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Reasons to Use a Taskmaster?

Discussion in 'Nomads' started by yoink101, May 28, 2019.

  1. yoink101

    yoink101 Chandra SpecOps Complaint Department

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    Are there any? In Bakunin or Vanilla, there seem to be better options. I want to love it because the model is awesome.
     
  2. DaRedOne

    DaRedOne Morat Warrior Philosopher
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    Depends on the Mission? Vanilla has some steep competition with for the taskmaster, but Bakunin has no other option that gives you as much area control and mid-range agressiveness as a Taskmaster.

    Sure, a 3-Woman riot grrl link will fuck shit up, but they have no DTW, no KrazyKoalas, and don't have stealth to sneak past repeaters and jammers. A Moira team might be better at long range shooting and ARO, but they aren't as sturdy as the Tasky.

    It really depends on what you want the taskmaster to do, but They do have lots of uses.
     
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  3. helsbecter

    helsbecter Ultrademocratic subSenator, #dominion Module

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    I wish the HMG profile had some of the stuff from the other profiles.

    For me in Bakunin, I wouldn't consider one for anything but Looting and Sabotaging. I think the Lizard does a better job, though... I normally move the Lizard in front of the AC2 and move Bran in from behind.
     
  4. Tristan228

    Tristan228 Bakunin's best Morlock trainer
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    @yoink101 the more often you play the Taskmaster in Bakunin lists the better you'll be in using him.
    When I play the Taskmaster it's actually because I want to play him and his model not because there's any theory crafting behind (if I would do that I'd use the Spitfire Prowler all the time). Usually I find enough victims for the TM to justify his deployment and since he's basically the mix of a Tsyklon and a Lunokhod he's even better than both combined.
     
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  5. yoink101

    yoink101 Chandra SpecOps Complaint Department

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    I think this is really it for me. The red fury guy has all kinds of cool stuff. I wish the hmg could bring it all as well.
     
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  6. Hachiman Taro

    Hachiman Taro Inverted gadfly

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    Because maybe they'll let him go in a mixed link one day, and you wanna get some practice?

    Seriously, he can be Ok for missions where you don't want your datatracker or Lt dead (like Frostbyte), especially if you want to actively use or move them too. Can get some use from the Lt order late game. Could sure be a lot better though, esp compared to what is around these days.
     
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  7. inane.imp

    inane.imp Well-Known Member

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    I love him for Aquisition for the reason @Hach makes. Defensive bulwark T1/T2 can reliably take an hold the centre T3.

    I'm also a fan of him in Decap: there's very little in the game that can reliably kill them when deployed defensively.

    I'm also weird in that I have thoroughly enjoyed playing a HMG+BSG Duo in every game I've ever taken it in. I'm fully aware it's not top tier, but Hulk Smash! is fun.
     
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  8. inane.imp

    inane.imp Well-Known Member

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    Yup, the Pulsar should be universal. :'(
     
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  9. Maksimas

    Maksimas Heavy Infantry Addict Maxim

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    Or at least the Koalas. :c
     
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  10. Arkhos94

    Arkhos94 Well-Known Member

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    I was thinking of using the Taskmaster red fury as a secondary attack piece in my vanilla list. He has a lot of things for him : board control, 2 wound (so more resistant to an unlucky roll than a prowler or an intruder), free agent for turn 3 when you need to put all order group 1... plus he make a reasonably good datatracker for many mission.

    (plus interplanetario includes spec obs so COC is possible for a lieutenant taskmaster)

    Who plays him in vanilla ? Can we have some feedback ?
     
  11. Andre82

    Andre82 Well-Known Member

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    Who?

    I kid I kid.
    However honestly at any point that I would be considering him for a mission I would probably be considering a different faction.
    He is honestly not an awful unit, It's just hard to justify such a mostly defensive unit like him.
     
  12. inane.imp

    inane.imp Well-Known Member

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    In all seriousness, why?

    There's plenty of missions that reward a defensive late game bully piece like the TM. Specifically:

    Aquisition (push for the cente objective as the DT)
    Armoury (53pts to take and hold the objective room on T3)
    Engineering Deck (Lt order for Multiscanner placement and then extra order for a push to hold the objective room)
    Decap (highly survivable LT who can use the Lt order to clear out your backline)
    Looting and Sabotaging (backup option that can augment your defence early on and get an extra order for a late game push)
    Bio-techvore (in a game that rewards extra orders and loves area control pieces an LT who gives you both, and can afford to be left in your zone if you need to is great)

    Nomads and Bakunin give you lots of good options in those missions.

