Moderated Expectations
After the back to back failures at the tournament
I had to redeem myself with a double Stigmata list, so I brought one to play Shane (wzzzzrd) at our local game night. We’re playing on Shane’s table:
Overview
- Mission: ITS14 Biotechvore
- Forces: Jurisdictional Command of Bakunin versus Morat Aggression Force (300)
- Deploy First: Bakunin
- First Turn: MAF
Based on my last experience with the double TAG list, I decided to change out the Vostok for the Tsyklon. This meant I had to drop the Moderator hacker to get the SWC for the Tsyklon. I wasn’t planning on playing Biotechvore with this list, but I was practicing for Biotechvore on the adjacent table with ISS. Shane wanted to practice it too, so here we are!
Tsyklon Show
MODERATOR (Lieutenant) Combi Rifle / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 9)
STIGMATON (Hacker) Heavy Flamethrower(+1B), Heavy Rocket Launcher(+1B) / E/M CC Weapon. (1.5 | 58)
SIN-EATER (Marksmanship) MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 35)
TSYKLON Feuerbach, Pitcher / PARA CC Weapon(-6). (1 | 36)
RIOT GRRL Boarding Shotgun ( | TinBot: Firewall [-6]) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 29)
Fiddler FTO (Super-Jump) Contender(+1B), Drop Bears, D-Charges / Breaker Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 28)
WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse ( ) / Stun Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
9
3 | 6 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
He had a much more biotechvore-friendly list with three links out of MAF:
Shane (Whzzzrd)
GROUP 1
5
KORNAK (Lieutenant [+1 Order], Strategos L1) Mk12, Light Flamethrower / Heavy Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 45)
YAOGAT MULTI Sniper Rifle(+1B) / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 35)
DARTOK (Hacker) Submachine Gun, Pitcher / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 21)
OZNAT FTO Vulkan Shotgun, Smoke Grenades / Heavy Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 18)
GAKI AP CC Weapon. (0 | 4)
GROUP 2
IKADRON (Baggage, Repeater) Light Flamethrower(+1B), Flash Pulse / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 9)
DĀTURAZI Chain Rifle(+1B), Grenades, Smoke Grenades / Heavy Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 14)
SURYAT (Tactical Awareness) Heavy Machine Gun / MULTI Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 43)
RINDAK FTO (Paramedic) Submachine Gun, Flash Pulse(+1B) / Heavy Pistol, PARA CC Weapon. (0 | 27)
5.5 SWC | 299 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Deployment
Shane chose sides so I took second turn. I knew I’d see some MAF links with a Yaogat and Daturazi, but I didn’t know where they were going to be. I just set up the fight things outside 32″ with the Sin Eater and then set up to fight things at the centerline with the Stigmata with the Tsyklon looking at the rooftops. I took a look at the most Moderator friendly spots outside of 16″ and the only appealing ones were on my right, so that’s where they went. The Warcor went on the left, and I tucked the Riot Grrl into my deployment zone watching for Rasyats.
Shane put the Gakis and a Daturazi on the same side as my Moderators. Horrible. All of his other links were interleaved on the right with another Daturazi. This was acceptable, but that would mean he’d have the high ground on that side, which was less good. The other big problem was that the stairs on the tall building near me were oriented away from me, which would make them impossible to access.
I put my second Sin Eater down just challenging the entire firelane where his link was and then he put down I think Kornak and the Yaogat.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – MAF
I take two orders from the second group to sort of limit the Daturazi’s movement. There’s enough high buildings that I can’t get angles on their approach, so they manage to get forward and one of them lays down smoke.
This lets the Yaogat lead their fireteam to safety and take out the Sin Eater from cover.
It’s not as effective against the nearby Stigmata, and I break contact rather than let the attacks continue.
I do lose the second Sin Eater though to some additional fire, which is annoying.
The Suryat then takes out the Tsyklon before swapping places with the HRL Suryat.
Basically everything made it out except the Ikadron, which dies to the biotechvore zone.
Bottom of 1 – Bakunin
I really can’t afford to mess around here–I gotta get out of the zone and I’m really low on orders already. I start by dropping the Yaogat.
The other Stigmata has some trouble getting past the Suryat HRL, taking a wound before forcing it prone.
I then coordinate the TAGs and Moderators forward, getting the Moderators into the pocket I had planned for them after forcing a smoke out of the Oznat. Unfortunately I’m just a quick move-move away from the Daturazi. Surely this won’t be a problem, right? Fiddler picks up the Tsyklon and I get her and the Riot Grrl a little further forward. I decide to just let the Tsyklon’s fireteam take the risk of staying in the zone.
