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I just purchased the Locked and Loaded color rulebook and it is a really nice piece of work. I am trying to decide which army to start and wanted to get a better feel for the various forces. I noticed that the game did not have a general discussion or tactics thread so I figured I would start one.

One mech that is unique to the North is Cheetah. Its high defense at top speed makes it almost impossible to hit. The Norlight armed forces can take recon squads of Cheetahs as core. They seem like a good foundation for a priority level one army.

The South has smaller squads than the North. I assume one of the main strategies with the army is to set up crossfire.

PAK seems to be as advertised. They have elite troops to form a battleline and fast hovertanks to make a focused strike.

I have not looked at Peace River yet.

My initial impression is that walkers and some big mechs will get lit up because of their negative defense values. Is this the case?

After I choose and army and get some games in I will post a proper tactica if someone does not beat me to it.

spaceelf wrote:I just purchased the Locked and Loaded color rulebook and it is a really nice piece of work. I am trying to decide which army to start and wanted to get a better feel for the various forces. I noticed that the game did not have a general discussion or tactics thread so I figured I would start one.

One mech that is unique to the North is Cheetah. Its high defense at top speed makes it almost impossible to hit. The Norlight armed forces can take recon squads of Cheetahs as core. They seem like a good foundation for a priority level one army.

As a new Southern player, I don't have too many specifics on the North but Cheetahs are definitely hard to hit with their inherent +2 to defense compared to the standard Hunter. Basically, it's as hard to swat as a mosquito but folds relatively easily if you actually land a bullet due to its armor 10. They also don't have much starting firepower but alot of the upgrades in the Northern army list don't specify gears so you can give them a bigger punch like snub guns relatively easily; definitely upgrade to the strike cheetah whenever possible with its better armor and RFB! One thing I'd recommend is that you pick up the Field Manual that came out about a month ago. DP9 tends to replace their rules every 2 years or so (my big complaint with them) and they just did so recently. The FM rules effectively replace the game rules in the first part of the book but not the army list chapters so you still need both books. I'd also recommend downloading the Gear Garage program free from the DP9 website as it's a very nice army builder program that is also completely free!

spaceelf wrote:
The South has smaller squads than the North. I assume one of the main strategies with the army is to set up crossfire.

PAK seems to be as advertised. They have elite troops to form a battleline and fast hovertanks to make a focused strike.

I have not looked at Peace River yet.

Crossfire is alot easier in the FM rules as you don't only generate it within the same combat squad but can now benefit from it in your whole army. One of the big mistakes I made in my first two games is that I played them very small which doesn't allow you to get all the rules in like crossfire. Without negative modifiers to the defender from rules like coordinated action and crossfire, you tend to miss or just scratch the paint a heck of alot. Although my experience is limited, I'd definitely agree that setting up crossfire should definitely be a main strategy for any army. One of their forum regular summed it up best with "it's not worth taking the shot unless you've got a +2 to the roll compared with the defender".

The North/South/Middle-badlands tend to play similarly (lots of gears with some strider/tank/infatnry backup) but the playstyle definitely changes once you go off world with the Black Talons and CEF/PAK. From some of the video battle reports I've seen, the mobility of those armies is incredible but you pay for it with less actual models (albeit tougher ones) on the table.

spaceelf wrote:
My initial impression is that walkers and some big mechs will get lit up because of their negative defense values. Is this the case?

After I choose and army and get some games in I will post a proper tactica if someone does not beat me to it.

They do tend to die from what I've read (but no personal experience yet as I'm building/painting up my gears first). The FM actually increases the defensive value of alot of the bigger vehicles (at a small price increase) to make them more survivable and some of the low end big-boys like the Naga/Mammoth and Grizzly/Cobra got maneuver veteran upgrades for some point cost increase in later books too. I've got a Cobra-heavy southern army and I'll definitely be taking advantage of the Brahmin upgrade! Good luck with the tactica, btw. I've actually had to change gears (no pun intended) in my own tabletop tactica with just a few battles under my belt as the game definitely plays differently from the 40k and CMG types I've gotten used to over the past few years. I've got a blog here on dakka if you want to check it out too for my Southern army.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/360703.page

Peace River gears cost more points than even the North, so they tend to have smaller armies. But they have a rule that makes them resistant to crossfire, and everything has ECM, which can be useful. Peace River also has a smaller selection of gears, which can be good or bad depending on what you are looking for in an army.

