Two, Two Tikbalangs
Well, the first four games of the tournament went well…
I was playing as “Jeff” and myself, and now “Jeff” and I are matched up. What’s funny is that playing as myself and as Jeff I’ve got 17 objective points for both of us, and apparently I was 1 victory point ahead of “Jeff” going into round 3.
Rather than have me fight myself, Jeff took pity on me and pulled out his triple-TAG list to fight me on the JSA table.
Overview
- Mission: ITS14 Battleground
- Forces: Foreign Company versus Shock Army of Acontecimento (300)
- Deploy First: Shock Army of Acontecimento
- First Turn: Shock Army of Acontecimento
Rather than overthink it, I just played the same ForCo list I had been playing all day.
List A
GROUP 1
7
1
1
SECURITATE (Lieutenant) Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13)
CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle, Light Shotgun / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 11)
BOLT (Multispectral Visor L1) MULTI Sniper Rifle ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 31)
AVICENNA Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 27)
VALKYRIE Heavy Shotgun, Grenades / Heavy Pistol, EXP CC Weapon. (0 | 35)
GROUP 2
CHIMERA Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, Eclipse Grenades / Viral CC Weapon, Pistol. (0 | 19)
2X PUPNIK DA CC Weapon. (0 | 2)
ZERO (Hacker, Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Shock Mines ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 24)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 15)
CROC MAN MULTI Sniper Rifle, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32)
BEASTHUNTERS (Surprise Attack [-3], Camouflage, Forward Deployment [+8″]) Heavy Flamethrower, Panzerfaust, AP Mines / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 15)
WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse ( ) / Stun Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
6 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
For reference, this is the other list I had been considering:
GROUP 1
IGUANA Heavy Machine Gun, Heavy Flamethrower / CC Weapon. (1.5 | 65)
IGUANA OPERATOR Heavy Machine Gun / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 0)
LAXMEE (Hacker) Submachine Gun, Pitcher, Cybermines, D-Charges / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 24)
SEÑOR MASSACRE Breaker Combi Rifle, Eclipse Grenades, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 28)
GROUP 2
CLOCKMAKER Combi Rifle, D-Charges ( | GizmoKit [+1B]) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 18)
AKAL COMMANDO (Hacker, Hacking Device) Combi Rifle ( ) / Pistol, E/M CC Weapon. (0.5 | 28)
6 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
I didn’t think I had the tools to deal with three TAGs with this list, so I took the one I was feeling confident in. As advertised, Jeff took three TAGs. There’s really not much to say about the list, because once you include three TAGs the rest of the list sort of writes itself.
Jeff (Kors)
REGULAR (Lieutenant) Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 10)
MACHINIST Combi Rifle, D-Charges ( | GizmoKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 15)
PALBOT PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
MULEBOT (Hacker, EVO Hacking Device) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0.5 | 15)
DRÃGAO Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon, Heavy Flamethrower / AP CC Weapon. (1.5 | 73)
CRABBOT Flash Pulse / CC Weapon. (0 | 0)
TIKBALANG Heavy Machine Gun, Heavy Flamethrower, Shock Mines / AP CC Weapon. (1.5 | 68)
CRABBOT Flash Pulse / . (0 | 0)
Deployment
I took deployment, because I generally feel more comfortable going second and of course going second is super important for Battleground. Behind the Happy Panda noodle house was a bunch of the S2 models and a Fugazi. Jeff’s Lieutenant was on a roof on the right, and a Machinist and Fugazi supported it on the right. One of the Tikbalangs was all the way on the and the Dragao was on the right with the EVO in the middle.
The last Tikbalang was in reserve and deployment went over to me. I let the Feuerbach stand out to fight and hid the CSU and Securitate Lieutenant. It remember thinking that leaving the Feuerbach out was a mistake, but hopefully I would be proven wrong. I put the Zero Hacker all the way on the roof on the right, and the Zero FO on the ground on the left. The Bolt ML watched the approach of the Happy Panda Tikbalang, and I hid the MSR for later use along with Avicenna and Valkyrie.
