BattleNuns for Fun

I don't think LI nuns lists are very good.

The principal issue Nuns have is things getting in close and CCing or templating them. This means that they need screening units. The three best screening options are Morlocks, Zeroes and Lunokhods.

In an LI list Lunokhods and Uberfalls work in this role, but they're relatively expensive. My distinct preference therefore are Zeroes and Morlocks.

The result is that I prefer one of:

1. Kusanagi Haris + 2(or more) zeroes + 2(or more) Morlocks + mission tailored rest of the list (mainly consisting of order fuel for the Haris, ARO presence and additional specialists). This is not LI and basically focusses on providing 8 orders to the haris + enough orders to support it with screening pieces in the second group.

2. Static Moira Core + screen + non-linked low SWC attack pieces and specialists. This is how I'd build it LI: with 2 x MSR Core + Custodier + 2 Zeroes + 2 Uberfalls/Lunokhods (but that's *really* fragile by the standards of most contemporary LI lists).

3. Observance Triads: Custodier Haris (with or without Kusanagi) + Moira Triad + ARO pieces and screening units (you can also happily swap out either triad for a triad of Grrls). You can run this as LI, but I think it works best with a small second group of Morlocks.

You can kinda combine the last two into a 6 person link (where you rebuild the link as required), but I've never found a version of that that screamed "run me" so I haven't tried it.

Tl;dr how do you prevent that list being eaten by warbands?

 

You do realise that doctor with servant cannot be a part of fireteam?
Also, I`d swap one of the moiras for a bsg Healer and probably try to squeze in a EM LGL

List wise, nuns are waaay too expensive for what they do, and you pretty much spend half of points on aro link (There are cheaper options in Bakunin like Buffed TR-bot or Sin-Eater). Sure, against some ariadna or other enemy without a way to ingore ODD they will be deadly, but soon your opponent will learn how to counter it with a cheap warband with smoke.
Riot Grrls, as mentioned before, will play a lot better simply because of the 2nd wound and ability to dodge on 16. You should consider it.

 

I often run 3 riot grrls with 3 nuns as part of LI lists. I find it gives me more versatility and I don't really need the +3 bonus when I'm firing at BS14 with visual mods or BS13 negating the more common visual mods out there.

Plus, running only 6 expensive models gives you space for 3-4 other stuff you can use as chaff. Although I often bite the bullet and have the Custodier or Kusanagi as the lieutenant instead of using a moderator.

 

It's not gonna work the way you want it to. Observance troops get countered by smoke, CC, and templates, which for your opponents is often neatly packed up on one dude. If the format is LI and the table is really open, you'll make par, but on a normal table VS Hassassin Bahram or USARF you are dead meat.

My final judgement on Moiras, I think, is that they are so expensive and so prone to overconcentrating force that it's best for them to operate individually. One nun is enough to do whatever.

 

Trios are solid (for much the same reason): I thoroughly enjoy HMG+EM LGL+BSG Healer as it offers a real mix of capabilities and B5 ODD just shreds most things, it really needs a Custodier to support it though.

My firm hope is that the next pass on Bakunin just makes all Moiras, Healers, Custodiers and Kusanagi count as "Observance" for the purposes of Fireteam composition. And then make Observance Haris and Core legal Fireteams. Simplicity.

 

I dig this idea. I'd love to be able to have a Sniper Moira on a defensive haris, and it would open a lot of army building options.

Right now I find myself using Kusanagi+Custodier+Healer pretty much only, as I feel this team with a spitfire Kusanagi is pretty effective at almost anything. I've even had them kill warbands in CC by rolling 2-3 dice instead of just 1

 

I ran this exact trio quite a bit. It's the best moira team setup, I think, but the wrong model will still shit all over it. You have to be really paranoid with deployment for it to be reliable.

It's one of those things where you will run over three out of five people, but one of five is gonna run over you in return. That's hard for me to live with.

 

The nuns are really good and while they are vulnerable to templates and such (well, kind of. PH 12 and ARM 3 is actually pretty good anti Chain Rifle protection) they are monstrously good in gunfights. I like the core and the Haris both.

Would I do them in LI? No, because LI is kind of a specific list structure that I don't believe works so well given Morlocks and Zeros as cheap screen options that you basically need. I think that it'll work well at times and at other times, really struggle.

My advice would be along imp's suggestion however I would not be dissuaded by naysayers over the nuns and their ability/price. They're very strong and used effectively will absolutely dominate. They're also even better then they used to be with FDL1! So get stuck in. And of course the best thing to use is what works for you, and the best way to know that is to play games and experiment!

 

Their biggest downside is riot grrls, and this is mostly due to them costing essentially the same. That being said I will almost always run the kusanagi haris or a RG haris, and often use solo nuns (custodier and MSR moira mostly). Nuns I've found dont play well in LI lists especially compared with the alternatives.

