Hey all! How are people finding Hakims? I love the models and they are the thing that drew me to RTF, but I'm struggling to make them pull their weight! In my games the SMG guy tends to sit off table and swoop in last minute to push buttons, sometimes he's not even needed or I don't have enough orders to get the job done. The problem for me is that the Ghulam doctor with Nasmats is so excellent bang for your buck, and AD Hakims tend to "eat orders" by waiting off board. Is there something I'm missing? Does some one bring two in RTF? Have you had success with the boarding shotgun variant? Is it ever worth starting your Hakim on The board? Thanks in advance!
I haven't used the Hakim yet, but an AD L2 Doctor is very similar to the Tomcat I use in my Corregidor. Even the cost is similar. So, from this angle / experience: that's exactly what my Tomacts do. Wait in mid-air till they're needed. Waiting for an opportunity to pounce - usualy be getting behind some otherwise difficult to unlock enemy model and opening a flank for others. Or waiting till osmeone needs an urgent rescue on a given flank. Or objectives there that need to be activated. What you're paying for is the flexibility. If you can win the game without landing that support, more power to you. If you need it, well, he's there for you. Hakim don't look to be great gunfighters with BS 11 and either SMG or BSG. If you see an opportunity to, say, jump a fireteam with a BSG template, it is fine - but otherwise, that's 27pts for a so-so combatant. You could have had a Nahab for 30pts who is way better when it ocmes to killing stuff, and still a Specialist.
I tend to use them in the same way myself, the Hakim is an opportunistic combatant waiting for a gap in enemy lines, or for an objective to become available. You can use them to assault vulnerable backlines because BS 11 and short range guns will make short work of line troopers and support specialists, but really I like them as objective grabbers and for getting more capable downed troops back up.
I use Hakims in conjunction with side of the table flanking attacks, and more often I will use it in a list with a Khawariji Spitfire. He competes though with the Tuareg Doctor Plus. Honestly, I just use him if I want to use him. I do not consider him the best option in the class, but he is able to determine which side of the table he wants to come in on, while the Tuareg has to be deployed in a certain area.
Flexibility and reliability. In some ways, AD is useful to think of as a strong defensive mod that guarantees the unit is around when it's needed. I agree this does put the Hakim in direct competition with the Nahab, so we also have to find ways to leverage the Nasmat / Doc+. So, in theory anyway, you pair them with Tarik and pick him up after a Rambo.
Hilariously enough, I use them offensively, sometimes paired with Nahab. Stunlocking someone with Nasmat and/or unleashing a full burst into an enemy is very fun. Also a nice choice for cleaning up defensive mines and Shock-armed troops before Nahab moves in to wreck havoc.