I love the idea of Forward Observing / Spotlighting an opposing model into the Targeted state and then pushing the button to rain down fire from the sky. Sadly the tactic seems woefully inefficient and nothing but a way to throw away orders and SWC. So how would you make a list on this tactic?
It is a popular list concept for Transmission Matrix as you have great repeater coverage already on the board and adding the EVO to get the ability to Coordinate Hack is a double benefit. I would try and draw out or sensor their hidden hackers (added benefit of taking out their ability to U-Turn) first, then Spotlighting or Sat-Locking (this could use a bit of group rearranging). Spoiler That Day ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 1 NAGA Combi Rifle, Monofilament Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 30) NAGA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 30) DANAVAS Hacker (Hacking Device Plus. UPGRADE: Maestro) Combi Rifle + Pitcher / Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 25) KRAKOT RENEGADE Red Fury, Chest Mine / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (1 | 24) DAKINI Tacbot HMG / Electric Pulse. (1 | 21) DAKINI Tacbot HMG / Electric Pulse. (1 | 21) PROBOT Hacker (EVO Hacking Device) Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 25) NETROD . (0 | 4) NETROD . (0 | 4) PROXY Mk.2 Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 21) PROXY Mk.1 Engineer Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) PROXY Mk.5 (Forward Observer) 2 Submachine Guns, Nanopulser, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) GROUP 2 5 DALETH Rebot Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 17) DEVA Lieutenant (Sensor) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 24) LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) SAMEKH Rebot Smart Missile Launcher / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 18) LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) 6 SWC | 300 Points Open in Infinity Army
Also, we have the best FO in the game in our MK5 Posthuman Proxy. Only WP15 FO unit in the game to my knowledge. I've tried for a Samekh list a couple times but it hasn't worked out for me. Hope it'll work out for you.
Guided tends to be an opportunity thing rather than tactic #1, which is good as I remember the days of N2 GML spam. Sensor bots, Sniffer bots, EVO, camo AHDs, and Mk5 FOs are your workpieces. Aim for catching bunched up enemies, camo markers (using Sat-lock), and spotlighting/sat-locking troopers in suppression. The SML also makes a good backup ARO piece when buffed to be burst 2 in ARO.
The only Guided Missile list I used was about The Grid with me using generic Nomads. While going second is a huge disadvantage in here, I had 15 or so models (2 of them were Morlocks, one died in a double KO against a Tiger Soldier, so fair trade for me XD) while my opponent had 8 + guilang sniper + AHD tiger. That gave me a huge advantage I was able to capitalize since I had good reactive firepower (1 Evo, 1 baggage, 2 flash pulse, 1 tsyklon feuerbach, 1 total reaction, 1 guided missile launcher, a Moran in the center, 2 Zeros, 1 repeater tomcat, 2 H+ Interventors...). Campaign rules included a modification to the Grid, allowing hackers to use Spotlight to mark antennas, beside the "all specialists can designate consoles by touch". So, based on that experience, I'd say that we would need to start with Thorakitai FO since the Dakinis have no FO profile. I'd also get at least one Danavas, two would be better, and as much cheap orders as possible (flash pulse remotes, Netrods, baggage bots). The order distribution would mean having the samekh with the Netrods and baggage bots (at least), meaning a group of 46 points in a group with no weapons aside from the guided missile. The main problem is, simply, that SWC is a premium in Aleph, and you blown up 1.5, plus 0.5 per Danavas. Being able to place a Specops would help inmensely. As for the Posthumans, I'd pick the mk5 FO as mentioned by others, mk2 AHD (0.5 SWC) and the Medic mk1 (use the Thorakitai for a cheaep engineer, or the Specops). Picking 2 Posthuman hackers would be redundant, and not good for ARO duties (since only 1 body can freely ARO, I prefer to have a hidden deployment/marker hacker rather than a mimetic one). Finally, deploy protective troops for the Samekh, lest the enemy break it and kill your plan. The Thorakitai FO are good for this, and place the engineer so he can reach the Samekh in a single Move + Repair (or use a Yudbot). With this base, we have a plan A (Guided Missiles), a plan B (the ARO mk4 HRL can rambo), a plan C (the Mk2 AHD), and some spam of specialists (they can ARO with Flash Pulse, or attack with FO, and FO has B2 in Active!). If you can fit either of a Dakini or two, a Total Reaction, or a "cheap" Deva Spirfire (for the MSV2) and one or two Chain Rifle Myrmidons, the better, but SWC and points is a constraint we struggle to surpass, something logical in an elite army.
