Critical Kosmo
Even though I loved the triple Hellcat list from last game, I wanted to try my other list again:
Overview
- Mission: ITS14 Capture and Protect
- Forces: Nomads versus Kosmoflot (300)
- Deploy First: Kosmoflot
- First Turn: Kosmoflot
Based on the findings from my games with the Hellcats, I decided to put the Spektr in group two for use in a later turn. I think that’s really important in Biotechvore and I can be patient in other scenarios.
Shit Show A
GROUP 1
9
1
1
GROUP 2
KRIZA BORAC (Lieutenant, 360º Visor) Mk12, Submachine Gun ( ) / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 57)
INTERVENTOR (Hacker, Hacking Device Plus) Combi Rifle ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 24)
PUPPET MASTERS (Hacker, Hacking Device) Submachine Gun ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 17)
MODERATOR MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (1.5 | 16)
MORAN (Repeater) Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse, D-Charges, Crazykoala ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 17)
MOBILE BRIGADA (Hacker, Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, D-Charges ( | TinBot: Firewall [-6]) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 39)
RIOT GRRL (Specialist Operative) Combi Rifle, Blitzen / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 29)
CHEERKILLER AP Rifle, Nanopulser / MULTI Pistol(+1B), Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 19)
SIN-EATER Heavy Machine Gun / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32)
MORLOCK Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenade Launcher / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (1 | 12)
WARCOR (Sixth Sense) Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
SPEKTR (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, Shock Mines, Flash Pulse / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 32)
6 SWC | 297 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Jordan is playing a pretty mean Kosmoflot list. Wallace is probably a bit over the top here given the relative lack of irregular orders, but he’s certainly a good lieutenant in general. This time, we see a Rokot-powered Volkolak HMG instead of a missile launcher.
Jordan (sprocketgx)
GROUP 1
WALLACE (Lieutenant) T2 Rifle(+1 Dam), Light Shotgun, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, EXP CC Weapon. (0 | 35)
VARANGIAN Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Heavy Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 9)
GROUP 2
POLARIS TEAM undefined / undefined. (0 | 32)
POLARIS BEARPODE Chain Rifle(+1 Dam, +1B), Grenades, Smoke Grenades / AP CC Weapon, Trench-Hammer. (0 | 23)
UXÍA McNEILL (Specialist Operative) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges, Smoke Grenades / Assault Pistol(+1B), AP CC Weapon. (0 | 27)
VOLKOLAK Heavy Machine Gun, Chain-colt(+1B), Grenades / Heavy Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (1.5 | 43)
MEKHANIK Rifle, D-Charges, Panzerfaust / AP Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 17)
ROKOT Chain Rifle, Light Shotgun / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 8)
PATCHER Heavy Flamethrower(+1B), Adhesive Launcher(+1B), Grenades(Continous Damage) / Heavy Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 22)
KOSMOSOLDAT (Multispectral Visor L1) Portable Autocannon ( ) / AP Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 48)
FRONTOVIK (Engineer, Deactivator) T2 Rifle, Light Rocket Launcher, D-Charges ( ) / Assault Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 29)
STRANNIK (Doctor) Submachine Gun, Flash Pulse, Light Riotstopper ( | MediKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 19)
3.5 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
The Kosmosoldat is going to be a bit difficult to chew through as well!
Deployment
I took deployment which meant Jordan chose first turn. The Rokot/Volkolak link stacks up in the middle with Wallace and the Varangian on the left.
The Kosmosoldat ends up on the right on a roof to be a jerk, and the Bear ends up on the right to harass that flank as well. I put my Spektr in the middle of the table to threaten anything that heads down the center of the table. The Moran is on the roof with its Koala right by the objective. I put the Morlock on the left to chain rifle any Paracommandos, and the Brigada and Puppetmaster watch the back table edge for Margot and Duroc.
The Cheerkiller and Kriza are on the right, and the Interventor covers the objective with some hacking. I put the Moderator MSR down to cover the bear, mostly to annoy it, and then Jordan puts Uxia down just outside my deployment zone on the left to attack the Brigada.
I respond by putting the Sin Eater down watching the right side of the table and the objective.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – Kosmoflot
All I have to do this turn is protect my order pool. I can’t really do much about Jordan’s positioning, but I want to keep my resources around so I can exploit any holes he leaves. I take two orders from Uxia and then Jordan starts his turn.
The Bear makes its way forward and makes it past the Moderator’s ARO without any trouble.
Uxia starts moving around. I decide to dodge with the Morlock just to make things annoying. This is entirely unnecessary, but I’m just trying to complicate the decision space and make sure Uxia remains in dodge distance of the Uxia if she reveals.
I only had a small window to engage the bear so now it’s up to the Morlock. I’ve got a combi so I engage the bear as it attempts to throw smoke. We both crit and nothing happens.
The bear gets closer and throws a grenade at the Morlock. I rolled +3 PH on MetaChem so I dodge easily.
I can’t dodge an assault pistol, so Uxia finally drops the Morlock.
The Morlock has now taken up a few orders on its own. I’ll take it. Jordan turns his attention to the Rokot link and starts advancing. I get a spotlight off on the Volkolak as it pushes forward…
but then the Patcher hucks a grenade outside of 8″ and takes out the Moran with a crit.
The Volkolak pushes into view of the Sin Eater while the Patcher climbs the building where the Moran was. The Sin Eater and Volkolak bounce, but I choose this moment to drop a mine covering the Rokots and Mechanik.
