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The Victorious Hassassins: A Tactica

Discussion in 'Haqqislam' started by QueensGambit, Aug 22, 2021.

  1. QueensGambit

    QueensGambit Chickenbot herder

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    WARNING: This tactica is egregiously out of date. It will be updated... someday!

    Welcome the most important Brotherhood of the Human Sphere, the Hassassin Society. Founded by Abdulahmed Rashad, its one purpose is to protect the Search for Knowledge using whatever means possible. This pursuit of individual and collective enlightenment is the highest endeavor for humanity and is the most fragile. Hassassin Bahram, a military intelligence branch of the Haqqislamite armed forces, shall use all and every tool to protect it. Including fear, terror, and swift death. We are faceless, legion, and exist everywhere. We have specialists in all forms of murder and kill discretely or spectacularly without remorse. We answer only to the dictates of the Old Man of the Mountain, who has our undying loyalty. For we know the Truth: We are the guardians of humanity and nothing must impede the Search for Knowledge.

    Faction strengths

    Versatile fireteams
    The Ghulam Core with associated wildcards and other linkable units is one of the most diverse toolboxes available to any faction. Here are just some of the tools you can mix and match to customize your link team:
    • A Smoke Grenade Launcher that lands 91% of the time.
    • A Pitcher that lands 99% of the time.
    • Extra orders from NCO and Tactical Awareness.
    • MSV2
    • Forward Deployment (+4”) for every member of the link.
    • One of the best Heavy Infantries in the game, armed with one of the most destructive midrange weapons in the game.
    • Number 2.
    • Several great Doctor (+3) options.
    You’ll see a Ghulam Core in just about every Bahram list, although it may only have one Ghulam in it. It’s a very powerful tool, and the main reason to play Bahram over Vanilla Haqq.

    The same flexibility can make for an excellent Haris and even a Duo or two.

    Expendable AROs
    For their (incredibly cheap) cost, Panzerfaust Daylamis are one of the best AROs in the the game. The Nadhir also brings dangerous Panzerfaust and Flammenspeer AROs. Muyibs come with Panzerfausts and Dogged. At close range, Ghazis can hold off an attacker with Jammers.

    In short, our best AROs are Disposable weapons on expendable troops. They won't last the whole game, but they're very, very good at holding off the opponent for the first turn or two. Enjoy watching your opponent flounder as they try to push through a network of Panzerfausts. Just make sure that you use the time you've bought to do some decisive damage. Otherwise, you'll be overrun once the Panzerfausts run out.

    Active-turn hacking
    Bahram is one of the strongest factions for delivering repeaters to the opponent’s side of the table, thanks to cheap linked BS12 Pitchers. Once the repeater is in place, we deliver Oblivion, Carbonite, and Spotlight at WIP14.

    The Barid KHD also comes with the incredibly cheap and effective Trinity(-3) for hunting enemy hackers. Even an Interventor won’t last long against that.

    Smoke
    The Ghulam NCO delivers smoke with maximum efficiently in a 24” radius, and even beyond. Fidays deliver smoke directly to the enemy DZ. Ghazis fill in any gaps with cheap impetuous smoke grenades. Basically, the Hassassins put smoke wherever they want it.

    Skirmishers with shotguns
    Shotguns are great weapons, and are particularly strong on skirmishers. Most factions get some skirmisher profiles with shotguns, but few get very many, and they’re usually trading other abilities for the shotgun. Bahram has a shotgun on every single skirmisher. Daylamis, Fidays, Farzan minelayers, Farzan specialists, in addition to the other skills and equipment they bring to the table, every one of them has a shotgun.

    Hidden deployed template
    Any time your opponent can only see 14 of your orders on the table, they have to worry that a Nadhir could ARO a Flammenspeer template. Their movement is constrained by the threat, whether or not you actually have the unit in your list.

    Faction weaknesses

    Low regular order count
    Bahram leans heavily on Daylamis, Nadhirs, and sometimes Ghazis, none of which bring regular orders to your pool. Consequently, we can be very strong on defense but can struggle to get enough done in the active turn. NCO, Tactical Awareness, and the Ghulam Lieutenant(+1 Command Token) can help mitigate this, but you’ll still feel the pinch.

    Long-range active turn shooting
    In the active turn, dealing with enemy snipers is a priority. From outside 24", we don't have good guns for the task. Our best long-range weapons are low-burst options more suitable for the reactive turn. Our high-burst options are lackluster.

    While a Shakush HMG, linked Ghulam HMG, or even a (very expensive) linked Govad HMG will sometimes do the job, more often we need to find other ways to deal with snipers. Assassinate them with Fidays, maneuver an Asawira into Spitfire range, or just block them with Smoke. Consequently, we spend more orders on countering snipers than most factions do. Snipers with MSV are a particular weakness since they can see through our smoke.

    Defensive hacking
    Although we’re very strong at offensive hacking, we have a subpar reactive hacking game, especially if playing second. Our repeater network relies on Pitchers, and can’t be deployed before the opponent’s first turn. Our hackers also all have low BTS and won’t last long against an enemy attack. We don't have any camo hackers.

    Use your hackers for offense, but use other tools to protect yourself in the reactive turn.

    Standout units
    These are the units that define the sectorial’s strengths. Some are exceptional value for their points; others bring unique abilities. If you’re deciding which faction to play, these are the units that might make you choose the Hassassins.

    Daylami
    The humble Daylami is the backbone of the sectorial. In a faction loaded with offensive tools, the Daylami provide the defense. For 8 points, you get a camo marker that can deploy anywhere in your half of the table, biding its time, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash a deadly Panzerfaust ARO. Don’t reveal them too soon! The lingering threat of a couple of Daylamis can keep your opponent pinned down for the better part of the game.

    Don’t underestimate the shotgun, either. At 8 points, Daylamis are prime candidates for midfield trading. Think of them as a Liberto with extra forward deployment. At both long and short range, they punch way above their weight.

    You’ll rarely see a Hassassin list without a Daylami or two.

    Asawira
    For their points, Asawira are extraordinary. In a gunfight, they’re on par with some of the game’s strongest HI. They’re also CC experts, they’re fast, and they’re champions at Dodge. Stealth and BTS 9 provide solid protection from hacking. And if all else fails, they Regenerate on 14s. Basically they’re good at everything but don’t pay the points for it. While not quite an auto-include, you’ll rarely see a Hassassin list without at least one.

    The AP Spitfire profile is the obvious choice, offering very high lethality at up to 24”. He’s a perfectly good solo piece, but really shines in a fireteam. In a Core link, in addition to being an active-turn mass murderer, he’s also a solid ARO piece. Just be careful to position him so that your opponent can’t shoot at him from outside 24”.

