Achilles Heel
Game three of Highly Classified at 150 in one night! Here’s game two if you want to go back in time:
We just rotated 90 degrees around the table again. New table! :3
Overview
- Mission: ITS14 Highly Classified
- Mapping
- Net Undermine
- Predator
- Telemetry
- Forces: ALEPH versus Combined Army (300)
- ALEPH: Data Scan
- Combined Army: HVT: Kidnapping
- Deploy First: ALEPH
- First Turn: ALEPH
Very nice classified list for my list, which is about as silly as it gets for 150 points. I’m so glad I have that Thorakites hacker!
Sorry Not Sorry
ACHILLES (Lieutenant) Spitfire, Pulzar / Pistol, EXP CC Weapon. (1.5 | 75)
NETROD . (0 | 6)
DAKINI (Paramedic) Combi Rifle ( | MediKit) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 15)
MONSTRUCKER Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Drop Bears / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
LIBERTO (Minelayer) Light Shotgun, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 8)
THORAKITES (Hacker, Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 19)
WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse ( ) / Stun Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
6
3 | 3 SWC | 150 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Erik’s just playing the same list again.
RCR 150 – HC
SURYAT (Lieutenant [+1 Order]) Heavy Machine Gun ( | TinBot: Firewall [-3]) / MULTI Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 45)
DARTOK (Hacker) Submachine Gun, Pitcher / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 21)
MED-TECH OBSIDON MEDCHANOID Combi Rifle, D-Charges ( | GizmoKit, MediKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 22)
ÍMETRON . (0 | 6)
IKADRON (Baggage, Repeater) Light Flamethrower(+1B), Flash Pulse / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 9)
SPECULO KILLER Boarding Shotgun, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon. (1 | 32)
TAIGHA Chain-colt / AP + Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 6)
1 | 3 SWC | 150 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
I forgot to deploy the Libertos, so I had Erik deploy it later. He put it in the same building as the Thorakites, which was my reserve. I put Achilles on the right, stacked up a Dakini nearby, and then landed my Netrods wherever they seemed to fit. The Monstrucker was in the middle as well, I figured I’d throw some mines or something. My HVT was on the right and I put the Warcor watching it.
Erik put his one Imetron all the way on the right, undefended–that’s the whole 150 point on a 4×4 table thing again! The two Ikadrons were in the midfield, and then everything else was on the left.
I saw an opportunity to dash the Thorakites across the table to do all the classifieds on the Imetron, so I took the opportunity and deployed it on that side. Erik put the Speculo on the left as well.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – ALEPH
Erik took two orders, which was expected. I ignored everything and just ran the Thorakites across the table and got Telemetry off the Imetron…
then Mapping off the terrain it was hiding in…
then CC’ed it to start Predator. So far, so good.
I had a few orders left so I decided to try and take out Erik’s Dartok. I ran Achilles towards the Dartok and tried to get the Speculo to break marker state. Erik declined.
I kept pushing and moved into hacking range of the Dartok and then backed off. Achilles has stealth, so to force me to do break it, Erik revealed the Speculo and templated Achilles. I just tanked the hit and ended my movement out of hacking range of the Dartok.
I then for some very stupid reason walk into base to base with the Speculo and try to fight it.
It crits, and Achilles dies. WHOOPS. I was so focused on getting Predator that I forgot that it’s very bad to CC a Speculo.
Bottom of 1 – Combined Army
My Warcor is an absolute hero and flash pulses not just the Taigha, but also the Speculo!
It can’t stand up to the Suryat though, and I lose it to a burst of HMG fire. The Suryat tries to take out my Monstrucker, but I somehow pass ARM.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – ALEPH
Well, I’m in loss. I’ve got half of Predator, and I can’t really get Net Undermine anymore. That’s bad. I opt to try and take out Erik’s options. The Dakini gets smoked out by the Speculo when I try to take her out. Frowy face.
I go for his orders instead and shoot both Ikadrons in the back with the Thorakitai.
I complete Predator and get Data Scan off the other Ikadron. Netrods being Veteran is awesome.
I chuck a mine with the Monstrucker and pass turn.
Bottom of 2 – Combined Army
The Taigha comes screaming in…
and berserks the Dakini, dying to the mine. The Monstrucker chucks another one to replace it.
Erik sends in the Dartok to get Mapping, Telemetry, and Predator off my Netrod too. He then kidnaps my HVT, stacking his Suryat in front to defend it, and very importantly fails the WIP roll for Net Undermine!
Turn 3
Top of 3 – ALEPH
I add +1 point from Predator by using the Thorakitai’s lieutenant order (oh yeah, i chose him as my new lieutenant), and then rocket the Libertos across the table and land a double template on the Suryat and Speculo, killing both! I lose the Libertos to the heavy pistol of the Suryat, denying Erik more points for Predator.
We call the game here. We’ve tied on shared classifieds, and I have my secondary and +1 on Predator, making it a
9-5, 49-43 ALEPH Victory!
Post Game Analysis
Holy moley. Well, this goes to show you, it’s not over until it’s over. I got incredibly lucky on my last turn landing that template and killing the Speculo outright! I think this game really illustrates just how important doing the objectives are. I held a Thorakitai hacker in reserve! In just about any other scenario that would be very weird. However, in 150 point Highly Classified on a 4×4 table, there’s gonna be a hole in my opponent’s defense that I can exploit, so holding the specialist in reserve that got me all my classifieds was the right idea.
Erik was robbed here, I think, by that Warcor flash pulsing the Speculo. I don’t think I could have survived a full turn of the Speculo doing stuff, so putting a hard stop to that was absolutely clutch. Also, Netrods are dumb. They’re so cheap, even with the 50% cost increase, and the fact that they’re Veteran is soooo important in ALEPH when you typically have aggressive lieutenants. Also, Erik failing the Net Undermine roll definitely validates my decision to attack the Ikadrons and deny orders.
Obviously I made a huge mistake when fighting the Speculo. Obviously I should have just shot the shit out of the Speculo and moved on with my day, but I just wasn’t thinking. Very silly of me, and almost cost me the game. Erik also got very unlucky in not getting Net Undermine. Had he done that, it would have been a 7-7 tie instead of the 9-5 win for me. If nothing else, this game is a lesson in sticking it out till the end. Thanks for reading.