Jordan tries to clear the Spektr with the Kosmosoldat, but can’t hit the Spektr.
Jordan threatens to template me with the Rokots but I don’t bite and dodge. They all dodge and the mine goes off, taking the Rokots down.
Enraged, the Patcher flamethrowers, but the Spektr dodges easily.
Jordan’s last order is on Uxia to CC the Brigada, but I crit! Unfortunately Uxia passes ARM, and the turn goes to me.
Bottom of 1 – Nomads
I don’t think I can push past everything just yet, especially with a bear parked just outside my deployment zone and Uxia in my deployment zone. The Riot Grrl is the right choice for the bear–I can dodge chain rifles, and I have MSV to ignore smoke. I send her in, firing her combi at the Patcher to get past.
I roll past Uxia who declines to ARO, and then I start putting shots on the bear.
I do a wound and force it around the corner, keeping up the pressure.
I eventually drop it but have to trade a wound to the chain rifle to make it happen.
The Patcher is pinning the Spektr, so I take it out with the Moderator MSR, of all things.
I take out the Mechanik with the Spektr, and then turn my attention to the Volkolak.
Jordan gambles that he’ll survive a full unopposed combi burst and chain colts the Spektr with the Volkolak. Neither of them survive the engagement. Pretty good move, honestly. The Spektr was my easiest play to get the objective.
I need to get rid of Uxia, so I take advantage of the Brigada’s ARM 5 and fire shock rounds into the combat with the Puppetmaster, dropping Uxia but also doing a wound to the Brigada.
Not the best turn but I’ve removed basically all the most serious threats so I can make a play on Turn 2.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – Kosmoflot
Jordan decides to get his Strannik into position to pick up the Bear. He shifts everyone away from their ARO position and first has to push through the Riot Grrl.
It takes him another order to finally take her down as she’s dodging into cover.
The Strannik then easily gets the bear back up.
Bottom of 2 – Nomads
I decide that the only thing really defending Jordan’s beacon is a Warcor, and what better to get past a flash pulse than an Interventor? I start the run, taking a shot at the Bear on the way, ineffectively.
I get flash pulsed on the way to the beacon, but BTS 9 got me through it.
At this point, I just need to get to the Varangian. I take a shot at him and I would have crit and two hits if he was out of cover. The issue is that he was out of cover, because he used the Wallace coordinated order, breaking the duo in the previous turn, so… anyway. I move to grab the beacon granting an unopposed shot, andt his time the Varangian crits the Interventor. We realized this later, and the Interventor died. At least I was able to grab the beacon and make it out of LoF of the Varangian. This will be important later.
Well, now I’ve got orders to spare, so the Brigada takes out the Strannik.
I push the Warcor up to ARO stuff, and pass turn.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – Kosmoflot
With the Bear back up, Jordan decides to use it to go get the beacon. It easily gets past the Koala…
throws smoke in front of the beacon…
and snags it, scooting away. At this point we realize that Jordan should be an order down because of the Varangian interaction earlier (we rolled ARM saves) and so the Bear is stuck in the midfield.
We settle the issue by taking an order away, and having the Varangian be dead and the Interventor stay dead.
Bottom of 3 – Nomads
Well, it’s time for the Kriza to make it happen. It guns down the Warcor on its way in.
The Bear tries to smoke it out but burst 4 gets me through the face to face and stops the smoke. Sadly the Bear makes its ARM save.
The Kriza dances outside of dodge range and finally takes the bear down.
The last orders are spent grabbing the Beacon, and that’s that.
3-0, 184-124 Nomad Victory!
Post Game Analysis
Well, a bit of a rules misunderstanding made for a pretty low scoring game, but I think there’s some clear learnings here.
- Spektrs continue to be rad, and sometimes you just gotta lay a surprise mine in ARO
- Interventors make for decent objective grabbers if you need to get through flash pulses. Seems obvious in retrospect.
- Sometimes I need to throw stuff under the bus to guard firelanes, like the Moderator MSR that needed to watch the Strannik as they moved up
I felt like my shot into close combat with shock ammo against Uxia was pretty big brained, I was feeling pretty self-satisfied about that. I’m considering using the Brigada Hacker more in vanilla as well. Worth thinking about as a midfield combatant, but a pretty big investment. If she had a MULTI rifle I’d be more likely to.
As far as what I could have done better, I think there were some exploitable holes in my deployment. There’s just a total lack of stuff that I would usually use as DZ guards, so you’re really trading at a premium. Like a Brigada Hacker is not something you can just throw under the bus to stop Uxia or a warband or something, but it’s what you got so you gotta make do.
There’s something to be said for random lists forcing you to “just make do.” It was something that was more or less comfortable with before this exercise–it simulates the turn 3 “well it’s time to just YOLO this” a bit. It also forces you to leverage non-standard plays to get results. I’m not entirely certain what it is, but there’s just something un-fun about playing this list, especially when the other list is just so fun.
Regarding Jordan’s plays, I think his big mistake was trying to get the bear back up. When it came time to get the objective, he just didn’t have the orders to escape. He probably would have been better served trying to move the link into the midfield and force me to engage them there with probably limited success on my part. He ended putting them all the way on the edge of the table which rendered them impotent for the rest of the game.
I think this game basically hinged entirely on that Spektr’s mine connecting and getting value. The rest was just attrition and doing just the right amount of board development while trading as best as I could. Thanks for reading.
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