The Warcor went on the left, and I put the Beasthunter in the middle of the table and the Croc Man watching the approach of some of the TAGs from the left side. Jeff put the last Tikbalang on the table and I dropped the Chimera on the roof of another shop in the middle of my DZ.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – Acontecimento
I took two orders from Jeff but with all the TAGs and their Tac Aware it probably wouldn’t be enough. He started the game off by taking, in his words, a (very minor) gamble with the Dragao versus my Securitate:
| 9.2 | 21.4 | 69.4 |
It goes as the odds would suggest and the Securitate is gone. Fortunately for me, this doesn’t go nearly as well for the Tikbalang on the right:
| 17.1 | 25.1 | 57.8 |
I land a hit and do a wound…
then KO the Tikbalang on another order. After picking the Tikbalang back up with the nearby Machinist and retreating out of the blast zone…
the Tikbalang bails out of LoF and Jeff passes turn after dropping some mines and throwing the TAGs and his Lieutenant into suppression.
Bottom of 1 – ForCo
I’ve played 4 games now, and Jeff is fresh, so I need to lean on some heuristics to help me through this. I decide to attack his orders, especially given the wild success I had with that strategy versus the Avatar:
I do something absolutely stupid and surprise shot a Fugazi at outside 16″ with my Zero. I did this entirely to protect my Croc Man’s camo state, and it was a huge and unnecessary risk:
| 14.7 | 62.7 | 22.6 |
I got really lucky and crit the Fugazi, which I didn’t deserve, and KOed it. That was dumb, but I’m about to do some more dumb stuff. I push the Croc Man forward and take out a the Machinist behind the Fugazi, just shooting it in the back.
I’m assuming I can get the Croc Man behind all those S2 models on Jeff’s left side, but there’s too many things in the way for me to do that. I settle for shooting the EVO bot.
I have just enough orders to get the Beasthunter into a position to flamethrower basically all of Jeff’s S2 models, but I get discovered on the way and get dropped.
I drop the Tikbalang the Bolt ML was fighting before with a pair of missiles, and retreat the Bolt link back into more or less their starting positions, and pass turn.
What I should have done was climb the Croc Man up the stairs to engage the regular lieutenant on the roof. It was in suppression, but that’s a solvable problem for the Croc Man as I’d have cover and Mimetism -6.
Scenario 1: MSR versus Suppression within 8″
| 55.2 | 31.7 | 13.1 |
Scenario 2: Pistol versus Suppression within 8″
| 47.3 | 41.4 | 11.3 |
Scenario 3: MSR versus Dodge within 8″
| 45.3 | 54.7 |
Clearly this was doable, and I could have made it even more stacked in my favor by re-camoing and getting surprise shot. Then I’m just on the roof and Jeff has no real way to get me out of there other than sending in a Tikbalang, which is fine by me. I did take a single shot at the Dragao in the back, on AP mode, and failed.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – Acontecimento
I’m kicking myself because at this point I see the lieutenant play, and I’m really disappointed that I didn’t take it. Jeff wastes no time in punishing me by picking up the downed Tikbalang and blasting the Croc Man off the table.
The full strength Tikbalang starts pushing up the table and parkours up the central building, easily destroying the Warcor on the way.
It kills the CSU and eventually discover-shoots the Zero Hacker, and then retreats down off the building. That Climbing+ is so good!
Bottom of 2 – ForCo
Well, that was a brutal turn for me. I can’t really go anywhere because of the crazy amount of TAGs on the table, but I need to do some more damage and take out as much as I can, and contest Jeff’s movement as best I can. I pop the Bolt MSR out and delete the Fugazi to remove an order.
I push the Bolts even further forward, finally taking out the damaged Tikbalang with the Bolt ML.
