Vroom Vroom
Well. Day two of Salem Shitshow Two rolled around, and Tim (Chainsaw) and I decided to play a pair of games against each other, just to overcomplicate. We had originally attempted to play three on the Ariadna mega table, but another pair of players needed a table ’cause there weren’t enough, so… we’re down to two. On the fuel dump/air depot table, we played my JSA versus Tim’s TAK.
Overview
- Mission: ITS15 Battleground
- Forces: Japanese Secessionist Army versus Tartary Army Korps (300)
- Deploy First: TAK
- First Turn: TAK
We’ve seen my list in action twice now, so refer back to those game for any discussion.
Shitshow
GROUP 1
8
2
SHINOBU (Lieutenant) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon. (0.5 | 44)
KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 9)
KARAKURI MULTI Rifle, Chain Rifle, Panzerfaust, Flash Pulse / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 42)
DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CC Weapon. (1.5 | 33)
TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 27)
GROUP 2
TOKUSETSU KOHEI (Engineer, Deactivator) Combi Rifle, D-Charges ( | GizmoKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 14)
YÁOZĂO PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
1
ARAGOTO Spitfire / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 21)
CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
PANGGULING (Hacker, EVO Hacking Device) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0.5 | 15)
NINJA Tactical Bow / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 26)
WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse ( ) / Stun Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
6 SWC | 299 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Tim’s TAK list is just silly. It’s so good. A bunch of Dynamos, a Ratnik, Vassily T2 Sniper with Tankhunter CoC, Spetsnaz, just all the things. Only stuff it’s missing is Dog Warriors, but you don’t even really need them!
Shitshow
GROUP 1GROUP 2
VASSILY (Lieutenant, Forward Observer) T2 Sniper Rifle, D-Charges / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 36)
DOZER Rifle, Akrylat-Kanone ( | GizmoKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 14)
LINE KAZAK Missile Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 17)
DYNAMO (Forward Observer) Rifle, Flash Pulse / Assault Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 19)
RATNIK Heavy Rocket Launcher(+1B), Heavy Shotgun / Heavy Pistol, Trench-Hammer, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 47)
STRELOK (Minelayer) Boarding Shotgun, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 21)
IRMANDINHO Submachine Gun, D-Charges, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 13)
112 FTO Light Shotgun / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
TANKHUNTER (Chain of Command) AP Rifle, Adhesive Launcher, AP Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 33)
SPETSNAZ (Mimetism [-3], Parachutist]) Boarding Shotgun, Grenades, D-Charges / Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 31)
6 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Deployment
Tim won the roll on both tables and decided to go first on both tables to just murder me. His deployment isn’t particularly complex. The Line Kazak ML is covering the longest firelane, which is annoying. Most of the rest of the stuff is deployed in total cover, with the exception of the warcor and Vasily.
I’d like to have a bunch of stuff out to see, especially the Karakuri, but the way the walls are set up (I really need to work on this table), it’s hard to see everything. I set up the Tanko ML to fight stuff on the second stories and the Tanko to fight stuff in the middle of the table. The Domaru is safe as are the two Keisotsu. The problem is I don’t have much board presence. I really need to come up with a better plan for this table.
The Ratnik I think was Tim’s reserve and Kitsune was mine. He was very confused until I reminded him that we were playing random lists, and he just started laughing. The Ratnik is Tim’s Key Ops and the Domaru is mine.
Turn 1
Top of 1- TAK
I start by docking two orders from Tim’s second group to limit the damage. He has enough to attempt to land smoke with the Dynamo in group two, but that fails.
The other Dynamo starts moving up and sets up some mines while trying to bait out a Ninja. I decline.
Next Vassily tries to silence Rhonda Burgundy by blapping her with his T2 sniper, but somehow Rhonda survives…
for a whole order. Rhonda immediately gets pasted the next turn.
The Tanko ML somehow manages to survive a T2 round, and Tim moves onto other avenues of attack.
The Ratnik needs to move through a spot the Tanko can see it out of cover, so a Dynamo sets up smoke.
The Ratnik then starts fighting the Tanko.
It takes two orders but the Tanko gets burned off the table.
Vasily then takes out a Chaiyi I had left out to ARO, which is expected but sad.
Then the Ratnik challenges the Tanko with Blitzen. Sadly, I lose the face to face and the Tanko.
The Ratnik then challenges the Karakuri, so I panzerfaust. I crit Panzerfaust, and Tim passes 4 saves.
He then tries again, and I panzerfaust succesfully again. This time, I get 2 wounds through, and Tim elects to go unconscious so he can use his last order in group 2 to Medikit the Ratnik back up.
