Waiting Crane
Game two of the tournament (game one here):
I was paired against Erik (Zelaponeepus) on this table:
Overview
- Mission: ITS14 Cutthroat
- Forces: Imperial Service versus ALEPH (300)
- Deploy First: ALEPH
- First Turn: ALEPH
I was trying out this list for the first time–it’s a bit of a mess. It sort of gives up on the premise of cheap orders from the Kuang Shi and instead treats them as disposable link team members with chain rifles. I then pack the rest of the list with sniper rifles, TR bots, and a Su Jian with Spitfire. I decided to take a Garuda as well.
Stand Back, Citizen! v2
GROUP 1
10
2
CRANE AGENT (Lieutenant, Sensor, Triangulated Fire, X Visor) MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser(+1B) ( ) / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (+1.5 | 46)
CELESTIAL GUARD Monitor Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenade Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 13)
XI ZHUANG Combi Rifle, Light Flamethrower(+1B), Flash Pulse, Madtraps / Pistol, CC Weapon, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 21)
KUANG SHI Chain Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 5)
DAKINI MULTI Sniper Rifle / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1.5 | 20)
TÁOWÙ (Counterintelligence) Nanopulser(+2B), Flash Pulse(+1B) / Viral Pistol(+1B), Monofilament CC Weapon. (0 | 25)
GROUP 2
MAJOR LUNAH VIRAL Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 29)
SÙ-JIÀN Spitfire, Light Flamethrower, Panzerfaust / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 54)
HÙSÒNG Yaókòng Heavy Machine Gun / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1 | 24)
GARUDA Boarding Shotgun / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 19)
7.5 SWC | 298 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
I was somewhat dissatisfied with the list, but I didn’t think I had a particularly good option for attacking with the other list–perhaps Tao Wu would have been the right tool, that would have been pretty fun! Erik’s taking this beefy list:
Erik (Zelaponeepus)
GROUP 1GROUP 2
HECTOR (Lieutenant [+1 Order]) Plasma Rifle, Nanopulser, Grenades ( | TinBot: Firewall [-3]) / Heavy Pistol, EXP CC Weapon. (0 | 69)
AJAX (Forward Deployment [+8″]) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / AP Heavy Pistol, EXP CC Weapon. (0 | 46)
ACHILLES v2 AP Spitfire, Pulzar / Pistol, EXP CC Weapon. (1.5 | 66)
NETROD . (0 | 6)
PROXY Mk.1 (Doctor) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser ( | MediKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13)
PROXY Mk.2 MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 28)
LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
DRAKIOS FTO Combi Rifle, Heavy Flamethrower, Panzerfaust / Heavy Pistol, E/M CC Weapon. (0 | 30)
1
PROBOT (Deactivator, Repeater) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 8)
LIBERTO (Minelayer) Light Shotgun, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 8)
4 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Deployment
Erik decided to go first so I took deployment. He set up a bunch of orders in the backfield, put Hector down, and held both Achilles and Ajax in reserve. Of note is the Proxy Mk2 MSR overlooking my entire deployment zone. Erik was hoping to fool me into thinking it was a Mk2 hacker, but I wasn’t fooled.
I didn’t have good tools to deal with the Mk2 in this list, so I probably over-corrected into avoiding engaging it. I spent a fair amount of time collapsing my entire deployment into the right side of the table, watching the approach with a Dakini and Lunah down a lane that the Mk2 couldn’t see. The Husong backed everyone up, and I put a Mad Trap on the right as well to help out.
I wasn’t expecting Achilles and Ajax, I was expecting a Marut, so I was a little dismayed to discover that. My reserve was Lunah, and I put her watching both Achilles and Ajax.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – ALEPH
I took two orders to bring Erik down to only 10 orders on turn 1. What was really unfortunate was that Achilles was just within 1″ of completing a cautious move through Lunah’s sight lines, which meant he was in my deployment zone with me getting an ARO. I had eyeballed the distance wrong and it ended up working out perfectly for Erik. Needless to say this was going to hurt.
First to go was the Celestial Guard smoke grenade launcher.
I did manage to fend Achilles off with the TR bot for an order, which was helpful, but he managed to pass ARM.
Taowu dodged closer to cause problems. I probably should have just waited for this, but I wanted to try and get into CC and apply the -6.
Sadly Erik didn’t take the bait and engaged from outside of 8″, and Achilles has way too high of a BS to have Taowu fight him with viral pistols effectively.
The Dakini sniper crits Achilles, but he passes ARM and then downs the Dakini before retreating to my left board edge and planting a mine with the Libertos. The Mk 2 move into an overwatch position and then Erik passes turn.
Bottom of 1 – ISS
I have a few options here. I can’t really engage Achilles with anything right now, and I can’t really push past Ajax and extend into the midfield. I have to do something about Erik’s order pool, and my order pool is going to be pretty small after his next turn. I think briefly about using the Su Jian, but I’m concerned that this is the only window I’m going to have to take on Hector.