    The Doctor(+3) profiles are also excellent, either in a fireteam or as a solo piece with attached Nasmats. In either case, they’re solid attackers and defenders who can also push buttons and heal your other troops.

    Barid
    Linkable pitchers are a faction-defining asset. A fully linked Barid can put repeaters up to 16” away with 99% accuracy, and up to 24” with 84% accuracy. Even out to 40”, they’re 70% accurate. Paired with a guided missile bot, a linked Barid hacker is a surprisingly dangerous attack piece.

    Even more impressive is the Barid killer hacker, an absolute steal at 15 points. Compared the similar Cyberghost, the Barid has linkability, an excellent Trinity upgrade, and better BS… and is 3 points cheaper!

    Ghulam NCO
    Linkable smoke that stays pretty accurate out to 48”? Yes, please! Very close to an auto-include, it’s hard to imagine not spending 15 points to add her to a link. Sometimes you just want a smoke template somewhere, and with Hassassins, you can always have one. Thanks to NCO, you don’t even have to spend an order to get it.

    Yara Hadad
    For 28 points, Yara brings a lot to a fireteam. The ultra-rare Strategic Deployment skill gives her entire fireteam Forward Deployment, which greatly improves your deployment options. MSV2 is welcome, especially in a fireteam that can bring its own smoke. And with an AP Marksman rifle and a +1B heavy pistol, she’s lethal at short and medium range.

    If your list is skirmisher-focused, it's actually possible to deploy nearly the entire list outside your deployment zone if you want to. Well worth considering in zone control missions.

    Yara’s main downside is that her combat role overlaps significantly with the Asawira AP Spitfire. They both want to be in your core link, but both in one link may not be the most efficient use of your points.

    Fiday
    Nothing says Hassassins like the Fiday. She’s not the only unit that deploys on the enemy’s table side; Speculos, Kiutan, Greif Operators, Onibawan, Bran de Castro, Uxia McNeill, and Andromeda all share that honour. But out of all of them, the Fiday is perhaps the best combination of cheap, versatile, and reliable. She’s got a shotgun, CC expertise, mines, smoke, and a double marker state all for 27 points.

    If the Fiday isn't deadly enough for you, Al Djabel offers a premium experience with better BS, better PHYS, much better CC damage, and Continuous Damage guns that terrify his opponents. Whether he's worth the extra points is a matter of ongoing debate amongst Hassassins players, but he's an option well worth considering.

    Other good units
    While not as iconic or essential as the above units, these guys are great additions to a Hassassins list and see a lot of table time.

    Nadhir
    A hidden Panzerfaust or Flammenspear ARO can really ruin your opponent’s day. And if the Nadhir survives the encounter, she then becomes a surprise specialist to push a button your opponent didn’t expect.

    Ghulam Doctor
    Want a healer in your link team? Other factions are stuck with paramedics, who seem to kill their patients as often as they heal them. Hassassin links can bring a Doctor(+3), who’s virtually guaranteed to heal her patients thanks to Cube rerolls.

    Muttawi’ah
    Compared to your typical warband, the Mutt gives up CC ability but gains a jammer or e/marat, both of which are very useful weapons. That said, her most important kit are the smoke grenades and the boarding shotgun. Cheap and effective.

    Leila Sharif
    An interesting unit who’s a jack of all trades but master of none. She has a decent gun, a decent hacking device, decent mines, and d-charges. But she isn’t a good gunfighter, a good hacker, a minelayer, or a CC specialist. She’s also decently cheap, though I find she never quite lives up to her potential as a toolbox unit.

    Muyib
    The Muyib is the ultimate wildcard. They come with quite a few profiles that bring some useful capabilities to a fireteam for a fairly reasonable cost. Any Muyib will boost your fireteam’s durability with Number 2, Dogged, BTS 3, and Bioimmunity. The most interesting profile is the Heavy Rocket Launcher. Don’t use him as a primary ARO – he’ll die too quickly – but he’s nice for defending a secondary firelane. More importantly, he donates an extra order to your fireteam with Tactical Awareness.

    Honourable mentions go to the Spitfire profile (which also comes with Tactical Awareness) and the two Minelayers. Viral and E/M mines are both great. Add Yara to the team and those mines can deploy an extra 4” forward.

    The Muyibs also have other decent profiles like the smoke launcher and the Doctor(+3), although these tend to be eclipsed by cheaper Ghulams with similar kit.

    Ragik
    The Ragik is a middle-of-the-road drop troop. Dogged is very nice on him, the Spitfire is a great weapon, but he’s appropriately costed for what he does – that is, fairly expensive. He’s good for hunting targets in the enemy DZ, but is somewhat eclipsed by the Fiday in that role.

    At WIP 15, the Hacker is also an interesting option. In addition to being a versatile attack piece, he can also do a surprising number of classified objectives.

    Shakush
    The Shakush doesn’t look like much, but don’t underestimate a cheap TAG with an HMG. Your opponent will kill her, but you can make them spend a lot of orders to do it, and in the meantime the rest of your list is busy doing the mission.

    To get the full value of her points, be sure to put her on ARO duty in the reactive turn. Once your opponent has spent the orders to move an HMG into position to kill her, Guts her back into total cover.

    The AP Spitfire profile is also of interest. Although largely eclipsed by the Asawira AP Spitfire, the Shakush does have Tactical Awareness, increased durability, a specialist pilot, and no Frenzy. Asawiras are usually found in fireteams, but if you're considering fielding one solo, give a thought to the Shakush as an alternative.

    Rafiq
    Like every other faction’s sensor bot, but slightly cheaper and packing a shotgun. A sensor bot isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s still nice that we have the best sensor bot.

    Farzan
    The Farzan has what every skirmisher wants: a shotgun. The perfect unit for getting in close and doing some damage, and at a very reasonable price point.

    Of particular note is the Farzan CoC – a unique unit that does a great job protecting the sectorial’s generally quite vulnerable lieutenants.

    Also of note is the Farzan Minelayer, one of the very few Minelaying Skirmishers in the game that doesn't cost any SWC.

    Farzans are AVA 3, and bringing a full complement of them is not at all unreasonable.

    Weaker units
    These units aren't by any means useless, but they're expensive for what they do. You'll sometimes take them anyway, but you won't be happy about how many the points you have to spend to do it.

    Avicenna
    This expensive Doctor(+3) might be worth considering if we didn’t have the Ghulam Doctor(+3) for far cheaper. As a solo unit, it's hard to see how she could be worth her points. You might consider adding her to a fireteam as a more resilient alternative to the Ghulam, although her Flash Pulse doesn't benefit from link team bonuses.