    Free Agent comes into these missions as well: you don't want to use the TM early, so you can get away with leaving it in the second pool.

    This list is the type I'm talking of:
    Maitland - Aquisition
    ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

    GROUP 1[​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]10
    HECKLER Boarding Shotgun, E/Marat / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 19)
    MARY PROBLEMS Hacker (Forward Deployment L1) Submachine Gun + Zapper, Pitcher / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 30)
    INTERVENTOR Hacker (Hacking Device Plus) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 25)
    INTRUDER HMG, Grenades / Pistol, CCW. (1.5 | 42)
    WILDCAT Engineer Combi Rifle + Light Flamethrower, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 23)
    ZONDBOT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
    REAKTION ZOND HMG / Electric Pulse. (1 | 26)
    TRANSDUCTOR ZOND Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
    MORAN (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, CrazyKoalas (2) / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 22)
    ZERO (Minelayer) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 19)
    PUPPET MASTERS (Minelayer) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines / PistolKnife. (0.5 | 14)

    GROUP 2[​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]1 [​IMG]3 [​IMG]2
    TASKMASTER Lieutenant Red Fury, Pulzar, CrazyKoalas + TinBot A (Deflector L1) / Heavy Pistol, DA CCW. (1 | 53)
    MORLOCK Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW. (0 | 6)
    MORLOCK Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW. (0 | 6)
    WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, Knife. (0 | 3)

    6 SWC | 299 Points

    Open in Infinity Army

    When I played it I had the TM in the first group, but I didn't spend an order on it until T3 when I walked it up to beat an EM'd Avatar to death. His Koalas killed a Speculo and the combination of PH14 and BTS6 stopped him getting killed/Sepsitored by the Avatar.

    No other faction can build the sort of list that plays that way, it's Nomad through and through.
     
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  13. Maksimas

    Maksimas Heavy Infantry Addict Maxim

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    Personally, I think the Taskmaster is a perfectly serviceable HI ( And this time I have more reasoning beyond ''He's an HI. Thusly I automatically like this.'' ), so long as we passive aggressively ignore the existence of the HMG profile ( Though i must note it is one of your only 4 HMGs in Bakunin, and the only one with ARM that can give you over 50% odds of saving VS DAM13 weapons and 2 Wounds, so there it has a merit. Just a single merit. ).

    It's a toolbox HI. For all intents and purposes, it is a solid toolbox HI unit:
    Got Stealth, I've yet to see anyone say Stealth isn't nice.
    Got Free Agent which can be used for niche Combat Group switch-strats like @inane.imp pointed out.
    It's CC skills are actually just past the line from ''More bloat than is mentioned in books about Nurgle'' to ''In 100 games, I will actually stab someone voluntarily.'' MA1, CC19 and PH14 DA CCW does give decently solid odds vs non-CC (TO)Camo/ODD units, especially if you can walk into their backside ( Thanks Stealth. ) compared to shooting them at 8'' with what other guns they have ( Which I will return to shortly. ).

    Disclaimer: I picked the Custodier because the Custodier, whilst not someone you'd want anywhere near the combat zone until later turns, is a serviceable anagram for ''TO/ODD lady'' so that I won't need to use multiple tabs to check stats. I also thought about also comparing the odds with the Zero, but seeing as Zeros have both worse aim, worse ARM and worse MODs, I just chalked it up as ''They'll do worse than a Custodier.''

    P.S.: All gunfights assume mutual cover.

