Well it's happened, CB have completely reworked Starmada to give them a new lease of life! Here's the rundown, as it looks now. Please feel free to correct/add to the list... 1) Roadbot successfully makes it to army, with no "Bixie" nerfs on route :D, ava2, no remracer support so über-roadbot aint happening for now. It also gets duo with Oko, for a big order efficiency push. 2) The Sarko has dropped. Man, what a skirmisher profile. AVA2 means you'll take two in most non-exclusion-zone lists. The two stand outs for me are: A) the KH with boarding shotgun, Dcharges, mines, BTS3, along with the standard skirmisher loadout of skills, for 25 pts; and B) the FO with wild parrot for 20pts. Super cheap specialist with the deployable that all tags fear. 3) The new lil' bot, the Sekudroid is an interesting denial piece! Very cheap and tanky, it lives to annoy. It's basically an odalisque too: -9para cc means even Nourkias doesn't get a free ride in cc. 4) Maybe the biggest change: Beta core is now legit. Sekudroid and Epsilon(!!) both gain (Beta), giving you access to a 160pt core which is pure, aros like a boss, has great defense and ALL have climbing plus. Very hard hitting, very mobile, pretty tanky too; I think this will be the go-to core for Starmada now. 5) Sekudroid is also pure in our security link too, where it's very welcome, providing some tanky aro to the team, doubling down on the defensiveness of it. Blucoats, Sekudroids and Raveneyes is a formidable and cheap pure core, if that's the way you want to go. 6) The Bronze is back in the game too! New HMG loadout makes him a great pointman for Nyoka core, to just brute-force through non-tag targets. Additionally, CB have seen fit to make the Bronze Duo a Haris, adding the Sekudroid as a member. This has the additional effect of making the Knight of Santiago a more interesting pick too. 7) Casanova gets an infiltration +3 profile, at the cost of 1pt and minelayer. Meh. I'm really happy that this cool yet rarely-played sectorial has gotten a revamp, it makes my collection of O12 models twice as playable now. How do you see Starmada playing now? What will be first in line for some table time?
I’d missed the link changes. I’m just getting into Vanilla O-12 but this sort of thing does tempt me to try out Starmada, especially as I currently accidentally have a Roadbot…
I was a strictly O-12 player myself. This changes things substantially, Starmada suddenly look really fun whereas before they were so overly-restictive. Also, if I had to choose one already-existing unit to get more relevance it would have been the betatrooper, as their concept and models are just so damn cool. Fingers crossed the sekudroid model can hold its own next to betatroopers and epsilon! (This also makes me think an Epsilon HMG model is in the offing.)
The new Starmada tools look amazing. Gluebot looks super useful, because he can sub into fireteams as a cheap (relative to his wounds and competing options) filler for a Haris or core. Sharks remind me of Al Hawwa, and I love them. You can make a pure Betatrooper core fireteam now, and still have some decent points to work with. Beta Spitfire, Beta Doc, Beta Hacker, Epsilon Sniper, and gluebot for the filler. 164 points, which is pretty cheap for what you get, and then cheap varangians, Sharks, remotes, and maybe some raveneyes to be Lieutenant/decoy. Also a Wildcard, Total Immune, 4 ARM, HMG seems really nifty. Even without the composition bonuses from a fireteam, I can see him being loaded up in a security core or Haris any day.
I agree. These are very major changes to starmada. Bronze HMG + Sarko camo infiltrators are game changers. Having low cost midfield mindlayers/wildparrots are a great improvement on the midfield presence of this sectorial since everything else is so expensive. The climbing plus is an interesting bonus that could come in useful for clearing out roof camping units. The Bronze HMG gives the sectorial some strong long ranged firepower that it lacked before. The biggest issue left with O-12 is the lack of AP weapons to deal with TAGs but we do have a good amount of alternative tools so its managable. Overall this update makes Starmada a lot more flexible and therefore more attractive to play.
It was kind of briefly mentioned in the opening post, but I think it deserves extra mention here. And as well as for Vanilla O-12 as well. I don't recall the Epsilon having climbing plus before. And it seems huge that he has it now. MSV2 on a mimetism, climbing plus platform. This guy can pull off some jank smoke tricks Played my first game in a while and this guy was MVP. Varagian smoked the base of a tower and this guy climbed up the side and starting taking shots at angles my opponent really didn't have an answer for.
Bronze HMG looks so good. I think it has some teeth in a security core. You don't get the full BS bonus because it's not a pure fireteam, but he's beefy enough with ARM 5 TI that he can just brute force it anyway. You can also slot in a cheap paramedic, Hacker, or whatever Kappa SWC/raveneye/bluecoat/sekudroid/psi-cop you need for other purposes. Also it's a stealth buff to the Tian Gou FTO, since this encourages more mixed fireteams meaning you can hide a jammer in your fireteam to protect from bears.
