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Domaru E/M love

Discussion in 'Japanese Secessionist Army' started by paraelix, Jul 2, 2018.

  1. paraelix

    paraelix Seed Embryo Scholar

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    So I played my first small-scale tourney with JSA over the weekend - 4 games at 200pts playing the Treason narrative missions (Annihilation, Safe Area, Armoury, Hunting Party).

    I've had a few 150pt games so far with my list mostly being built around a mixed Keisotsu link with Spitfire Domaru and the Kuroshi rider. Heading into this event, I mixed it up - I ran;
    Triple Ryuken (2 SMG and 1 HRL)
    3 Keisotsu FO
    MSV Kempeitai
    Neko
    KHD Aragoto
    Jimmy-boy

    Findings -
    I tended to run Jimmy either far too passively or far too aggressively, never managing to find the sweet spot.
    I never found an opportunity to use the MSV on my Kempei.
    Ryuken SMGs are solid - but constantly die to my opponent taking on terrible dice odds and just rolling better than me.
    Ryuken HRL underperformed hard.
    Neko is MVP.

    To expand on "Neko is MVP", he saved my games 2 and 3 single-handedly (well, with link bonuses). Game 2 saw me against ISS and my opponent had set up a Su-Jian mid field with AROs on all of my lines of advance across the board. Neko ended up face checking the corner of a building to get LoF, and threw double E/M nades at the cat. It became a statue.
    Game 3 was similar, my opponent was running JSA as well - Daiyokai plus full Samurai link. To be completely frank, my opponent is a newer player - but he rushed the objective room of armoury with his link, trying to get his Domaru to double Chain through the doorway. Neko got LoF, so ARO'd with E/M grenades against a model who wasn't the link leader and forced him to dodge. He failed with 4 of 5 in the link (and no Engi on the board). He then tried to Rambo his Daiyokai only to eat a crit Flash Pulse. When it rolled back to my turn, I picked off his support units and then had Neko roll E/M grenades out the door until the Daiyokai was a statue as well.

    I had spent a great deal of time, during list building, getting mad over our lack of Lt options (and specifically those that don't cost SWC)... But after Neko's performance, I'm pretty sold on the Neko/Domaru Lt in a mixed link for flexibility.
     
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  2. barakiel

    barakiel Echo Bravo Master Sergeant

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    Great writeup, and nice to hear about the things that are working for you. Some reactions:

    • Sounds like you're using Ryuken-9 well... If the opponent is facing bad odds, you're probably doing the right thing with them. It's hard to gauge a unit's effectiveness when an opponent just gets lucky, but I absolutely love the SMG configuration. I think the HRL is fine, but I'd rather use those SWC someplace else. Let us know how these units do for you, as you keep playing more games.
    • The Kempetai MSV2 is fairly cheap, and you need a Kempetai to form a mixed link with Keisotsu Domaru, so it's not a bad thing if it never gets a great opportunity to fight. If you plan to advance into the midfield so that Neko can fight, I think the Marksman Rifle is a very good tool to have.
    • Great information about Neko too. I've been considering him more and more... I've been Using Kempetai + Keisotsu in every game I play, but I haven't always added the Domaru. More and more, I'm starting to think the Domaru is a good idea; those E/M grenades are a very strong tool, especially in Turn 3 where you can risk the entire link team in aggressive fighting, and don't have to worry about saving Orders or losing your Lieutenant. I'll have to try this soon.
    • With Yojimbo, if you're getting use out of his Smoke and his Koalas, I don't consider this to be too "Passive". Both of those tools are very strong, and being able to keep Yojimbo alive to use those tools every turn is very helpful. I find I only use Yojimbo in Close Combat in maybe 1 out of every 3 games, but every game I feel like he's doing something useful. Support is still a useful role, even if he never hits anything.
     
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  3. Section9

    Section9 Well-Known Member

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    The trick is to not get caught up in EM CCing people into statues that you should be shooting.
     
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  4. Shatidox

    Shatidox Well-Known Member

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    Speaking about Domaru E/M love, I have been thinking about using the new Domaru/Karakuri haris' forward observe, which they do at WIP 13 B3 up to 24" range to speculative fire em grenades with PH 14 +3 targeted +3range for hitting on 20s. It might be situational, but the it could potentially hit a link team or other bunched up units very effectively.

    It is quite order intensive, but I'm curious to hear if anyone has any experience using this method?
    The Karakuri team seem very expensive for a haris, but I think I prefer them over the Daiyokai haris which is pretty much the same price.
     
  5. Fire@Will

    Fire@Will Well-Known Member

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    Coming from an ISS player, I'd rate that tactic more effective with stun grenades than E/M - stun is universal whereas E/M is really only debilitating for HI. I'd really want to neutralise anyone who was affected before the grenade wore off, with templates or high burst guns.

    Isolated troops can still be effective for completing objectives...
     
  6. barakiel

    barakiel Echo Bravo Master Sergeant

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    I like that notion a lot actually... Combing Karakuri Haris FO with E/M grenades.

    I'd love to hear how it works out for you. I just naturally assume I'm going to be Spec Shotting or direct-throwing E/M at most targets, but the Karakuri Haris is a very good option for trying to Observe with. The natural durability of the Karakuri means they can survive a bad roll, which is always my major hangup when trying to use FO.
     
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  7. paraelix

    paraelix Seed Embryo Scholar

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    Played another 3-game tourney on the weekend.

    Decap
    Quadrant Control
    Show of Force

    Ran Samurai pain train in all 3 missions. Won the first, lost the second and won the third. My list for show of Force was pinched from the thread about the Oyo. My list for the other two was Samurai train (Neko, Spitty Domaru, triple Tanko (missile, blitzen, flammen)) with RF Daiyokai, triple Ryuken Minelayers, Jimbo, Warcor, Keisotsu FO. (the last 2 models just to eat the remaining 13pts)

    Decap was against a relative newbie player - he misplayed his Guija and got it killed dicing off vs the Tanko missile. My HVT was totally locked down by mines and Ryuken, so he suicide jumped a Tiger into 2 mines rather than try the shootout vs the Ryuken and Daiyokai (but still died). 10-0 win for me - I killed literally every model he brought to the table.

    Game 2 was against an Avatar/Speculo list. I deployed super conservatively to avoid Speculo Rambo on my link. Opponent flubbed hard with Speculo against a Ryuken and only managed a single wound on a Tanko with the Avatar in turn 1. My turn 2 I spent 3 orders crawling a Ryuken over a roof to shoot point blank into the Avatar in Suppressive - if he fired in Suppression, he was chucking 3 dice at 6s to my 3 dice at 6s, so I was hoping the AP would scare him into dropping suppression. It didn't. He just toasted me in the first exchange :( 9-0 loss.

    At this point - I should have moved my link up to engage the Avatar - spec throwing E/M to shut him down. But I didn't. I tried to Jimbo him and it failed hard and left me out of position. Turn 2 saw him dismantle my dudes some more - so in my return I know my only hope to achieve anything was to deal with the Avatar. Neko broke from the link and ran off solo to spec E/M the Avatar. And he did it. Trouble was, I had nothing to overwatch and prevent Wormy from running up and fixing him.

    Game 3 rundown is also in the Oyo thread - but Samurai train rocked hard. I remembered to spec e/m my opponent's TAG and dudes that were out of reach. Lost my TAG though, so only a 4-0 win.
     
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  8. barakiel

    barakiel Echo Bravo Master Sergeant

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    Thanks for the post. You did a good job of spotting opportunities to use that E/M.

    I tend to have wildly inconsistent luck with it, but it's really grown on me as a tool.
     
    Abrilete likes this.
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