I'm told the strength of the South is its ability to field a lot of squads because they generally only run 4 gears in a squad instead of 5. Their scout gear, the Iguana, is definitely not as good at scouting as the Cheetah. However, the Iguana is better armed and armored and may actually survive a fight.

The North forces seem to work really well when you have the proper support in place. Use recon squads to support all the guided weapons, for example. Without support, certain squads suffer (more than they would in, say, a Southern army).

PAK is a neat army. Lot of grel and hovertanks, plus a few gears. I'm currently looking at them as a starting force before I branch out to Black Talons. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that PAK will get a black ops squad so they can play in black ops games when Day of Reckoning comes out.

From what I've read so far, walkers seem to be not very good in this game. Certain armies don't have tank options though, like Peace River. Then again their Red Bull strider is pretty sweet.

spaceelf wrote:My initial impression is that walkers and some big mechs will get lit up because of their negative defense values. Is this the case?

Unfortunately, yes... The larger Striders tend to have poor defense modifiers and armor can only do so much. :( However, the Field Manual rules update fixed this: Walkers in general got some slight bonuses. Mammoth vs. Heavy Tank still favors the tank, but...

Tanks have negative defense modifiers as well, generally. Tracked vehicles tend to not be as agile as walkers.

Note the special actions...Gears and tanks can use "We're in Trouble!" to help dig out of that hole they're in, but at the cost of doing less...

Before playing a game of Heavy Gear Blitz each player selects objectives according to the rules given on page 42 of the Locked and Loaded rulebook. The player that accomplishes the most of his objectives wins the game. Given the importance of objectives and their role in building and army list I thought that they are a good place to begin the tactica.

There are 11 objectives in the locked and loaded book. Each one is assigned a points value. The number of objective points that players must select is determined by the threat value of the armies. Each player must choose exactly that number of objective points. As some objectives have a higher points value than others, the players may happen to select different numbers of objectives, but the sum of the points values of their objectives must be equal to one another.

The objectives are divided into three categories: standard missions; defensive missions; and offensive missions. A mission type is randomly determined for each player. Armies with a low priority level are more likely to get a standard mission, while ones with a high priority level are more likely to receive an offensive mission. At least half of your objective points must come from your mission type. The rest may come from any mission type.

If an objective has a value greater than one, then it is usually possible to accomplish part of the objective and receive partial credit.

Standard missions
ESCAPE: The goal of this mission is to move at least half of a randomly selected one of your units off of the opponent's table edge. You receive a bonus if the entire unit is moved off without taking any casualties.

To receive full credit for this mission you need to have durable models. They also need to be able to move reasonably fast. Large units are useful for receiving partial credit.

Two units that are very well suited to this mission are Northern Cheetahs and PAK hovertanks. Cheetahs are fast and are very hard to hit at high speed. NAF can upgrade hunters to cheetahs, thus they can be a core choice in an army. One downside to cheetahs is that their low armor makes them vulnerable to being insta-killed if they are hit. Both GP and Recon squads can have six members making it likely to get at least partial credit for the mission. The hovertanks are very fast, have good armor, and a decent number of hit boxes. However, their squad size is limited to only four models which is small.

One downside to this mission is that if you move your units off of the table, then they will not be available to fight the opposing army. Another downside is that the unit is selected at random and thus it is important that all of your units are well suited to completing the mission. The upside is that it is difficult for your opponent to stop you from getting at least partial credit for this mission.

Overall I would say that this mission is of average difficulty.

RECON: The goal of this mission is to gain active lock on at least half of the members of a randomly determined enemy squad consisting of at least three members. You receive a bonus if you gain active lock on all of the members of the squad.

Models with a high sensor rating and electronic warfare skill are desirable in this mission, as they are used in obtaining active lock. Fast models are also useful, as they can get into position to spot the enemy.

Cheetahs, Black cats, White Cats, Predators and Prowler Hovertanks are all well suited to this mission.

One upside to this mission is that it does not involve randomly selecting one of your squads. Thus, as long as some of your force is good at obtaining active lock then you are in good shape to complete the mission.

I think that this is one of the easiest missions. There is very little that your opponent can do to prevent you from completing this mission.