I would rather take some Daleth than thorakites FO (or why not both). They are quite faster, are repeaters (with 2 lamedhs and 2 daleths, you are taking an EVO, don't you ?) and can triangulated fire FO targets in the back. That plus satlock if needed.
i always take samekh and in spotlight/fo things aleph is best after nomads let me tell you why. posthuman mk2 hacker with 15 wip is the most unexpected hacker of the game. other posthumans and totally one unit as a whole thing hides the hacker very well. you have pitchers and still you can get a help from these equipments. posthuman mk5 fo is awesome too. wip15 is cool. but. for winning face to face rolls, dasyu fo is much more superior. even naga. anyways lots of options there. dont forget about daleth too.
The problem with spotlight, and long range hacking in general, is that we are rather poor in "long range repeaters" compared to nomads. No AD repeaters, few pitchers (and you don't want to bring their wielders too close since they are valuable hackers)
The Daleths are 16-17 points apiece, can't dodge well, and most importantly don't fulfill several roles at once like a Thorakite FO does (chain rifle/SMG coverage of sides for the Samekh). Sure, they are assault pieces, so to speak, but I doubt we'll have enough points to fit them. Soooo... you mean that Nomads having Morans, Zeros with a planting repeater and Tomcats with a planting repeater while Aleph doesn't makes us "poor in long range"? I'd say is more of a problem of they having more cheap options that can fulfill roles than us, frankly (the naga is awesome, but 8 points more expensive than a Zero is one whole order for anyone, potentially 2 for us and CA). Sure, Nomads have Pitchers on the Moderators (0.5SWC apiece with bad BS... meh) and the Tsyklons (31-34 points and 1SWC each) but their Interventors have none, forcing them to fork points. Sure, Nomads have it easier with the Morans and the Gen2 remotes (Tsyklon, Lunokhod) for ARO hacking if they go second, but they have to spend orders anyway to place repeaters in our face, be it by a Tomcat (his order, plus another one) or a Zero (his order, and he is in the middle of the table... but now is a target, and he generates hacking ARO thanks to those repeaters he carries, so you can place White Noise or Blackout him).
Can you easily plant a repeater in the opponent's side table with only one order ? No. The nomad can, using AD, or infiltrators. Deployable repeaters and repeater troops are safe to use, contrary to pitchers who need a not so easy roll (bs11-12, B1, may require to expose your predictable and valuable hacker to some ARO since in Aleph, only hackers have pitchers). Isn't it a big difference ? I really like Aleph, and i like the hacker game, but nomads have better tools for it, period.
Please do note that there are 3 kind of repeaters. The "always on, mounted on the unit" the Lamedh and the Moran and the tsyklons and the lunokhod have, the "shoot it and let it be there" Pitchers the Danavas and Tsyklons have (and the "move 20cm and plant the fastpanda" some Interventors carry), and the "you are carrying this, but it won't work as a repeater unless you plant it like a mine or Sniffer" Zeros, Tomcats, etc... carry. So, Nomads have ONE source of "free repeater outside of my deployment zone", the Moran. All the others demand at least 1 full order (AD remote, the Meteor I think was the name, or the Zeroes that move and plant like a mine, going Model in the process), or 2+ (the tomcat: his order to enter, another one to move and plant). What nomads have better is table control, because they have more orders and more options for planting repeaters, CA is going there slowly thanks to Bit and now Kerr-Nau, and is slightly above us there (specially Kerr-Nau... Wp14 but upgrade: White Noise, KHD 0 SWC!!! for 27 points). This gets more noticeable because they WANT to carry those remotes with repeaters so when your hackers or HI get inside their Deployment zone, ALL the Nomad Hackers can get ARO against your troop (depending on specialty, of course), while they can fire pitchers or plant more repeaters getting their zone to grow.