Bottom of 1 – JSA
Well that was a pretty awful top of 1 for me. I need to get rid of the Ratnik, so I try with the Karakuri. I start by losing a wound…
then another one…
then repair her back to full before getting desperate and splitting burst against the Ratnik and the Line Kazak ML. This time, I down the Ratnik but eat a missile and take a wound.
I shift the Domaru forward to try and protect my other units. I can’t really move the bikes at all, so I put them into suppression.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – TAK
One of the Dynamos move forward and lands smoke against the Karakuri’s shot.
This lets the boarding shotgun Dynamo get into range of the Karakuri and trade templates. My Engineer fires a combi at it and hits, but the Dynamo passes ARM and my Karakuri takes another wound.
The Dynamo pushes the issue, finally going dogged.
I have to stop the attack, even though it’s dogged, so I dodge the Aragoto into base while dodging the Karakuri. I’m trying to keep it alive, but that fails. The Karakuri goes unconscious and the Aragoto gets into base. In retrospect, unless Tim crits on the slug shots contesting my dodge, Remote Presence will keep the Karakuri on the table for subsequent repair, so I probably should have just chain rifled, but the Dynamo was already dogged… I dunno. Not a great place to be.
This does open a path for another Dynamo which goes after my Domaru. I try to get the Domaru into base…
but Tim keeps just out of dodge range and manages to drop the Domaru…
and the Engineer, but the Dynamo finally goes down to some shots from the Keisotsu HMG who I missed while photo editing, he’s just in the shadows by the Domaru.
Vasily engages the Aragoto KHD in suppression, but we’re at like 24.5″, so I just auto-whiff. I pass ARM, fail guts off the bike, and that’s that.
Bottom of 2 – JSA
This is very bad. I can’t go anywhere without dealing with this Line Kazak, and I’m unwilling to risk my Lieutenant or reveal my Ninja at this time, so I try to take out the Line Kazak with the Aragoto spitfire. I hit both it and the Dynamo Forward Observer, but they both pass ARM.
Then the Aragoto dies on my next attempt.
I throw both Keisotsu into suppression and hope.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – TAK
The Irmandinho tries to set up smoke to allow stuff to move around but fails.
then a Spetznaz shows up to secure Tim’s far zone.
Then Vasily challenges my Keisotsu HMG in suppression. Finally Tim fails some ARM saves, and Vasily disappears.
The Irmandinho dies to the Keisotsu…
but the remaining Dynamo makes a play for Kitsune. I have a shot with the Keisotsu HMG and whiff.
Tim Discover-Shoots. I dodge, because it would be very funny if I make it, but I roll one above Kitsune’s PH and die horribly to the assault pistol.
The Dynamo takes out the Keisotsu HMG at range…
and the Spetznaz takes out the last Keisotsu.
Bottom of 3 – JSA
I reveal my Ninja, and then attempt to out point the Spetznaz by moving the EVO past the Line Kazak ML, but that fails.
The Ninja out-points the Dynamo, but there’s a Strelok I can’t see under the helipad. I successfully killed the Key Ops, so it’s not a complete blowout at a
2-10, 46-164 Tartary Army Korps Victory!
Post Game Analysis
Okay, a few big things going against me this game.
- Tim is fabulously aggressive and cutthroat. He will find a hole and take the risk, and I think most other people won’t take the risk. It’s just a harder game against someone willing to take more risks that has a really good read on return on investment.
- The table (which I own and set up) was not great for me. I think I need to turn it 90 degrees to remove the planes from one deployment zone and pull the walls in so you can be up against them shooting through the windows in the walls from your deployment zone.
- ARM saves, man. Tim made so many of them!
Relative to #1, I didn’t think through using Kitsune to fight the Line Kazak. I absolutely should have, and I didn’t because I was getting Namurr’ed hard on the other table. I would’ve realized that I’m probably within 24″ and could -12 the Line Kazak, which would have opened up that entire table side. Once that’s done I can get the Aragoto into play and do what Tim did to me.
Having the Tanko and Karakuri just fold against the Ratnik was wild. That was a big other issue, just having the engagements that I expected to go okay go so poorly. Repeatedly. Regardless, I’m happy with the way I tried to recover, with the exception of moving the Engineer forward. I was trying to get some free movement while healing the Karakuri, and that ended up with me losing the Engineer to the bikes. Also I need to abuse the shit out of Dynamo myself. I’ve been using them, but not like this.
In short, I didn’t have enough of a defense net, and when things started to fall apart I didn’t take the risks that I needed to bring myself back into the game. That’s that. Thanks to Tim for doing the silly double game with me, and thanks for reading!
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