Order of Operations
After my last game versus Nico, Steve (KingButt) challenged me to a game of Biotechvore with our random Shitshow lists to practice.
Overview
- Mission: ITS14 Biotechvore
- Forces: Nomads versus Military Orders (300)
- Deploy First: Nomads
- First Turn: Nomads
I decided to take the same list as the last game.
Shit Show B
GROUP 1
10
GROUP 2
GRENZER (Lieutenant, Discover [+3], Biometric Visor) Combi Rifle, Light Flamethrower(+1B) ( ) / Pistol, Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 28)
ZOE FTO-2 (Hacker) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0.5 | 25)
MODERATOR (Paramedic) Combi Rifle ( | MediKit) / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 11)
AÏDA SWANSON (Minelayer) Submachine Gun(+1B), Viral Mines / Viral Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (0.5 | 23)
HOLLOW MEN Combi Rifle, Chain-colt / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 28)
MOBILE BRIGADA Missile Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 37)
SPEKTR Combi Rifle, E/M Mines ( | Deployable Repeater) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 32)
HELLCAT Combi Rifle, Adhesive Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 25)
6 SWC | 298 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Steve’s random list is full of very very good stuff. I had no good answers to the Sepulchre Knight, and if those Trinitarians make their roll I’m going to be sad.
Steve (KingButt)
GROUP 11
KNIGHT HOSPITALLER (Lieutenant) MULTI Rifle / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 31)
KNIGHT OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE (NCO) AP Heavy Machine Gun / Heavy Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (1 | 56)
TEUTONIC KNIGHT Spitfire / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (1.5 | 29)
BULLETEER Spitfire / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1 | 23)
ORDER SERGEANT Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13)
GROUP 2
AUXBOT Heavy Flamethrower / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 4)
RAVENEYE Submachine Gun, E/Marat, Flash Pulse, E/M Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
DART Submachine Gun, Viral Tactical Bow, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 34)
TRINITARIAN (Minelayer, Forward Observer) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges, Flash Pulse, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 28)
CRUSADER Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 28)
6 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Deployment
I lost the rolloff and Steve chose the vastly superior side of the table. I decided to go first, because I know Steve is very aggressive as a player. I think that was a huge mistake by me, but it’s a pretty unintuitive one. The primary issue is the board is just is just so awful for me. there’s no safe space to live outside the deployment zone on the right, and the only “safe” spot on the left is next to my HVT (which also conveniently marks the edge of the biotechvore zone).
So I’m going to have to fight my way forward and deal with this nonsense, and I know Steve is going to take my ability to use more than one Command Token away from me, so I’m screwed in terms of getting out of my deployment zone. I really should have just taken second turn and forced Steve to deal with my Grenzer sniper and Brigada missile. Instead, I’m forced to punch my way out of my deployment zone without enough orders or command tokens to do it. Really, really terrible.
I attempt and fail the confused deployment roll on the Spetkr, which sucks. I put him next to the Moderator behind the only safe-ish spot there is on the right, then stack everyone else up on the building on the left except the Grenzer Lt, who is behind a little wall just to the right of them. The Brigada is out to fight the world, and the Grenzer is in reserve.
In contrast to me, Steve makes both of his Trinitarian confused deployment rolls, which is really annoying! At least Dart failed her roll. Steve then stacks up the Order Sgt and some of the Sepulchre holo echos to ARO me (the real one is all the way on the right).
The rest of his stuff is tucked in sensible positions in his deployment zone.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – Nomads
As predicted, Steve takes command tokens instead of orders from me. Very annoying. I’m not sure if he’s actually left the Sepulchre out to ARO, but I’m 100% sure that the Order Sgt HRL is real. To deal with this i drop in a Hellcat, which allows the Order Sgt to dodge prone. That’s all I wanted, so I guess I can continue on with my turn?
I’m about to walk my Lieutenant in front of a potential AP HMG, so I must do something about the Holoecho. I suppose I could just YOLO it? The Grenzer takes its shot and the Holoecho disappears. Sigh.
I super-jump the Hollowman over a building, which isn’t enough to get it to safety, but at least it’ll be there next to Zoe if something goes wrong.
At this point I’ve got to push everyone forward, so I spend my one coordinated to get Zoe, Aida, the Spektr, and Moderator out. I have to take the long way ’round with the Spektr and Moderator because of the stupid Trinitarian’s mine, so that sucks (well played by Steve of course).
The Grenzer Lt powers its way out with its lieutenant order, and then I spend the remainder of my order pool getting into cover–I thankfully even have enough movement to drop a mine with Aida. Steve told me later that prevented me from getting boarding shotgunned by the nearby Trinitarian, so I was pretty pleased about that.
It comes time to roll against the Biotechvore zone. The Brigada takes a wound, the Hollowman straight up goes unconscious, and the Grenzer does too.
Shockingly the Hellcat BSG survives.
Bottom of 1 – Military Orders
Ignore the illegal list for Steve, this game was from when PanO was a playable faction, i.e. before the Bulleteer price increase [/sarcasm].
