Why Won’t it Die!?
By RomanLegion
Overview
- Mission: Power Pack
- Forces: Invincible Army versus O-12 (300)
- Deploy First: IA
- First Turn: IA
Issac and I haven’t played in a while and we had both setup a table to play on. We ended up going for the one I had finished for our rematch. Last time we played Issac had just a few games with the new O-12 and now for a rematch.
I run the roll off and elected to go first since I was running a limited insertion list I didn’t want to have to try surviving a turn on AROs alone and I have the advantage of I can’t get docked orders… disadvantage was that going second can let you score/flip objectives and get all the point in power pack.
Duo Challenge Accepted!
ZHANSHI Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 11)
HǍIDÀO (Multispectral Visor L2) MULTI Sniper / Breaker Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 37)
SHÀNG JÍ Heavy Rocket Launcher, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Shock CCW. (2 | 39)
LÉI GŌNG Shock Marksman Rifle, Nanopulser, Blitzen / Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0 | 34)
HÚLÁNG (Fireteam: Duo) 2 Submachine Gun, E/M Grenades, D-Charges / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Knife. (0 | 41)
HAC TAO Missile Launcher, Nanopulser / Pistol, DA CCW. (2 | 65)
Zhanshi YĪSHĒNG Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
ZHĒNCHÁ (Forward Observer) Submachine Gun, D.E.P., Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 34)
10 | 5.5 SWC | 298 | Open in Infinity Army
O-12
GROUP 1 |1
2
GROUP 2 |
VARANGIAN Light Shotgun, Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
GANGBUSTER Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Submachine Gun, MadTrap / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 21)
KYTTÄ Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
CYBERGHOSTS Hacker(Hacking Device Plus) Combi Rifle + Pitcher / Breaker Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 26)
EPSILON MULTI Sniper, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 30)
WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, Knife. (0 | 3)
DELTA Spitfire / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 28)
LYNX (Specialist Operative) Plasma Carbine, D-Charges / Assault Pistol, Knife. (0 | 30)
LAMBDA Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16)
YUDBOT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
MONSTRUCKER Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Drop Bears / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)
ALPHA Lieutenant (Strategos L2) 2 Light Shotguns, 2 Nanopulsers / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 26)
SIRIUS Red Fury + 1 SiriusBot / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 29)
4 SWC | 300 | Open in Infinity Army
Deployment
I always forget to take pictures during a game so here is my hand drawn one. The elongated donut is made of prototype terrain that TheDiceAbide and WhiteLang designed, finished product is Apollo Station at Muse on Minis for those interested. The units that are underlined were deployed on top of the base.
IA Deployment
I wasn’t to bummed by having to deploy on the side I did, it let me deploy the 5 man link with the zhanshi in total cover and the Haidao and Shang Ji poking out for AROs on the left side with good vision. Zencha FO went prone next to the right objective so I could score it and lay some mines to not have to think about it. Hulang and Lei Gong duo when in the mid field prone with the Hulang having good cover and the Lei Gong using the MI Forward deployment L1 to be up as far as I can.
I held my Hac Tao back in reserve. I waffled on changing this at dinner before going to the game store on taking the Hac Tao KHD with multi-rifle instead of the missile launcher so I could run around and push buttons. I think this ended up working out but the KHD would have been safer and could have been put on the right side and ran all the way to the alpha with limited AROs.
O-12 Deployment
Issac deployed with most guys hidden. He left a flash pulse bot looking at the Shang Ji and another flash pulse bot and Varangian covering the right objective. His reserves were the Lynx that he put in hidden deployement and the Epsilon prone on the back edge of the roof so my Haidao MSV2 sniper wouldn’t be able to draw LOF. Gangbuster went tucked behind some terrain so he could put out the mad traps, one to cover the console and the other in range of both the Hulang and Lei Gong (bastard). Also he held back the 2 Delta’s to AD in later.
Turn 1
Top of 1 – IA (RomanLegion)
So, to start I have a few objectives in mind. 1. Take out the Epsilon as I don’t want it sniping at me next turn. 2. Control the right objectives and place mines to hold it. 3. Clear the mad trap so my duo of the Hulang and Lei Gong can move up to get a second objective and eventually the console. This list is a bit short in specialists with only the Zhanshi Yisheng Doctor, Hulang and Zhencha to push the antennas.
Inside
First 2 orders I grab the right antenna and place a mine with the Zhencha. Order 3 I stand up to shoot the Varangian which he chooses to chain rifle….and we just happen to be in range. I miss my SMG shots and Zhencha takes a wound from the chain rifle and I lose my mine from the template. I had 58% chance to take the Varangian off the table with the SMG.