I move the Garuda into group one and walk it on behind Drakios. I do one wound on the way in.
I need to stay outside of Hector’s 4″ dodge engage range, which limits my movement quite a bit. I down the Lamedh but it takes two orders. This is disastrous.
Hector’s now really close so I peek around the corner and end more than 4″ away, getting a wound on him.
He fails guts into the building, so I keep peeking and taking shots, putting another wound on him.
I spend an order to get a netrod off the table, which I think was a mistake. Hector is actually worth three orders, I really should have spent the orders prosecuting Hector here.
In any case, I’ve got one more shot on this, and I blast Hector in the face, ending in range of his dodge because I have to in order to see him. I hit him twice and he of course passes two ARM saves. Great.
I suppress the Husong and move the Su Jian with its Key Ops order into position to fight Ajax and Achilles.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – ALEPH
This is really going quite poorly. My window for recovery is pretty much entirely shut now. Erik moves everything into group one and starts his turn. Achilles uses his frenzy order to take out the Garuda from across the table through an open door. Great.
Thankfully the Su Jian hard stops Achilles for a few orders.
I even land a crit panzerfaust, which Achilles passes 3/4 ARM saves for.
I’m out of Panzerfausts, and Erik decides to try and reveal Lunah with Ajax. He fails the WIP roll, thankfully.
Achilles moves back into view to challenge the Su Jian again, and I crit him this time with the Spitfire. Of course, he passes both saves.
A few more orders goes into taking out the Su Jian with Achilles, and then it’s time to send in Ajax. Ajax wants to dodge into base contact with my TR bot in suppression, but somehow my Kuang Shi crits him with its pistol and does two wounds.
To add insult to injury, Ajax also fails his dodge this order, which means the nearby Mad Trap glues him.
Bottom of 2 – ISS
Okay. Hector is visible to my deployment zone. I have very very few orders, and both Ajax and Achilles are right in my face. My plan for the turn is to kill both Ajax and Achilles, then get Lunah into a position to ace Hector from across the table. The first part is super easy and I drop Ajax immediately as he’s still glued.
I try to get Lunah into position, hoping to bait out the Mk2 so I can kill it. Unfortunately Achilles passes his discover on her way in.
I lose confidence and setup smoke for the Crane…
then use Xi Zhuang to drop a MadTrap near Achilles.
The Crane then blaps Achilles off the table in one order, which is great.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the orders to attack Hector now, and the Mk2 is still in play. I retreat the Crane back into his building and reset Lunah’s position, hoping for the best.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – ALEPH
I’m really not sure what options I have at this point, I just need to hold on and hope the dice go my way. We start with the Libertos moving on my TR bot and Lunah, engaging both with a single die from its shotgun and killing both. Awesome.
The Celestial Guard manages to put a wound on the Libertos, but that’s not enough.
The Crane has to take matters into its own hands and put a shock round into the Libertos to finish it off.
Bottom of 3 – ISS
Not much to do here, so we call it at a
1-7, 72-167 ALEPH Victory!
Post Game Analysis
I don’t really like most of my choices this game. I think the other list would have been a significantly better choice, but oh well. I also think my deployment left much to be desired. I could have shifted Lunah into a position to discourage the Mk2 from engaging–in fact I had considered this but I was too worried about Ajax. The other thing I could have done was moved Taowu and the Dakini to the left side of the deployment zone. This would have let me fight Achilles more effectively while still avoiding the Mk 2.
Arguably, I could have set up Lunah, the Dakini, and the two Husong to fight the Mk2, but that felt like an opportunity to just lose orders. Really not looking forward to that nonsense, so I avoided it. In some ways the Mk2 won Erik the game–it shaped my deployment, it made me reconsider moving the Su Jian forward, but I also don’t think it was the sole cause of my woes.
I think the Garuda was the wrong decision on my first turn–probably what I should have done was push the Su Jian forward to bait out the Mk2. If it reveals, kill it with Lunah or the Crane. If it doesn’t reveal, I’m in Erik’s deployment zone and killing models with my Key Ops. I definitely need to take out the Libertos too, that thing is quite dangerous.
I can probably take out both Lamedh, the Netrod on the left, the Probot, and maybe even Ajax. I probably don’t bother with Ajax, but that’s still three orders down in the main poool. I’m uncertain if I can take on Hector, but it’s possible. I could show up and just flamethrower him, which is pretty reasonable. Hard to say.
I don’t know if that would have done what I needed, but it certainly would distract Erik from attacking my forces because he can’t just leave the Su Jian up in his deployment zone. I also was pretty dissatisfied with the way I handled Achilles–it was fine and got the job done, but I was in too dire of straits to not take risks. Really though I wasn’t considering the 3 points from the Key Ops kill count, and that was my real big misprioritization this game.
I need to practice some more with the Su Jian, it’s not something I use often so I generally don’t get the mileage I need out of it. Sometimes you just get Achilles’ed and one small mistake after that makes recovery impossible. Well played to Erik–that one cautious move won him the game. Thanks for reading.