The Bolt ML pokes out a little further and has an uncontested shot on the full-strength Tikbalang and puts two wounds on it. I recamo the Zero FO because I don’t want to lose it if I can avoid it, and then I do something crazy and pop the Pathfinder out to take shots on the woundedv Tikbalang. I somehow crit twice, but of course the Tikbalang passes all four saves.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – Acontecimento
I haven’t done nearly enough damage, and all I can do is have the Bolts park in a position where Jeff has to see the Bolts with the Dragao if he wants to go anywhere. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize just how one-sided the Dragao can be in terms of odds.
| 13.2 | 35.5 | 51.3 |
It easily drops the Bolt MSR, and then challenges the Bolt ML from the open. This is slightly better for me in terms of hurting the Dragao, but not by much in terms of survivability, which makes sense because the face to face numbers are the same:
| 27.8 | 20.9 | 51.3 |
The Bolt ML is off the table, and then Jeff moves the Regular hacker into view and takes out the Bolt MSR so I can’t pick it back up with Avicenna who is right nearby.
Jeff pushes the Tikbalang into his far zone, dropping a pair of mines, the Dragao into the middle zone, and the Regular Hacker and a Palbot hold his near zone. Everything goes into suppression, and then it’s back to me.
Bottom of 3 – ForCo
I have one play, which is to kill the Tikbalang, and outpoint the Regular Hacker + Palbot. I stand the Securitate lieutenant up to clear a mine and shoot at the Tikbalang in suppression–maybe I’ll get through the suppression and the armor! I do not, but the Securitate somehow survives everything! What a hero!
I spec-fire an eclipse grenade off the roof with the Chimera, and then hop off the roof. The Tikbalang tries to dodge out, but it fails.
I get into base combat and beat the Tikbalang down with the Chimera. The first order we both crit and the mine takes out one of the Pupniks, but the second order I crit twice and the Tikbalang gets turned into scrap.
I then dash the Zero across the midfield and park next to the Palbot.
I can’t believe my luck, but the Zero is 20 points versus the 19 of the Regular Hacker + Palbot, so I have the near and far zones, and Jeff has the middle. We forgot about the Key Ops until the middle of Turn 2, so we just ignored it, making it a
5-3, 129-117 Foreign Company Victory!
Post Game Analysis
Well. I don’t think I deserved that win. That was a skin-of-the-teeth sort of win there, especially with my squandering of the opportunity to kill Jeff’s lieutenant. Three TAGs is incredibly oppressive, and I was cowed into deploying very conservatively. This did let me keep my orders alive (mostly), but it did give Jeff run of the table. He was very careful and kept retreating behind a net of mines, which really kept me at bay along with three BS15 TAGs just watching everything.
Seeing the odds now, I’m happy with my Bolt deployment and performance. I definitely think that the deployment of the Zero Hacker, Beasthunter, and Croc Man were all mistakes. I could have put the Croc Man on the centerline and intentionally made the Lieutenant run, but I wasn’t thinking about it. Also, I was unhappy with where I put the Chimera, it was just unusable all game when I really wanted to use it in Turn 2.
The Beasthunter could have been far more conservative, but the Zero FO was fine. I really just made a bunch of mistakes this game, but then managed to carefully squeak out a win by taking advantage of the active turn power of Bolts, always carefully shepherding those resources. I think leaving both the Bolt ML and MSR out to ARO at the bottom of 2 was a mistake. I only needed to leave one out to sufficiently delay Jeff, and then I could’ve had a heavy weapon to challenge the TAGs in the last turn.
So in short, I deployed poorly and squandered an opportunity. Jeff was cautious as well, but I think he needed to be, because he knows how dangerous the Chimera can be. I think I only managed the win because I managed the post-first-turn pacing very well, sans the Bolts exposed situation. I would like to explore the double TAG archetype in Acontecimento–I think three is too much (and I only own two). Part of the reason Jeff wasn’t able to just 100% bowl me over was he just couldn’t afford infiltrators like Dart. If Dart were in the list I would have been in serious trouble.
I was feeling pretty sharp when I walked into this game, but now that I’ve written it up, it’s clear how drained I was after four games. I made lots of bad decisions and just barely managed to clutch out a win against a fresh opponent. In any case, thanks to all my opponents from the day and to Jeff for hosting and the game. Thanks for reading.
