: Fire Power
 At the beginning of your order stage, a friendly House Steiner or Stormhammer unit gets +1 to its damage value for that turn.

FI-G-038 Pulse (Medium 37 pts.)

Replace the Gnome BA and one Pilot with the Faction Pride and Jasek.  Or, keep the Pride and Pilots and change the Gear on one mech.

600 points total

Originally, I used to put Pulse SE on everything, equipment that gave extra damage to the target was all I ever looked at.  But, over the years, I had one opponent that consistantly brought Decoy on everything that could carry it.  So, ImpTar became the gear of choice, because hitting the target is what you need. 

Terrain:  The Stalking Spiders love being hull down in Hindering, so having two placed close enough for them to jump across keeps them mobile and safe.  The infantry can do the same until they get close enough to base opposing units.  ATVs are there just to slow down the faster mechs and tanks. 

Blocking placement is also important to consider.  With your Mechs and Simians using the Hindering for cover, you also don't want them to be easy targets for longer ranged guns.  Place Buildings or Buttes just at the edge of your best range so that opposing units have to use Assault Orders to shoot and end up where you can easily hit them in the open.  Don't be surprized if they avoid that little trap, nobody likes walking into such an obvious kill zone.

Planetary Conditions and Missions:  It's easy to be creative here, just about anything will work in your favor.  Jungle, Monsoon, and Underbrush were the first three that came to my mind because I use them a lot.  Monsoon keeps the mechs cool, Jungle keeps the annoying VTOLs away, and Underbrush protects the infantry while they are on Clear Terrain.  Because these cards benefit both players, they rarely get cancelled.

Tactics, Strategy and Metagame:  Play the Simians agressively, they may be slow, but they Jump and have Flamers, so each formation of four should be able to Capture something big.  The two mechs are live bait, teasing any target dumb enough to ignore the infantry closing in on them.  Of course the ATVs are just speed bumps lasting just long enough to let the Battle Armor attack their target.  This is perhaps the most basic design for this battle group, though the mechs remained the same, the supporting units varied wildly, even cramming in two artillery units in the available 200 points allocated for it.  (Steiner likes Artillery.) 

My only comment on lacking Artillery Support in the current build is this.  "Artillery is a Sitting Duck, easy to kill.  Don't Sit, and Don't Duck."  Keep moving and get VC3 while you're up there.

GC

Footnote:

When I first built this army, my choices were in favor of easy reproduction with common units and CECs.  Some things were always easier to aquire than others.  Like Elementals were rare, but Simians were easy to get.  Avoiding over costed Gunslinger Pilots in favor of non-unique Academy Certificates was a similar issue, even if one has access to Everything, some things are not always desireable.

This is the original Stalking Spider Army:

AN064 Stalking Spider 149 pts. (House Steiner)
FI-G-038 Pulse (Medium 37 pts.)
FI-P-018 Graduate Certificate - Sakhara Academy (Medium S:0 A:1 D:1 14 pts. Recruit Not Applicable)

AN064 Stalking Spider 149 pts. (House Steiner)
FI-G-038 Pulse (Medium 37 pts.)
FI-P-018 Graduate Certificate - Sakhara Academy (Medium S:0 A:1 D:1 14 pts. Recruit Not Applicable)

2x E028 Longinus Battle Armor 20 pts. (Stormhammers)
4x CA013 Scout ATV Squad 8 pts. (Stormhammers)
8x FP025 Elemental Battle Armor 16 pts. (Stormhammers)

600 points total

AOD-F-008 True Grit Faction Pride 
FI-F-013 House Steiner/Stormhammer Faction Pride 

At the Time, True Grit was also my preferred Faction Pride (if I had to have one at all).  The Pride simply replaces one Longinus BA and that decision isn't final until the army is deployed.  Likewise, having a pair of Gnome BA and Improved Targeting Gears allows for enough variety in combat values that it can keep opponents guessing for weeks even when they see "the same old army" every time.

GC

[AsburyGrad]

I've tried really hard to come up with something brilliant to say about these builds, but just can't think of much to say about them.  I think you know what you have there, and so will your opponent, so it's a matter of playing the game out.

Two comments I will make:

1.  The first army you posted has 4 Mechs that are each capable of delivering 4 energy damage; the Steiner army has just 2 Mechs capable of doing this.  In addition, the 4-Mech army has more speed.  I think these advantages outweigh the 14-range advantage of the Stalking Spiders - who will be outranged by a good number of other popular pieces anyway.

2.  I've never thought much of capture as a viable tournament strategy.  Something to do when the opportunity presents itself, absolutely - but not something to build around.  I have two good friends who have tried numerous times to make a capture-centered army work, with mixed results.

So, as an opponent, I would be more concerned about facing the 4 Havocs - where there's no obvious weaknesses and you have great redundancy - than I would facing just two Stalking Spiders, supported by infantry that I don't really respect.

[InSilence]

I would be more concerned about facing the 4 Havocs...than I would facing just two Stalking Spiders, supported by infantry that I don't really respect.

Ah, but GC said that was exactly the point! The Spiders work purely as bait, and you wouldn't respect the infantry until your core forces covered in a bunch of gorilla suits. ^_^
Spiders are decent snipers - with long range and jump jets, and the hull-down modifier as well, you could potentially have to push your own forces to chase them down. And once you do, a swarm of flamer-mounting infantry can make your day miserable. The shutdown target and rear arc modifiers can make a capture ridiculously easy, and after a few key captures the formerly bait units can clean house.
Alternately, if you chose to back away from the infantry, the Spiders can then continue to chip away unimpaired.

A good way to counter this would be a heavier sniper of your own, (maybe mounting reflective) backed by some anti-personnel equipped support units, or Artillery fronted with a wall of anti-personnel. Regardless, facing a split-composition army like this, you can't focus entirely on one or the other, so it's a trick of finding the counterbalance.

[AsburyGrad]

The Spiders work purely as bait, and you wouldn't respect the infantry until your core forces covered in a bunch of gorilla suits. ^_^

8 speed infantry that live only 5 clicks?  Frankly, I'm more concerned about keeping his ATVs off me than the Simians. 

Think about how slow 8 speed really is:
Turn 1 - they move 8
Turn 2 - rest
Turn 3 - move 8.  Now 16 inches from the starting deployment zone.
Turn 4 - rest, or push to move 8 more inches.  Now 24 inches from the starting deployment zone.

It will take them at least 6 turns to enter the opponent's DZ.  That's assuming they can go in a straight line and ignore all terrain.

This gives me 6 or more turns to deal with the Spiders.  5 damage reduces the Spiders' damage value to 2, and they have weak heat dials.  I think I can deal with the Simians later.

[InSilence]

It kind of requires playing out, but yeah, you may be correct. :P
As a note: the Simians DO have jumpjets, allowing them to ignore terrain. Also, I doubt that you would stay in your own deployment zone the whole game so it would take less time for the Simians to reach you.
And with proper use of terrain and/or the units themselves, the Spiders should be able to live long enough for the Simians to become a threat. It depends a lot on terrain and good planning, but I maintain that this army could unleash the terror of guerrilla warfare.

[GhostCat]

In Silence has the right idea, I set up the terrain so that camping in Hindering gave the mechs a good kill zone where the opponent has to assault around Blocking terrain to get to them.

Of course, that means I have to get there first, so that means running the mechs on the first turn to get there.  And the infantry will push to catch up on turn two while the mechs rest.  Things change slightly when facing artillery, infantry won't Push so they can move away when it shoots, and the mechs keep moving until they neutralize the artillery.

Yes, I do move that fast, even with slow Steiner forces, there is no good reason to be still lurking around your own deployment zone on turn three. 

Frankly, I'm more concerned about keeping his ATVs off me than the Simians.

The ATVs are there to keep you busy until the Simians get there.  With any luck, your mechs will have too much Heat to fight after stomping on the ATVs for a few cheap kills.  That's when the Flamers will shut you down.

Here is my Dark Age Army Capture Team

Alpha Strike Squad  .... 300 points

1x D102 Black Hawk 147 pts. (Spirit Cats)
9x D021 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Spirit Cats)


Koshi Bomb Charge Monkeys  .... 300 points

2x D094 Koshi 109 pts. (Spirit Cats)
5x D007 Hoverbike Squad 13 pts. (Spirit Cats)
1x D021 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Spirit Cats)


Commentary:  This is divided in two 300 point lots because that was the limit in tournaments back then, though I combined them often enough in "Big Games" after the regular event.  The CBAs have more life clicks and speed than the Simians, but the idea is the same.  Their primary job is to Flame and Capture Big Mechs. 

This Army worked with Dark Age Base-Break mechanics and was eventually retired as players learned to use Assault Orders and Called Shot modifiers. 

Basic Tactics:  A formation of CBAs would line up in front of the Blackhawk, targeting a mech for a Range Formation Attack.  The CBAs also added a Meat Shield level of protection for the Blackhawk when facing armies that prefered to Charge as a First Strike.  The Hoverbikes would take turns Basing the target until the Formation is ready to Alpha Strike.  The second CBA Formation would jump in and base the target after the Alpha Strike.  The Blackhawk has to vent and rest for three turns while the Koshis dance with what's left of the opposing army.  The Bhawk's 9AV may seem weak but with a Range Formation it's an invincible 17AV for 8dmg and a click of heat to the target.  Then the Flamer CBAs move in and the target probably already has a order token and perhaps more heat on it's dial. 

Optional Units:  In the early days, I often deployed a repair truck and a PDU instead of the CBA and one hoverbike, mostly for the option to repair, but that served well as a distraction, too.  Opposing forces would attack the repair units first with the same attitude I reserve for Artillery.  Eventually, I discovered that the units I want to repair had too many black marks on their dials, and were often too far away for the repair units to be of any use before they died. 

1x F001 Elite Infantry 14 pts. (Spirit Cats)
1x D040 JI100 Recovery Vehicle 16 pts. (Spirit Cats)

Terrain:  I usually chose Blocking and Hindering with a good mix of Both.  If another player chose Water, my greater mobility usually dictated whether it be of use to anyone.  The jumping Spirit Cat CBAs, Mechs and hoverbikes proved they could fight any opponent in any terrain and do well with it.  Later, Planetary Conditions only made it easier to control what types of terrain can be used.

Yes, the Primary Mission of the Spirit Cat infantry was to Capture as many things as possible.  Even to the point where they had to drag opposing tanks and infantry home with them.

GC

[GhostCat]

Just knowing that successful battle groups can be made from common units should be enough to encourage new players to try them out.  That's one of the reasons I normally avoid building armies with Unique mechs and Limited Edition CECs. 

Somehow I was also not expecting this to be just me blathering about armies I've played with.  I was hoping others would post their own favorite armies and we'd be discussing many different play styles.  There is still hope for that, I suppose...

Now, this army came about as an "after hours big game".  As you might guess by now, I don't have a problem throwing down five light mechs and a swarm of infantry to build a large force.  Most of the people I play with tend to expect that, too.  So you can just imagine their surprise when I pulled out four of the Biggest and Badest in my box. 

"Because, We Can ..."  1500 points of awesome

WS104 Atlas 'Sunfire' 290 pts. (House Davion)                                       
SOL-G-024 Artemis V Fire-Control System (Assault 44 pts.)
WS-L-067 Victor Dresari (Assault S:2 A:2 D:1 47 pts. House Davion)

Preferred Mech: WS104
Cost in Preferred Mech: 60
AWESOME PRESENCE (optional) When an opposing figure attempts to move into base contact with this unit, the figure's controller rolls one six-sided die. On a result of 1 or 2, the figure cannot be moved into base contact with this unit.