    Govad
    Like many factions’ Medium Infantry, the Govads have some useful kit, but are just too expensive for what they do. Some of the profiles would be interesting in a fireteam, but then you’re paying for five times as many overpriced Govads. That said, they’re the best long-range weapons platforms in the sectorial if you’re willing to pay for them.

    Lasiq
    The Lasiq suffers from the same Medium Infantry problem as the Govad. Viral weapons are nice, especially if you expect to face a lot of Ariadna, but the cost is prohibitive. The Sniper has some ARO potential in a link, but it will be an expensive link.

    Yasbir
    Another toolbox unit with some interesting kit, but just too expensive for what he does.

    Ayyar
    A heavy infantry combat specialist who wants to fight his way to an objective, take it, and hold it. Holoprojector helps by clearing any mines that might be in the way. Unfortunately, the holoprojector is the only thing the Ayyar has going for him. He’s a weak gunfighter who costs too many points. If you want a tough combat specialist, the Asawira Doctor is cheaper and better.

    Shujae
    The Shujae is an interesting toolbox unit, but its various skills and equipment don't synergize well. It suffers from being a Forward Deploying unit without a marker state. For the role, most Hassassins players prefer the Nadhir at a similar price point.

    Tactics
    Here is an incomplete list of some of the tactics you might commonly find yourself using which the Hassassins.

    Pitcher hacking
    An unlinked Barid lands a repeater 16” away 75% of the time. That’s not terrible, but the same Barid in a core link lands the repeater 90% of the time. If you can spare them, fire both repeaters in a single order, for 99% odds to land at least one of them.

    Would you like the repeater to be further away? In the 16”-24” range, firing two burst on 12s is still 84% likely to land at least one. Even shooting on 9s up to 40” away, your odds of landing one are 70%. You can also use Yara’s Strategic Deployment skill to deploy the Barids closer to where you want the repeater.

    Use pitchers to attack hackable targets, especially enemy hackers using the Barid KHD. Against a hacker, if you have two Barids in your link team, be sure to cancel the link before you start hacking. Otherwise the target can choose an unopposed hacking ARO against one of your Barids. Once the target is down, you can reform the link with a command token.

    You can also Spotlight targets and drop guided missiles on them. Spotlight is order-intensive, so save this tactic for important targets, or targets clustered within template range of each other.

    The Shotgun fork
    Shotguns are great in the active turn, because they force the opponent to make a bad choice. Move your shotgun unit into range of an enemy trooper. If the trooper declares Dodge, shoot them in hit mode for a very good chance of winning the f2f. If they shoot, you can trade pieces by shooting them in template mode, maybe also catching other targets in the template.

    The fork doesn’t work if the attacking piece is in a marker state, because the target can Delay its ARO. Before coming around the corner to attack your target, consider first spending an order to deploy a mine. You get out of marker state so that you can fork on your next order, and a mine on the table is never a bad thing.

    Alternatively, if you already have LoF on your target, simply declare Discover as your first short skill. The Discover doesn’t accomplish anything concrete (unless the target turns out to be in the Holomask state), but it reveals the attacker so that the target can’t Delay.

    Fiday assassination
    Whole articles could be written about the uses of Fidays. One common use is to remove key enemy models. If you can identify the opponent’s lieutenant, removing it can put them into Loss of Lieutenant for a turn. You can also go after their other important pieces such as their attack pieces.

    But maybe the most common target for Fidays is the opponent’s snipers. Bahram lacks other tools to deal with snipers, so a Fiday is often crucial. If the sniper is in a link, you can also kill one or more of the other link members to reduce the sniper’s bonuses before you fight it.

    Fiday template protection
    Impersonation markers count as friendlies for both sides, so they cancel any template attacks that touch them. Anyone standing next to your Fiday is immune to guided missiles.

    Sneaky Asawiras
    Asawiras have Stealth, so they can sneak up on targets without triggering repositioning Dodges. They can also move safely through hacking networks as long as none of your opponent’s hackers has Sixth Sense.

    They are also very good at advancing past enemy AROs using Cautious Movement - six inches can cover a pretty wide gap. Plus, thanks to their Stealth, the Cautious Movement can be done even if there are troopers in the Asawira’s ZoC.

    In a pinch, you can also get an extra 2” of movement by Dodging with an Asawira’s second short skill, since they have a 4” Dodge distance.

    Dodge can also be used to move the Asawira into LoF of an enemy without provoking an ARO. Useful if you want to attack them with Berserk.

    Asawiras want to get in close, and their kit makes them very good at it.

    Smoke
    It’s easy to get caught up in killing and forget the mission. Don’t! Rather than fighting an enemy trooper, it’s sometimes more efficient to just block it with smoke and ignore it.

    Layered defense
    Fidays like to be deployed as close to the enemy DZ as possible. But the closer they are, the easier it is for an enemy trooper to Discover them out of cover within 8”. Deploying Fidays, especially if playing second, is a balance between being close enough to be effective, but far enough away to be hard to root out.

    You can make the Fiday a lot harder to root out by covering her with a Daylami. Deploy the Daylami to guard all the points where an enemy trooper would see the Fiday from within 8”. Now your opponent has to either Discover from further away with lower odds, or deal with the Daylami first.

    Heavy fireteam
    Asawiras are a very durable unit, and up to 4 of them in a fireteam can occupy the midfield and dare the opponent to remove them. Muyibs are also surprisingly tough thanks to Bioimmunity, Dogged, and Number 2. Watch out for templates!

    Midfield spam
    In addition to our excellent skirmishers, Daylamis, and Nadhir, an entire core link can be deployed outside our DZ using Strategic Deployment. If you want, you can start the game with almost your entire force deployed in the midfield.
     
    #1 QueensGambit, Aug 22, 2021
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2022
    WarHound, Apollon, KwarkyMats and 2 others like this.
  2. QueensGambit

    QueensGambit Chickenbot herder

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    N4 has been around for nearly a year, and I think it's time we had some proper tacticas. I've played Hassassins as my primary faction throughout N4, mostly averaging around two games a week (less in the past month or two, as online games are harder to arrange now that in-person games are becoming possible in some areas again). I'm by no means an expert, but since no one else has volunteered, I've decided to work on a Hassassins tactica. I hope that together, we can develop it into something worth stickying.

    Here is the first draft. All comments and suggestions welcome. I've deliberately not written the "sample lists" section, as I don't want the ultimate product to reflect only my own playstyle. I would like to include lists showcasing a variety of styles and approaches.

