That’s Bait
By the time the third round of the tournament rolled around I was pretty wiped. That didn’t stop me from attempting two games at once. I’ve written up the other round 3 game here if you’re interested:
We were playing on this table that I helped set up:
Overview
- Mission: ITS14 Biotechvore
- Forces: Jurisdictional Command of Tunguska versus Qapu Khalqi (300)
- Deploy First: QK
- First Turn: Tunguksa
I’m running this Szalamandra list out of Tunguksa, which I’m still sort of unhappy with, but it was what I had packed before starting the day. I think the Grenzer MSR is so important to the list, but it’s difficult to pack enough guns in the right way for this list. I’m still not 100% sure what I’m missing or that I want, but I’m still not satisfied with the list composition. I think it’s something to do with the lack of reliable and taxing ARO that isn’t also going to cost you dearly if you lose it–everything is good just expensive. In any case, I tried to make up for it by taking two bikes to give me some options.
Heavy Metal v2
GRENZER (Lieutenant, Discover [+3], Biometric Visor) Combi Rifle, Light Flamethrower(+1B) ( ) / Pistol, Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 28)
HOLLOW MEN Missile Launcher, Chain-colt / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 33)
JELENA KOVAČ Breaker Combi Rifle, Chain-colt / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
Fiddler FTO (Super-Jump) Contender(+1B), Drop Bears, D-Charges / Breaker Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 28)
VOSTOK Mk12(+1 Dam) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 44)
ZONDNAUT (Hacker, Hacking Device) Combi Rifle ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 23)
ZONDMATE Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenade Launcher / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 5)
SZALAMANDRA Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon, Heavy Flamethrower / CC Weapon. (2 | 72)
SZALAMANDRA PILOT Contender(+1B) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 0)
TRANSDUCTOR ZOND Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
MOTORIZED BOUNTY HUNTER Submachine Gun, Chain-colt(+1B) / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 9)
9
3
2 | 5.5 SWC | 299 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Adam’s on a NA2 kick, so he’s playing QK, which he considers NA2. You can fight it out with him in the comments if you disagree. He’s got a double Azrail haris and a Kaplan/Korsan link as well with a few useful extra tools like a Yuan Yuan.
Biotechvore Final
GROUP 1
AZRA'IL AP Heavy Machine Gun / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 40)
BURTUK Submachine Gun, E/Marat(+1B), AP Mines, D-Charges / . (0 | 27)
LEILA SHARIF (Hacker) Shock Marksman Rifle, E/M Mines, D-Charges / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 20)
RAFIQ REMOTE Rifle, Light Shotgun, Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 14)
GROUP 2
KAPLAN Heavy Rocket Launcher, Light Shotgun / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 23)
KORSAN Chain Rifle(+2B) / Heavy Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 13)
SEKBAN (Lieutenant, Specialist Operative) AP Rifle, Light Shotgun / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 22)
ROUHANI Submachine Gun, Flash Pulse / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 21)
FANOUS REMOTE Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
YUAN YUAN Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 8)
DJANBAZAN (BS Attack [Shock]) AP Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 31)
5 SWC | 298 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code
Deployment
I take table edge, so Adam takes second turn, which he’s not happy about. He leaves both Azrael out, including the Feuerbach out of cover on his right. The Kaplan/Korsan are all the way on the left, with other stuff just sprinkled around.
The thing that I really didn’t do well this game was plan carefully about where I would end up after moving out of my deployment zone. I attribute this to being tired and not wanting to hold Adam or Cole up, so I was rushing. Every game where I don’t do this, I have serious problems. I knew from placing my HVT at 16″ that I would have a problem, but I didn’t really think through how bad it would be with so many 55mm bases to worry about. I think my biggest concern was not really having a smart place to put the TAG at all in the midfield, and how much of a problem that created for me.
I think also I didn’t leverage the fact that I had enough multi-wound units that I could have been significantly more conservative with my deployment and movement, which would have given me a much safer turn 2 because Adam would have to fight his way out of some pretty big AROs. I could have used the MBH and Zondnautica to remove orders and that would have been very strong.
In any case, to address my overall decision fatigue, I decided to make less complicated decisions and just shoot stuff. My plan was to use the Vostok to punish the Azrael Feuerbach for being out of cover, and use the Hollowman to punish the Azrael HMG, so I set up accordingly. The bikes went on the right not because I had a plan for them but rather because I had no room for them on the left. I really wish I had some time to deploy this list several times in practice games before taking it to a tournament where I was operating on very low sleep, but you get what you get and you have to adapt and overcome.
Adam’s reserve was the Djanbazan sniper, and mine was the Szalamandra.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – Tunguksa
Adam took two orders from me, which was really irritating.