SCOUT: Forward observe a static terrain piece for two consecutive rounds from within that model's detect rating.

Having models with a large detect rating gives you some tactical flexibility in this mission. High electronic warfare and communication skills are useful in making the forward observation. Models with electronic counter counter measures help make sure that the observation goes through.

The Weasel and White Cat are very well suited for this mission.

One downside to this mission is that an opponent can attempt to block your forward observation with electronic counter measures. Another downside is that he can kill the model so it cannot forward observe the terrain for two turns.

This is one of the easier missions.

Defensive missions
BLOCKADE: Critically damage or kill all enemy models that are in your deployment zone at the end of the game. You receive a bonus if you kill all of the models.

Obviously it is it is important to take models with killing power. Reasonably high damage, positive accuracy, and good range are all very desirable. Anti tank missiles are one of the weapons of choice. It is also important that the models be durable enough to last to the later part of the game.

Hun battle tanks are very well suited to this mission. They have an accurate gun that is reasonably powerful. It is also long ranged, which helps you pick off enemy units early in the game.

It is not too difficult for your opponent to move a model into your zone late in the game and foil your plans.

This is one of the more difficult missions.

PROTECT: The goal of this mission is to have a randomly determined squad leader survive the battle.

No amount of armor will protect you from heavy weapons. The best defense is being out of sight, far away, and moving at high speed. Taking deadly units is important to try to kill the enemy before he can kill your leader.

Cheetahs fill this role well, however, only upgraded hunter squads can have cheetahs as squad leaders. Black Mambas are a more traditional option.

This is a difficult mission.

SURVIVE: The goal is to have at least half of a randomly determined squad not be critically damaged or destroyed. There is a bonus if the entire squad has less than critical damage.

You want a large, durable squad. Being fast will help keep you away from the enemy. Taking deadly units is important to try to kill the enemy before he can kill your leader. Unfortunately, the latter type of unit is usually different from the former type of unit, making it difficult to construct an army.

Squads of Cheetahs are ideally suited for this mission.

Partial credit on this mission is fairly easy, but full is very difficult. This mission is less difficult than Protect.

HOLD: At the end of the game you want to have more models near a specific terrain piece than your opponent does. There is a bonus if there are no enemy models nearby.

For this mission you want to take units that are deadly, durable, and numerous.

Troops with rocket launchers and anti gear missiles are deadly at close range. They are also numerous. Unfortunately they are not durable.

This mission has some of the difficulties of Blockade in that your opponent can move some units in late in the game to deny you the bonus points.

This mission is of average difficulty.

Offensive missions
BREAKTHROUGH: The goal of the mission is to have models in your opponent's deployment zone at the end of the game. You receive a bonus if you rid your opponent's deployment zone of enemy models by the end of the game.

You need fast units to make the trek across the table. They also need to be durable enough to survive to the end of the game. To get full credit they need to be deadly.

Huns are well suited to this mission.

Partial credit is easy, but full credit is very difficult. It is more difficult than Blockade as you need to cross the table during which time your offensive power is not as great as a static unit.

ASSASSINATION: Kill a randomly determined squad leader before the end of the game.

Obviously your opponent will try to hide the target. Thus you need to get close or have long range indirect fire.

Predator class hovertanks are very good for this mission.

This is one of the easier missions.

WIPE THEM OUT: Kill at least half of a randomly determined squad. Bonus if the entire squad is destroyed.

Predator class hovertanks are good for this mission.

It can be difficult to achieve full credit for this mission.

SEIZE: At the end of the game you want to have more models near a specific terrain piece than your opponent does.

One option is to take lots of cheap infantry. However, they are vulnerable to area of effect attacks, and are not very durable. A second option is to take inexpensive mechs such as Pitbulls or Hunters, which would defeat infantry or light models, but would still outnumber other units.

This is one of the easiest missions. This is a better mission than Hold, because you can get full credit even if there are enemy models nearby. With the right army list it can be very difficult for your opponent to prevent you from accomplishing this mission.

Wow, lots of detailed stuff there! Thanks for putting this up. A couple things I'd add are that the size of the army as well as the PL selected for the force determine how many objective points you have to spend. People who select lower priority "grunt" armies with less elite options and units get a bonus in that they have lower goals that they need to meet to win the game as the percentage of objective points completed is how you win the game, not the total points.