    Introduction
    <To write>

    Faction strengths
    Versatile fireteam Core
    The Ghulam Core with associated wildcards and other linkable units is one of the most diverse toolboxes available to any faction. Here are just some of the tools you can mix and match to customize your link team:
    • A Smoke Grenade Launcher that lands 91% of the time.
    • A Pitcher that lands 99% of the time.
    • Extra orders from NCO and Tactical Awareness.
    • MSV2
    • Forward Deployment (+4”) for every member of the link.
    • One of the best Heavy Infantries in the game, armed with one of the most destructive midrange weapons in the game.
    • Number 2.
    • Several great Doctor (+3) options.
    You’ll see a Ghulam Core in just about every Bahram list, although it may only have one Ghulam in it. It’s a very powerful tool, and the main reason to play Bahram over Vanilla Haqq.

    Daylamis
    Discussed in detail below, I mention Daylamis here because they’re a faction-defining strength of the sectorial. No other faction in the game can deploy such a cheap and effective an ARO net (except Vanilla Haqq, which also has access to Daylamis).

    Active-turn hacking
    Bahram is one of the strongest factions for delivering repeaters to the opponent’s side of the table, thanks to cheap linked BS12 Pitchers. Once the repeater is in place, we deliver Oblivion, Carbonite, and Spotlight at WIP14.

    The Barid KHD also comes with the incredibly cheap and effective Trinity(-3) for hunting enemy hackers. Even an Interventor won’t last long against that.

    Smoke
    The Ghulam NCO delivers smoke with maximum efficiently in a 24” radius, and even beyond. Fidays deliver smoke directly to the enemy DZ. Ghazis fill in any gaps with cheap impetuous smoke grenades. Basically, the Hassassins put smoke wherever they want it.

    Skirmishers with shotguns
    Shotguns are great weapons, and are particularly strong on skirmishers. Most factions get some skirmisher profiles with shotguns, but few get very many, and they’re usually trading other abilities for the shotgun. Bahram has a shotgun on every single skirmisher. Daylamis, Fidays, Farzan minelayers, Farzan specialists, in addition to the other skills and equipment they bring to the table, every one of them has a shotgun.

    Hidden deployed template
    Any time your opponent can only see 14 of your orders on the table, they have to worry that a Nadhir could ARO a Flammenspeer template. Their movement is constrained by the threat, whether or not you actually have the unit in your list.

    Faction weaknesses
    Low regular order count
    Bahram leans heavily on Daylamis, Nadhirs, and sometimes Ghazis, none of which bring regular orders to your pool. Consequently, we can be very strong on defense but can struggle to get enough done in the active turn. NCO and Tactical Awareness can help mitigate this, but you’ll still feel the pinch.

    Minimal options for long-range weapons in the active turn
    Bahram lacks a good HMG or similar long-range weapon for removing enemy snipers. The Ghulam HMG is lackluster. The Govad HMG has poor link options and is pricey for what it does. The Shakush HMG will take up a substantial portion of your points, while still struggling to fight the toughest snipers.

    Consequently, snipers are a particular danger to us, especially snipers with MSV who can see through our smoke. Snipers should be considered primary targets for assassination by Fiday.

    Defensive hacking
    Although we’re very strong at offensive hacking, we have a subpar reactive hacking game, especially if playing second. Our repeater network relies on Pitchers, and can’t be deployed before the opponent’s first turn. Our hackers also all have low BTS and won’t last long against an enemy attack.

    Use your hackers for offense, but use other tools to protect yourself in the reactive turn.

    Standout units
    These are the units that define the sectorial’s strengths. Some are exceptional value for their points; others bring unique abilities. If you’re deciding which faction to play, these are the units that might make you choose the Hassassins.

    Daylami
    The humble Daylami is the backbone of the sectorial. In a faction loaded with offensive tools, the Daylami provide the defense. For 8 points, you get a camo marker that can deploy anywhere in your half of the table, biding its time, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash a deadly Panzerfaust ARO. Don’t reveal them too soon! The lingering threat of a couple of Daylamis can keep your opponent pinned down for the better part of the game.

    Don’t underestimate the shotgun, either. At 8 points, Daylamis are prime candidates for midfield trading. Think of them as a Liberto with extra forward deployment. At both long and short range, they punch way above their weight.

    You’ll rarely see a Hassassin list without a Daylami or two. I consider them the only true auto-include in the sectorial.

    Asawira
    For their points, Asawira are extraordinary. In a gunfight, they’re on par with some of the game’s strongest HI. They’re also CC experts, they’re fast, and they’re champions at Dodge. Stealth and BTS 9 provide solid protection from hacking. And if all else fails, they Regenerate on 14s. Basically they’re good at everything but don’t pay the points for it. While not quite an auto-include, you’ll rarely see a Hassassin list without at least one.

    The AP Spitfire profile is the obvious choice, offering very high lethality at up to 24”. He’s a perfectly good solo piece, but really shines in a fireteam. In a Core link, in addition to being an active-turn mass murderer, he’s also a solid ARO piece. Just be careful to position him so that your opponent can’t shoot at him from outside 24”.

    The Doctor(+3) profiles are also excellent, either in a fireteam or as a solo piece with attached Nasmats. In either case, they’re solid attackers and defenders who can also push buttons and heal your other troops.

    Barid
    Linkable pitchers are a faction-defining asset. A fully linked Barid can put repeaters up to 16” away with 99% accuracy, and up to 24” with 84% accuracy. Even out to 40”, they’re 70% accurate. Paired with a guided missile bot, a linked Barid hacker is a surprisingly dangerous attack piece.

    Even more impressive is the Barid killer hacker, an absolute steal at 15 points. Compared the similar Cyberghost, the Barid has linkability, an excellent Trinity upgrade, and better BS… and is 3 points cheaper!

    Ghulam NCO
    Linkable smoke that stays pretty accurate out to 48”? Yes, please! Very close to an auto-include, it’s hard to imagine not spending 15 points to include her in a link. Sometimes you just want a smoke template somewhere, and with Hassassins, you can always have one. Thanks to NCO, you don’t even have to spend an order to get it.

    Yara Hadad
    For 28 points, Yara brings a lot to a fireteam. The ultra-rare Strategic Deployment skill gives her entire fireteam Forward Deployment, which greatly improves your deployment options. MSV2 is welcome, especially in a fireteam that can bring its own smoke. And with an AP Marksman rifle and a +1B heavy pistol, she’s lethal at short and medium range.

    Yara’s main downside is that her combat role overlaps significantly with the Asawira AP Spitfire. They both want to be in your core link, but both in one link may not be the most efficient use of your points.

