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Some interesting observations there, JR.

The Defender is sounding epic, I can't wait to start trying one out. I just need to work out a conversion (got a few ideas n my head).Knockback seems to be a less random version of Frag,blowing stuff out of cover very well.

Don't be put off the Terraton by that one game, it sounds like a case of bad rolling. They can usually demolish anything short of a Stage 1. Treat the Soark like the Defender in using him to set up shots rather than going for damage. 'Clear shot' on something like a Sniper or Desolator (these are great, by the way) is nothing short of stunning.

hey guys, has anyone tried the solo play deck yet?
i was wondering how it worked.

It isn't out yet so, unfortunately, we can't say anything :( Nexus psi is getting released soon, and wave 2 shipping is in June. I don't think solo play was in the campaign book so it may be somewhat close to the last shipment before we get the solo deck in a pdf.

Played my first games today... the start of a campaign. Rebs are pretty tough to win with if you get a kill mission. I love Kraaw and the Drones/ Human combo can be pretty nice. Yndij are well worth their points simply to get an agile fighter.

Also, the campaign injury rules-as-written are terrible. No resurrect model upgrade = dead model, no chance to roll on a chart or anything.

I'd have lost 8 models from my strike force on the first game if we'd have been using the official rules and would effectively have been out of the campaign before it got started.

It's not a "needs some work" rule, it is totally broken because you're not allowed to buy resurrect model upgrades until after your first battle, when you won't have the rep points to do it if you've lost horribly.

I've not had the chance to play a campaign yet, but maybe they're thinking that if the first game went so disastrously, you'd restart, perhaps?

Or alternatively, ala X-Com, you use your 'beta team' to get going while you rebuild casualties from the first game.

I'm sure the underdog mechanic, combined with the 'replacement' rules should help out loads.

If you draw a 'kill' mission, couldn't you pull together all your unlocked kill-ey units into a strike team? So, say, if your 140 points has 3 Kraaw in it, field 2 of them in the same game, plus your Teraton or Desolator-Grogan.

The thing is if you lose, you don't have the rep to buy replacements.

In my first campaign game I'd have lost about 45 points of minis and only gained one rep with which to buy new ones. Even having a beta team with the other half of your strike force can't replace that kind of attrition rate, you might recover from one bad game, but not two.

We were using house rules for injury thankfully, so I only lost one mini.

As for killy units, my clearances didn't cover it. Picked Commander, Zees, Kraaw. Anything beyond that will need unlocking via clearances and then paying for... and I'll need a couple more Kraaw models, too (kind of a pain that you can't get them separately, they're really good). Onslaught Cannon Grogan is my next clearance pick.

The replacement rules I was meaning was the free newbie-humans you get after you drop down a certain points level. Maybe it's worth jaunting over to Jake Thorntons blog and see what he thinks about it all?

Campaign rules are very harsh. Injury/death is something you need to be very aware of.

I find that you need to take this into account on your strike force build (the 140) before you start.

It also explains the rep negative for mercs. Mercs are there to help out when you can't build a whole force out of your strike team or want someone expendable.

All that being said, Rebs are the biggest finesse list out of all the armies so far. You have to be very careful how you play them.

Just the ability to buy resurrect model upgrades as part of your initial Strike Force would go a long way towards fixing the bulk of the problem, I think.

I'll mention it to Jake at some point, see what he thinks.

 scarletsquig wrote:
Just the ability to buy resurrect model upgrades as part of your initial Strike Force would go a long way towards fixing the bulk of the problem, I think.

I'll mention it to Jake at some point, see what he thinks.

You mean like pay say 21 points out of your 140 for 7 resurrects? that's a really cool idea. You should post it over on quirkworthy (unless you mean you talk to Jake in a more direct manner than that).

edit: I may steal that for our campaign.