Feeling a bit frustrated I decide to clear the mad trap to free up my Hulang and Lei Gong. I move the Zhencha up to a low barrier across the tunnel to get cover if I survive as the mad trap goes off, Varangian shotguns and flash pulse from the Kytta. Zhencha rolls a 13 to critically dodge the small face hugger and shots.
Next, I try to shoot at the flash pulse and Varangian by splitting burst while I go prone and Issac repeats the flash pulse/shotgun with the odds being:
| Zhencha takes a wound | 15.89% |
| Zhencha flash pulsed | 18.40% |
| Kytta lives | 12.25% |
| Varangian takes a wound | 35.14% |
If I had put both SMG into the Varangian:
| Zhencha takes a wound | 13.84% |
| Zhencha flash pulsed | 20.75% |
| Varangian takes a wound | 37.23% |
And if Varangian chain rifles and I dodge to keep the order alive: 17.5% chance for Zhencha to die.
So, all pretty low odds and I didn’t lose much by splitting my burst. Interestingly, if I dodge the shotgun I am 18.36% to take a wound (highest chance of losing the Zhencha).
Spend another order for the Zhencha re-camo and protect the objective.
Outside
I haven’t taken out any of Issacs orders and I want to clear the Epsilon. I decide to shoot with the Shang Ji at the flash pulse bot and miss
| Kytta takes 1 wound | 48.37% |
| Kytta takes 2 wound | 38.55% |
| Kytta takes 3 wound | 30.47% |
| Nothing happens | 41.37% |
| Shang Ji is stunned | 10.26% |
With this I decide to go for the Epsilon with the Hac Tao, I had stupidly deployed standing so first short skill I go prone and move up 2inches. Everything delays (Kytta and Varangian on left can see me as well as the Epsilon and warcor). I missile the Epislon, flash pulses have no effect but the Epislon goes unconscious.
| Epsilon takes 1+ wound | 45.19% |
| Epsilon takes 2+ wound | 34.51% |
| Nothing happens | 24.19% |
| Hac Tao takes 1 wound | 30.62% |
| Hac Tao takes 2 wound | 11% |
Then spend my last orders getting the Hac Tao to the roof edge for AROs to take out the Warcor and Kytta as I go. Noting there was a way to use the Lei Gong with Albedo to shoot at the Epsilon by standing on some blocks, odds come out more in my favor:
| Epsilon takes 1+ wound | 42.47% |
| Epsilon takes 2+ wound | 8.28% |
| Nothing happens | 31.02% |
| Lei Gong takes 1 wound | 26.51% |
| Lei Gong takes 2 wound | 12.13% |
Bottom of 1 – O-12 (Xammy)
To start Issac needs to do the impetuous orders for the Varangians. He Cancels the one that is looking at the Hac Tao, the one in the tunnel moves towards the objective, and the third one in the back right moves up the ladder towards the Hac Tao. This lets him throw smoke onto the downed Epsilon. He then climbs his Yudbot up in smoke and runs over to pick up the Epsilon while the Haidao takes out the Yudbot.
Epsilon proceeds to shoot at the Hac Tao then dodge and makes his armor saves to only suffer 1 wound while Epsilon got 5 shoots off. Note, we played guts wrong and had the Hac Tao failing guts to move towards a ladder to get out of LOF, this is wrong as no movement was improving cover so he should not have moved. Oh well.
O-12 spends the rest of his orders shooting at the Shang Ji with the Sirius and the Varangian discovers the Zencha but can’t take anyone off the table.
Turn 2
Top of 2 – IA (RomanLegion)
My Duo is still alive in the midfield and I want to use it to get the Gangbuster and the Epsilon out of the mid field. The Sirius is looking across to cover that approach so I decide to charge up the Shang Ji out of the link to get into light shotgun range and control the mid field. This is when the Lynx decides to appear and shot with the scary plasma carbine. Shang Ji had ended its movement within 16” but I had decided to shoot from the beginning of my movement which put the HRL us both in good range. We decide that the Lynx didn’t have cover from the start of the Shang Ji movement which resulted in the Lynx taking a crit and burning off the field. Sorry Issac.
| Lynx takes 1+ wound | 17.35% |
| Lynx takes 2+ wound | 12.14% |
| Nothing happens | 35.90% |
| Shang Ji takes 1 wound | 46.75% |
| Shang Ji takes 2 wound | 13.90% |
I then move around the corner to light shotgun the Sirius and template into the bot behind him. I take out the bot with Sirius passing his armor save but at the same time I am in repeater range of the siriusbot and am oblivioned…. Need to remember to stay outside 8” against repeater bots/hackers with heavy infantry.
