The Lunokhod is, by all appearances, an interesting and useful remote. Would you recommend it to someone starting to collect Nomads? CrazyKoalas are a bit confusing, as the rules for deploying/using them seem to be split across multiple pages. Please explain how they work. Which models synergize with it? How would you build a list around it?
CrazyKoalas are Perimeter weapons, so follow these rules: http://infinitythewiki.com/en/Perimeter Essentially you deploy the two CKs in Zone of Control with the controller and they move when it moves and if an enemy comes within 8" they can ARO with Boost, unless the target dodges the CK they take a damage 15 Shock hit. The difference between CK, Madtrap, etc is this type of damage they do. They all follow the Perimeter weapon rules.
The Lunokhod is a great defensive piece with the CK's and flamethrower. It can also be used offensively in tight terrain thanks to it's high arm and bts, and the repeater on such a mobile platform is fantastic. It's a great 2nd or 3rd turn unit, pulling early game defense and then pushing into the midfield after the opponent has fully committed. I frequently field it, sometimes as the lunokhod and something as a tsyklon. The CK's are also great for using a proxy Moran too
Note that Perimeter weapons only activate in ARO, not on your turn. I actually like to use the Luno more aggressively. Cover it with some smoke for the longer ranges and then move up to the midfield where it is a true terror, especially rude on camo markers. Move it up first then send sniffer/sensors nearby to discover them and have some fun. Don't forget to Set your Koalas though so they are still threats if it gets taken out.
Running a Lunokhod into midfield, setting the CKs, and then giving it burst 2 AROs via Supportware is always a laugh.
alright, let's break it down: Nomads ────────────────────────────────────────────────── 2 LUNOKHOD Heavy Shotgun, Heavy Flamethrower, D-Charges, CrazyKoalas (2) / Electric Pulse. (0 | 25) LUNOKHOD Heavy Shotgun, Akrylat-Kanone, D-Charges, CrazyKoalas (2) / Electric Pulse. (0 | 24) 0 SWC | 49 Points Open in Infinity Army Mov 6-4 means these guys can run 10" or cautious move 6" in a single order, that's some awesome mobility. And climbing plus means they can crawl up walls or negotiate terrain quite effectively. But the S4 sillhouete is a little harder to hide. Arm 3 and BTS6 means these dudes are quite hard to shift out of their position, doubly so if they get some cover. Oh, and at BS 12 they can at least shoot well, but cc7 is pretty crap. However the real magic is in the fact they carry a repeater. This means you can buff them at any time, and you can choose between Assisted Fire for Marksmanship lvl 2 (usually better on your active turn) and enhanced reaction for B2 in ARO, which is pretty awesome when you're toting a Heavy Shotgun and either a glue gun or a heavy flamer. Crazy Koalas are less useful for these dudes in my opinion than they are for a taskmaster or moran, but they still can dissuade people from coming around behind your killer drone. Just remember they only go off on the reactive turn, so you can't use them to bait camo tokens and the like.
Netrods, Mad Traps, Drop Bears, Koalas, Pitchers, Fast Pandas, & mines, of course, can all be swiped with Minesweeper. Lunokhod plays better with Baggage than Morans, since you are probably infiltrating them. You can place the Koalas to seal off an AD attack and then replace them before moving up. Koalas are also very useful for triggering Mines, Koalas, and Madtraps which Remotes in particular don't like because they don't dodge well. If you can get it close, the Lunokhod can eat a Fireteam. You move out and wait for their decision. If they shoot, you can flame them and hope your ARM 6 in cover will save you. If they dodge you shotgun them and make them all take FtF rolls against 2 dice on an 18. Edit: Which models synergize with it? Hackers for the Built in Repeater and to run Supportware. Jags or Morlocks for Smoke to help it get it close. EVO Hackers to give B2 AROs if you run more than one. How would you build a list around it? Personally, I wouldn't build a list around it, but it can be really useful in the specific situations I mentioned above. You could try to build a list around Ramboing one, but I feel there are better models for that.