The problem with Spotlight has nothing to do with repeaters, the problem is, that it is a B1 WIP-3 program, that can be countered with a simple Reset, so even our best hackers start with a 40% chance of failure, before even considering the target. Nomads 'shtick' is that, they can cover the board in repeaters, which is great, if you want to neutralize a TAG or HI fire team, hitting them with multiple AROs every time they move, or if they want to neuter random MSV2+ with White Noise. However there is little offensive value in this, aside from keeping their hackers safe – except when you compromise their entire network with a KHD.
Steel Phalanx - Forward Observations (300/300 | 6/6) Group #1 | 8 Models | 8 0 0 Alkê Lieutenant | Lieutenant, Spitfire, Nanopulser, Pistol / CCW (25) Thorakites Observer | Forward Observer, 360° Visor, Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Pistol / Knife (13) Thorakites Observer | Forward Observer, 360° Visor, Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Pistol / Knife (13) Thorakites Observer | Forward Observer, 360° Visor, Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Pistol / Knife (13) Probot EVO | EVO Hacking Device, Electric Pulse (25) Daleth Rebot Combi | Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse (17) Myrmidon Officer BSG Chain of Command | Chain of Command, Nanopulser, Boarding Shotgun, Eclipse Grenades, Pistol / AP CCW (35) Netrod AI Beacon | (4) Group #2 | 9 Models | 9 0 0 Samekh Rebot Smart Missile Launcher | Smart Missile Launcher / Electric Pulse (18) Daleth Rebot Combi | Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse (17) Chandra Sergeant Thrasymedes Enomotarchos | Fireteam: Enomotarchos, Submachine Gun, Nanopulser, Flash Grenades, Light Rocket Launcher, Pistol / Shock CCW (30) Thorakites Observer | Forward Observer, 360° Visor, Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Pistol / Knife (13) Thorakites Observer | Forward Observer, 360° Visor, Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Pistol / Knife (13) Thorakites Observer | Forward Observer, 360° Visor, Submachine Gun, Chain Rifle, Pistol / Knife (13) Lamedh Rebot Repeater | Flash Pulse / Electric Pulse (8) Lamedh Rebot Repeater | Flash Pulse / Electric Pulse (8) Myrmidon Officer BSG Chain of Command | Chain of Command, Nanopulser, Boarding Shotgun, Eclipse Grenades, Pistol / AP CCW (35) Open in MayaNet So my idea here is; two groups of forward observers advance up the field, with plenty of Eclipse Smoke to get them in good range. Once there, they can hand out Targeted conditions and rain down the missiles. With 17 orders and 10 specialists, there should be decent amounts of cannonfodder to withstand the opposition. And the amount of B2 Flash Pulse AROs will make grown men cry ;)
I just bought the box last week, and finished unpainting almost all my Thora models (I want to paint them more or less the same way, and the old ones were a rushed paintjob I hadn't even varnished, so...), only Thrasimedes was safe... Nine damn models. 3 from the greek starter, 4 from the thora box, Alke and the Specops. You don't realize it until they are looking at you, waiting for the color... XD Also, only one of the new thoras can be totally assembled before painting, all the others cross their arms over their body... and all of them have a "crossing arm" as part of the upper torso (so 3 piece painting for most :( )
I haven't tried it yet, but I would start a Sakmeh list with Daleth for fast Forward Observer/ Sat-locker, combined with EVO. And, if we add an EVO to the list, I would also take the chance to deploy an Ekdromoi (for either Chain-rifleing everything to death or just Spotlight a well protected target) behind enemy lines. Also a Danavas and Mk2 Hacker, for Order efficiency (one throw Repeaters, the other start in the middle of the table).