    Fiday
    Nothing says Hassassins like the Fiday. She’s not the only unit that deploys on the enemy’s table side: Speculos, Kiutan, Greif Operators, Onibawan, Bran de Castro, Uxia McNeill, and Andromeda all share that honour. But of all of them, the Fiday is perhaps the best combination of cheap, versatile, and reliable. She’s got a shotgun, CC expertise, mines, smoke, and a double marker state all for 27 points.

    Other good units
    While not as iconic or essential as the above units, these guys are great additions to a Hassassins list and see a lot of table time.

    Nadhir
    A hidden Panzerfaust or Flammenspear ARO can really ruin your opponent’s day. And if the Nadhir survives the encounter, she then becomes a surprise specialist to push a button your opponent didn’t expect.

    Ghulam Doctor
    Want a healer in your link team? Other factions are stuck with paramedics, who seem to kill their patients as often as they heal them. Hassassin links can bring a Doctor(+3), who’s virtually guaranteed to heal her patients thanks to Cube rerolls.

    Muttawi’ah
    Compared to your typical warband, the Mutt gives up CC ability but gains a jammer or e/marat, both of which are very useful weapons. That said, her most important kit are the smoke grenades and the boarding shotgun. Cheap and effective.

    Leila Sharif
    An interesting unit who’s a jack of all trades but master of none. She has a decent gun, a decent hacking device, decent mines, and d-charges. But she isn’t a good gunfighter, a good hacker, a minelayer, or a CC specialist. She’s also decently cheap, but I find she never quite lives up to her potential as a toolbox unit.

    Muyib
    The Muyib is the ultimate wildcard. They come with quite a few profiles that bring some useful capabilities to a fireteam for a fairly reasonable cost. Any Muyib will boost your fireteam’s durability with Number 2, Dogged, BTS 3, and Bioimmunity. The most interesting profile is the Heavy Rocket Launcher. Don’t use him as a primary ARO – he’ll die too quickly – but he’s nice for defending a secondary firelane. More importantly, he donates an extra order to your fireteam with Tactical Awareness.

    Honourable mentions go to the Spitfire profile (which also comes with Tactical Awareness) and the two Minelayers. Viral and E/M mines are both great. Add Yara to the team and those mines can deploy an extra 4” forward.

    Ragik
    The Ragik is a middle-of-the-road drop troop. Dogged is very nice on him, the Spitfire is a great weapon, but he’s appropriately costed for what he does – that is, fairly expensive. He’s good for hunting targets in the enemy DZ, but is somewhat eclipsed by the Fiday in that role.

    Shakush
    The Shakush doesn’t look like much, but don’t underestimate a cheap TAG with an HMG. Your opponent will kill her, but you can make them spend a lot of orders to do it, and in the meantime the rest of your list is busy doing the mission.

    To get the full value of her points, be sure to put her on ARO duty in the reactive turn. Once your opponent has spent the orders to move an HMG into position to kill her, Guts her back into total cover.

    Rafiq
    Like every other faction’s sensor bot, but slightly cheaper and packing a shotgun. A sensor bot isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s still nice that we have the best sensor bot.

    Farzan
    The Farzan has what every skirmisher wants: a shotgun. The perfect unit for getting in close and doing some damage, and at a very reasonable price point.

    Of particular note is the Farzan CoC – a unique unit that does a great job protecting the sectorial’s generally quite vulnerable lieutenants.

    Farzans are AVA 3, and bringing a full complement of them is not at all unreasonable.

    Weaker units
    Avicenna
    This expensive Doctor(+3) might be worth considering if we didn’t have the Ghulam Doctor(+3) for far cheaper.

    Govad
    Like many factions’ Medium Infantry, the Govads have some useful kit, but are just too expensive for what they do. Some of the profiles would be interesting in a fireteam, but then you’re paying for five times as many overpriced Govads. That said, they’re the best long-range weapons platforms in the sectorial if you’re willing to pay for them.

    Lasiq
    The Lasiq suffers from the same Medium Infantry problem as the Govad. Viral weapons are nice, especially if you expect to face a lot of Ariadna, but the cost is prohibitive.

    Yasbir
    Another toolbox unit with some interesting kit, but just too expensive for what he does.

    Ayyar
    A heavy infantry combat specialist who wants to fight his way to an objective, take it, and hold it. Holoprojector helps by clearing any mines that might be in the way. Unfortunately, the holoprojector is the only thing the Ayyar has going for him. He’s a weak gunfighter who costs too many points. If you want a tough combat specialist, the Asawira Doctor is cheaper and better.

    Tactics
    Here is an incomplete list of some of the tactics you might commonly find yourself using which the Hassassins.

    Pitcher hacking
    An unlinked Barid lands a repeater 16” away 75% of the time. That’s not terrible, but the same Barid in a core link lands the repeater 90% of the time. If you can spare them, fire both repeaters in a single order for 99% odds to land at least one of them.

    Would you like the repeater to be further away? In the 16”-24” range, firing two burst on 12s is still 84% likely to land at least one. Even shooting on 9s up to 40” away, your odds of landing one are 70%. You can also use Yara’s Strategic Deployment skill to deploy the Barids closer to where you want the repeater.

    Use pitchers to attack hackable targets, especially enemy hackers using the Barid KHD. Against a hacker, if you have two Barids in your link team, be sure to cancel the link before you start hacking. Otherwise the target can choose an unopposed hacking ARO against one of your Barids. Once the target is down, you can reform the link with a command token.

    You can also Spotlight targets and drop guided missiles on them. Spotlight is order-intensive, so save this tactic for important targets, or targets clustered within template range of each other.

    The Shotgun fork
    Shotguns are great in the active turn, because they force the opponent to make a bad choice. Move your shotgun unit into range of an enemy trooper. If the trooper declares Dodge, shoot them in hit mode for a very good chance of winning the f2f. If they shoot, you can trade pieces by shooting them in template mode, maybe also catching other targets in the template.

    The fork doesn’t work if the attacking piece is in a marker state, because the target can Delay its ARO. Before coming around the corner to attack your target, consider first spending an order to deploy a mine. You get out of marker state so that you can fork on your next order, and a mine on the table is never a bad thing.

    Alternatively, if you already have LoF on your target, simply declare Discover as your first short skill. The Discover doesn’t accomplish anything concrete (unless the target turns out to be in the Holomask state), but it reveals the attacker so that the target can’t Delay.