I had hoped the Grenzer would still be alive to help blunt Steve’s assault, but alas. He tries to drop in a Crusader on top of my Lieutenant, but it thankfully fails PH and ends up in his deployment zone just out of view of my Hellcat. I attempt a dodge to cover everything with a shotgun, but fail.
The aforementioned Bulleteer pushes forward and forces the issue by forcing a dodge.
Somehow I make the roll and the Hellcat rounds the corner to cover a bunch of Steve’s stuff with a shotgun.
Obviously Steve can’t let this continue, and he takes another shot on the Hellcat with the Bulleteer.
With the Hellcat down, the next thing on Steve’s to-do-list is the Brigada. He sends in the Sepulchre Knight.
I don’t need to guess which one is which and just fire a missile that covers the whole group. Of course, I lose the face to face and the Brigada drops, but hey, I tried.
Next, the Trinitarian attempts to take on my Spektr, but I successfully dodge the shots.
The Bulleteer attemps to take on the Moderator and the Spektr simultaneously, and again, both dodge!
Steve loses the Order Sgt and Auxbot to the Biotechvore zone, but doesn’t take a single wound otherwise. Well this is clearly not going well.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – Nomads
Well this decidedly sucks.
I bring a Hellcat ADHL on behind the Bulleteer, and it thankfully fails its dodge.
Bulleteers at least have low armor, so I’m able to take it out at close range.
I get Follow Up off of Steve’s HVT and then make a guess as to which Sepulchre Knight is real and shoot an ADHL at it. I fail the shot so that’s that.
Zoe gets the Hollowman back up and manages to just stay outside the zone.
I attempt to take out the Trinitarian with the Grenzer but fail.
Finally, the Hollowman super-jumps up onto a nearby building to see the Crusader, who easily dodges the incoming fire.
I haven’t done enough to stabilize–I just don’t have enough orders to fight through bad dice. At least I’ve got everyone back up that I could. The Grenzer is off the table, and then it’s back to Steve.
Bottom of 2 – Military Orders
The Teutonic Knight rolls forward to take on the Hellcat ADHL. I try to dodge to get farther away, but fail.
The Teuton easily takes out the Hellcat in close combat.
It keeps pushing until it can see the Grezner, who manages to stall it for some time, thanks to Mimetism and cover.
It’s actually the Trinitarian that finishes off the Spektr.
This allows the Teuton to take out the Moderator.
Now the Sepulchre is free to move forward and challenge Aida. We’re in 16″ so her Mimetism helps here and he can’t get past her dodge.
The rest of Steve’s orders are spent moving as much stuff out of his deployment zone as he can, and he again passes a ton of BTS saves and nothing dies from the zone.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – Nomads
Sigh. I’ve definitely lost this game. Time to go down with a fight.
The Hellcat Spitfire drops in behind everyone and starts blasting. The Order Sgt survives but thankfully Dart does not. The plucky Sgt hops a barricade and faces the Hellcat.
I manage to drop the Sgt with another order that I really didn’t want to spend.
I split burst three ways against the Crusader, Trinitarian, and the Knight Hospitaller (who gets two shots), all unopposed. The Crusader and Trinitarian go down, but the Hospitaller’s armor saves it.
That’s the best I can do. Of course, the Hellcat dies to the zone.
Bottom of 3 – Military Orders
Steve snags Predator from the Moderator…
easily Kills Aida and the Grenzer with the Sepulchre Knight…
and scores an extra point for Predator with the Sepulchre off of the Spektr.
1-5, 53-143 Military Orders Victory
Post Game Analysis
Steve and I talked about this game at length afterwards. We agreed his side was 100% superior:
There’s just more space for him to exist in the midfield once he’s out of the zone, even on the more open side. I’m also giving basically no information away in my deployment, there’s really no place for me to be other than stacked up on the left. I’m not complaining about it, as really you need to be prepared for a bunch of different tables and matchups.
However, what this should have done was given me the permission to go second and deploy first. Like I said, I’m not giving away any information in doing so, and then I can stall Steve out with the Grenzer and Brigada, AND then I have maximum resources on my first turn. Then I dock orders from Group 1 to really put on the hurt.
I don’t think I made any significant mistakes all game, but I was just fighting Steve, the table, and the dice all game. A few minor things I could have improved:
- Not dropped in the Hellcat BSG. The Grenzer could’ve easily handled the Order Sgt. This would also have told me that the Sepulchre Knight was fake.
- Deployed the Grenzer MSR on the ground (but it was definitely sad deployment and I wanted to maximize the range bands).
- Not shot at the Sepulchre Knight and instead put the Hellcat ADHL in suppression watching the Teuton.
- Not attempted to infiltrate the Spektr and just moving it out in Turn 2.
- Correctly identified the Hospitaller as Steve’s Lt and gunned it down with full Spitfire burst–probably could have even started with that.
Lots of very small things I could have done better, but nothing particularly game breaking. Really it all just came down to the order of operations and the ridiculous amount of pressure Biotechvore puts on your resources. Thanks for reading.
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