WS105 Atlas 'Hammerfall' 300 pts. (Gunslinger)                                   
AOD-G-024 Anti-Personnel (Assault 34 pts.)
WS-GS-064 'One Eyed' Jack Farrell (Assault S:1 A:1 D:1 26 pts. Gunslinger)  Recruit (Base): 8

Preferred Mech: WS105
Cost in Preferred Mech: 46
ONE EYED If this pilot is assigned to its preferred Mech, the Mech gets +2 to its attack value. If assigned to any other Mech, the Mech gets +1 to its attack value instead.
BRUTE FORCE When this unit succeeds at a close combat attack using its primary damage value, damage scored is impact damage.


WS107 Atlas 'Sugar Rush' 277 pts. (Gunslinger)                                   
AOD-G-023 Pulse (Single Use) (Assault 26 pts.)
WS-GS-062 Colleen Sawyer (Assault S:2 A:1 D:1 28 pts. Gunslinger)  Recruit (Base): 10

Preferred Mech: WS107
Cost in Preferred Mech: 50
YOU AND YOU AND . . . (optional) When this unit makes a close combat attack, all opposing infantry and vehicles in base contact with its front arc become targets. Make one attack roll and compare the attack roll result to each target's defense value. Score damage equal to this unit's primary damage value to each target against which the attack succeeds.


BF007 Atlas 'Headmaster' 269 pts. (Gunslinger)                                   
SOL-G-024 Artemis V Fire-Control System (Assault 44 pts.)
BF-GS-A01 Sgt. Stan Severo (Assault S:2 A:2 D:0 34 pts. Gunslinger)  Recruit (Base): 8

Preferred Mech: BF007
Cost in Preferred Mech: 47
TAKE 'EM TO SCHOOL (optional) After an unsuccessful attack is resolved against this unit, roll the attack dice and add this unit's attack value to the result. If the result is equal to or greater than the attacker's defense value, deal 1 ballistic damage to the attacker.

1x D013 Purifier Battle Armor 13 pts. (Swordsworn) (Token Filler Unit.)

Commentary:  The Gunslingers are not recruited to any Faction (no justifiable need for it), but I included the cost next to each pilot if anyone wants to.  Removing the SU Pulse Gear from Sugar Rush is equal to the cost of recruiting them all to the Federated Suns.  But, it is more fun to have the Gear, and in this army, waving flags is secondary in importance. 

Generally, there are only a few mechs and prefered pilot combinations that I feel are worthy of the points spent on them.  But this is a Fun Bunch of abilities in what can only be called a target rich environment.  And yes, I did not deploy a Repair Team to keep the Zombi Mech alive.

There was lots of Terrain and opposing forces and I believe "Perfect Day" was invoked by at least two other players. 

In the End, Hammerfall was captured three times, rescued twice by Sugar Rush.  The Yellow Atlas was destroyed by concentrated fire during the third rescue attempt.  Headmaster took three hits and was Salvaged when it blocked LoF to Sunfire while that mech was shut down.  Sunfire struggled on a while longer, but could not make the opponents around Hammerfall give up the captured mech.  The Purifier BA did nothing significant and actually escaped back to it's deployment zone unharmed.

GC

[ChrisSymons1981]

I wouldnt mind playing the "Because We Can" army there GC.

I'll hopefully have an army to post in this thread sometime aswell GC

[AsburyGrad]

Sorry, GhostCat - I thought you just wanted comments on your armies.  :)


About a year ago, we ran an "army swap" match at the local venue.  Everyone brought a 900-point build, but we switched armies every round.  All armies were reviewed before the match, to make sure none were overly gimped.  And we also offered a prize for the ARMY that had the best overall record, in addition to the PLAYER with the best overall record.

This is my build:

Kaminari  Shiro – 258
P-A28 – 30

Ryu Nightstalker – 158
Reign O'Broin – 45
Beagle Active Probe – 35

WD Thor – 224
P-A28 – 30 + recruit to HK = 39

Elite HK Yasha – 43

2 HK IS BA – 19 x2 = 38

HK Faction Pride F-009 – 30

Total = 900 exactly


Since it was for an army-swap match, I wanted the build to be good, but not overwhelmingly good.  I've had success in the past using Ryu + pilot + Beagle to drop target defense numbers dramatically, while other units take aim on the targets.  (Although it's a tad expensive for what it does.) 

Here, the two heavy Mechs take advantage of the Aggressive Stance ability plus Ryu to hit opposing units.  The faction pride boosts damage value.  And with the overlapping bonuses from the two heavies, the Yasha and infantry could hit shots, and even deal significant damage with the pride card.  And you get two uses of the card at the 900 build total.

Although this build did well in the event, I was especially proud of my final game.  I was matched AGAINST my own build, using the army that I considered the worst at the tournament.  And I pulled off the win - I charged my two Mad Cat IVs into the Thor, and hung on long enough to eliminate it.

[GhostCat]

Sorry, GhostCat - I thought you just wanted comments on your armies.

Actually, my goal is to show all the people who just read these forums that good armies can be made with common stuff as well as the rare and unusual or unique stuff.  I could comment on how rare and expensive it might be to have two Aggressive Stance pilots in your army, but I was more impressed that there was only one VTOL and two Infantry that could take advantage of the abilities.  I'd have to make a proxy card for the second Aggressive Stance pilot, but I'm already thinking about various ways to defeat it in battle.  So, for that, Good Job!   
[rockon]

I am curious, have you tested this army and played it yourself?  Was the Nightstalker all that useful?  Or could the points have been better spent on something else?  What sort of Terrain was most effective to help or hinder this army? 

Charging with two MadCats seems like a pretty desparate move to me, but I can see how it can be justified. 

I wouldnt mind playing the "Because We Can" army there GC.

Well I am just trying to get players to start talking about armies and how they use them again.  If we can do more than just vaguely challenge "what would you do against four Liao Anubis mechs", then we all can have something to say about an army build that's more than just about the point values and how many Victory Conditions they won.

hmmmm.... I was going to post a 600 point army with four WH Mjolners equipped with Double Rate, and how when I finally had a chance to play it (really it terrified everyone), I discovered a fatal flaw in the Gear.  Like TSEMP, it must be given an RCO, and doesn't work with Assault Orders.  It was still Fun, and just chasing them was a real challenge for some players too.

GC

[GhostCat]

It has occurred to me a few times in the past that I might be the only one that dislikes special abilities that only apply to a few units or a particular unique unit.  That might be because I think most of those abilities aren't worth the points you pay for them.  But, then a few Gems do appear once in a while.  I can't imagine Brimstone on the field without Dante in the pilot seat.  It's just too good.

And it always seems to be the really big Assault Mechs that have the best abilities, right?

This Army is led by the only ComStar mech in the game and all their abilities are just a little ...

"Too Good To Be True"   

VG084 Marauder IIC 'Vindication' 277 pts. (Comstar)
AOD-G-024 Anti-Personnel (Assault 34 pts.)
VG-L-053 Judith Faber (Assault S:2 A:2 D:1 49 pts. Comstar)           unit total:  239+34+66=339

Name: Judith Faber
Preferred Mech: VG084
Cost in Preferred Mech: 66
 Expansion: Vanguard

Faction: ComStar

LURE (optional) When this unit is the target of an unsuccessful ranged combat attack, draw a line
from this unit's center to the center of the figure nearest this unit that is friendly to the attacker. If the line doesn't cross blocking terrain, the attacker scores damage equal to its damage value to the figure, to a maximum of 2. If more than one such figure is nearest this unit, you choose which figure has the damage scored to it.
______________________________________________________________________________

FI076 Malice 'Blackout' 239 pts. (Gunslinger) 
BF-G-004 Guardian Retrofit (Assault 98 pts.)
FI-GS-020 Boris Vassilev (Assault S:0 A:2 D:1 37 pts. Gunslinger)     unit total:  239+98+54=391

Name: Boris Vassilev
Preferred Mech: FI076
Cost in Preferred Mech: 54
 Expansion: Fire Power

Faction: None ... Not Recruited
 
Recruit (Base): 7
Recruit (CJF): 21
Recruit (HD): 5
Recruit (HL): 26

GOOD NIGHT, IRENE When this unit targets a single opposing unit with a ranged combat attack and rolls a critical hit, eliminate the target instead of scoring damage against it.
______________________________________________________________________________

VG076 Marauder IIC 'Requiem' 264 pts. (Gunslinger) 
FI-G-051 Extended-Range Ammo (Assault 37 pts.)
VG-GS-054 Shizuka Findlay (Assault S:2 A:2 D:1 49 pts. Gunslinger)  unit total: 264+37+59=360

Name: Shizuka Findlay
Preferred Mech: VG076
Cost in Preferred Mech: 59
 Expansion: Vanguard

Faction: None ... Not Recruited
 
Recruit (Base): 10
Recruit (HD): 12
Recruit (HK): 9

CRESCENDO When this unit succeeds at a ranged combat attack against an opposing figure, that
figure's controller rolls one six-sided die. On a result of 1 or 2, subtract the opponent's unmodified defense value from the attack result and score additional damage to the figure equal to the difference, to a minimum of 0, for the attack.
______________________________________________________________________________

DOM124 Zeus 'Mercy' 240 pts. (Gunslinger) 
DOM-G-131 Angel ECM Suite (Assault 43 pts.)
DOM-GS-039 Toni Rivera (Assault S:2 A:1 D:0 15 pts. Gunslinger)    unit total:  240+43+27=310

Name: Toni Rivera
Preferred Mech: DOM124
Cost in Preferred Mech: 27
 Expansion: Domination

Faction: None ... Not Recruited
 
Recruit (Base): 8
Recruit (CSF): XX
Recruit (HS): 5

ETERNAL REST (optional) This unit cannot use damage special equipment. If its ranged combat attack eliminates an opposing figure, it may make a second ranged combat attack that turn.
______________________________________________________________________________

5x FP030 Gnome Battle Armor 20 pts. (Mercenary)                   Infantry formation total:  100pts
______________________________________________________________________________

Total Army Value:  1500 points
______________________________________________________________________________

As an option to keep your mechs in the fight a little longer, replace two Gnomes with the following

1x BF036 Combat Technicians 'Rhodes Graces' 15 pts. (Mercenary)
1x BF037 Angerona Battle Armor 'Rhodes Aegis' 24 pts. (Mercenary)

The ComStar Marauder is half Zombie with no repair blockers after the fourth click.  Just for that mech alone, it might be worth building your army one point less than the total.

Requiem already has Artemis V (and Crescendo of Doom) on the Dial, so I gave it Extended Range Ammo, allowing this to work up to 16 inches in range.  If it takes more than five clicks damage, repairing can keep it fighting, but it loses the equipment on the dial.

Mercy and Blackout don't really get much back as the repair blockers are spaced to keep lost abilities lost.  A determined opponent can kill them faster than they can be repaired.
______________________________________________________________________________

Commentary:

I, personally, would keep all five Gnomes as a single fighting formation and not have a repair team that needs protecting.  The Gnome BA is slow with a seven inch jump, but they have Flamers and seven clicks of life.   Having five of them means being able to squeeze two close combat attack groups to Flame and Capture any mech they base.

It comes as no surprise to expect others to try to do the same.  So, I had to give at least one mech Anti-Personnel Gear.  The ComStar mech was elected, able to split six damage on two targets at ten inches with AnP can destroy an entire formation with one attack.  And infantry don't really become a priority target until they are closer than ten inches.

