Dog in a Fishbowl
After my first TAK game of the tournament against a Shakush…
it was time to fight Morats:
Overview
- Mission: ITS14 Uplink Center
- Forces: Tartary Army Korps versus Morat Aggression Force (300)
- Deploy First: MAF
- First Turn: TAK
I just decided to forgo links and instead go for midfield control. I need some button pushers, and all I can fit is a Scout and Pavel, then the rest is just low-point-cost good stuff and a Spetsnaz. The Streloks are mostly there to drain orders and power the Dog Warriors, but if they need to problem solve they can.
Template City
GROUP 1
7
1
1
GROUP 2
COLONEL VORONIN (Lieutenant [+1 Command Token], Strategos L1) Rifle / Assault Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 25)
PAVEL McMANNUS Ohotnik, Chain-colt, Shock Mines, D-Charges / Pistol, T2 CC Weapon. (0 | 32)
SCOUT (Forward Observer) Ohotnik, D-Charges, Flash Pulse, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 30)
TRAKTOR MUL (Deactivator) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 5)
TANKHUNTER Missile Launcher, AP Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 33)
IRMANDINHO Chain Rifle, D-Charges, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 8)
SPETSNAZ (Mimetism [-3], Parachutist]) AP Rifle, Grenades, D-Charges / Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 30)
STRELOK (Minelayer) Boarding Shotgun, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 21)
DOG-WARRIOR Chain Rifle(+1B), Grenades, Smoke Grenades / AP CC Weapon. (0 | 24)
3.5 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Jay has the standard Gaki order battery and Kornak. He’s also taking a Zabuk, which is a fun change of pace, and a Zerat! The second group is a bit underpowered in terms of orders, but it has plenty of tools.
Jay (homicidaljay)
GROUP 1
KORNAK (Lieutenant [+1 Order], Strategos L1) Mk12, Light Flamethrower / Heavy Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 45)
ZABUK Submachine Gun, Heavy Riotstopper, Flash Pulse / Heavy Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-9). (0 | 15)
RINDAK FTO (Paramedic) Submachine Gun, Flash Pulse(+1B) / Heavy Pistol, PARA CC Weapon. (0 | 27)
OZNAT FTO Vulkan Shotgun, Smoke Grenades / Heavy Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 18)
ANYAT K1 Combi Rifle, Chain-colt, Smoke Grenades, E/M Grenades / CC Weapon, Heavy Pistol. (0 | 24)
GAKI AP CC Weapon. (0 | 4)
ZERAT (BS Attack [+1 Dam]) MULTI Marksman Rifle / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 26)
GROUP 2
DĀTURAZI Chain Rifle(+1B), Grenades, Smoke Grenades / Heavy Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 14)
YAOGAT MULTI Sniper Rifle(+1B) / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 35)
RASYAT (Specialist Operative) Combi Rifle, E/Mitter, D-Charges, Eclipse Grenades / Heavy Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 34)
4 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Deployment
My opponents this round, Jay (HomicidalJay) and Erik (Zelaponeepus) conspired to go deploy first and go second, which is annoying since this scenario really rewards going second. Given the 16″ deployment zone, Jay chose to push pretty far forward. In some cases it wasn’t really a choice, e.g. with the Gaki link. If you want them slightly left of center, there’s only one reasonable deployment for the ground floor. The Daturazi hung out on the right, presumably to provide smoke for the Yaogat MSR. I was a little confused by the Yaogat MSR being left out like that, especially with the Spitfire all the way on the left. Kornak’s Haris was also pushed forward aggressively, protected by one of the Daturazi… but they were very far forward on the right.
Well, I decided to punish the overextended deployment of Kornak with a Strelok and its mine. The mine wasn’t going to trigger until they stood up, so it was a legal placement, and then I put the Strelok on a roof that would get him to shotgun range of Kornak in a few moves. The other Streloks were scattered across the center line, with the Dog Warriors pushed up on both flanks, and I protected Voronin’s perch with a mine from one of the Streloks. The Muls went wherever they would fit, and the Tankhunter covered as much of the board edges and rooftops as possible.
I covered the back table edge nearest Voronin with a Irmandinho’s chain rifle, and then it was time Jay’s reserve, a Zerat standing on a tower in the dead center of the table. I put Pavel and the Scout down. Pavel was all the way on the left to cover the board edge from Rasyats if it came to it, and the Scout was more conservatively placed to protect its status as a specialist.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – TAK
Jay surprised me by spending a command token to put the Zerat in suppression. There are just so many ways of dealing with something in suppression. I did have to cancel my impetuous orders from the Dog Warriors, so in effect the command token for suppression did in fact deny me two orders in my second pool. I coordinate the Strelok near the Zerat forward as well as the one near Kornak. I’m in range now so I just template the Zerat with the Strelok’s boarding shotgun template and Jay opts to trade. Fine by me, now the way is open.
This lets me get the Dog Warrior on the left forward to lay a some chain rifles on the Rindak there while taking shots from the Yaogat behind. I had expected the Rindak to dodge, but instead the Rindak takes a shot, breaking the link while the rest of the Haris members dodge. The Yaogat whiffs and the Rindak hits, making the Dog Warrior bigger.