I push the TAGs out of the zone and get one of them in a position to try and take on the Daturazi, but I can’t get far enough to see it and settle for taking on a Gaki instead.
Thankfully the Tsyklon passes both saves. Fiddler takes a wound but the Riot makes her save, as does the Warcor. I’m hoping for the best now.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – MAF
I’m in incredible danger of losing my lieutenant. Shane rolls the Daturazi around the corner and lays two templates down on my lieutenant and the other Moderator. This happens in full view of the Tsyklon and Stigmata who thankfully drop the Daturazi. Of the two Moderators, my lieutenant passes her dodge and the other doesn’t, going down to the chain rifles. This is more than acceptable.
The TAG is very much a threat that Shane wants to remove, so he sends in the Gaki, so I flamethrower all of them. Somehow they all fail their dodge and get burned to a crisp. The Oznat is still a problem that I have to watch out for though.
Shane uses one of the Dartok to land a repeater near the left Stigmata, just out of range of the right one that just flamethrowered everything.
It takes a few orders with me fighting him with Carbonite…
but at some point Shane decides to switch to change to Carbonite and that’s the order that I lose both the face to face and fail the BTS saves.
The Oznat comes around and tries to land smoke on the right Stigmata but I dodge away, wanting none of that nonsense.
Then Shane sets up shots with the Suryat HMG after picking up the HRL with the Rindak, netting him Experimental Drug.
The bullets plink off the Tsyklon for awhile…
but eventually make it through.
The other Dartok tries to finish off the Stigmata by Oblivioning, but I pass my reset and break out of immobilization.
The Suryat HMG decides to solve the problem with bullets.
I lose the face to face but scoot out of the way. Kornak tries to fight the other Stigmata by climbing a bridge, but I pass ARM and break contact around a box. Kornak goes prone and it’s back to me.
The Oznat dies to the zone, thankfully.
Bottom of 2 – Bakunin
Okay, Kornak is overextended and vulnerable, and I need to get rid of as much other stuff as I possibly can. Fiddler breaks the Tsyklon trying to fix it, but I decide to just let it go.
The Riot Grrl clears the repeater on the way forward…
Then makes her way to challenge Kornak and get shotguns down.
It takes awhile but Kornak eventually is off the table.
I snag HVT: Espionage with the nearby Stigmata, and then pass turn.
The Warcor finally dies to the zone, and that’s that.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – MAF
Shane wants to get HVT: Inoculation, so he sends in the Rindak on a wide path to try to avoid my Stigmata. He can’t quite get there safely. I do get a shot off but he dodges successfully.
He manages to make it all the way to the HVT, giving me a dodge on the way, and fumbles the WIP roll while I toast him with a rocket to the face.
The Suryat pushes up again and engages my Stigmata but fails to get through her armor.
Bottom of 3 – Bakunin
I need to get my classifieds down and then I’m good. I start by dropping the Suryat on the roof with one of the Stigmata.
I hop the Riot Grrl off her perch and make it past the the Dartok’s SMG fire.
I have just enough movement and orders to dip into the biotechvore zone, grab Follow Up, and get out again.
And that’s that!
9-2, 191-99 Jurisdictional Command of Bakunin Victory!
Post Game Analysis
Well, definitely happier with the Tsyklon over the Vostok. It gave me more reach and hitting power than the Vostok, even though it’s easier to engage. I didn’t really get to use it in the active turn. Honestly this game I had a plan and stuck with it, and the dice delivered for me. I had a lot of trouble pushing up on the first turn due to bad dice, and had to make a call to let the Tsyklon potentially go down and the Riot and Fiddler take a wound.
That decision gave me enough orders to get the Moderators out… not safely, but out. I think Shane made a key mistake there, which was to not throw a grenade at my lieutenant. I spent my Lieutenant order, he knew which it was, I guess he was just hoping for me to fail the dodge there. Arguably taking out more orders might have worked better in the long run? The other mistake was giving me Kornak. Morats don’t care, but that’s still three orders.
I’m still not happy with the list–it doesn’t click yet, but it is an improvement. I don’t consider this a solid victory either, it was too reliant on the dice going my way with the Daturazi going after my lieutenant. I’ll need to test it some more. This list would probably have been fine for missions that weren’t Biotechvore, but I’ve been challenging myself to not necesssarily over-tune lists for a mission.
I’ve also been challenging myself to deploy first and go second. I think it’s doable, but it’ll need a lot more practice for it to be consistent. Part of the reason I’m attempting it is because it helps with the double game situation, but I think it also will help with missions where going second has a clear advantage, like in Biotechvore. Thanks for reading.
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