After the bikes take their impetuous move, I start by trying to take out the Al Fasid with the Hollow Man:
| 63.5 | 23.5 | 12.9 |
I actually have a 43% chance to drop the Azrael in one order, but all that happens is I land a missile and the Azrael passes ARM and bails. I engage the Djanbazan with the Szalamandra next:
| 75.3 | 20.2 | 4.6 |
Again, the Djanbazan passes all its ARM saves and goes prone. I focus on getting my guys out of the zone, and take a cheeky shot on the Al Fasid as I do so with the Hollow Man:
| 40.7 | 31.0 | 28.3 |
Of course, instead of doing any damage I whiff completely and the Hollow Man burns off the table. I try to deal with it using the Szalamandra:
| 56.6 | 33.1 | 10.3 |
I’m out of orders to keep trying stuff so I just settle for getting as much out as I can, even getting the Szalamandra back into the zone so I don’t lose it immediately to the Al Fasid. I lose the Transductor and the MBH to the zone.
What a horrible turn. I haven’t done a single wound and my positioning really sucks. At least the Szalamandra didn’t fail any BTS saves!
Bottom of 1 – QK
I start by just losing the Grenzer to the Kaplan HRL:
| 48.0 | 26.1 | 25.9 |
At least the Zondnautica snags Telemetry off of this.
My luck changes slightly as the Zondnautica manages to fend off Leila and isolate her against Leila’s Trinity.
I manage to survive the Korsan’s chain rifle as well, which is good.
As the Korsan comes in I dodge the Szalamandra away to give me some options, but this opens a shot for the Djanbazan. I take a wound from the exchange and retreat into cover.
The Al Fasid Feuerbach engages the now-unlinked Vostok…
| 26.3 | 35.7 | 37.9 |
and aces it in one order. The Djanbazan tries to take on the Szalamandra again and fails to do anything.
Adam loses some Fanous but that’s it.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – Tunguska
I start by using the Zondnautica to try and chain rifle and shoot the Korsan and Djanbazan in front of me. I succeed only in taking out the Korsan behind the box–everyone else either dodges or makes their ARM save. Even the Korsan in front, which chain rifled, takes out the Zondbot (but thankfully not the Zondnaut).
The link is broken at least, so I engage the Kaplan with Jelena’s tac aware order, ignoring its Mimetism thanks to the earlier Spotlight. I catch the Kaplan out of cover, which gives me the edge I need to take it down:
| 66.8 | 27.0 | 6.2 |
I try to take the Djanbazan out with the Szalamandra and finally succeed with the surviving Korsan dodging into view as I retreat the Szalamandra.
I gun the Korsan down as I keep retreating towards the center of the table.
I manage to delete the Azrael Feuerbach with the Szalamandra, which is what I should have done on the first turn.
| 48.6 | 38.3 | 13.1 |
I have to double-tap the Azrael to take it off the table with Rouhani nearby, but that’s what I’ve got for the turn.
Bottom of 2 – QK
Adam drops in a Yuan Yuan and trades it for Jelena.
Unfortunately, he also uses the Azrael HMG to down the Szalamandra.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – Tunguksa
I try to pick up the TAG with Fiddler but she flubs the roll and kills it.
She then tries to set up a drop bear on the Burtuk, but whiffs that too.
Bottom of 3 – QK
The Burtuk tries to kill Fiddler and fails, but Adam does get my Grenzer with his last Yuan Yuan.
3-4, 51-151 Qapu Khalqi Victory!
Post Game Analysis
Well that was a pretty big disaster. I don’t think a single important die roll went my way on the first turn, with big implications, so this game perhaps was a little statistically aberrant. Alright, how do we address that? Infinity is one of the few miniature wargames that allows you to try again at the same interaction (assuming certain caveats). I simply didn’t have enough resources to try again, because I was focused on getting out of my deployment zone. I also didn’t have a good plan for existing in the middle of the table (also the table wasn’t particularly friendly in the middle either, but I only have myself to blame for that).
So, what I could have done differently was leave some of the multi-wound models in the biotechvore zone and used my fast units to remove Adam’s orders to make things exceedingly difficult for him. I think I’d have to adjust the list some to make this a truly viable strategy, but I do think that it probably would have been an acceptable risk in this game.
If nothing else, I could have put the TAG on the left to take out the Azrael Feuerbach at the very least, as it was in the open:
| 71.8 | 20.1/td> | 8.0 |
That would have helped significantly as that side would have been in pretty good shape. I’m a little annoyed that I didn’t set up Jelena to cover the roof better with her chain colt, but hey, sometimes you forget about the Yuan Yuan, and of course Adam got lucky on his rolls. Twice.
In summary:
- I ran out of orders to prosecute the attack on the first turn after my dice betrayed me.
- I could have gotten more orders by not spending orders to leave the zone with multi-wound models.
- I incorrectly prioritized targets.
- I did not have a solid plan for existing in the midfield.
Not the best showing for sure. I think I have a long way to go before I can feel comfortable with Tunguska. Thanks for reading!
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