Unfortunately, the Rindak also fails ARM, but it fails twice and is off the table. I’m now in range of the Yaogat MSR and take it down, taking a second wound from the MSR in the process.
The Dog Warrior then super jumps to see Kornak, the Daturazi, and the Zabuk. Kornak and the Daturazi both template and the Zabuk fails its dodge. The Dog Warrior goes unconscious, but so do the Zabuk and the Daturazi. Kornak takes a wound and is now in NWI. I’m out of orders to use the nearby Strelok, so it’s time to tap into my other pool.
Pavel easily finishes off Kornak…
then flips the left console.
I’ve got a few orders left so I peek over the edge of the building and split burst on a pair of Gakis that Pavel can see.
It takes two order but both Gaki are down. I retreat Pavel to overwatch the approach of one of the Daturazi, and that’s turn.
Bottom of 1 – MAF
Jay’s in loss, but with basically an all-Morat army save the Gaki, it’s not that big of a deal. He move some stuff around with command tokens and sees about salvaging the game. The remaining Daturazi doesn’t have a way forward without getting shot, so it cancels its order. Jay brings on a Bashi behind Pavel…
then attempts to set up smoke for the rest of his forces, but whiffs the roll on an 18.
He shifts the Gaki link forward, climbing Anyat onto a box, and then pushes his Yaogat Spitfire forward. I can’t not reveal the Tankhunter when I’ll clip two models that can’t dodge… and promptly fail my roll. Ah well. At least Jay decided to dodge because we were outside of 24″.
The Bashi climbs the box behind Pavel and guns him down, but is taken out by the mine that was meant for Kornak and a cross-map Tankhunter shot, and that’s turn.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – TAK
I need to be really careful to not put Jay into retreat this turn. Anyat is watching stuff, so I just take her out with the Tankhunter before figuring out what to do with the rest of my turn. I’m not really sure exactly how many points Jay has left, because I’m busy fighting Erik’s Anathematic on the other table, so I just assume he’s in retreat now and act accordingly.
I then spend all my orders setting as if this is my last turn–flipping the right console with the Scout, pinning the rest of units with a Dog Warrior, and getting stuff into contact with the antennas.
Bottom of 2 – MAF
Jay’s new plan is to put himself in retreat, but unfortunately he thought it was calculated at the beginning of my turn too. He didn’t mention this to me at the time, so I was unable to correct him until after the game. He impetuous moves the Oznat around the corner and tries to trade for a wound off the Dog Warrior, but I pass ARM and the Oznat doesn’t.
The Yaogat tries next, and does put a wound on the Dog Warrior, but between the chain rifle and a danger close missile impact from the Tankhunter, the Yaogat is no more.
Last to go is the Gaki, who goes down and fails to do any wounds to the Dog Warrior.
Jay then walks his Rasyat on in view of the Tankhunter, and it evaporates.
The Daturazi hops onto a bridge and tries to smoke its way past the Tankhunter, and it too, goes down.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – TAK
Well, I already have stuff on the objectives, and there’s nothing left on the table for Jay, so we call it here. I was lazy and didn’t want to get stuff out of the minis bag earlier, so that’s why they’re just camo tokens (they’re really Streloks and a Scout).
10-0, 223-0 Tartary Army Korps Victory!
Post Game Analysis
One wonders if Jay would have been better served just passing turn and then trying to land the Rasyat on the center objective at the end of the game. In any case, I think this game shows how important careful deployment is. I was able to delete a little under half of Jay’s list on the first turn. I think not dodging against the chain rifles with the Rindak was a big deal, that could easily have drained most of my orders if the Rindak had dodged into CC.
I was really happy with my deployment and the placement of the Tankhunter. I was very worried about a Rasyat, but I felt I had done a pretty reasonable job of preparing for it. I was a little disappointed in losing Pavel, but there’s always a hole with AD–the board is just too big to cover all angles. I kinda have a visualization like Monaco for this:
Anyway. I really liked the use of the Dog Warriors in this game–I used one as a missile and one as a roadblock, and was very pleased with the performance of both. The Strelok camo spam wasn’t really an issue, because I had first turn, revealed a bunch of real Streloks, and kept Jay boxed in all game. Pavel did great, although I kinda wish I had used the Scout instead because they don’t have frenzy and I can recamo them. Good to remember for later.
If I had to fight past something more serious that a Zerat I probably would have been undergunned a little. The camo tokens probably would have had to do the work, or maybe a coordinated including the Tankhunter or something. If the Yaogat MSR had been up on the back table edge where the Spitfire was and out for ARO, I’d have had to push all the way into 16″ and leverage the Ohotnik rangebands to my advantage there. That would’ve been pretty painful, but possible. Anyway, definitely a game lost in deployment. Nothing out to ARO aside from the Zerat, and then everything was pushed right up against the edge of the 16″ deployment zone letting me get there real fast.
I think Jay has had a lot of good experiences with the Zerat in suppression just fighting the world and winning which explains the choice, but a camo shotgun will just sort out the problem. Once it’s out of suppression the Dog Warriors are online, and I’m back in business. Thanks for reading!
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