Samekh ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 NETROD . (0 | 4) NETROD . (0 | 4) NETROD . (0 | 4) DANAVAS Hacker (Hacking Device Plus. UPGRADE: Maestro) Combi Rifle + Pitcher / Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 25) DEVA Lieutenant (Sensor) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 24) DIOMEDES Mk12, Nanopulser / Assault Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 43) PROXY Mk.5 (Forward Observer) 2 Submachine Guns, Nanopulser, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) PROXY Mk.4 HMG, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 25) DALETH Rebot Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 17) DALETH Rebot Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 17) NAGA Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 32) PROXY Mk.2 Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 21) GROUP 2 5 1 KRAKOT RENEGADE Submachine Gun, Chest Mine / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 15) LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) PROBOT Hacker (EVO Hacking Device) Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 25) SAMEKH Rebot Smart Missile Launcher / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 18) 5.5 SWC | 300 Points Open in Infinity Army
Thorbot ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 THRASYMEDES (Fireteam: Enomotarchos) Submachine gun, Light Rocket Launcher, Nanopulser, Flash Grenades / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0.5 | 30) THORAKITES Engineer Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 18) THORAKITES (Forward Observer, 360º Visor) Submachine gun, Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13) THORAKITES (Forward Observer, 360º Visor) Submachine gun, Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13) ALKÊ Lieutenant Spitfire, Nanopulser / Pistol, CCW. (1.5 | 25) THORAKITES Engineer Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 18) THORAKITES (Forward Observer, 360º Visor) Submachine gun, Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13) THORAKITES (360º Visor) Submachine gun, Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12) DALETH Rebot Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 17) DALETH Rebot Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 17) GROUP 27 SAMEKH Rebot Smart Missile Launcher / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 18) PROBOT Hacker (EVO Hacking Device) Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 25) ACMON Combi Rifle, Panzerfaust, Nimbus Grenades, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (0 | 27) DACTYL Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle, Adhesive-Launcher, Nimbus Grenades / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (0 | 23) LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) CHANDRA Spec-Ops (15 XP) (BS:13, WIP:15, Engineer, CH: Mimetism, Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) 4 SWC | 299 Points Open in Infinity Army 2 thor links with Delths advance scan for hidden units and hackers target. Probot can over clock all bots.. for 2 burst in Aro Lamedhs can flash pulse aro Acmon and Dak Dr.. can nimbus smoke .. this saturation zone does not affect technical weapons Flash pulse still get -3 though.. used a spec op here.. as allowed in our current league.. Hacker engineer to stay back fix things allows acmon to advance also hacker required for Bot hack Targeting ZOC though walls.. was tempted to lose the Lamedths n spec ops for Syclla
My list also has a myrmidon link with Eudoros and Agema Sniper for a good ol' Steel Phalanx punch. More importantly, Eudoros throws out 2 Eclipse smoke at BS 13 and Lamedh can then plant sniffer, so Daleth and Samekh sit back and rain fire. The Thorakitai links only need 3 since everyone has 360 visors. Sat Lock ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 1 EUDOROS Mk12, Nanopulser, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 40) MYRMIDON Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW. (0.5 | 31) MYRMIDON Chain Rifle, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW. (0 | 16) MYRMIDON Chain Rifle, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW. (0 | 16) AGÊMA Marksman MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 30) SAMEKH Rebot Smart Missile Launcher / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 18) DALETH Rebot Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 17) LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) NETROD Electric Pulse. (0 | 4) GROUP 2 7 ALKÊ Lieutenant Spitfire, Nanopulser / Pistol, CCW. (1.5 | 25) THORAKITES (Forward Observer, 360º Visor) Submachine gun, Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13) THORAKITES (Forward Observer, 360º Visor) Submachine gun, Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13) THRASYMEDES (Fireteam: Enomotarchos) Submachine gun, Light Rocket Launcher, Nanopulser, Flash Grenades / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0.5 | 30) THORAKITES (Forward Observer, 360º Visor) Submachine gun, Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13) THORAKITES (Forward Observer, 360º Visor) Submachine gun, Chain Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13) NETROD Electric Pulse. (0 | 4) 5.5 SWC | 299 Points Open in Infinity Army