    Fiday assassination
    Whole articles could be written about the uses of Fidays. One common use is to remove key enemy models. If you can identify the opponent’s lieutenant, removing it can put them into Loss of Lieutenant for a turn. You can also go after their other important pieces such as their attack pieces.

    But maybe the most common target for Fidays is the opponent’s snipers. Bahram lacks other tools to deal with snipers, so a Fiday is often crucial. If the sniper is in a link, you can also kill one or more of the other link members to reduce the sniper’s bonuses before you fight it.

    Fiday template protection
    Impersonation markers count as friendlies for both sides, so they cancel any template attacks that touch them. Anyone standing next to your Fiday is immune to guided missiles.

    Sneaky Asawiras
    Asawiras have Stealth, so they can sneak up on targets without triggering repositioning Dodges. They can also move safely through hacking networks as long as none of your opponent’s hackers has Sixth Sense.

    They are also very good at advancing past enemy AROs using Cautious Movement - six inches can cover a pretty wide gap. Plus, thanks to their Stealth, the Cautious Movement can be done even if there are troopers in the Asawira’s ZoC.

    In a pinch, you can also get an extra 2” of movement by Dodging with an Asawira’s second short skill, since they have a 4” Dodge distance.

    Dodge can also be used to move the Asawira into LoF of an enemy without provoking an ARO. Useful if you want to attack them with Berserk.

    Asawiras want to get in close, and their kit makes them very good at it.

    Smoke
    It’s easy to get caught up in killing and forget the mission. Don’t! Rather than fighting an enemy trooper, it’s sometimes more efficient to just block it with smoke and ignore it.

    Layered defense
    Fidays like to be deployed as close to the enemy DZ as possible. But the closer they are, the easier it is for an enemy trooper to Discover them out of cover within 8”. Deploying Fidays, especially if playing second, is a balance between being close enough to be effective, but far enough away to be hard to root out.

    You can make the Fiday a lot harder to root out by covering her with a Daylami. Deploy the Daylami to guard all the points where an enemy trooper would see the Fiday from within 8”. Now your opponent has to either Discover from further away with lower odds, or deal with the Daylami first.

    Sample lists
    <to write>
     
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  3. Errhile

    Errhile A traveller on the Silk Road

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    I'm delighted to see you have picked up the banner and are ready to carry it forward, o brother.
     
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  4. Brokenwolf

    Brokenwolf Well-Known Member

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    This is a wonderful start: I have a couple of minor suggestions:
    • The Muyib GL is also a pretty good as it allows you to slot in a BS 13 GL launcher into any fireteam.
    • Lasiqs: One of the minor N4 changes that occurred is that they are now Light Infantry instead of Medium infantry. In addition, with the N4 HARIS changes and all the great wildcards Hassassins now makes them a little more usable. A linked viral sniper rifle has some ARO potential.
    Thank you again for doing this!
     
    #4 Brokenwolf, Aug 23, 2021
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2021
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  5. WiT?

    WiT? Well-Known Member

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    Excellent tactica. I'll be jamming HB sometime again in the near future so its good to have this to draw from (I'm still used to their terrible options from N2). I've borrowed this format for a Combined Army tactica since it works so good hope thats ok
     
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  6. Urobros

    Urobros Well-Known Member

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    Hello everybody!!

    Thanks @QueensGambit For the hard work!! I will try to add some to what you wrote in order to put more ideas on the table. I hope you find it interesting or at least worthy on some level.

    About

    "Versatile fireteam Core"

    I would say "versatile fireteam" in general, because the ghulam core is amazing and really cheap, but the haris options are in the same level, giving to hassasin "real power on the table". Muyib haris + some wildcards and you have a powerfull multitool. Even the same happens with the "Govad haris" (HMG+wildcards) or the "Lasiq (any profile) + wildcards. Even the "muyib" fireteam core it has a place when we play to "non standar 300 games".

    I agree with what you said about the "ghulam fireteam", if we want to call it so :) hehe. Same for the daylamis... amazing cheap destructive ARO. Probably the "number 1" of cheap and expendable ARO pieces in the whole game.

    Active-turn hacking

    About this... I thought Ragik should be mentioned, because with the addition of the Nadhir into our subersive forces we can hide the presence of this Aeral Deployment piece. With VOL 15 is capabale to cause a lot of harm with his hacker devide. The amazing Barid with Leila's support could provoke a serious missdirection of this guy comming from the skies.

    "strengths"

    You did mention of some ARO pieces, but not as a strength of hassasin. I think Daylami+Ghazi+Nhadir make hassasin one of the best sectorial in ARO game. I will add to the strengths something like:

    "Powerfull Expendable Supresive ARO" ;)

    Faction weaknesses

    Low regular order count

    Maybe it will be interesting to say something about the Ghulam Lt +1 Command Token, it is a good tool to "mitigate" this iconvenience with the order pools. In adition to NCO + Tactical Awareness.



    Minimal options for long-range weapons in the active turn

    I disagree with this statment partially. :) We have some long-range weapons really interesting: viral snipper and HRL (Tactical Awaraness+XVisor). Even we have a lot of troups with acces to "panzerfaust". Ghulams have too profiles with snipper, hmg and ML. Maybe what hassasin don't has is "reliable high burst long-range weapons". What do you think?

    I will add here: "Really Limited Multispectral Visor Profiles"

    While we have Govads, they are too expensive to work in a fireteam core with 5 member, so we can take advantage of our many smoke sources, and we have too Yara, but with a mid range weapon and max burst 4, it can only work in a small area of the board. This thinking on the active turn. If we go for the ARO time, then things goes worse. We have an absolubtely lack of decent ARO pieces with visor, so, factions with heavy smoke launchers can avoid easily our other ARO pieces.


    Standout units

    "Daylamis", almost the best guys in hassasin :) hehe I will add here a comment about

    "I consider them the only true auto-include in the sectorial."


    I shared this line of thinking in the past, but in true they are some factors which the old "Ghazi" are better like: missions where it can't be explode the infiltration rule because "exclusion areas" and too, if we anticipate high quantity of enemies with mimetism... like SSA, Avatar from EC, etc. This are exceptions, maybe I have to face both too often, so I do less use of the daylamis as in the "early N4" and I had back to the reliable "Ghazi". This is why I will speak of "almost auto-include", but with only a fistfull exceptions.