Yep, he did have Climbing Plus before. There was a memorable game my Epsilon HMG scaled all around a central tower that had no ladder, getting super unexpected angles and being a thorn on my opponents side for 2 whole turns. Starmada was literally a joke in my playing group, and now I'm exited to try out the changes.
My current go-to pieces here for lists without a Zeta are an Epsilon MSR in betatrooper haris and PsiCop MULTI marksman in kappa haris (well, 3-model core, but you know what I mean). It's not a ton of anti-TAG firepower, but it gets through in a pinch.
Dealing with TAGs, or otherwise multiwound heavy armored enemy units, is one of the reasons I tend to favor the Missile Launcher Kappa for a defensive Security Core more than the Multi Sniper Rifle Kappa when I have to choose between one of them. Properly placed to take advantage of it's rangeband, it has the same % of falling unconscious/dying than the MSR Kappa, but has significantly more % of wounding/null state the oponent TAG thanks to EXP and AP/Template... and sometimes that 2 extra points you're saving are the dealbreaker to include the tool you needed elsewhere.
FYI, there was a review of last Army Update by Infinity Gamer. 04/17/2023 - Starmada relaunch | a new threat?
It helps that Kappa have shock immunity so theres chance you can heal them once their down. Though you need good luck for that since its quite possible they will get sent straight to death, especially vs a TAG. Still, its a nice skill to have.
Did a somes games with my friends, here is what I liked about the new changes: - Playing a Sarko almost feel like illegal; I play it with Crushers, Casanova and Saladin; this way I put 2 more models in midfield and there are mines / hackers everywhere. They are a great addition as button pushers. Climbing plus on a camo infiltrator is just magic, this unit fills same kind of slot than the Zencha in IA, but does it better. - The Secudroid glues the whole sectorial together. It is especially useful in high-pices link teams. Betatroopers are great for this as you can pack Firewall -3, KH, Spitfire, VMS2 Sniper and mimetism -3 on a pure link. He's good but not game-changer (I rely more on smokes/white noise than pure firefights in my games) - Bronze HMG was a missing long-range HI in the sectorial. Before we were relying on Zeta for a multi-wounds long range weaponry. This guy can remove ML AROs like it's nothing. I even think that adding him a HMG may be a design issue. Indeed, short-range weapons are a big O12/Starmada limitation and this profile negates part from this. Having a Spitfire + forward deployment 20 cm would have been more in phase with faction design IMO. I'm happy anyway - The Roadbot is just amazing. Climbing + on a 20-15cm moving unit is a lot. It may not be blatant until you play it, but this guy reaches objectives in 1-2 orders using unthinkable paths. Add paramedic and/or a sidebot and it drives everyone nuts. I was just surprised by the S5 silhouette that I didn't noticed earlier: it's big and hard to hide. It synergizes really well with a Lawkeeper, both profiles being fast and bringing expandable bodies. Overall, I think that the faction has now a better order economy (Sarko + Roadbot) for objectives and better long range firepower (Bronze HMG + Beta pure core). I hope further inclusions in the sectorial won't break it's design principles, but I'm happy with current state of the faction ! Can't wait to put my hands on the Starmada Alpha Pack :p
If only the Sarkos didn't have yet another different helmet design. And an ugly Ariadn-y one. But well, we can't have everything
For sure Spoiler: Cryogenics 200pts Cryogenics list in 200pts (The Roadbot / Oko / Millicent can be traded for Sarkos and Kytta in other missions) You can leverage your 2 Kappas hackers with the Oko's repeater Roadbot is useful for objectives Casanova and Crusher put pressure on midfield Had successful game against Haqq with this one 200 - Cryogenics Casanova ────────────────────────────────────────────────── 10 CASANOVA (Forward Deployment [+20cm], Minelayer) Submachine Gun, Nanopulser(+1B), E/M Mines / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 33) CRUSHER (Forward Deployment [+20cm]) Submachine Gun, Light Rocket Launcher, Nanopulser, D-Charges / Pistol, E/M CC Weapon. (1 | 35) ROADBOT (Paramedic) Submachine Gun, Panzerfaust, Heavy Riotstopper ( | MediKit) / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 27) SIDEBOT Heavy Riotstopper / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 4) OKO Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 16) MILLICENT Missile Launcher / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1.5 | 16) KAPPA (Hacker, Hacking Device) Submachine Gun ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 12) KAPPA (Hacker, Hacking Device) Submachine Gun ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 12) RAVENEYE Submachine Gun, E/Marat, Flash Pulse, E/M Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12) RAVENEYE (Lieutenant) Submachine Gun, E/Marat, Flash Pulse, E/M Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12) PSI-COp (Multispectral Visor L1) Nanopulser(+1B), MULTI Marksman Rifle ( ) / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 25) 3.5 SWC | 200 Points Open in Infinity Army Edit: I play postly 200 pts games, did not played the Sarko/Secu/Roadbot up to 300pts (we only do 300pts game twice month with my local gaming group; rest of the time 200pts games are faster so we do several ;p ) Their efficiency looks really good for point cost. As usual, the climbing + is a useful tool.