 

This would be my take:
Sun's out Nuns out!
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

10
CLOCKMAKER Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 18)
REVEREND CUSTODIER Hacker (Hacking Device Plus) Lieutenant Combi Rifle + Pitcher / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 34)
REVEREND HEALER Boarding Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, EXP CCW. (0 | 32)
REVEREND MOIRA HMG / Pistol, Shock CCW. (1.5 | 34)
REVEREND MOIRA MULTI Rifle + E/M Light Grenade Launcher / Pistol, Shock CCW. (1 | 34)
REVEREND MOIRA Combi Rifle + E/Mitter / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0 | 28)
REVEREND MOIRA MULTI Rifle / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0 | 30)
TASKMASTER Red Fury, Pulzar, CrazyKoalas + TinBot A (Deflector L1) / Heavy Pistol, DA CCW. (1 | 53)
VERTIGO ZOND Smart Missile Launcher / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 18)
ZERO (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 19)

5.5 SWC | 300 Points

Open in Infinity Army

As @inane.imp pointed out the nuns need a bit of protection from troops that don't have to rely on their BS-Skill thus the Taskmaster (IMO always the better option in comparision to the Lunokhod). The Vertigo Zond is the long range support (and really benefits from the Enhanced Reaction program) whilst the Zero does the objective stuff. If the chance is high enough he can still try to target some opponents for some guided missile fun.

 

I like the idea of 6 nuns inc custodier, healer, kusanagi so you can do the 5 link in one circumstance (say second turn with the sniper in a nice position vs an opponent with limited msv) and either reform to the kusanagi healer custodier Harris when you want to push or start with it as the situation warrants.

HMG, Sniper, em lgl moiras is a nice second three for that I think.

Another benefit is two lists in ITS means you can break it out against opponents it will do over and stay with rock solid riots for the rest

 

Moiras are unfortunately not quite as cost effective as Riot Grrls: for about the same points, you get a unit that is superior in most situations. For a Moira based list, I'd consider thinking less about mission and more about opponent. Against other LI lists that lack easy access to MSV, Moira based lists can do quite well- but the trick isn't in their offensive output, as much as it is that a ODD equipped profile with a MULTI-Sniper usually hitting on 15s (+3 BS 5 man bonus, good range, -3 for cover) and rarely being hit on more than 8-9 is immovable to anything unless a warband manages to get up in your face. They're an anvil, not a hammer. A good opponent will not leave anything out in the open to be easily picked off by a slow (4-2) moving unit that is better at range than up close and personal, so what they do is lock down entire segments of the board allowing your Morlocks and Uberfall easy access to your opponent's flanks and squishy backline.

For that reason, when taking Moiras you need some way of guarding your flanks. Your options are Zeroes (Minelayer), Reaktion Zonds, or even Sin Eaters. You can basically cancel out Warbands with Morlocks, maybe Uberfall). Some mixture of those units is essential for your Moiras to deal with their inherent weaknesses in close combat or at very short ranges.

As others have already pointed out, replacing a Moira with a Healer will save you a few points and give you a much needed and often useful profile to drag up the field if or when you need to do objectives. I feel as if the Moira hacker is a fairly weak profile, compared to your other options, and is the one I would replace.

 

I haven't played reverends for a while but the last few times I did I found the link best served defensively, laying some good AROs, so the hacker was a waste.

I played a 6 game event with a link once and found they were great if I could neutralise things like MSV quickly, but if not things didn't go well. Very much all our nothing, but they were fun as a way to mix it up.

 

Moiras are quite different from Riots.

Riots want to get stuck in. They have two wounds and a great dodge, and no defensive mods, they're all about putting rounds on target with MSV1 and soaking hits, and they're cheap too so nbd.

Moiras are about the same cost but more fragile with 1 wound and a much worse (but not awful) dodge. They do however win firefights against basically anything with MSV as the ODD is such a massive swing, and they have fantastic AROs across the team because MULTI rifles, E/Mitters etc.

I like Moiras. I've taken them in competitive play and done well with them, and I'll happily do it again.

 

Most importantly, if you're playing for fun, just play it and see how it goes. (but don't tell your opponent in advance or you can expect to be facing lots of msv2 + warbands + anything else which will ruin the moiras.)

 

One thing to consider is that, assuming you bring the Custodier (to put down white noise) they should only really be scared of active turn or Sixth Sense L2 (eg 4+ core linked) MSV2+. In most cases the B5 HMG, the e/m lgl or some uberfalls (with eclipse smoke) may counter that though. And Morlocks can trade fairly well with basically anything, including other WB.

Those things being well accounted for in list design and play style the scariest thing for Moiras I think is crits, esp shock crits. Those can be so swingy.

I have a slight psychological block when a full link costs more than the Riots, but I'm repainting mine to give them another go...