I always shoot first with the Malice to give "Good Night, Irene" a chance, and even a normal hit will make the follow "Crescendo" even more devastating.  If the target is still standing it might be close to Salvaged, and the Zeus can kill it off to earn a free attack.  That gives Vindication a chance to add damage to Mercy's insult of being able to shoot twice.

With all that firepower, the Gnomes might be able to cross the Battlefield unmolested because things will be dieing faster than they can be based.

Terrain

The Marauders and Gnomes have jump jets and might find Hindering terrain comfortable to be in.  The Zeus has Streaks and can stand behind the other mechs or Blocking terrain and still be effective.  The Malice is not so lucky, with a shorter range and Armor Piercing SE, it will often end up in the open where it can be easily attacked.  Leaving it near the edge of Hindering is almost as bad, because it won't be able to move quickly.

Keeping the mechs together so they can kill the same target together is good but don't make them fortify one piece of Hindering if things get a little crowded there.


GC

[GhostCat]

As a Battlemaster hosting the games for organized play, I often brought several ready built armies packed in baggies for players that came unprepared for the event.  So, I got in the habit of building armies from these bags in modular form, so it could fit any point count in 300 point blocks, and odd point counts could be improvized from the remaining bags. 

It may seem strange that I have not displayed much of my favorite faction here yet, but I am fond of the Gunslingers and Mercenaries.  (Read that as 'Factionless' mechs and troops that don't care who the flavor of the week bad guy is.)  This is the result of many years of fun with CBT and playing Merc units in the Chaos March or hunting Pirates on the Perifery. 

So here, in modular form, is my Clan Nova Cat force without the Legendary and Limited Edition figures.  ....

______________________________________________________________________________


Thundercats, Ho!

VG065 Thor 201 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
VG.-G-153 PPC Capacitor (Heavy 32 pts.)
VG.-P-058 Graduate Certificate - Frihet Training Facility (Heavy S:0 A:2 D:1 31 pts.)          264pts

VG065 Thor 201 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
VG.-G-153 PPC Capacitor (Heavy 32 pts.)
VG.-P-058 Graduate Certificate - Frihet Training Facility (Heavy S:0 A:2 D:1 31 pts.)          264pts

2x DOM036 Shamash Reconnaissance Vehicle 26 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                 52pts

1x WS008 Laser Team 20 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
or
DOM-F-023 Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride                                                    total 600pts
______________________________________________________________________________


Shenanegans, I say!

DOM085 Phoenix Hawk I 114 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG.-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts.)           156pts

DOM085 Phoenix Hawk I 114 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG.-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts.)           156pts

DOM085 Phoenix Hawk I 114 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG.-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts.)           156pts

4x AN024 Thunderbird Battle Armor 23 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                               92pts

1x WS008 Laser Team 20 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                                                  20pts

1x WS008 Laser Team 20 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
or
DOM-F-023 Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride                                                    total 600pts
______________________________________________________________________________

 
Bigguns because we likem!

WS085 Marauder IIC 260 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-G-024 Anti-Personnel (Assault 34 pts.)
WS.-GS-062 Colleen Sawyer (Assault S:2 A:1 D:1 28 pts. Gunslinger) Recruit (Base): 10    332pts

WS085 Marauder IIC 260 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-G-024 Anti-Personnel (Assault 34 pts.)
SOL-GS-023 Jennifer Braille (Assault S:2 A:1 D:1 28 pts. Gunslinger) Recruit (Base): 10     332pts

1x AN031 Bishop Transport 39 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
3x VG009 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                                          90pts

1x AN031 Bishop Transport 39 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
3x VG009 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                                          90pts

1x DOM036 Shamash Reconnaissance Vehicle 26 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                 26pts

2x WS009 Monocycle 15 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
or
DOM-F-023 Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride                                                    total 900pts
______________________________________________________________________________


Repeat as Needed .... 600pts, 900pts, 1200pts, 1500pts

WS061 Griffin 155 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AN.-G-079 PPC Capacitor (Medium 29 pts.)
DOM-P-044 Graduate Certificate Robinson Battle Academy (Medium S:0 A:1 D:1 14 pts.)    198pts

6x VG009 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                                        102pts
or
4x AN024 Thunderbird Battle Armor 23 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                               
and
DOM-F-023 Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride                                                    total 300pts
______________________________________________________________________________

Optional units or equipment:

2x F025 Saxon APC 23 pts. (Spirit Cats) and
2x D007 Hoverbike Squad 13 pts. (Spirit Cats) can replace
2x DOM036 Shamash Reconnaissance Vehicle 26 pts. (Clan Nova Cat) and   
1x WS008 Laser Team 20 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                                                  72pts

6x D021 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Spirit Cats) can replace
6x VG009 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                                                        102pts

These Faction Prides can be used interchangeably, though F-023 is prefered

AOD-F-008 True Grit
DOM-F-024 True Grit
DOM-F-023 Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride
VG-F-028 Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________


Name: Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride
ID: DOM-F-023
 Expansion: Domination
Points: varies
Faction: Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat

Unit Type: Faction Pride
 To qualify to use this card's alternative point value, your battleforce must be composed entirely of Clan Nova Cat units, or entirely of Spirit Cat units, or entirely of Clan Nova Cat and Spirit Cat units.
 1/450: At the beginning of your order stage, a friendly Clan Nova Cat unit or Spirit Cat unit gets +2 to its maximum energy range value that stage.


Name: Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride
ID: VG-F-028
 Expansion: Vanguard
Points: varies
Faction: Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat

Unit Type: Faction Pride
 1/450: When using a movement formation composed of only friendly Nova Cat members and/or Spirit Cat members, the speed value of each member with a speed value greater than 0 becomes that of the member given the move order, to a maximum of 14, instead of the member with the lowest speed value.
 

Name: True Grit
ID: AOD-F-008
ID: DOM-F-024
 Expansion: Age of Destruction
 Expansion: Domination
Points: varies
Faction: All

Unit Type: Faction Pride
 Cancel one other faction pride and remove this True Grit from the game.
______________________________________________________________________________

The basic reason for showing the alternate build totals and units with the Faction Pride cards is to show that choices can be made and easily substituted.  This is the force that was "always ready" to play.  Any part of it can be a stand alone battle group, or deploy them all together for a really big game.  As it stands, the army is pure Nova Cat, but adding Spirit Cat CBAs, Hoverbikes and Saxon APCs can enhance the the values of the bigger mechs.  The Saxon-Hoverbike slingshot is a nasty thing to see in your deployment zone on turn two.  (what? artillery? where?)

Yes I also build special teams featuring combat support vehicles and Kisho Nova Cat with "Anticipate" and Coolant Trucks.  But, that's another story.

GC

[AsburyGrad]

What is the largest build total in which you have actually whipped out your modular armies for?

[GhostCat]

What is the largest build total in which you have actually whipped out your modular armies for?

Largest?  Ever? 

That requires a qualified answer in terms of location and circumstances.  When Organized Play was at it's highest point, our venue allowed us to host big battles that ran late after normal shop hours.

That would have as many as six players trying to deploy as much as 3,000 points or more each all on the same battle zone.  It was messy, but fun.

In a challenge match with a single opponent, I think 4800 was as high as I was willing to go.  Three thousand was considered average for big games and fifteen hundred was just big enough to give you a little of everything.  Regardless of the size of the build total, we usually agreed to limit order per turn to a maximum of ten, though Command units can increase that total.  We did this to keep the game at the fast pace that we love.

The beauty of such battles was not being limited to a 36 inch battle zone, and whole armies can commit to flanking maneuvers that might take more than three turns to complete before they can engage the enemy target.  These games often lasted longer and were more fun than the tournaments that everyone came to win a prize at.  A secondary benefit was we get to see some of those prizes in action right away.

GC

[Prince of Darkness]

I WON'T LET THIS DIE

Here is a nice, near-900 point army that I have used a few times against heavily battlemech/tank-based armies.  The CBA's and (especially) the Hoverbike squads are there only to keep your opponents back and for base-and-break; 11 Improved attack with 16-inch range is the only thing you need to remember.  Remember, stay the hell away from buildings and other blocking terrain- always go for water and hindering.
______________________________________________________________________________

STAND YOUR GROUND!

AN066 Nova Cat 212 pts. (Nova Cat)
AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting 44pts. (Heavy)
FI-P-024 Star Captain - Clan Nova Cat (Heavy S:1 A:1 D:1 18 pts.)          274pts.

AN066 Nova Cat 212 pts. (Nova Cat)
AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting 44pts. (Heavy)
FI-P-024 Star Captain - Clan Nova Cat (Heavy S:1 A:1 D:1 18 pts.)          274pts.

AN066 Nova Cat 212 pts. (Nova Cat)
AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting 44pts. (Heavy)
FI-P-024 Star Captain - Clan Nova Cat (Heavy S:1 A:1 D:1 18 pts.)          274pts.

3x D021 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Clan Spirit Cat)                                   51pts.

2x D007 Hoverbike Squad 13pts. (Clan Spirit Cat)                                     26pts.

Total: 899 Points

[AsburyGrad]

The Nova Cats are some of the easiest units to build an army around, or just drop into a larger build when added to a core army.  Just move into weapon range and fire away!

[GhostCat]

The Nova Cats are some of the easiest units to build an army around, or just drop into a larger build when added to a core army.  Just move into weapon range and fire away!

I would not suggest anyone should make a habit of that.  Stationary targets are easy to hit.

There is no magical "easy" button that has Nova Cat written on it.  I started playing Spirit Cats when they were out ranged and under gunned.  I still still like to get close to my target and then let it know it can't run far enough away.  So, Speed and Mobility are important assets to any battle group.

Many people used to tell me that the Cats were weak against Ballistic weapons and Infantry attacks.  The same is true for many other factions, too.  I used infantry to fight infantry, and any that were not encumbered by opposing infantry chased the big expensive battlemechs until they captured one. 

Back when there were many players and few factions, even the Highlanders were more popular than the Spirit Cats.  We bought boosters without knowing what they held and quickly traded things away for factions and units that we want.  Everyone wanted powerful Swordsworn and zombie Bannson and the fast Dragonfury.  The Spirit Cats weren't even exciting as a Color Group, White with some Gray. 

I guess I got a lot of my cats in trading, because I was the group's dumping ground.  As it turned out, most of the players were comfortable with the "Sit and Shoot" strategy, while I had a lot of "old school" Battletech experience.  Fortunately, Wizkids included a rule for VC3 that gave me a chance to win even if no units were destroyed or salvaged.  It was up to those big slow shooters to prove they could hit what wouldn't stand still.

GC

[Pa Weasley]

More than anything with the initial release, Spirit Cats suffered from a lack of standout units. You really couldn't build one around a single mech or vehicle. The closest I ever came to having a stand alone unit was the Scimitar Mk II acting as an early VC3 piece. Even then it could also be used to base and tie up units early in the game. Fortunately, for the most part they were all fairly useful, the green Behemoth and Mobile HQ (not counting LEs) being the only ones that I never fielded. Heck, first time I won a tournament I had a veteran Miningmech MOD in my army! (green Black Hawk, vet. Miningmech MOD, green Scimitar Mk II, 3x elite Clan Battle Armor)

Back when there were many players and few factions, even the Highlanders were more popular than the Spirit Cats.  We bought boosters without knowing what they held and quickly traded things away for factions and units that we want.  Everyone wanted powerful Swordsworn and zombie Bannson and the fast Dragonfury.  The Spirit Cats weren't even exciting as a Color Group, White with some Gray. 

I'm with you here. I was frequently the only Spirit Cat player for both casual games and tournaments. On the bright side, I was quickly able to trade for multiples of every piece.