I then move the Duo around to get a bead with the Lei Gong on the Gangbuster but can’t take it out so I switch it up to use the Hulang within 8. Unfortunately, this puts me within repeater range (again) of the Kytta which I fail to reset against (isolated as well). Also, the Gangbuster put the remaining mad trap in proximity mode. I think it was a mistake to reset, I should have just suffered my mistake and taken the Gangbuster out with the dual SMGs but I was focused on trying to get the Hulang to the Epsilon (there was a ladder right in front of it/behind the Gangbuster).
At this point I am unlikely to get more antennas unless I get my doctor up the field.
I proceed to clear out the Varangian that is standing over to my Zhencha by idling and drawing a dodge engages. I proceed to use this silly interaction that I can CC if someone is trying to dodge engage me (I lost a Ninja from this at the Best of the PNW last month- Thanks pseudonymster!).
I finish by peaking out the Hac Tao up the ladder and shoot the Epsilon off the table and then moving up the roof to be in a good ARO position.
Bottom of 2 – O-12 (Xammy)
While I have some good coverage on the left side from AD troops my right zone is open. Issac uses the hacker to give assist jump and lands the Delta spitfire on the roof outside 8inches and in the Hac Tao’s back arc. Both are outside the exclusion zone and the Hac Tao is knocked unconscious by the spitfire. The Delta moves up and shoots the Lei Gong in the back as well to take it off the table. For the combi-rifle Delta, Issac brings it in near my HVT out of LOF to the doctor Zhanshi. He the moves up to shoot but unfortunately for Issac the Zhanshi proves a better shot today (Delta unconscious)—That is 62.38% Zhanshi is unconscious/dead to 11.57% the Delta is unconscious.
Turn 3
Top of 3 – IA (RomanLegion)
I am down now to 6 regular orders and 1 irregular order on each of the isolated units. I move my link team up to go for controlling the console while splitting the Zhanshi Lt over towards the unconscious Delta, then use my Lt order to Coup de Grâce and claim Extreme Prejudice.
I now move the Haidao up to split burst against the Delta spitfire (good range) and the Sirius (within 16”) to take out the Delta but the Sirius gets a crit on the Haidao. I now make a critical error which nearly cost me the game at this point as I wanted to try and put the Sirius unconscious so I could claim my second classified ‘In Extremis Recovery’ with the Shang Ji against it. Instead I lose the Haidao to another crit and then move-move the Zhanshi to touch the console and lose another one.
I should have ignored the classified and prioritized the console. Used the Shang Ji to block the Sirius; LOF to the console area and possibly take it out in the process.
In this time the Hulang cleared the mad trap by moving within 8” and lightsaber’ing the Gangbuster.
Bottom of 3 – O-12 (Xammy)
Issac has one order on his monstrucker to go for the zhanshi controlling the console (at some point he spent his command tokens to move most of his guys to one group). The Zhanshi is able to pass his armor save and since there is no way to improve cover goes prone and continues to control the console.
At this point Issac tries to get the Varangian that is still in the back left out to take out Shang Ji but can’t dislodge anything.
End: 9-0 Victory for the Invincible Army.
Post Game Analysis
Overall I was pretty happy with how the IA list played out and was able to stay standing through a lot of hits (looking at you Hac Tao). I should have probably switched the Hac Tao Missile to the KHD Multi-rifle as I didn’t really need the ARO and the enclosed moon base/isolation of the right side would have allowed for a great alpha strike on the Alpha Lt.
The Lei Gong/Hulang Duo that WiseKensei challenged me to use was pretty efficient in letting me rotate the Hulang up while the Lei Gong blasted around on its 6-2 movement. I felt it wasn’t as critical for power pack as both of them already started pretty far up the field but the efficiency for limited insertion was a bonus.
Issac played a solid game and kept me on my toes throughout. I think I had some critical dice rolls (pun intended) that saved my guys at the right moment (looking at you Lynx).
Talking post game I think the side I got was better for controlling the exterior of the table which was important when two of the Antennas and the consoles were both visible.
Notes for myself:
- Focus on the more important objectives to maximize points.
- Be careful of sneaky hackers.
- Even though I can deploy all the way up it is sometimes better not to be as far so I can avoid infiltrating enemies getting a better position on me.
Notes for Issac:
- Remember the timing to go push objectives. The Delta FO might have been better landed next to the middle antenna to score points instead of going for the Zhanshi/Haidao link especially since most of my specialists were isolated or on the wrong side of the map. Otherwise a great game.