    Fiday... where is Aldjabel?? :)

    "Fiday" while I agree with the "vainilla impersonator" I think the character should be here, as an standout unit. I think we have "forget" about him because the gap between his cost and the fiday's cost is bigger than it was in N3, plus martial arts level 4 don't allow us anymore +1 burst in CC, but after a few matches using Aldjabel I found myself looking at him as the best "core demolisher" we can find in hassasin. The continuos damage comming from a direct template is devastating. It was really strange to find tables where every member of the fireteam can be isolated, so it isn't really hard to catch at least 2 fireteam members under the template. This place the enemy in a bad situation, no matter what the choice will be: if the fireteam members do shoot, then you will loose aldjabel, but probably the enemy loose at least a couple of the fireteam members. If the fireteam split the AROs, then, at least the +3 BS bonus will be loss, so our hassasin shooters could finish the job easier and even it could happens that Aldjabel don't die... Even our impersonator character works as ARO piece. If we place him close to a corridor... probably nobody want to go over there afraid of a template, one which could be "continuous damage". And yet, Aldjabel is still a really good CC fighter. If we can't do use of the BS attack with some garanties, we can place smoke and them go into CC, where will not matter too much the fireteam bonuses.

    Leila

    To be "Jack of all trades" is what makes Leila a standout unit. The equipment options are excellent: marksman shock rifle + E/M mines + D-Charges + killer hacking device... + wildcard? It can be in a firefight with pretty much against anything if she is in a fireteam core with five members and in range (active turn). She can place E/M mines, probably the most dangerous ammo for heavy targets without total inmunity... not too many in game. D-Charges allow Leila to take advantage against inmobilized enemies in CC or to complete some mission objetives. Even, thanks to her killer hacking devide, she can do use of cibermask, avoid ARO pieces, and reach a console or similar and "push the button", saving the day. If I have to face missions where I need specialist, or I have to the minimun of them, Leila is one of my choices always. Even if I have to choose between her or Yara.

    Other good units


    I could be more agree with the Nadhir statement... I did a taste of this profile and now I can't left him out of my lists...XD

    Shakush

    I will say about our "non heavy TAG" that it is cheap enough to share a list with some asawira, for example.

    Farzan...

    I believed you didn't mention to the "non SWC minelayer skirmish option". I believe no other profile with "camo state + infiltration" has this combo.

    Avicenna


    I disagree here with you too, sorry. She has a place when you don't want, or can't pay for an asawira doctor+3, but you want something more than the humble ghulam doctor. Yes, expensier, but the 15-5 mov it is really interesting for the doctor hability. Too, it can be hard to bring down in the medium weapon range thanks her VOL15 + Flash pulse, so she can an opportunity to do harm as desesperate ARO and too as "desesperate pusher buttons", and for shure she will heal your troups mostly. To me is the choice when I face Contrameasures or Highly Classified as the "doctor" option for my hassasin lists.

    Lasiq


    I will place the lasiqs as "other good options" and I will take then off the "weaker units". The problem with the "Lasiq" are, I think, the Muyibs, but the Forward observer it is an amazing profile to push buttons and too to be a treath to any other specialist the enemy want to put close to the console. Climbing plus is too an assets when we are in mid or late game and in needs of options to bypass the AROpieces place for our enemy. Climb over that wall taking an impredictable detour... it is priceless.

    The viral snipper while in a haris could be an excellent "hunter". With climbing plus it will be a dangerous shooter for that "roof profiles" our enemies left in the highs to be save from our impersonators... Even the FO could do the job thanks the XVisor.


    Weaker units

    "Yasbir" I wish I could say a word or two for Yasbir as I did for others profiles, but I'm afraid I can't. I liked him a lot back in N3, but now it is too expensive to be worthy of something.

    "Ayar", same as I said for Yasbir.

    "Shujae"

    If I'm not wrong, you didn't say nothing about the "Shuaje". As much it could hurts me, I will place this profile here, side by side to Yasbir and the Ayar. No "camo state", pretty much the same weapon and equipment options than the Nadhir, even pretty much the same point cost than Nadhir itself and Farzan. All of this make the only thing where the "shujae" standouts "BS 13" irrelevant.

    Tactics

    I will add...

    "Ruthless advance"

    Thank to the "power" you can put in some "fireteam core", you can go into the midfield and dominate the "area" where the objetives are. Asawiras + Muyibs + Yara + Leila ("+" should be read as "and/or") bring to ous a lot of options to put in "check" almost every piece our enemies could throw against us. I find myself that to deal with a fireteam with muyibs+asawiras half on the table is not a pill every player can swallow.

    "Nobody's at home"


    Thanks to the Strategic Deployment plus the amount of profiles with some forward deployment or infiltration skill, we can place a list, where nobody do use of our deployment zone. This could be very useful in some missions and really disturbing for some rivals. They aren't too many factions which can play to this without to lose something in return. If would have to count... Vainilla Ariadna, TAK, Merovinge, Shavasti and Hassasin will be all of them.






    I hope I was usefull to the cause :)
     
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  7. Cadwallon

    Cadwallon Well-Known Member

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    Hello people.

    About Shakush
    For more active turn piece for hunting, the other profile (spitfire AP)could be very interesting. It's true you loose one point of damage and you optimal rangeband are shorter but compesate for cracking armoured target (that depends from your meta). Whit +1dam this profile has damage equal most other HMG from the sectorial.

    @Grotnib wrote a tactica for RTF and he review the shakush. Some of his thoughts can be useful. https://thegoodguyswearorange.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-court-of-scorpion-queen-maghariba.html?m=1

    Hope some of this oppinions would be useful.
     
    #7 Cadwallon, Aug 24, 2021
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2021
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  8. QueensGambit

    QueensGambit Chickenbot herder

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    Thank you all for the ideas! Here is the second draft.

    Changelog:
    - Added a description for the "Weaker units" section
    - Added mention of Muyib smoke launcher and doctor
    - Left Lasiqs in "weaker units" but added mention of the sniper as a linked ARO.
    - Renamed "versatile fireteam core" to "versatile fireteams" and added mention of haris and duo
    - Changed the "Daylamis" faction strength to "Expendable AROs" and rewrote it.
    - Added the Ghulam(+1CT) to mitigating units in the "low regular order count" faction weakness.
    - Renamed and rewrote the "Active turn shooting" faction weakness.
    - Removed the line about Daylami being an auto-include. While true, it doesn't add anything to the tactica.
    - Added Al Djabel to the Fiday entry.
    - Changed "but" to "though" in the Leila entry.
    - Added to Farzan that the Minelayer doesn't cost SWC. I had never noticed that other minelayers do! Very cool.
    - Added the Shujae to "Weaker units"
    - Added "heavy fireteam" and "midfield spam" to tactics
    - Added comment on the AP Spitfire Shakush profile