[GhostCat]

I WON'T LET THIS DIE
______________________________________________________________________________

STAND YOUR GROUND!

AN066 Nova Cat 212 pts. (Nova Cat)
AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting 44pts. (Heavy)
FI-P-024 Star Captain - Clan Nova Cat (Heavy S:1 A:1 D:1 18 pts.)          274pts.

AN066 Nova Cat 212 pts. (Nova Cat)
AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting 44pts. (Heavy)
FI-P-024 Star Captain - Clan Nova Cat (Heavy S:1 A:1 D:1 18 pts.)          274pts.

AN066 Nova Cat 212 pts. (Nova Cat)
AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting 44pts. (Heavy)
FI-P-024 Star Captain - Clan Nova Cat (Heavy S:1 A:1 D:1 18 pts.)          274pts.

3x D021 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Clan Spirit Cat)                                   51pts.

2x D007 Hoverbike Squad 13pts. (Clan Spirit Cat)                                     26pts.

Total: 899 Points

This is just a little tweak of the three Nova Cats.  With Improved Targeting and 12AV, these mechs can be truly annoying to any four targets with each attack.  That can mean giving a whole formation of infantry Energy damage.  [edit: with TSEMP, targeting only one infantry unit will still give it an Order Token, which can affect it's ability to participate in a formation move or attack.  Infantry and Vehicles do not remove TSEMP tokens until the Clean-up Phase.]  Even RHDMs can show concern if the Nova Cats need to spend one turn with a range formation on one target.

Shoulder to Shoulder, or, Nova Cat Phalanx

AN066 Nova Cat 212 pts. (Nova Cat)
AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting 44pts. (Heavy)
VG-P-058 Graduate Certificate - Frihet Training Facility (Heavy S:0 A:2 D:1  Pilot Cost: 31 pts.) 287pts.

AN066 Nova Cat 212 pts. (Nova Cat)
AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting 44pts. (Heavy)
VG-P-058 Graduate Certificate - Frihet Training Facility (Heavy S:0 A:2 D:1  Pilot Cost: 31 pts.) 287pts.

AN066 Nova Cat 212 pts. (Nova Cat)
AOD-G-018 Improved Targeting 44pts. (Heavy)
VG-P-058 Graduate Certificate - Frihet Training Facility (Heavy S:0 A:2 D:1  Pilot Cost: 31 pts.) 287pts.

3x D007 Hoverbike Squad 13pts. (Clan Spirit Cat)                                                                   39pts.

Total 900 points even.

The main reason I'd choose this is to replace the 18 point Star Captain, which only appeared in boosters with the Red Base Nova Cat.  That makes the CNC Pilot card both rare and expensive.  Of course, you can make proxy cards .... and the rest will remain unsaid.

Most people might say that a 22DV is pretty good, and it is until they see 12AV with IT rolling a 10 or better with three dice.  That's why there are hoverbikes still dancing in front of the mechs, because there are mech/pilot combos that can do better than that, and the Nova Cats can use all the help they can get.

Other choices or options:

WS-L-059 Barnum Drummond (Heavy S:2 A:1 D:1 19 pts. Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-L-004 Kev Rosse (Heavy S:1 A:1 D:2 27 pts. Spirit Cats)
AOD-GS-013 Aiko Ryohara (Heavy S:1 A:1 D:2 27 pts.  Recruit (Base): 5, Gunslinger)
WS009 Monocycle 15 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)

Substituting these three pilots for the Frihet Academy will gain 15 points for an extra infantry unit, with improvements to the mechs' speed and defense values.  The Monobike conveniently fills the point gap, is just as fast as the Hoverbikes, and, although wheeled, it does have Evade SE.

Terrain should be mostly Blocking placed in such a way that opposing units will be obliged to use Run or Assault Orders to enter your 16 inch ranged shooting gallery.

GC

[AsburyGrad]

TSEMP is single target.

[GhostCat]

TSEMP is single target.

Ahh yeah.  My bad. 

It somehow slipped my mind, but all the Special Equipment for Energy weapons except PPC Capacitor require a single Target.

I guess with three Heavy Novacats on the field, hitting EVERYTHING with TSEMP would be too much of a good thing. 

GC

[Prince of Darkness]

I guess I got a lot of my cats in trading, because I was the group's dumping ground.  As it turned out, most of the players were comfortable with the "Sit and Shoot" strategy, while I had a lot of "old school" Battletech experience.  Fortunately, Wizkids included a rule for VC3 that gave me a chance to win even if no units were destroyed or salvaged.  It was up to those big slow shooters to prove they could hit what wouldn't stand still.

So how would you play Spirit/Nova Cat, GC?  Far more mobile, I take it?

[GhostCat]

So how would you play Spirit/Nova Cat, GC?  Far more mobile, I take it?

Absolutely.

It's one of the main reasons I found Artillery to be nearly useless.  Even with long range area effect and wild drift, it still depends on having targets that can't out run it.  Most of the other factions count on having big, high value, mechs that can't move very fast and are afraid to Push because of self inflicted exploding ammo on the Heat dial.  Then there's the Energy attack that adds Heat to the target, which makes their heat dials even more fragile.

I knew players that loved both the Sword and Hammer factions but didn't dare play with mechs for that very reason.  Being able to manage your Heat is a real skill even for the Cats.

Then there's that issue of having slow infantry or tanks that need transports just to keep close to the mechs that don't want to push their Heat.

Of course I do remember constant griping on WK forums about the Cats lacking proper Transports and decent Artillery Support.  Where other players developed skills at building and playing Rainbow Armies to compensate for perceived handicaps, I studied armies that build to the Factions' strengths.

The Nova Cats and Spirit Cats have some very fast infantry units with long life dials and good attack values.  Few (if any) factions can make the same claim for more than two of the three qualities.

Even so, most players disparaged the Spirit Cats because the damage and attack values were average to low, and except for a few "exceptional" units, defense was not too impressive either.  I've always had a soft spot for underdog factions and the SCats had plenty of that.

Back to basic tactics:  Even without engaging in range attacks that are likely to miss (I should say "especially", it's a basic greenhorn mistake), the Spirit Cats tend to be very mobile as explained above.  They are easy to Push and don't blow up before they shut down.  So, the trick is to take advantage of having better mobility.  Don't just walk into your opponent's firing arc and optimum range.  Run to where they have to turn and face you just to get a shot.  The Cats can still Push, Assault, and Pulse their Energy weapons for three clicks of Heat, without risking a shut down roll.  Not many factions can make that kind of claim. 

Yup, I like to run around a lot, being "unhitable" is kind of fun, and even the big shooters need some target practice.  I'll camp out in opposing deployment zones, gathering VC3 and kicking Artillery units while the remaining opposing units are still maneuvering to deal with it.  Then, I use that Speed advantage to run off to a quiet spot to Rest and Vent.  Generally, the opposing force has to Rest, too, and then spend two turns moving to whatever corner my Cats are napping in.  By then the Cats are fully rested and free to move to where they can annoy something again.

So, it might sound silly to say I play "Tag" while my opponent is doing his best to destroy my army, but just saying "Hit and Run" doesn't quite describe the strategy either.  Also, after bashing my opponent's morale by "Counting Coup", I can also share that sense of satisfaction when he finally does hit one that didn't quite escape fast enough.  After all, I do want him to try again, next time.

GC 

[Prince of Darkness]

Well Ghostcat, you sold me on how to push the Spirit/Nova cats- I tried out your description there on Sunday with my gaming group.  Since we are in the middle of a campaign, you can understand I had a lot riding on this.

For the fight, I am pretty well-rounded, and definitely mobile.  Our "Recon Lances" (aka, this one, at 750 points) have to have a speed of at least 10, so my choice of a Shockwave (running a 2/1/0 pilot with High-Resolution Targeting) and a Sun Cobra (0/2/0 with that armor-piercing laser) meant that I was pushing good attack values and had the speed to get into good positions.  Because of how our campaign works, I can use nova cat vehicles and infantry before this date... but not 'mechs.  I went with 6 CBA's, 2 CNC Gossamer VTOLs, and my only Spirit Cat Donar assault helicopter for some non 'mech based speed.  Better still was a "Faction enhancement" I had picked- called "paratroopers", it allowed me to drop infantry with jump jets virtually anywhere at the beginning of my 2nd turn.

My opponent was an 11 year old Liao player who took losses personally- running two Liao Targes with 0/1/2 pilots and some 5 Simian battle armor for a total around 450 points.  Our world had a corrosive atmosphere, making all defenses 23 after all other modifiers.  Your terrain included two blocking, one hindering, and one water that I placed to throw him off- he immediately placed a building in front of it, as I thought.

The fight went as suspected for a newbie.  He leapt the simians out from behind cover, only to force them to slowly walk up to my waiting 'mechs and VTOLs while I slowly took potshots at them.  By the 2nd turn, I surrounded his two Targes with CBAs- both behind buildings, as I thought- and I completely disregarded his infantry, now down to 3 Simians who weren't in a formation.  He disregarded them entirely, which doomed his chance as planetary defender to cost me forces (or "supply") later.

Now, here's the funny part.  He kept on trying to break away from the CBA's to engage the 'mechs pounding up from around the side through hindering, but he kept on failing his break rolls- 5 times, in fact, all 2's, only broken up by him shutting down twice.  It took a little bit, but I captured the first Targe after it failed a minor ammunition explosion roll.

The second 'mech was where I used your knowledge the first time around.  Instead of charging into the breach first off, I tossed the Gossamer's at him instead and let the Sun Cobra and Shockwave rest in the woods.  With the Gossamer's range being the same as the Targe, he took the bait after a lucky shot hit him for one whole click.  That's right- Instead of pushing to assault the rested and in range mech's, he went after the VTOLs.  I shot and pulsed and shot and pulsed, shutting the Sun Cobra down but damaging the Targe so much it wouldn't matter.

The end result was that both Gossamers were salvaged and sent back to the deployment zone, where instead of using his still-present Simian armor to shoot them down he tried capturing the Sun Cobra... one at a time.  After two turns the Targe was salvaged with only minor damage (1-3 clicks) spread out amongst the whole force.  Like I said earlier, he took his loss personally despite this planet not being his- he only played as the "defending force".  He completely changed his fighting style for the next fight.

In this one, he removed the Targes for 3 Mjolnir with 0/1/2 pilots, again pushing his defense as high as he could.  He also subbed in 5 Purifier armors to supplement the 5 Simians.  We didn't change the terrain, and being unable to alter my recon lance to deal with charge monkeys meant that I was a little weary about this one.  Thankfully for me, the Liao Mjolnir's aren't as good as some of the other factions, and better yet he somehow forgot how to use them properly.

It started with me moving into the water with my VTOL's leading, and him staying in one place.  I dropped the armor on the 2nd turn, and based his right away- and thankfully for me, that drew away his attention and had him putting on heat while my guys went to green and got ready to push forwards.  When his infantry formations were broken however, he sent two of the Mjolnirs at me while the third had to work off a shutdown from constantly firing- blind charges both of them against my Shockwave, with only one succeeding for 3.  With two 'mechs and 3 VTOLs, they were cut apart in a single turn, and having one shut down and another get an ammo explosion did nothing but sweeten the deal.

Once they had been taken care of, I was down to three (nearly fresh) CBA's against some 7-8 Simian and Purifier armor and one lone Mjolnir who just woke up.  I pushed the Sun Cobra up between the two buildings while the shockwave went around and rested, with both just one assault order away from hitting the light mech.  Instead of making a charge, or the best attempt to get into the firing range of only one 'mech, he shot at a CBA again, hit colors, and shut down.

