Tohaa the Bitter End
It’s now after Rose City Raid 5, the final Rose City Raid, but leading up to it we ran a small escalation league to help our locals prepare. First up, 150 points of Highly Classified on the smaller table size.
Overview
- Mission: ITS14 Highly Classified
- HVT: Designation
- HVT: Espionage
- Mapping
- Predator
- Forces: Tohaa versus Neoterran Capitaline Army (150)
- Tohaa – Data Scan
- NCA – Follow-Up
- Deploy First: NCA
- First Turn: NCA
Erik (Zelaponeepus) specifically asked me to play Tohaa, so please direct all “but Tohaa OP!” or “RUDE!” comments at him. I’ve already played a few games of 150 point Highly Classified, so I sort of knew what to expect. I packed Kendrat and Aida in there to have characters and access to Predator, and then put in Tohaa good stuff. The Kumotail is an obvious and required choice at this points level, and I decided to roll with the Sukeul FO for access to K1 in case I had to deal with a TAG or something.
Highly Classified
SUKEUL (Lieutenant, Forward Observer) K1 Combi Rifle, D-Charges, Flash Pulse ( | Deployable Repeater) / Pistol, Breaker Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (0 | 32)
KUMOTAIL Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 21)
KAMAEL (Hacker, Hacking Device) Combi Rifle ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 17)
AÏDA SWANSON FTO (Minelayer) Submachine Gun, Viral Mines / Viral Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 20)
KENDRAT Vulkan Shotgun, Chest Mines / DA CC Weapon, Heavy Pistol. (0 | 22)
LIBERTO (Minelayer) Light Shotgun, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 8)
CLIPSOS (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 25)
DIPLOMATIC (CC Attack [-3], Specialist Operative]) Nanopulser, Flash Pulse, Pheroware Tactics: Eraser / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 5)
6
2
1 | 1.5 SWC | 150 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
I ended up not having to face a TAG, but instead faced this midfield dominance list from NCA instead. Isaac’s been favoring the Auxilia lieuteant recently, which I think is a very strong choice. He’s got a Fusilier core with a Black Friar HRL and two specialists, and then a bunch of annoying stuff like a Peacemaker and Locust.
AUXILIA (Lieutenant) Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 14)
AUXBOT_1 Heavy Flamethrower / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 4)
FUSILIER (Paramedic) Combi Rifle ( | MediKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
BLACK FRIAR FTO (Sixth Sense) Heavy Rocket Launcher, Nanopulser / MULTI Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 25)
PEACEMAKER Heavy Shotgun / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 20)
AUXBOT_3 Heavy Flamethrower / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 4)
PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 15)
LOCUST (Hacker, Killer Hacking Device) Breaker Combi Rifle, D-Charges ( ) / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 32)
MACHINIST NCA (Bioimmunity, Veteran) Combi Rifle, D-Charges ( | GizmoKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 16)
I think the Locust is a particularly inspired choice at this points level–it’s incredibly difficult to deal with and there aren’t necessarily quick counters on the table.
Deployment
I took table side, so Isaac took first turn. The Peacemaker started on the centerline of the table with link on Isaac’s left. The rest of the stuff was tucked into the back in a layered defense in case I had a Gao Tarsos or something. The Locust was Isaac’s reserve. What he doesn’t know is that I have a Clipsos on the center line!
Well, two can play at the annoying midfield game! I put the Libertos right on the centerline as well. Of note is that we had a bunch of hacking the HVT classifieds and there’s really no way to prevent the Fusilier Hacker from getting on top of the HVT easily and scoring them. I hoped to use the Libertos to dodge into the corridor and template the Fusilier Hacker before it could do anything to my HVT. This positioning thankfully also allowed me to put a mine covering the Peacemaker in an awkward spot for Isaac to access.
I put my Kamael hacker on the right and the Kumotail on the left mostly to guard that flank against Garuda. The Sukeul hung out in the middle, and I used Aida and the diplomat to defend the Kamael, which is such a high priority target for Isaac. His reserve was a Locust KHD and mine was Kendrat to help my left flank.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – NCA
My objective for the first turn is to prevent the Fusilier Hacker from doing his job, and if I can take out the Peacemaker, great. Isaac starts by trying to go after the hacking objectives, and I just dodge reveal the Libertos with a ZoC dodge to get closer. Sadly, because of the -3 from out of LoF I fail the dodge and the Libertos is just chillin’ in the open.
The Fusilier Paramedic can see the Libertos, so she takes some shots. I dodge, but take a wound, going dogged.
Isaac is feeling the pressure with the Libertos so close. He decides to push on the objectives with the Fusilier hacker. Thanks to WIP 12, it doesn’t work out, and I get a dodge to get closer with the Libertos. I just need to get a mine down and stall out this nonsense!
There aren’t any engineering objectives, which means the Machinist is expendable, so Isaac sends it in. He has to be really careful about his approach or I’ll be able to template the Peacemaker too, so he holds off on actually triggering the mine just yet. I do get a dodge with the Libertos though, which is great.
The Locust moves in to take out the Libertos, but has to split burst between the Libertos and Aida. This means both Aida and the Libertos survive as the Locust whiffs (and so does Aida). I figured I would lose the Libertos so I just drop a mine. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Libertos survived!
After dodge-clearing the Liberto’s mine covering the Peacemaker with the Machinist, Isaac sends in the Auxilia’s Auxbot to remove Liberto’s other mine. It needs both movement values to get there, so the mine drops it and I just plop another mine down.
