Crushers Gonna Crush

Frank and I have gotten a few games of Heavy Gear in now, but we’ve never fought each other in Infinity yet, so we decided to fix that. I randomly dragged a map onto the map thingy in TTS and got this map:

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Funnily enough, I’ve played on this map before, as Tohaa instead of against Tohaa:

Silent but Deadly

I’ve spent a fair amount of time playing on fishbowl style maps thanks to my Mt Doom Ariadna meatspace table, so I guess I had a little bit of an advantage on this map over Frank, who perhaps hasn’t spent as much time playing on these maps.

Overview

• Mission: Decapitation
• Forces: Starmada versus Tohaa (300)
• Deploy First: Starmada
• First Turn: Starmada

I decided to take this very silly list:

Whut.

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HECTOR (Lieutenant [+1 Order]) Plasma Rifle, Nanopulser, Grenades ( | TinBot: Firewall [-3]) / Heavy Pistol, EXP CC Weapon. (0 | 69)
PARVATI Submachine Gun(+1B), Flash Pulse ( | GizmoKit, MediKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 38)
NYOKA Heavy Rocket Launcher, Chain-colt / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (1 | 19)
NYOKA Heavy Rocket Launcher, Chain-colt / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (1 | 19)
TIAN GǑU 1st Section Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, Jammer / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 22)

CRUSHER (Forward Deployment [+8″]) Submachine Gun, Light Rocket Launcher, Nanopulser, D-Charges / Pistol, E/M CC Weapon. (1 | 35)
ANDROMEDA (Infiltration [+6]) Submachine Gun, Zapper, Flash Pulse, D-Charges / Breaker Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 33)
NYOKA (Parachutist) Red Fury, Chain-colt / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (1 | 29)
EPSILON MULTI Sniper Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 33)
WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse ( ) / Stun Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)

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9 1 | 5.5 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Infinity Army

I figured Hector in a link would be hard to one-shot, and he’s no slouch in shooting or sword fighting. The most irritating possible thing would be for one of the Tohaa fart monsters to come a tootin’. I hoped to defend against that by securing some of the longer firelanes with HRL, and then up close with the Jammer to limit the damage. I figured the Crusher, Andromeda, and the Nyoka Parachutist would be able to do some damage up front and then Hector could go on a rampage later in the game.

Frank a pretty similar list to what I took the last time I played on this map, entertainingly. The Diplomat is an absolute monster, so she’s in there, and he’s chosen to use the Taquel as his Lieutenant to provide some zone of control defense.

decap

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GROUP 1 9 1

JAAN STAAR Light Shotgun, Shock Mines / Viral Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (1 | 31)
IGAO Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, Pheroware Tactics: Mirrorball / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0.5 | 28)
GREIF-OP (Surprise Attack [-3], Impersonation [IMP-2]) Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Breaker Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (1 | 20)

KRIIGEL Submachine Gun, Phero-Booster, Pheroware Tactics: Eraser, Pheroware Tactics: Mirrorball / Viral Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 25)
REEX Boarding Shotgun, Contender / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 13)
REEX Boarding Shotgun, Contender / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 13)

SUKEUL Heavy Machine Gun, D-Charges / Pistol, Breaker Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (1.5 | 34)
TAQEUL (Lieutenant [+1 Command Token]) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, Pheroware Tactics: Endgame, Pheroware Tactics: Mirrorball / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 33)
MAKAUL Heavy Flamethrower, Contender, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, Viral CC Weapon. (0 | 13)

GROUP 2 3 2

GAO-RAEL Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 33)
KAELTAR (Chain of Command) Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse ( | 2x SymbioMate) / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0.5 | 28)
KAELTAR Light Shotgun, Flash Pulse, SymbioBomb ( | SymbioMate) / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 15)

DIPLOMATIC (CC Attack [-3], Specialist Operative]) Nanopulser, Flash Pulse, Pheroware Tactics: Eraser / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 5)
LIBERTO Submachine Gun, Chain-colt / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 8)

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5.5 SWC | 299 Points | Open in Infinity Army

Deployment

I forget who won the roll off–I think it was me?–and I decided to go first. I spent a command token to hold both the Crusher and Andromeda in reserve and just castled up the link on the high ground on my left. The Warcor went in the middle to cover one of my Designated Targets, and the Epsilon went on the right, in total cover. I was hoping that Frank would deploy an impersonator there to deal with the Epsilon, which would save some trouble for me later.