Sweet.  Jesus.

The ending was obvious- the Sun Cobra assaulted around the corner and hit, gaining no ill effects despite it's (comparatively) poor heat dial, while the Shockwave did what Shockwaves do best- wreck everything with pulse lasers.  He blasted the Mjolnir apart, and his player called it.  I decided not to continue the campaign fights- he was too emotional after two "losses" to keep going.

End result is that you are completely right.  With low defenses I had to use my enhanced speed to better him, and let me tell ya both fights had me sweating seeing the Hardened Targe and Charging Mjolnirs.  Despite the proficiency of my opponent, I pushed my 'mechs harder than normal and kept piling on heat in both cases- the first being more obvious, as eventually I had some 5 CBA ganged up on one Targe, constantly taking turns flaming and attempting capture until I pulled it off while the Shockwave and Sun Cobra pulled stunts that would leave a Steiner 'mech lit up like a Christmas tree.  It was a rewarding exprience, truth be told, and shows just how destructive infantry can be.  The sad thing is that I know my opponent didn't learn anything from this fight.

[GhostCat]

The end result was that both Gossamers were salvaged and sent back to the deployment zone, where instead of using his still-present Simian armor to shoot them down he tried capturing the Sun Cobra... one at a time. 

So, he was camping in your DZ?  That's VC3.  Capturing a VTOL destroys it no matter what it's condition is, so he was doing right, it dies either way.

With low defenses I had to use my enhanced speed to better him, and let me tell ya both fights had me sweating seeing the Hardened Targe and Charging Mjolnirs.

 

Yup, you wouldn't be saying that if it was an easy win.  But this is the kind of thing you want to happen, where both players can say at the end, win or lose, "that was awesome!"

It was a rewarding exprience, truth be told, and shows just how destructive infantry can be.  The sad thing is that I know my opponent didn't learn anything from this fight.

You did say your opponent was young, and takes his losses personally.  But, he has some skill and I think he does learn.  What you need to do now is quietly teach him what you've just learned.  That was how I learned to play the "Tank Drop" when it first happened to me.  Not having a response to something like that in a tournament is a bad thing, but having your opponent show the mechanics and tricks along with a few ways to defend against it was priceless.

Did you know? 

That Salvaged Mechs can still block Line of Fire, and that can give the one hiding behind it a chance to Rest or Vent.

Using Base Contact with opposing units can give you a chance to rest while your opponent is dealing with Called Shot and Friendly Fire modifiers.  Your mechs can use weak or salvaged units as stepping stones to advance across the battlefield (who needs water, when you can do that?).  And infantry can clump around the stronger units, making life difficult.

Standing on an Artillery Token blocks Line of Fire and is a good way to make it drift away.

Liao has one really annoying Special Ability if used properly.  Liao units near one that is eliminated can be given a click of Repair when it dies.  The trick is to isolate them, and damage them all before killing any of them.  There is a range factor to the repair ability, so any unit that strays too far from the pack is seriously out of luck.

GC

[GhostCat]

Before Wolf Strike gave us Assault Class pilots like Vanessa Gurdel, and when even Nova Cat mechs were still Newish, the Red Based Kodiak was introducing the Ghost Bear faction. 

It didn't take long to see it's value, even with a variety of Gunslinger pilots pushing the point cost up.  Armies started to focus on 600 points for Organized Play, and the challenge was to find good support for this mech while actual Rasalhague units were still not yet available. 

Normally, I would have a flock of infantry and a nice tank or light mech supporting such a big mech, but I did notice a few things about the Kodiak that made it very playable in a target rich environment.  So, I started looking for good side-kick mech that could also stand alone and look impressive doing it. 

It turned out that the Grinder Nova Cat had everything I wanted without being "too uber" or having the sort of powers that the CNC Nova Cats became known for.  Just a good generic mech that any faction would find useful.  And the combination of Gear, Pilot and Mech meant it could follow the Kodiak and still be a difficult target.

Now, all that's left is to make sure that Terrain and Planetary Conditions give them the battlefield most suited for them.  Jungle, Monsoon, Tornado, and Perfect Day help to preserve the Hindering Terrain scattered on the table.  For this team, Blocking and Shallow Water are mostly decorative. 

Woodland and Orchard can be placed so that a jumping assault mech can reach the next piece in one move.  This means they never break out of cover unless they want to.  This became known in my group as the "Hindering Highway".

With jump jets and the Jump Pack gear, these mechs can use Assault Orders for ranged or close combat attacks without having their movement hindered by the terrain.  Together, they became a legendary combat team known as ...

"Big Bear and Little Grinder"

AN077 Kodiak 249 pts. (Rasalhague Dominion)
AN-G-081 Camouflage (Assault 6 pts.)
AOD-GS-014 Enrico Fernali (Assault S:2 A:2 D:1 47 pts. Gunslinger)  Recruit (Base): 7

309 points  Recruiting to the Faction is required


FI085 Nova Cat 'Grinder' 229 pts. (Gunslinger)
AN-G-085 BattleMech Jump Pack (Heavy 20 pts.)
AOD-GS-013 Aiko Ryohara (Heavy S:1 A:1 D:2 27 pts. Gunslinger)  Recruit (Base): 5

276 points without recruiting to any faction


L029 Clan Battle Armor 15 pts. (Mercenary)  also not recruited

600 point total

========================================
Name: Tornado
ID: AOD-PC-010
 Expansion: Age of Destruction
 
Unit Type: Planetary Condition
 All blocking terrain features become hindering terrain features instead.
 
========================================
Name: Jungle
ID: FI-PC-018
 Expansion: Fire Power
 
Unit Type: Planetary Condition
 All non-hindering terrain features become hindering terrain features instead. Units at NOE level that are the target of a ranged combat attack originating from Cruising level get +2 to their defense value against those attacks. Changing between NOE and Cruising level requires 4 inches movement instead of 2 inches Jungle Cancels the Beach, Ice Field, Mountain Range, and Urban planetary conditions, and it is canceled by the Desert Wasteland and Storm planetary conditions.

========================================
Name: Nightfall
ID: AN-PC-021
 Expansion: Annihilation
 
Unit Type: Planetary Condition
 Any unit targeted by a ranged combat attack from an opposing unit more than 8' away from it gets +1 to its defense value unless the attacker has Improved Targeting.

========================================
Name: Perfect Day
ID: AOD-PC-008
 Expansion: Age of Destruction
 
Unit Type: Planetary Condition
 Cancel one other planetary condition; if you do, cancel this Perfect Day.

========================================

Sure, this army still fits with my "keep moving, don't be an easy target" style of play, but the Grinder's Heat Dial is a short four clicks, so you have to watch it more closely.  The Hindering bonus is enough to discourage most attackers, but that alone won't make them invincible if they fall asleep waiting for orders while "camping" in the woods.

With three victory conditions and mission cards adding special victory conditions, Camping is just simply not a winning strategy.  A fast mover can occupy your deployment zone and suddenly you'll be losing without a shot fired.  Build total is also an important factor, being a point short can mean your opponent has "control of the battlefield".  And many armies with Artillery (etc) tend to focus on killing something small to gain an advantage in Victory Conditions. 

Here, the lonely infantry unit can serve as "bait", being  something they can shoot at.  It can even be a Hero, rescuing a captured mech and jump around opposing deployment zones basing Artillery and Repair units while the big mechs are busy getting attention elsewhere.

Filler (as such is called) can be useful when you least expect it.  Well, in my armies, nothing is wasted.

GC

[GhostCat]

Once again, I have been inspired to build an army after viewing recent posts in other threads.

You Guessed it!  Colossal mechs.


900 point army featuring a Colossal mech with some support.  

BF035 Ares 'Poseidon' 525 pts. (Gunslinger)

BF-GS-A08 Codename: Hermes (Pilot) (Colossal S:2 A:0 D:0 30 pts. Gunslinger)

This unit ignores faction pride and situational alliance CECs put into play by its controller.
Preferred Mech: BF019,BF020,BF021
Recruit (Base): 15 (not used)


BF-GS-A12 Codename: Moros (Gunner) (Colossal S:0 A:2 D:0 45 pts. Gunslinger)

This unit ignores faction pride and situational alliance CECs put into play by its controller.
Preferred Mech: BF019,BF020,BF021
Recruit (Base): 15 (not used)


BF-GS-A15 Codename: Pandora (Engineer) (Colossal S:0 A:0 D:1 20 pts. Gunslinger)

This unit ignores faction pride and situational alliance CECs put into play by its controller.
Preferred Mech: BF019,BF020,BF021
Recruit (Base): 15 (not used)


Support Units:

1x BF036 Combat Technicans 'Rhodes Graces' 15 pts. (Mercenary) (Repair team, for the tank and mech)

1x BF037 Angerona Battle Armor 'Rhodes Aegis' 24 pts. (Mercenary) (Point Defense helps repair)

1x CA067 Shoden Assault Vehicle 61 pts. (Mercenary) (streaks at 12 inches, a good tail for any mech)

8x AOD127 Salamander Battle Armor 18 pts. (Mercenary) (Flamers, Jump Jets, great capture team)

2x F006 Shock Troopers 18 pts. (Mercenary) (Bypass, Jump Jets, can move with Salamanders or Shoden)


900 points total with good potential.


Commentary: 

The big mech has huge minimum range issues, while the tank has none.  With the use of Streaks and tagging along close behind the mech, it can safely give covering fire for when opposing units try to get under the Guns.  Two Shock Troopers can follow in a movement formation with the Shoden while the Salamanders can advance and engage targets with Flamers and Capture them.  This also allows Bypass to be a valid threat without hiding the Bypassers in expensive transports units.  Sure, target the Shock Troopers if you can, they make great clay pigeons when other units need to rest.  The Rhodes Graces and Aegis infantry units remain Passengers inside the mech until they are needed.

Naturally, that makes the Salamanders' job easier.  Because they aren't as fast as the SCat's CBAs, they might need the target to be distracted until they get close enough to base, flame, and capture their objective.  Two groups of four Sallies means plenty of opportunities to capture anything not nailed down.

The infantry is still able to move faster than the mech or tank.  Which just goes to show how really slow this army is in movement.  Even if it is slow, just keep the battle group moving, standing still means loss of iniative and eventual death.  The infantry's primary job is to base and capture, but until then, they stay close to the 600 point asset to block charge monkeys and unwanted close combat attacks. 

This is a "Pure" Mercenary Gunslinger army, not recruited to any faction.  Using a Mercenary Contract, and Faction Pride other than True Grit, Merc Pride, or any other Faction Special Abilities can add up to 100 or more extra points to the next incremental build total without making the army look any bigger than it is.  I admit to a small bias about Special Abilities and try to avoid using them, building basic armies that anyone can use even they don't have all the wing dings and super powers.

Terrain and Planetary Conditions:

The usual mix of Blocking and Hindering with Perfect Day to keep things simple.  All things are possible, just have fun with it. 

GC

[guppylips]

it was during an event called 'the battle of the ages' at gencon, but the only way i can play an ares now is as a zombie mech. Played poseidon with no pilots, the br/ss situational alliance with a br merc card, a catapult with the coolant gun card, a light with repair, and artillery/repair vehicles as back up. Of course i could never play it with planetary conditions as the chance of having repair canceled every round is too great. I can't remember the build total, but it might have been 1500. I remember dropships were allowed.

That army did awesome. It took down a lance of uber assault mechs. Hammerfall, widowmaker, refuge, and the kodiak could not take it down. I just rolled until i hit the ridiculous to hit number and repaired the whole game. That ares was killed three time over on damage, but just kept getting repaired back up to green.