Hmm, actually, out of all of the alternates discussed so far, I think I like that the best. I tend to find that the first few games is the least forgiving one, after that things seem to settle down as you start to get a bit more rep under your belt for a rainy day. Being able to dump some starting points in to resurrects would be a great idea (certainly more useful filler than grabbing a load of ammo). It smooths the start out and doesn't do anything to imbalance later play since the resurrects are consumable.

Shouldn't have much of an effect on growth rate but gives you a buffer to be able to grab some unlocked specialists in the first few games. That is definitely a change I can get behind.

I'm trying to come up with an initial Marauder strike team so I've got a rough order of what to paint next... What do you guys think about:
commando captain
commando x5
mawbeast x2
sniper
rainmaker

Captain sits back with the rainmaker and sniper giving them orders, probably one dog stays behind while the rest rush forward to manage objectives. If one dog stays back to guard the boss... should I take 4 commandos and 3 dogs instead? Am I leaving anything essential behind? I don't want to paint the guntracks yet so that's why I haven't brought them.

I thought about bringing the mauler suit as my leader but I wanted to start with the captain instead. I think the Mauler-boss list has potential, but I wondered what you guys thought about the above for general purpose?

That's a decent all purpose list. Just make sure to hide your captain as his only job is to provide command actions.

Yeah, have to research the range on command but I figure the density of terrain I typically use he could be hiding ground level with the snipers and rainmaker elevated and to the sides. I think it reduces the melee punch of the list, but I would leave a dog near him on overwatch so it can rush anyone who tries to get into LOS (hopefully he'll be in a building ).

Well, the great thing about command is that no LOS is required. The lamest version of it (single success) is generally 4 cubes, iirc.

I was going under that assumption, really need to go over the book again my knowledge is lessening. So yeah, hide inside a building with a dog either beside him or in the adjacent alley, and everyone else is on the roof or in nearby towers. Holy hell rains down from on high as the commandos rush any objectives or weak points. Just wonder if I should have three dogs so two can go forward, or keep more commandos.

I think it depends on the mission whether you want more dogs or more commandos. Having a couple extra of both is a good idea.

Yeah sounds about right, I'll have to paint up some spares for everything, I guess I'll do two dogs for my initial list then, and add another as soon as I come back 'round to the marauders.

 pretre wrote:
I think it depends on the mission whether you want more dogs or more commandos. Having a couple extra of both is a good idea.

I find that Scour missions are a lost cause anyway, so more dogs is always better. One Mawbeast ate 3 Enforcers today

I like how the dogs are half-lion and really pretty scary even before you get to the cybernetic chainsaws and potential explosive payloads.

I've had a hilarious couple of learning games. The poor guy teaching me has just had the worst luck. For example, his Marauder Close Combat Suit (I don't know the actual term, it's a big suit with a hammer and a chainsaw or something) was in cover. I, being the fool I am and new at the game, decided to pin him before I shot at him to kill him. So I pinned him. Then my enforcer sniper opened up with 3+2+1 dice (base+sniper+a card I played, is that right?). I got 6 hits. He rolled 6 saves, 3+1+1+1 (base+cover+pin+a card he played). Failed all 6, ones, twos and threes everywhere. This is after the first game we played, where an enforcer trooper did the same thing to the gun-crazy suit (it has like 6 guns and can lose control or something? I dunno, he didn't get to use it) in our first game. This guy just has the worst luck.

His second game was a bunch of commandos, a flamethrower, a bomb dog, normal dog, sniper, commander and choppy suit against my (borrowed) enforcers, and was way more fun than the first game, although his poor luck did take away from it.

To be fair, the enforcer sniper is one of the best models in the game. And first turn snipes are great fun. Hide behind building, jump up using either a command or card (crucial) and do a long action shoot. Pow. Headshot.

Also, ripped suits are gorgeous, but as far as raw damage goes, you have to fear the chainmaw dogs. Their bark is far more friendly than their bite.

Yeah, move cards are great with the Enforcer Sniper. - But remember, you can't use a Headshot card in the same turn you use it.

I just meant the opponent's head would pop. Lol