Instead, Frank (cleverly) put his Grief near one of my Designated Targets, and defended his with an Igao and a Libertos. His Gao-Rael/Kaeltar Triad took the high ground in the opposite corner of my link to pin my link pretty effectively with the Gao Rael’s sniper rifle. The Reex/Kriigel Triad screened Frank’s command Triad of the Gaquel, Sukeul, and Makaul.

I deployed Andromeda next to the Reex and the Crusher near the Designated Target protected by the Igao, and then Frank dropped Jan Staar right next to my Designated Target being watched by the Warcor.

Turn 1

Top of 1 – Starmada

Frank docks me two orders. No matter! The Crusher comes into view of one of Frank’s Designated Target and drops a LRL template on it, catching the Igao in the blast, burning the Igao to a crisp. The Designated Target, shockingly, survives, even after failing its dodge.

I throw a fist full of SMG dice at the Designated Target, to no avail. It dodges again.

I had grandiose plans to take out the Gao Rael this turn, but that requires killing the Diplomat first. I figure I’ll start taking a few gambles to get some order efficiency and split burst between the Designated Target and the Diplomat, killing both.

The Reex are very dangerous with their shotguns and could potentially even kill Hector if I’m not careful, so I go after them with Andromeda. I stay out of template range and fire at the Triad leader.

It takes two orders, but I eventually take it out.

I scoot Andromeda around the corner to see just the Kriigel and fail to kill it…

so I gamble again and move into base contact with the Reex, splitting burst again. The Reex templates and the Kriigel crits with its fart cannon, stinking Andromeda to death. BOOOO.

In retrospect, moving into base to base was probably a bad idea, as that would have let the Taquel go after Andromeda with Endgame more easily? I dunno. Doesn’t matter, Andromeda’s dead. I spend a coordinated order to move the Tian Gou forward to protect the approach to my Designated Target on the high ground, stand a Nyoka HRL up, push the Epsilon into a position to cover the Crusher, and move the Crusher to relative safety before reforming the link.

Not the most efficient thing to do, but I’ll take it.

Bottom of 2 – Tohaa

I hadn’t realized that the Gao Rael could draw LoF to the Epsilon without much effort. Frank offers to let me take the move back, but after some deliberation I decide to just let it go. The Gao Rael takes a shot and I manage to sneak a hit through in ARO, popping the Gao Rael’s SymbioMate! Hurrah!

The second order though, is not so successful, and I take three hits, losing the Epsilon.

The Libertos activates and takes out my Designated Target on the low groud, but is flash pulsed for its efforts.

I lose the Warcor immediately after this to the Sukuel HMG, which repositions itself on the stairs leading up to the high ground to reinforce the Kriigel. The Grief operator goes in for the kill on my Designated Target but is forced to move past the Tian Gou’s LoF so I don’t get an ARO.

One order later, and I’ve lost my Designated Target.

Frank does some range band math and decides it’s worth taking on my “Nyoka HRL” as he’ll be in under 16″ and therefore be at an advantage shooting with the Grief’s combi…

but unfortunately for the Grief, the Nyoka reveals itself as a Tian Gou and drops the Grief with a well placed combi-shot. Strangely, I couldn’t find an actual Tian Gou in TTS so I just used a Zhanshi and changed the text field.

With that, Frank is out of orders. I had taken out an Igao, a Diplomat, and two Reex by the bottom of 1, so he was down a few.

Turn 2

Top of 2 – Starmada

The Crusher starts an attack run, splitting burst on Frank’s remaining Designated Target and the Libertos, killing the Designated Target but not the Libertos. Frank has a moment of indecision regarding whether or not he wants to dodge with the Kaeltar but decides not to.

I push the Crusher into view of the Kaeltar and SMG it off the table, ignoring the whiffed shot from the Libertos from downtown.

Two more orders get me to the roof and into the Gao-Rael’s face. I plink one wound off it in the first exchange, after which it fails guts into cover.

I drop it on the next order.