Even with good backup, it just isn't worth it to play an ares. The chance to push them and stay overheated is just too great, and the blasted things just get captured.

[GhostCat]

A recent discussion reminded me of a few armies that never got mentioned here.  My fondness for light mechs and supporting infantry means that's where I look first when exploring the possibilities of a new faction.  When the Domination expansion set was released, many players found the Wolf Hunters to be very exciting.

I was like, "another Wolf Clan!?  ...will they ever get tired of them?"  Then, I found the Mjolner.  Single use Evade for one click, hmmm 4dmg with Armor Piercing, well that's Different.  What? Double Rate as a Gear Card?  I had just found something to give other players nightmares with.

In a 600 point army build, we have:

 The 'Jolly Hunters'

DOM092 Mjolnir 97 pts. (Wolf Hunters)
AOD-G-015 Double Rate (Light 23 pts.)
DOM-P-038 Graduate Certificate - Hero Training Institute (Light S:1 A:1 D:1 10 pts. Not Applicable)

DOM092 Mjolnir 97 pts. (Wolf Hunters)
AOD-G-015 Double Rate (Light 23 pts.)
DOM-P-038 Graduate Certificate - Hero Training Institute (Light S:1 A:1 D:1 10 pts. Not Applicable)

DOM092 Mjolnir 97 pts. (Wolf Hunters)
AOD-G-015 Double Rate (Light 23 pts.)
DOM-P-038 Graduate Certificate - Hero Training Institute (Light S:1 A:1 D:1 10 pts. Not Applicable)

DOM092 Mjolnir 97 pts. (Wolf Hunters)
AOD-G-015 Double Rate (Light 23 pts.)
DOM-P-038 Graduate Certificate - Hero Training Institute (Light S:1 A:1 D:1 10 pts. Not Applicable)

6x DOM002 Minigun Cycle 10 pts. (Wolf Hunters)

AOD-F-008 True Grit ... Points: 20

For Planetary Conditions, Perfect Day is the first choice, and being able to use the Mission Card "Hooray for the Underdogs" is just too much Fun.  Terrain Features is mostly Blocking to break up the long range attacks and give the Jollies something to hide behind.

The Minigun Cycle was chosen mostly for the point cost, and it's short life reflects that.  But it does have some Values that make it Useful.  AntiPersonel SE can break up other infantry formations and it is fast enough to base opposing mechs and vehicles, making life difficult for them.

The Jollies can stand base to base in a firing formation and pound on big slow targets with Double Rate, or run around shooting with Armor Piercing.  The fact that they can be 30 inches away on one turn, then in your face the next makes them very scarey.

A little experimentation might find other Gear cards useful on these mechs, and your mileage may vary when using such fragile and expendable units.  But the idea is to be agressive and make your opponent Fear Them.

GC

[GhostCat]

One of the most notable features of the Bannson's Raiders is how easy they are to repair.  Everybody loves that about them and it is a great selling point.  But there is a down side.  They often get fewer clicks of life on the dial than similar units in other factions.  Also many units have a "Glass Jaw" which makes them suddenly less effective after a few clicks of damage, thus encouraging the need to keep repair units conveniently nearby.

Sometimes it's not easy to disengage from combat to head off to the nearest repair unit.  So many times, I've had repair units standing idle because the battle units were just too far away and could not escape easily.  So it becomes cost effective to put a Repair Vehicle or Combat Technician in a Transport. 

Ordinance Trucks are transports that can also repair things too.  Sure, you knew that, and you know the Raiders have a JI100 RV equipped with Point Defense just to make it's job easier to manage.  And we all know what a big target that becomes when opposing forces start by killing repair units first.  The synergy of the LE transport and repair drop can make the 54 points a sound investment.  Yes, they can even Push to repair each other.

By the time Age of Destruction was produced, my collection had been stripped down to only a few dozen figures by other players that liked the Zombie Mechs more than I did.  But, it just happened that the first Mech and Pilot I pulled from a booster was the Cygnus and Enrico Fernali  with Single Use Pulse as the Gear card.  Quality Control was erratic back then, and nothing said that Preferred Pilots had to be packed with their Assigned Mechs.  It's a good thing that I didn't see Jacob Bannson's stats until much later.

As it turns out, 'Rico became my 'go to' pilot for every Assault mech except his own (but that's another story).

So, here is the Original Zombie Mech, with 450 Build Total and three orders. 

AOD124 Cygnus 'Persuader' 234 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)
AOD-G-023 Pulse (Single Use) (Assault 26 pts.)
AOD-GS-014 Enrico Fernali (Assault S:2 A:2 D:1 47 pts. Gunslinger) Recruit(Base): 7 (BR): 5

E127 Basil 'The Edge' Kozaka (J-37 Ordnance Transport) 32 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)
D042 JI100 Recovery Vehicle 22 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)

6x F019 Kage Battle Armor 14 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)

As you can see, even with the increase point total from 300, there still isn't much room for support because that One Big Mech is using up more points, too.  The Big Mech played the Hero part very well, and repair drops were timely and well placed.  The Kage moved in two formations of three, but only served as brief distractions while the mech got rest and repaired.

In later expansions, more options were available, including the Solitaire mech and a variety of Planetary Condition cards.  Generally, Blocking Terrain is the most useful for this team, with plenty of places to hide while getting repaired.  Perfect Day and other cards that prevent Blocking from becoming something else are always good to have.

AOD124 Cygnus 'Persuader' 234 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)
AOD-G-023 Pulse (Single Use) (Assault 26 pts.)
AOD-GS-014 Enrico Fernali (Assault S:2 A:2 D:1 47 pts. Gunslinger) Recruit(Base): 7 (BR): 5

AN051 Solitaire 100 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)
DOM-G-091 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
AOD-GS-001 J. P. Millhew (Light S:2 A:2 D:1 21 pts. Gunslinger) Recruit (Base): 5

1x E127 Basil 'The Edge' Kozaka (J-37 Ordnance Transport) 32 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)
1x D042 JI100 Recovery Vehicle 22 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)

5x L030 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)

Total 600 points

So, here the army has improved by adding a second mech, and the infantry is packing AntiPersonel SE.  The synergy is still good with four orders.  Oh, yes, the best part about having 'Rico pilot the Cygnus is he can make it Run 20 inches with a 12AV, which is pretty amazing for an Assault Mech.

GC

[Boldrick]

Heh, now thats looks very familiar , heck...same mech setup, Kozak +J100 combo, dont have much of Kagas, but i used
monocycle thingy, for very same points and purpose .
I differ with Solitaire setup, using Kelly + pulse on one, while other would get IT +  Mila Mazur for cheapest +2 def pilot.
Very compact armies..

[Captain of C-21]

GhostCat that is definitely some cool stuff on Bannson's Raiders.  The new kids in our club up here seem to have taken a liking to them, I need to scrounge up some repair vehicles to throw in the library box. :)

Alright, so this coming week I am going to have the regulars play against the new players to see how well they are understanding the rules.  Mostly I am doing this because the new players have kind of been playing against each other, while the regulars in our group do likewise, kind of by default.  I want to start mixing it up so we can start having some 10-12 people tournaments!  I told all our regulars though to build some fun but not too competitive armies to use this coming week.  Here's mine.

255pts  "Eternal Spirit" Sphinx (Marat Deleportas)
w/ 18pt Heavy Star Captain Clan Nova Cat (+1, +1, +1)
129pts "Malisa Nova Cat" Uller
w/ 10pt Light Star Commander Clan Nova Cat (+1, +1, +1)
w/ 33pt Evade
26pts "The Scorchers" Clan Battle Armor
18pts "Shadow Stalkers" Purifier Battle Armor
17pts/51pts Clan Battle Armor (Dark Age) x3
20pts Spirit Cat Faction Pride

The new players all want to use pilot/gear cards on old mechs, so I let them on a caveat; no unique pilot cards on unique mechs, only generic ones.  I have never gotten to use my Sphinx in a game before, while Malisa Nova Cat and her Uller were my standby SC piece back in the pre-AoD days.  Should be fun, I think. :)

[GhostCat]

Captain of C-21, Bannson's Raiders has quite a few interesting units, not the least of which is the LE infantry known as Killer Clowns.  One of them is a Scout ATV that has Foot mode (you know, it's a Clown Car). 

Let me introduce you to a slightly older mech that might be in your random box.  It still has value even if you don't add pilot and gear cards, though many other Dark Age mechs failed to stay useful with the obvious power creep that AoD rules permitted.  All by itself, it gave charge monkeys a Bad Name and sparked a sudden interest in how the game mechanic should be changed.  It even earned an unofficial nickname as the 'Gunhead'.

F080 Legionnaire 119 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)

Keep in mind that this is a medium mech though Dark Age mechs were rarely identified by weight class.  It can be repaired to Full from Salvage, has Infiltrate on the first click and Camoflage on all the others.  No Single Use SE, the usual method was to Charge something, take a click, then hide in the Hindering.  Brawling appears on the Secondary weapon, but can be use with the 4dmg Primary, allowing it to deal six clicks of impact (ignores hardened armor) damage.  And it's Fast, so it can Run back to a repair truck, and Charge back into Battle until something kills it.

So, it's dangerous at range, and deadly up close, and though the Heat Dial can be sometimes painful, you also have the satisfation of knowing it can be repaired.   

AOD-G-007 Armor Piercing (Medium 35 pts.)
AOD-G-010 Mechanical Repair (Medium 17 pts.)
DOM-G-096 Anti-Personnel (Medium 24 pts.)
WS-G-169 Improved Targeting (Medium 35 pts.)

DOM-G-108 Explosive Rounds (Medium 39 pts.)
Attaches to: Ballistic
Ignore this gear when this unit's equipped damage value becomes 0. (optional) After this unit resolves a successful ranged combat attack targeting one or more opposing figures, score 2 damage against each unit in base contact with the target(s).

DOM-G-127 Double Rate (Medium 37 pts.)
Attaches to: Ballistic
(optional) Give this unit a ranged combat order targeting a single opposing figure. If the attack roll succeeds, make a second attack roll; this unit gets - 2 to its attack value for the second attack roll. If the second attack roll succeeds, double this unit's damage value (to a maximum of 6) when resolving the attack. If the second attack roll fails, use this unit's damage value to resolve the attack.

AOD-P-008 Graduate Certificate - War College of Tamar (Medium S:1 A:1 D:0 10 pts. Not Applicable)
AOD-P-009 Master Sergeant (Medium S:1 A:1 D:0 10 pts. Bannson's Raiders)
FI-P-018 Graduate Certificate - Sakhara Academy (Medium S:0 A:1 D:1 14 pts. Not Applicable)
VG-P-056 Graduate Certificate - Lyons School of Combat Preparedness (Medium S:2 A:1 D:0 11 pts. Not Applicable)

The above Gear and Pilots can make some useful combinations.  I never tried it that way, but, then I prefer to add more combat units with the points not spent on cards.

The Gunhead's biggest handicap is perhaps it's 9AV which makes RHDMs relax a bit.  The secret is to Charge with several mechs, then use a Close Combat Formation if things get really desperate.  Of course, you should pick off the small stuff first, run back to repair, then concentrate on the hard targets.

Here's a quick little army with good Zombie Tanks, Charge Monkey mechs, Repair Drop, and fast moving Wall of Flesh infantry.  Only the Artillery units are missing, but for 600 points, you can't have everything.