Isaac now wants to discover-shoot Aida’s viral mine, which could really mess up the Locust, but fails the attempt with the Black Friar.
Finally, the Pathfinder moves up and tries to fight Aida, with no results. This is great because now that both the Machinist and the Pathfinder are moved up, there’s a hole for the Clipsos to do its thing.
Bottom of 1 – Tohaa
Okay. I’d really like to get rid of that Locust right about now. Maybe I can get Mapping done with the Clipsos, and if I can delete the Fusilier Hacker, that’d be ideal. That’s a lot, and Isaac’s defensive net is pretty tight. I take advantage of Kendrat’s impetuous order to get free, unopposed shots on the Locust. I whiff, sadly. The Peacemaker fails its dodge, which is good, I guess.
I could keep going with Kendrat and lay fire templates down on everything, which seems pretty tempting, but I decide to play to the objective for now, figuring I have the most orders now and I need them to get the Clipsos into Isaac’s backfield. I reveal the Clipsos and push past the delays and discovers. I have to keep moving because the Fusilier Paramedic will see me if I stop to drop a mine or something, and I don’t want to deal with that.
The Pathfinder’s discover goes off because of the Sensor bonus, but it’s too late. I’m already past all the AROs.
I move the Kamael forward and snag HVT: Designation and HVT: Espionage.
I’ve got just enough orders to get Mapping done with the Clipsos and take an upposed shot on the Auxilia from behind. I land two combi hits but it passes ARM!
With that, I’m out of orders with tons of stuff out of position. Feels bad.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – NCA
I was hoping that I’d drain enough orders and make things inefficient enough to deny some of the objectives at least. I’m playing off my experiences at 150 points on a 4×4 table, where movement and getting objectives is all that matters. Unfortunately, on the smaller table, you need to do some damage to the order pool, and I haven’t done early enough. Isaac sensors the mine near the Fusilier Hacker with the Pathfinder to set up a shot on it.
He sends the Black Friar in to do the deed, but the mine can just clip her as she moves back. While she fails her dodge, she does facetank the mine.
This lets the Black Friar take on the Clipsos with her MSV2.
It takes two orders to do it, but I lose the Clipsos. Irritating. I should have recamoed the Clipsos and forced Isaac to deal with it, spending even more orders and shuffling the Pathfinder backwards.
The Peacemaker rolls around the corner and shoots at Kendrat. I dodge without really thinking about it, hoping to keep her alive when I really should have just templated.
It does take two orders for Kendrat to go down though, thanks to Total Immunity and Dogged, so that’s good at least.
Bottom of 2 – Tohaa
Somehow nothing has died for Isaac, which is just supremely irritating for me. I’m kicking myself for not throwing Kendrat under the bus to template the Peacemaker, Pathfinder, and Machinist. Still, I’m wise enough to know that I have to fight till the bitter end at the table and that I’ll have plenty of time to bitch and moan in the battle report about it!
I start by using my Lieutenant order to drop the Peacemaker.
I have access to templates from the Diplomat, so I send her in and nanopulsar the Locust and Pathfinder, intentionally not hitting the Peacemaker with the template…
so I can coup-de-grace the Peacemaker to start working on Predator. Of course the Pathfinder tanks the hit and the Locust dodges easily.
With Predator half done, I try to template again. The Locust dodges into base to base and the Pathfinder shoots. Everyone survives, to my great irritation.
I’ve also just handed Isaac half of Predator as well, which is really annoying.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – NCA
Somehow I’ve done basically no damage to Isaac’s list over two turns. Not for lack of trying, he just keeps passing saves or dodging templates. The Black Friar snags Follow Up, letting me dodge Aida forward past a mine I planted the previous turn.
I was hoping to keep dodging and causing problems, but the Locust put a stop to that.
Still, the viral mine needed to go, so Isaac cleared it with the Pathfinder.
This let the Black Friar complete Predator off of Aida’s body.
Bottom of 3 – Tohaa
I’ve got 3 orders and a Lieutenant order to make this happen. Step 1: Take out the Black Friar with my Lieuteant order. Check.
The remaining 3 orders are Data Scanning the downed Friar on the way in, then coup-de-gracing for Predator.
Isaac doesn’t have Mapping, which means it’s a
10-6, 54-72 Tohaa Victory!
Post Game Analysis
This was a crazy game that got away from me very quickly. I think this really hinged on me not being aggressive enough with Kendrat on my first turn. That’s what she’s there for. I could have gotten Mapping later in the game if I needed to, and with a bunch of orders off the table it would have been much harder for Isaac to respond.
I will say that the Liberto absorbed a truly ridiculous amount of orders on Isaac’s first turn, which I think kept it from being a total blowout by him. This format is so punishing because mistakes and dice can really cause a bad position to become unrecoverable. In any case, I think this game really goes to show how important it is to fight to the bitter end. Literally on my last order I was able to get the last classified I needed.
Isaac could have made this impossible for me by assassinating the Kamael hacker with the Locust. Just entering marker state and then landing a Trinity on the Kamael would have done it. On that note, specialist removal is so important in this format as well, because there’s just no redundancy. Probably the best play then for me would have been to rocket Kendrat towards the Locust and challenge the Fusilier Hacker after I hopefully killed the Locust.
I was a little surprised that Isaac didn’t push for Mapping with the Locust, I guess he was (rightfully) afraid of the Sukeul. In any case, a really hard fought game by both of us. I managed to create enough threat that absorbed enough orders to keep me in the fight. Thanks for reading!