    Mutual Cover, Red Fury VS Blast BSG, 8'':
    Active Player
    22.62%
    22.62% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 2 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Dead)
    Failures
    49.57% Neither player succeeds
    Reactive Player
    27.80% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)

    Same scenario, except TM is with a Heavy Pistol:
    Active Player
    12.58%
    12.58% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 2 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Dead)
    Failures
    55.68% Neither player succeeds
    Reactive Player
    31.74% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)

    Same scenario again, except with an LSG:
    Active Player
    13.38% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 1 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Unconscious)
    0.62% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 2 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Dead)
    Failures
    54.88% Neither player succeeds
    Reactive Player
    31.74% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)

    Pulzar VS BSG:
    Active Player
    50.00% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 1 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Unconscious)
    Failures
    50.00% No success
    Reactive Player
    36.50% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)
    Failures
    63.50% No success

    Taskmaster Red Fury VS Suppressive Custodier 8'':
    Active Player
    19.57%
    19.57% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 2 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Dead)
    Failures
    51.41% Neither player succeeds
    Reactive Player
    29.03% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)
    4.20% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 2 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Unconscious)
    0.22% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 3 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Dead)

    Taskmaster Heavy Pistol VS Suppressive Custodier 8'':
    Active Player
    10.79%
    10.79% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 2 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Dead)
    Failures
    55.89% Neither player succeeds
    Reactive Player
    33.32% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)
    5.01% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 2 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Unconscious)
    0.27% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 3 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Dead)

    Taskmaster LSG VS Suppressive Custodier 8'':
    Active Player
    16.97% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 1 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Unconscious)
    1.27% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 2 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Dead)
    Failures
    53.31% Neither player succeeds
    Reactive Player
    29.71% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)
    4.07% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 2 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Unconscious)
    0.20% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 3 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Dead)

    Taskmaster Pulzar VS Suppressive Custodier 8'':
    Active Player
    50.00% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 1 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Unconscious)
    Failures
    50.00% No success
    Reactive Player
    38.59% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)
    6.08% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 2 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Unconscious)
    0.34% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 3 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Dead)
    Failures
    61.41% No success
    Taskmaster angrily approaches Custodier with AP BSG and bitch slaps them:
    Active Player
    54.52% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 1 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Unconscious)
    24.18% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 2 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Dead)
    Failures
    26.29% Neither player succeeds
    Reactive Player
    19.19% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)

    Taskmaster angrily approaches Custodier on Suppressive and bitch slaps them:
    Active Player
    43.26% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 1 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Unconscious)
    19.27% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 2 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Dead)
    Failures
    29.09% Neither player succeeds
    Reactive Player
    27.65% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)
    4.31% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 2 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Unconscious)
    0.29% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 3 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (Dead)

    Taskmaster back stabs Custodier who is defending themselves with a Pistol:
    Active Player
    65.02% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 1 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Unconscious)
    28.68% Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team inflicts 2 or more wounds on Reverend Custodiers (Dead)
    Failures
    26.11% Neither player succeeds
    Reactive Player
    8.88% Reverend Custodiers inflicts 1 or more wounds on Taskmasters, Bakunin SWAST Team (1 W)

    So judging by these numbers, it's generally slightly better for the Taskmaster to walk the full distance to the enemy ODD/TO dude and bitch slap them if they can reach them and they won't receive an E/M or Fire DTW.

    P.S.: I didn't do gunfighting maths for the TM BSG, because I just wanted to save time with using just the LSG on the HRL profile, since if an LSG does the job, a BSG will do better by virtue of being a directly better gun.

    PH14 CC19 MA1 DA CCW is also pretty nice for when you need to break terrain pieces too ( Such as that one mission which has the objective be breaking stuff, whose name I keep forgetting. ).
    CrazyKoalas are some nice passive area defense weapons. Put them on standby after you shuffle them up alongside the Taskmaster or use them as ARO bait. Good stuff.
    Every profile gets a Heavy Pistol. Heavy Pistol means not being helpless at the 8'' range for FTF rolls. Not superb, but better than being stuck with a regular Pistol or just a DTW when you're not in a trading mood.
    Pulzars are like a Chain Rifle that's better against people with poor BTS ( Read: Ariadna. ). Plus gives the option to try ''Discovering'' after the first failed Discover attempt.
    BSG profile is a meaty close range fighter, and Stealth helps avoid some up-close hacks and ZoC business for better positioning on the BSG.
    Red Fury is an SWC cheap Burst 4 gun and gets the TinBot for even more hacking defense.
    HRL gives better range than the Red Fury on a CrazyKoala profile, gets the LSG for up close business too ( So kind of a mix between the BSG profiles up close firepower and the Red Furys mid range firepower? ) and can be said to be the dedicated area defense/denial profile with what it has. Neat, if expensive, wall.