2x CA078 Behemoth II Tank 98 pts. (Bannson's Raiders), 196 points

F080 Legionnaire 119 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)

F080 Legionnaire 119 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)

E127 Basil 'The Edge' Kozaka (J-37 Ordnance Transport) 32 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)
D042 JI100 Recovery Vehicle 22 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)

8x F019 Kage Battle Armor 14 pts. (Bannson's Raiders)  112 points infantry 

600 points total

Use Planetary Conditions and Terrain as you please, half Blocking and half Hindering, should work out nicely.

GC

[Alleycat-Leader]

I have not been able to play Mechwarrior in over four years now, but I still have fond memories of playing as part of LordNth’s Merry Band of Miscreants in SE Michigan.  So, continuing the current Bannson’s Raiders theme of this thread, here was my 600 point army that was guaranteed to get me called ever nasty thing my opponents could conjure up or dig out of a thesaurus.

Build Total, 600 points / 4 orders

AN051  Solitaire [Bannson’s Raiders] – 100 pts.
DOM-G-117  C3i [Light] – 17 pts.
AN-GS-021  Scott Graves [Mercenary  S:+0  A:+2  D:+2] – 23 pts.

AN051  Solitaire [Bannson’s Raiders] – 100 pts.
DOM-G-117  C3i [Light] – 17 pts.
BF-GS-A20  Matt 'ZXQUEB' Vanek [Mercenary  S:+0  A:+2  D:+2] – 23 pts.   

AN051  Solitaire [Bannson’s Raiders] – 100 pts.
DOM-G-117  C3i [Light] – 17 pts.
VG-GS-055  Mila Mazur [Mercenary  S:+1  A:+1  D:+2] – 14 pts.

AN051  Solitaire [Bannson’s Raiders] – 100 pts.
DOM-G-117  C3i [Light] – 17 pts.
DOM-GS-049  Kelly Bonilla [Mercenary  S:+3  A:+3  D:+1] – 36 pts.

AOD-MC-006  Bannson’s Raiders Mercenary Contract – 5/150 pts.  (20 pts.)

BF036  Combat Technicians 'Rhodes Graces' [Mercenary] – 15 pts.

Total – 599 pts.

Preferred Planetary Conditions:
Perfect Day (Negate an opponent’s planetary condition.)
Dust Storm (Maximum range reduced to 8” and VTOL and Artillery affected.)
Heavy Fog (Special & ranged attacks beyond 8” receive a +1 to target’s defense.)
Magnetic Deposits (Ballistic range attacks receive a +1 to target’s defense.)
Rocky Terrain (+1 to foot infantry defense and tank drop cancelled.)

The tactics of this army can be summed up in two words, “Wolf Pack.”

The Solitaire always seemed to carry a level of intimidation with a lot of players, and staring at four of them across the board set most opponents on their heels from the start of the match.  Fear could be just as effective a weapon as any unit in the game.  The speed of the Solitaires (28” run with no heat on the two slowest) meant that on a 3’ x 3’ board there was very little chance I could not move to support my units in one turn if one ever got in trouble.

For an Assault to Heavy Class Battlemech, I would go with a single four-mech group, with Mazur and Vanek on the front running blocker (Impeding line of sight) for Bonilla and Graves.  For an opponent using multiple Medium to Light Class Battlemechs, I would go with two two-mech groups, with the bubbles from their C3i’s overlapping just enough that I could quickly move one way or another to exploit any opening that presented itself during a match.

Even with the midrange 10” distance of the Solitaires secondary weapon, their 14” move meant I could setup just beyond the 16” range of even the most far reaching opponents for an assault order the next turn.  This would force my opponent into assaulting the very high defense values of the Solitaires if he wanted to be the first to strike.

For high defense values, the C3i’s gave a +3 bonus once all of them were lined up on a target.  If needed, Bonilla could bring a maximum attack value of 15 if she was the last unit I attacked with in a turn.

For infantry-heavy armies, the Evade SE on the Solitaires meant that I broke away from base-to-base contact on anything but a 1, and allowed me to damage infantry in the bargain.  Even if based, the Solitaire could still lend the C3i support to a squadron mate’s attack, so long as the target was in range.  If faced with infantry using Grapple SE, I would usually have the Solitaire physically attack the highest attack value in the infantry formation.  If my opponent presented the opportunity (Infantry far enough away from support), I would have the Solitaires gang up on the infantry and quickly kill the formation by stomping them to death.

For “Charge Monkey” armies, the Solitaires usually had high enough defenses against charges to withstand the initial assault and then quickly deal with their attackers.  It was rare that this army was matched for numbers of Battlemechs, so that meant I could quickly gang up on the enemy units.  The overlapped coverage of the C3i’s meant that even a damaged Solitaire had a good attack value to complete its ranged combat attack against the enemy Battlemech.  The added benefit of using lasers meant the opponent went from a bad heat condition (Charge) to a terrible heat condition, and was usually rolling for heat effects.

The Combat Technicians were there to sit near to my deployment zone and provide quick repair to the Solitaires when they required it.  It was rare that a Solitaire would pull off the line with more damage than could be fixed in one turn (Especially with a good dice roll), and if needed it could return to the fight quickly to lend its C3i support to its squadron mates.

Again, the secret to this army is to operate as a team or “Wolf Pack.”  Keep the Battlemechs close to one another, supporting each other with overlapping fields of fire and C3i support.  It was extremely rare that this army lost a match / tournament, and in the later stages of playing in LordNth’s group I started teaching my fellow players the same tactics and where they could be beaten.

Most of all, remember that it is never the metal, it is the meat driving it.  (Superior tactics will always beat superior equipment.)

[GhostCat]

Alleycat-Leader, that was a most excellent review of the C3i Solitaire Army.  It was, in fact, one of the few truly rare combination of Pilots, Mechs, and Gear in Organized Play that could spark long discussions about the Metagame on the Wizkids Forums.  Such pieces could not be proxied, you either had them or you played with something else.

Although I've posted a few armies using similar tactics, I still enjoyed seeing this one.

GC

[dethtungue]

I frequently built armies using 4 CNC Vixens and C3i for 600 pts, 3 vixens + Phoenix Hawk I also for 600,  or 3 Vixens + a Nova Cat with C3i for 750 pt builds.  In fact, Lord Nths pictures in a different thread show my units in one of his big basement tourneys.  The gear is tricky to use as all your units need line-of-sight to take advantage of it, which really puts them out in the open for counter attacks.  I love the Vixens for their hitting power, but they shrink like violets after they heat up. 
Anyway,  the biggest hassle I had with C3i wasn't with my armies, but with players who were unfamiliar with the gear.  It was rare gear and even more rare that someone would field 3 or more units with C3i.  I remember being at Gencon tournaments and having Mike Miller, the rules arbiter (can't recall his call sign right now) being drilled by my opponents on when I would get the attack bonuses.  I had to pull out printed copies of his ruling so he could refresh his memory on how he ruled on the gear's use.  I took to taking it with me whenever I played away from home.  Heck, I even played at a few venues where the Battlemaster outright rejected the Published ruling on the gear's function, saying that you could only use the C3i bonus on one single unit per turn. 

[Captain of C-21]

I remember reading C3i gear on Warrenborn and thinking "What a need gear, too bad it'll never be usable outside of big point battles.  Who would ever run a 3-4 mech army in a tournament and think to win?"  Seeing these armies though, man am I glad our community was pretty mellow about competition. #P

Also GhostCat, thanks a bunch for posting about that Legionnaire.  Unfortunately, the library box of stuff does not have one in there, but between "Thug" Neanderthal, and the three Zeus in there, I'm not sure the new players will miss it much.

On another note, I just put down an order for L-028 Kisho Nova Cat, the version with his "Anticipate" ability.  How did I never see this card before?  Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that ability allow him to move for free, then give him another order?  That almost allows him to assault the entire board for (actually that's a lot) 3 heat!  I kind of want to build an army around him now.

[GhostCat]

Ohhhhh Yeaahhhh !!!! I remember Kisho Anticipate very well.   You're either going to love it or learn to hate it.

Now, repeat after me while gently holding his Heat Dial:  "Anticipate, Push, Assault, Pulse."  yup, that's right, four Heat.

You're going to need at least two Coolant Trucks, running around in Water isn't going to help much.  And you'll soon become an expert at forming adhoc formations with multiple JI100 RVs and Elite Infantry PDUs. 

On second thought, just put it back in the box and forget the whole thing.

OKay now that we're done laughing, when it works, it works really well, but the down side is you spend an aweful lot of points in the build total to make it happen.  That's right, almost 200 points in supporting units that can't fight.  Well the Elite Infantry can do a little more than the vehicles, but how many do you want to use?  So, in 600 point builds or less, Kisho and one sidekick is pretty much all you have.

The trick is to have two Coolant Trucks and maybe a mech Geared with Coolant Gun, and then have Kisho bouncing from one truck to the other to get Flushed every turn.  Sooner or later, the trucks have to Rest, and you'll need to Rest Kisho, too.

Of course all those trucks and infantry are vulnerable to lots of attack forms, leaving Kisho high and dry when he needs them. 

More later.   ::) O0

GC

[GhostCat]

Okay, it's Later.

First, let me point out that after the Fortune and Glory fiasco, Wizkids had to reconsider effect bonus actions and free orders had on the Game.  So, Anticipate doesn't come without some Pain.  Let's look at it:

AN-L-028 Kisho Nova Cat (Medium S:2 A:1 D:1 16 pts. Clan Nova Cat-Spirit Cats)
  Cost in Preferred Mech: 27

ANTICIPATE (Optional) Before giving this unit an order, you may give it a move order, which does not count against your order total for the turn. This unit may not use the run option during this move, and it may not be in base contact with any opposing figure at the end of the move. This unit gains 1 heat after resolving the move. This pilot cannot be used in the same battleforce as AN-L-020.

As worded and explained by the WK Rule Arbiter, it is still an Order even if it is free, and it gets an Order Token if it doesn't have one already.  And it gets Heat for using the Ability.  But it's a conditional ability that depends on receiving an Order from your total for the turn.  You are committed to complete the Order before moving on to the next unit.  Even on turn one from a cold start, if Anticipate is used, Kisho is already Pushing to complete his order for that turn.  Use Anticipate, give it an Order Token, then give the Order that Pushes and whatever else it does.  Yeah, expect Kisho to overheat and shut down a lot.

But ... You can use Anticipate to get out of trouble, move away, then use an Order to Vent.  So it's not all bad.

The other problems the Wendigo has are the mediocre range and damage values.  So, Combat Enhancement Cards are required.  I like PPC-Cap because you don't have to roll to hit twice, and six damage energy at two targets is plenty scary.  Add the Faction Pride for extended range and the mech is on parr with most Heavy mechs from other Factions.  Then, there's the Phawk with 18 inch range, TSEMP and Improved Targeting.  Try it, you'll like it.

At 600 points, you can only choose one attack with the Faction Pride, but 900 points will let you do this with two units per turn.

Basic 600 point Anticipate Kisho Army

AN074 Wendigo 'Nebula' 160 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AN-G-079 PPC Capacitor (Medium 29 pts.)
AN-L-028 Kisho Nova Cat (Medium S:2 A:1 D:1 16 pts. Clan Nova Cat-Spirit Cats)         
  Cost in Preferred Mech: 27

DOM085 Phoenix Hawk I 114 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
AOD-G-003 Improved Targeting (Light 23 pts.)
VG.-P-052 Graduate Certificate - War College of Goshen (Light S:0 A:2 D:1 19 pts.)     

