Let's get competitive and start minmaxing! Pano is supposed to be pretty good in the 20 order game, in NCA we have AVA 3 Hexa, AVA 2 Bulleteer to do the killing and the Fusi defensive link, for orders and support, also bit more 8pts orders than usual with AVA3 Fugazi. I'm not sure if Vanilla or other sectorials can also do it properly. An example: Neoterran Capitaline Army ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15) FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15) FUSILIER Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 18) FUSILIER Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23) HEXA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0 | 27) AUXILIA (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle + AUXBOT_1 / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) AUXBOT_1 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) GROUP 2 9 1 BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23) HEXA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0 | 27) MULEBOT (Minesweeper, Repeater) Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) MULEBOT (Minesweeper, Repeater) Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) CSU (Specialist Operative) Breaker Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) CSU (Specialist Operative) Breaker Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) AUXILIA (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle + AUXBOT_1 / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) AUXBOT_1 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4) BLACK FRIAR (Albedo, Biometric Visor L1) MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser, Drop Bears / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 28) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) WARCOR (Aerocam) Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, Knife. (0 | 3) 5.5 SWC | 299 Points Open in Infinity Army So how to do that in Pano, how to put it together, how to play it?
Hi there! Not a PanO player myself, but I'll point a few things if you dont mind. Black Friar seems kinda off to me. Kinda imagine he's there to hunt the MSVs that might hurt the Bulleteer, but that's gonna be quite a long footslog till you get to good range / LoF. Given how many repeaters REM you have, have you considered changing a minesweeper for a EVO Hacker? Having 5 Repeater bots w ARO Burst 2 can be pretty pesky to deal with. Maybe a Peacemaker too if you go that route, as an advanced repeater can be hacker bait for the KHD hexa + Burst 2 Auxbot + Advanced piece to attack already with some good options. Problems i see: No engineer / doc (less important here i guess) when your main attack pieces are REM. Chan rifles or mines and you're toothless. Your only tool to deal w camo is a 4-2 MI w Multi rifle (Not counting Deployment zone templates). Camo in general might prove hard to deal with. Kinda miss an HMG. I'd try to fit one in the fusilier link, as it's an "easy" way to dislodge some MSV aro pieces with a B5 BS15 HMG Hope you finde them useful / interesting.
The changes I'd make: Swap an Auxilia for a Pathfinder and move all the Fugazi into the same group so you can coordinate a sensor net. Drop the pair of CSU for a Trauma Doc and Machinist (at the very least get a Machinist). Swap a Fusilier ML for a basic combi. Swap a Mulebot for a Tech Bee and a Palbot. Swap a Hexa KHD for a MSR (use the SWC you saved from the Fusilier fireteam). Neoterran Capitaline Army ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23) FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15) FUSILIER Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 18) FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) FUSILIER Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) GROUP 2 8 2 BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23) AUXILIA (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle + AUXBOT_1 / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) AUXBOT_1 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4) HEXA MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 32) HEXA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0 | 27) TECH-BEE (Remote Assistant Level 1, Specialist Operative) Flash Pulse / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 5) MULEBOT (Minesweeper, Repeater) Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) BLACK FRIAR (Albedo, Biometric Visor L1) MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser, Drop Bears / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 28) MACHINIST Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) TRAUMA-DOC Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) PALBOT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3) WARCOR (Aerocam) Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, Knife. (0 | 3) 5.5 SWC | 299 Points Open in Infinity Army You've still got 20 orders (2 irregular), lose out a bit on warband defence with only 1 HFT, but have significantly improved anti-camo and can bring your unconscious units back.
Order spam NCA is quite competitive. If you hold your MR Black Friar as a reserve, you should be able to get at an overwatching MSV in two orders. A Black Friar with 7 or 8 orders should have no trouble getting into the backfield, even, though your Bulleteers will be better for that role. Don't blow your load with the Hexa Multi Sniper. You want that guy to bide his time waiting for an enemy to burn orders marching to a "safe" objective, then spring your trap.
So this is what I ran today against Vanilla Ariadna, Hunting party from the event (with Banzai and +1 Adhesive launcher): Order spam 18 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 AUXILIA (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle + AUXBOT_1 / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) AUXBOT_1 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4) AUXILIA (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle + AUXBOT_1 / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) AUXBOT_1 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4) BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23) BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23) FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15) FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) FUSILIER Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) MULEBOT Hacker (EVO Hacking Device) Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 25) GROUP 2 8 PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) BLACK FRIAR (Albedo, Biometric Visor L1) MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser, Drop Bears / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 28) HEXA Spitfire / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 30) HEXA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0 | 27) MACHINIST Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) PALBOT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3) 5.5 SWC | 299 Points Open in Infinity Army It was nice. Ariadna has ridiculous PH and Camo on everything, and way too good warbands, lot of cheap and really good troops, but I suppose we all know that. Things like shooting a Chasseur, from +3 range, maybe flanking, full burst Spitfire with the Bulleteer, then it just dodging on a 12 is a bit annoying. Same with Irmadinhos dodgin on 17, because that's what you get for 8 points here, and not minesweeper. Got my Friar killed early (though it had every chance to take down that Spetnatz through smoke, so I had problems dealing with all that smoke. Got really lucky (or misunderstood the rules) with the Missile launcher, taking down two heavy hitters in one shot. Overall I was satisfied with the list, it would be nice to squeeze in a HMG for the fusiliers for some active turn link team killing (shooting stuff with CH with B2 that dodges this good is not too effective, even from a link team) or a Garuda for coming from the sides and stacking BS mods.
Basically @Cartographer nailed what I would do. That's a damn fine build. 'though I have to admit that Auxilia x 2 and CSU x 2 + Fusilier Fireteam is basically my first picks for any NCA build which isn't trying to do LI.
I think the Fusilier HMG is a valuable purchase for these kinds of setups. You can have all the flamethrowers and Spitfires in the world, but they're not going to do a lot of good if you can't get out of the DZ easily. Sometimes it's nice to just apply a BS15 HMG to a situation.
*flips through PanO manual* Yep... checks out! Stick to the plan, guys... shooting solves the problem!