    I'd say they'd be the more area control oriented HI to me, compared to Riots being the Specialist/Cheap HI, Brigadas being the Basic HI, Kriza being the dedicated ''Kill stuff'' HI ( Albeit 360 Visor for Area Denial is also an approach. ) or the Hollow Men for Specialist/Mobile HI. These are just my two... whatever currency they use in Bakunin.
     
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  14. DaRedOne

    DaRedOne Morat Warrior Philosopher
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    The problem of the Taskmaster is the Kriza exists.

    People see two humongous, stompy S5 HIs on the army and they expect them to just be good at wrecking face. And thruth be told, you can count on the fingers of one hand the models that can compete with the Kriza in the "Wrecking Face" department. But honestly it baffles me why some people think the Tasky is a bad choice.

    I've had a single Tasky steamroll through Haqqislam because stealth meant he could go around shanking jammers in the back and the red fury just pulped most models, meaning they couldn't be doctored back to life. I've had Taskys hold the ground over and over again and force enemies to spend 8-10 orders to remove them from an entrenched position. These are good things. Sure, they're defensive models, but they are good at defending.
     
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  15. Maksimas

    Maksimas Heavy Infantry Addict Maxim

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    Somehow I expected there to be more.
    Like enough to require at least an extra thumb.

    Isn't being overtly defensive the more popular approach nowadays, actually...?
     
  16. Tom McTrouble

    Tom McTrouble Well-Known Member

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    In Decapitation the Taskmaster makes a great LT choice. Resilient, has built-in assassination protection, and can shoot well in the active turn.
     
  17. Arkhos94

    Arkhos94 Well-Known Member

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    We have access to plenty of mine, multiple crazy koala, cheap template, 2 TR drone with plenty of hacker to boost them, sin eater and TO sniper.

    Nomad is one of the Vanilla faction who have access to the most defensive tools.
     
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  18. xagroth

    xagroth Mournful Echo

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    I would vote to swap the Free Agent for Veteran N1, however. Those dudes see real sh*t, too, being what Bakunin sends to the Black Labs when they go all Umbrella Corp.

    Achilles
    Hac Tao
    Swiss Guard
    Kriza
    "Tarik" & "Sheskin", possibly Shakti (while under marker state)
    Charontid (MSV3 + daturazis) and/or Anathematic
    "Mc Murder"

    All with negative modifiers to the enemy shooting back, FAT2 & unhackable, or able to get a -6 to enemy shooting for free (daturazi being extremely impetuous, it's free smoke at least on turn 1). Or can dodge (at 19!) and take a lot of punishment (Mc Murder)
     
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  19. Maksimas

    Maksimas Heavy Infantry Addict Maxim

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    Nomad Fasid time?

    Also, damn I keep forgetting about the Black Labs and whatnot... never learned what they're all about though.

    Did we miss a Su-Jian there?
     
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  20. xagroth

    xagroth Mournful Echo

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    That one is in a category of its own, I'd say.
    The Fasid should be there, however, because of how much of a toolbox he is, yeah.

    Umbrella was the Lite version.

    Imagine laboratories devoted to any research, no moral bounds, only the money matters (and that is Tunguska...). The more known products from the Black Labs are the "upgrades" to the Reptile series of TAGs the nomads use (geckos, iguana, lizard, szalamander...) and a lot of other stuff (the Kriza Boraks, for example), the Chimera & Pupniks being another product (the frigging Chimera is a police officer so upgraded it no longer has Wounds, it was the first non-hackable STR unit!), or people experimented upon like Uahu and Mary Problems.

    Ramah's entry on Daedalus' Fall describes it quite good: while Haqquislam's biotech improves the lives of all involved and of humanity's as a whole, the Black Labs just grab a problem, throw a fast solution, and go back to their stuff, with that solution usually involving nasty side effects. Think Deadpool's movie, for example: we cure you of dying from cancer, but you are now a walking cancer, can't die, and we want to experiment on you some more, thanks. Haqquislam's biotech makes you into Captain America.

    Oh, and of course the Black Labs touch all disciplines, not only biotech, but all with the same philosophy.

    A typical Praxis Black Lab would have Desty Nova (from the Gunnm / Battle Angel Alita MANGA) as a typical member...
     
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