2x DOM063 Coolant Truck 40 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)                  
2x D040 JI100 Recovery Vehicle 16 pts. (Spirit Cats)                
2x F001 Elite Infantry 14 pts. (Spirit Cats)                  

4x VG009 Clan Battle Armor 17 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)               

DOM-F-023 Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride  20 pts.               
  To qualify to use this card's alternative point value, your battleforce must be composed entirely of Clan Nova Cat units, or entirely of Spirit Cat units, or entirely of Clan Nova Cat and Spirit Cat units. 1/450: At the beginning of your order stage, a friendly Clan Nova Cat unit or Spirit Cat unit gets +2 to its maximum energy range value that stage.

600 points total.

The Elite Infantry has Point Defense and can benefit Repair Orders and the Coolant truck has Flamers, so it can use a Close Combat Attack.  The JI100RV does no damage and has no range, it only does one thing, and that only sometimes.

Add this to get 900 points for the Faction Pride:

VG065 Thor 201 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)
VG.-G-153 PPC Capacitor (Heavy 32 pts.)
VG.-P-058 Graduate Certificate - Frihet Training Facility (Heavy S:0 A:2 D:1 31 pts.)   

D155 The Scorchers (Clan Battle Armor) 26 pts. (Spirit Cats)            

DOM-F-023 Clan Nova Cat/Spirit Cat Faction Pride  10pts.               

900 points total.

If you don't have the Scorchers, choose one of the following unit types as a replacement.  All are good, but Scorchers are just on a different level.  The 300 point upgrade includes the extra cost for the Faction Pride, and so on.

2x D007 Hoverbike Squad 13 pts. (Spirit Cats)

1x FP017 Sylph Battle Armor 26 pts. (Spirit Cats)

1x DOM036 Shamash Reconnaissance Vehicle 26 pts. (Clan Nova Cat)

Normally, as part of the metagame, talk would now turn to what Terrain, and Planetary Conditions you might use with this army.  You might want to keep Blocking at the extreme edges of your long range and just dare your opponents to enter your clear line of fire.  Water anywhere is fine as long as you don't stand still.  A stationary target is an easy one.  Jumping mechs can dance in Hindering, and that alone makes then hard to hit. 

GC

[Alleycat-Leader]

Here is a House Davion Army that I created to defeat a 600 point Bannson's Raiders Solitaire / C3i army.   }:)

Build Total, 600 points / 4 orders

WS068  Vixen [House Davion] – 108 pts.
AOD-G-002  Evade [Light] – 33 pts.
AN-GS-021  Scott Graves [Mercenary  S:+0  A:+2  D:+2] – 23 pts. + 3 pts. Recruit

WS068  Vixen [House Davion] – 108 pts.
AOD-G-002  Evade [Light] – 33 pts.
BF-GS-A20  Matt 'ZXQUEB' Vanek [Mercenary  S:+0  A:+2  D:+2] – 23 pts. + 5 pts. Recruit

VG035  MHI Amphibious APC [House Davion] – 42 pts.
VG008  Towed Gauss Rifle [House Davion] – 27 pts.
VG008  Towed Gauss Rifle [House Davion] – 27 pts.

VG035  MHI Amphibious APC [House Davion] – 42 pts.
VG008  Towed Gauss Rifle [House Davion] – 27 pts.
VG008  Towed Gauss Rifle [House Davion] – 27 pts.

AN006  Scout ATV Squad [House Davion] – 14 pts.

WS019  Purifier Battle Armor [House Davion] – 20 pts.
VG015  Gray Death Scout Battle Armor [House Davion] – 19 pts.
VG015  Gray Death Scout Battle Armor [House Davion] – 19 pts.

Total – 600 pts.

Preferred Planetary Conditions:
Perfect Day  (Negate an opponent’s planetary condition.)

I started working on this counter-army to my Solitaire / C3i Army after I started enjoying a near 100% victory rate at my typical venues in SE Michigan.  If I learned one thing over the years playing Mechwarrior, it was that if the other players noticed something was winning more than 75% of the time it was not long before everyone at the venue was trying it with some permutation of their assembled pieces.

The tactics of this House Davion Army can be described as “The Hammer and The Anvil.”

This army takes a certain degree of finesse and tactics, but it is more than capable of taking down a Solitaire / C3i Army.  There are a few things that you need to remember from the start so that you do not start your match at a disadvantage to the Solitaire Army.  They are as follows:

1. Save Perfect Day for your match against the Solitaire / C3i Army.  (This is to counteract the Solitaire player seeing your transports / gauss rifles and him throwing Rocky Terrain or Magnetic Deposits to cancel / hinder your gauss rifle drops.)  I never saw more than two Solitaire / C3i Armies at a venue on a given day and the odds were usually long that you would face both of them in a single tournament.

2. Stay Calm and DO NOT GET SCARED!  (Intimidation was more often than not a major part of the Solitaire / C3i Army, as well as most successful armies.  The opponent would see what he was facing, get scared and then be off his game the entire match.)

3. ACT, don’t react.  (Play the match with this army the way it is outlined, or using a permutation of your tactics for this army.  DO NOT react to what your opponent does each turn.  If you are reacting to him or her, they have the initiative, and will more than likely win the match.)  An example of this is a younger player that I played against and tried to teach a lot at LordNth’s venue.  We worked on using tank drop and formations to attack and kill high defense opponents.  The problem was that against me he would react / panic to my Solitaires, drop his tank and formations too early, worried they might be killed in the transports, and then I could easily cut them apart piece by piece.

4. Be VERY AGGRESSIVE.  (It could be very unnerving to a Solitaire player to have an opponent that was as, if not more, aggressive than him or her.  If you are aggressive with them, it can have the effect of putting them on their heels, reacting to what you are doing.  This army is designed to be a first strike army, and should not wait for the opponent to come to them.)

For setup, you want the transports on the line, in the middle of your deployment zone to start.  You should deploy the Scout ATV Squad as part of the transport’s movement formation, and DO NOT infiltrate it.  You will want the extra click of life for potential pushing damage situations.  Setup the formation of Gray Death Scout Battle Armor on the line of your deployment zone, next to the transports.  Infiltrate the Purifier Battle Armor, and place them in base contact with the (2) Gray Deaths to setup another movement formation.  This is to get the higher attack value on the Purifier’s very long dial.  Setup one Vixen on each side of the formations in your deployment zone, on the line.

Move the transport formation up the center of board, with the infantry falling in to cover their rear arcs.  The Vixens should start sandwiching the formations, but can move to one side or the other if your opponent overloads his Solitaires to one side.  If your opponent seems to not want to engage or close with your army, but wait to see what you do, keep moving up the board towards his Combat Technicians and his deployment zone.  This should have the effect of forcing him into an engagement to protect his repair resource.

Once the range between a single Solitaire and your transport formation closes to under 19” the trap springs closed.  Use Recon on the transports to save your four orders, and unload the Towed Gauss Rifles in range of the target Solitaire.  The setup is critical, as all of the Rifles need to be touching to create a fire formation, and in range of the target Solitaire.  If you have to put the rear arcs of your transports into range of the target Solitaire to achieve this, do it.  This is the “Anvil” element.  With the (4) Towed Gauss Rifles deployed in a fire formation, all within their 12” range to the target, you will have a 13 attack value (w/ Improved Targeting!) to hit the Solitaire for 3 clicks of damage.  Assuming you are shooting at a 24 defense value on one of the +2 defense pilots, you have a better than 70% chance of hitting.  If your opponent put the Bonilla Solitaire in a bad position (23 defense), your chance of hitting climbs above 80%!

Having spent the first of your four orders this turn, and assuming the Dice Gods do not curse you, the Solitaire will be damaged.  It will have lost Evade SE and Pulse SE, and now have a defense value of 21.  (This is assuming a +2 defense pilot on your target.)  Now comes the “Hammer” element.  You should be able to assault order both of your Vixens onto the wounded Solitaire.  The 20” range assault order of the Vixens will help GREATLY with this.

For you second order this turn, assault order the first Vixen onto the target Solitaire, using its 14” range laser.  If possible, maneuver the final shooting position of the Vixen to block line of sight from your opponent’s Solitaires to the transports.  (The Towed Gauss Rifles are less important to cover, as being infantry the Solitaires can only shoot them for 1 damage.)  The Vixen will have an 11 attack value (w/ Improved Targeting) to hit a defense value of 22 (21 defense +1 for assault order).  Again you have a better than 70% chance of hitting the Solitaire for 3 clicks of damage, and now an additional heat.  If the attack is successful, the Solitaire will be severely damaged and now have only a 19 defense value and no damage on its secondary weapon.  (Again, this assumes a +2 defense pilot.)

For you third order this turn, assault order the second Vixen onto the target Solitaire, using its 14” range laser.  Again, if possible, maneuver the final shooting position of the Vixen to block line of sight from your opponent’s Solitaires to the transports.  The Vixen will have an 11 attack value (w/ Improved Targeting) to hit a defense value of 20 (19 defense +1 for assault order).  Now you have almost a 90% chance of hitting the Solitaire for 3 clicks of damage!  If the attack is successful, the Solitaire will be destroyed and removed from play, along with its C3i and pilot.

For your fourth and final order this turn, move your infantry formation to make your opponent basing your two MHI Amphibious APCs on his turn less likely.  This is to ensure that if you have to push the transports, load the Towed Gauss Rifles, and move to cover until a few turns later, you do not have to break away from an angry Solitaire first.  Only push to move away if absolutely necessary.  The 270 degree arc of the Towed Gauss Rifles mean they have few blind spots for the Solitaires to hide in, and their damage could catch out another Solitaire next turn if the chance presents itself.  Also, the MHI Amphibious APCs mount Hardened Armor for two clicks which will make them much harder for the Solitaires to damage / kill.

At this point, you will be up on your opponent in VC1 and VC2 by at least 131 points.  Your Vixens with their 24 defense values will be very hard to hit / damage.  Even with your opponent using Bonilla as his primary shooter, only 2 C3i’s will give her a maximum attack value of 14 now.

If your opponent concentrates on the transports, trying to hit the lower defense values (19), you can look at doing some of the following:

1. Look for openings to hit the Solitaires with the Towed Gauss Rifles.  Their arcs will make additional chances to have fire formations on a single Solitaire occur, and their 12” range outranges the Solitaire’s 10” range.  A 10” range on the APCs means they should be able to add themselves to a fire formation as well.

2. Close combat attack them with the infantry formation.  With Purifier Battle Armor’s 8 attack value, you would have a 12 attack value (+4 from the Gray Deaths) to hit a 22 defense value on the highest Solitaire.  Evade SE does not give a +2 against close combat attacks.  If you add the Scout ATV squad to attack, and get an attacker in the rear arc of a Solitaire, your attack value could climb to 16!
 
3. Use the Vixens to quickly finish off a damaged Solitaire, if possible, assault ordering into the Solitaire’s rear arc to gain the +2 advantage.  Keep the Battlemechs close to your transports to keep the Solitaires from overwhelming them.  Remember, overlapping fields of fire and mutual cover.

If the opportunity presents itself, send the Scout ATV Squad to grab VC3 in your opponent’s deployment zone, and kill the Combat Technicians.

This army stands an above average chance of taking down a Solitaire / C3i army, and has enough flexibility that it would not be toast against other regular armies in the same tournament.  You do not even have to use these exact units.  Use the overall concepts, but insert your particular pieces.  The two things that are crucial to the tactics working are Improved Targeting, to increase your odds of hitting, and the ability of your combination of units to be able to deal out at least 8 clicks of damage in a single turn for three to four orders spent.  It takes 8 clicks of damage to kill a Solitaire, and if you only damage it, it is more than likely to be headed to the Combat Technicians on your opponent’s turn to be restored to green condition.

Good luck, and remember that it is never the metal, it is the meat driving it.  (Superior tactics will always beat superior equipment.