I slice the pie and drop the Makaul across the way, just inside 24″!

Then I reveal myself to the Sukeul on the stairs, popping its SymbioMate and even doing a wound!

The Sukeul fails guts to claim cover from one of the stairs, but it’s not good enough as my next attack burns it unconscious.

I’m out of orders, but the damage has been done.

Bottom of 2 – Tohaa

Frank sends in the Liberto, but my Tian Gou kills with a pair of combi-rifle shots.

Jan Staar tries next, threatening to template Parvati along with the Tian Gou, both of whom dodge. Jan Staar settles for viral pistoling the Tian Gou, and then Frank’s out of orders.

Turn 3

Top of 3 – Starmada

I activate my link and try to HRL down Jan Staar but it doesn’t work.

Rather than risk Parvati or Hector, I bring in a Nyoka to Red Fury down Jan Staar.

At this point, it’s quite late, so we blitz through the remaining orders. I attempt to LRL the Taquel with the Crusher, but we’re at 25″ and I whiff. The Taquel pops Mirrorball in response, so I can’t keep shooting at it, and the Kriigel is too close to the Taquel for me to just waltz the Nyoka in. I attempt to kill the Kriigel with the Nyoka but lose the firefight–very silly, really, and then we call the game there after I spend my last order tucking Hector back into safety.

That puts me at more points kill and equal on Designated Targets, meaning it’s a

7-4 Starmada Victory!

Post Game Analysis

*WiseKensai sends both lists to Discord from game*

Chainsaw
Oh jeez

how’d that go?

seems like hector needs his big boi pants to really pressure that.

WiseKensai
the crusher killed: Igao, kaeltar, Gao-Rael, Makaul, sukuel, diplomat

Andromeda killed two reex, and the tian Gao got the grief and the liberto

Hector didn’t even shoot his gun

the crusher also killed the two designated targets in decap

Chainsaw
lol well then

pseudonymmster
Sounds like he…

crushed it.

More seriously though, the Crusher did an excellent job. I think I should find a way to get a Knight of Santiago KHD combat jump troop in the list instead of the Nyoka Parachutist. It’s much more useful to drop on a Lt. I think that I deployed ok, and I didn’t fall into the trap of trying to fight the Gao-Rael when it was at its strongest and instead pushed with the Crusher.

I definitely have a newfound respect for the LRL and will see about taking that profile again in Starmada and O-12. I think Frank made some good decisions, and we both agreed that on this map there was basically no effective way to prevent the other player from hunting down your Designated Target, and that the best thing to do would just be to make it cost a bunch of orders.

I was pleased with my Tian Gou ruse and my selling of it. I knew that the rangeband was going to be difficult to read as above/below 16″, so I figured the lie was believable. That, coupled with my dice, made short work of the Grief. I think were I Frank, I would’ve pushed harder against the Crusher at the bottom of one, although upon reviewing Frank’s list, that Kaeltar was also his Chain of Command model. I don’t think that’s particularly relevant in the context of Decapitation, but I don’t know what was running through Frank’s mind there, so I figured I’d just ask him:

Yeah, the fishbowl style map means that unless you absolutely get crippled in a turn 1 alpha strike, it means that it’s really not that hard for both players to at least kill both enemy Designated Targets.

I didn’t realize until gametime that Decap has 16″ deployment zones – which actually kind of devalued my 2 impersonators. I probably could’ve done just as well, or better, with either some fast strikers or a slightly different loadout.

One the one hand, the Crusher is a really great profile. But on the other, it won like, a million face to face rolls in a row, 3-4 of which were statistically even, and losing both the Makaul and the Sukeul pretty much sealed the game for me. I didn’t anticipate that much lateral table fire, and I paid for it. I probably should’ve doubled down on the Kaeltar defense, having them both guard the ladder up to the Gao Rael sniper.

I was very, very happy with the state of the game at the end of turn 1. If even the Makaul had gotten it’s smoke down – equivalent odds, 2 dice on 16s vs 2 dice on 16s – it would’ve absolutely kept me in the game even after the Crusher squashed my cross-table defense.

In conclusion, Jon is a bad person and he smells like a dirty diaper. — Frank

Seems about right!