You can't Minesweep Symbiomates. Well at least I don't think you can. They're like Tinbots in that you have to target the trooper they're associated with, not them. Troopers aren't eligible targets for minesweeping. You're generally better off using the Koalas to clear Deployables than Sweeping them. But when it works its hilarious. Lunokhods are extremely versatile and the combination of ARM3 and WIP15 Engineers means that they're highly survivable. Very little in the game will one shot them in cover. Also DAM 14 Shock with an Impact Template hitting on 18s is awesome. And yeah Lunokhods aren't something to list building around, they're something to add to something with close range defensive holes. Running LI Observance lists they take the job of Warbands in providing a defensive screen to the link; with Interventor Lts they're a great escort piece to complicate assassination plays; coupled with a Tsyklon and a Tomcat you can get an instant firebase beyond the halfway (at a price that's affordable but likely to win you the Zone). They compete with Warbands in a list: 2 x Jags, 2 x Morlocks, Warcor is the same cost. But have different synergies. For this reason they're extremely solid in LI lists or when running an EVO.
Also, a couple of notes about Koalas. 1. You can place both (or one) of them in ARO, provided they are more than 8" from a Camo Marker. So if your opponent goes after the Koala's controller and you don't have a better option, you can place the Koalas and force them to deal with them anyway. You can also place Koalas with a coordinated order (you can take 4 models with Koalas in the Sectorials and 6 in Vanilla Nomads). 2. Koala's special ARO, Boost, does not require LoF. It activates when a model (not a marker) enters it's ZoC. Period. The only exception is if there is no valid path from a Koala to it's target, which should almost never happen.
Yep you are right, they are not actually models, so they can't be targets but they are deployable, which is what got me. Also, that Impact Template is damage 15 with a Heavy Shotgun.
Re: setting Koalas as an ARO. It's the only non-Hacking, non-Reset ZOC ARO that doesn't require LOF other than Change Facing. So rather than declare a pointless Change Facing, set the Koalas.
Honestly hadn't caught that it was an ARO able skill. Kind of odd situations to make the ZOC side work without triggering them though.
I do it relatively often with Morans. Moran is furthest forward, Koalas are set back to cover the approaches to it. Usually this is because of pesky Camo markers. It also let's you Set the second when the first triggers (assuming that you get the ZOC ARO).
Lunokhods team up well with Zoe & Pi-well. Pi-well tackles long-range threats, and the Lunokhod goes bolts-deep with supportware to dig people out of hiding. I'm a Bakunin guy, but a Tomcat engineer would be the jam. Drop supportware, smash your Lunokhod into stuff until it dies, repair it (remember supportware persists through unconsciousness!) and get back to work.
That combo: Zoe + Pi-well, Lunokhod, Tomcat Engineer is stupid good for HC. 100pts with most of your classifieds covered with redundancy. Don't forget Lunokhods have D-Charges as well.
They don't play very well vs enemy long range. I like the flame thrower variant but it trades away the only decent ftf available over 16" They excel in areas with very limited sight angles. Objective rooms, crooked alleys, or table edges. They can be supported into strong aggressive roles as described above, but I mostly save mine for the last points in my list to strengthen my defense in an overly aggressive list. If you feel you get beat by enemy infiltrators or jump troopers, take one of these and you'll cheaply have a big "steer clear" on that side of your dz
Back when I played bakunin my experience of Lunokhods was the direct opposite (think that might just be me though) I'd say the main drawback of the sputnik-chassis REMs is assembling them, they are definitely one of the more... challenging kits CB has released.
They're also great in zone control missions. 6"/10" Move will get you established quite nicely in a quadrant, and you can happily sit there watching short firelanes begging someone to try and dig you out. Between the Repeater, HSG, HFT and Koalas it's a solid 8" zone of death to pretty much everything.
I agree. My meta is about 80% long range defensive links as their base. I see the potential of the luno for taking area, but I need to list build against units in my enemy dz. Sometimes I overshot and was not covering my dz enough, and the luno saved the day. So I cannot claim to be sure it's aggression potential, but I'll sing praise for its dz protection. He swats enemy camo and infiltrators away very well.