    Questions for the community:
    - @Urobros suggests mentioning the Ragik Hacker as part of the Active Turn Hacking faction strength. Do you agree? My own view is that WIP 15 isn't important enough to make the unit a faction strength, but if folks find that they use and like him, I'll include him.
    - @Urobros also suggests adding "poor MSV options" as a faction weakness. Do you agree? It's true that we don't have a good MSV sniper, but it's not a lack I've personally felt (when I play SAA, I typically don't bring the very excellent MSV sniper option anyway).
    - @Urobros suggests that Leila should be in the "standout units" section. Do you agree? I don't, but if others find her more useful than I do, I'll move her.
    - @Urobros argues that Avicenna doesn't suck. Agree/disagree?
    - Likewise the Lasiq. I have them in "weaker units." Are others finding them to be better than that? I don't want the tactica to be one of those overly optimistic "everything is great" offerings, so the fact that Lasiqs have some uses isn't enough to save them from the "weaker units" section - the real question is, are they good value for their points?
    - I've added "midfield spam" as a tactic per @Urobros ' suggestion, but I'm not sure it should stay. If it does, I need to explain why it's an effective tactic. We can indeed deploy an entire list outside the DZ, but what is the benefit of doing so?

    Introduction
    <To write>

    Faction strengths

    Versatile fireteams
    The Ghulam Core with associated wildcards and other linkable units is one of the most diverse toolboxes available to any faction. Here are just some of the tools you can mix and match to customize your link team:
    • A Smoke Grenade Launcher that lands 91% of the time.
    • A Pitcher that lands 99% of the time.
    • Extra orders from NCO and Tactical Awareness.
    • MSV2
    • Forward Deployment (+4”) for every member of the link.
    • One of the best Heavy Infantries in the game, armed with one of the most destructive midrange weapons in the game.
    • Number 2.
    • Several great Doctor (+3) options.
    You’ll see a Ghulam Core in just about every Bahram list, although it may only have one Ghulam in it. It’s a very powerful tool, and the main reason to play Bahram over Vanilla Haqq.

    The same flexibility can make for an excellent Haris and even a Duo or two.

    Expendable AROs
    For their (incredibly cheap) cost, Panzerfaust Daylamis are one of the best AROs in the the game. The Nadhir also brings dangerous Panzerfaust and Flammenspeer AROs. Muyibs come with Panzerfausts and Dogged. At close range, Ghazis can hold off an attacker with Jammers.

    In short, our best AROs are Disposable weapons on expendable troops. They won't last the whole game, but they're very, very good at holding off the opponent for the first turn or two. Enjoy watching your opponent flounder as they try to push through a network of Panzerfausts. Just make sure that you use the time you've bought to do some decisive damage. Otherwise, you'll be overrun once the Panzerfausts run out.

    Active-turn hacking
    Bahram is one of the strongest factions for delivering repeaters to the opponent’s side of the table, thanks to cheap linked BS12 Pitchers. Once the repeater is in place, we deliver Oblivion, Carbonite, and Spotlight at WIP14.

    The Barid KHD also comes with the incredibly cheap and effective Trinity(-3) for hunting enemy hackers. Even an Interventor won’t last long against that.

    Smoke
    The Ghulam NCO delivers smoke with maximum efficiently in a 24” radius, and even beyond. Fidays deliver smoke directly to the enemy DZ. Ghazis fill in any gaps with cheap impetuous smoke grenades. Basically, the Hassassins put smoke wherever they want it.

    Skirmishers with shotguns
    Shotguns are great weapons, and are particularly strong on skirmishers. Most factions get some skirmisher profiles with shotguns, but few get very many, and they’re usually trading other abilities for the shotgun. Bahram has a shotgun on every single skirmisher. Daylamis, Fidays, Farzan minelayers, Farzan specialists, in addition to the other skills and equipment they bring to the table, every one of them has a shotgun.

    Hidden deployed template
    Any time your opponent can only see 14 of your orders on the table, they have to worry that a Nadhir could ARO a Flammenspeer template. Their movement is constrained by the threat, whether or not you actually have the unit in your list.

    Faction weaknesses

    Low regular order count
    Bahram leans heavily on Daylamis, Nadhirs, and sometimes Ghazis, none of which bring regular orders to your pool. Consequently, we can be very strong on defense but can struggle to get enough done in the active turn. NCO, Tactical Awareness, and the Ghulam Lieutenant(+1 Command Token) can help mitigate this, but you’ll still feel the pinch.

    Long-range active turn shooting
    In the active turn, dealing with enemy snipers is a priority. From outside 24", we don't have good guns for the task. Our best long-range weapons are low-burst options more suitable for the reactive turn. Our high-burst options are lackluster.

    While a Shakush HMG, linked Ghulam HMG, or even a (very expensive) linked Govad HMG will sometimes do the job, more often we need to find other ways to deal with snipers. Assassinate them with Fidays, maneuver an Asawira into Spitfire range, or just block them with Smoke. Consequently, we spend more orders on countering snipers than most factions do. Snipers with MSV are a particular weakness since they can see through our smoke.

    Defensive hacking
    Although we’re very strong at offensive hacking, we have a subpar reactive hacking game, especially if playing second. Our repeater network relies on Pitchers, and can’t be deployed before the opponent’s first turn. Our hackers also all have low BTS and won’t last long against an enemy attack.

    Use your hackers for offense, but use other tools to protect yourself in the reactive turn.

    Standout units
    These are the units that define the sectorial’s strengths. Some are exceptional value for their points; others bring unique abilities. If you’re deciding which faction to play, these are the units that might make you choose the Hassassins.

    Daylami
    The humble Daylami is the backbone of the sectorial. In a faction loaded with offensive tools, the Daylami provide the defense. For 8 points, you get a camo marker that can deploy anywhere in your half of the table, biding its time, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash a deadly Panzerfaust ARO. Don’t reveal them too soon! The lingering threat of a couple of Daylamis can keep your opponent pinned down for the better part of the game.

    Don’t underestimate the shotgun, either. At 8 points, Daylamis are prime candidates for midfield trading. Think of them as a Liberto with extra forward deployment. At both long and short range, they punch way above their weight.

    You’ll rarely see a Hassassin list without a Daylami or two.

    Asawira
    For their points, Asawira are extraordinary. In a gunfight, they’re on par with some of the game’s strongest HI. They’re also CC experts, they’re fast, and they’re champions at Dodge. Stealth and BTS 9 provide solid protection from hacking. And if all else fails, they Regenerate on 14s. Basically they’re good at everything but don’t pay the points for it. While not quite an auto-include, you’ll rarely see a Hassassin list without at least one.

    The AP Spitfire profile is the obvious choice, offering very high lethality at up to 24”. He’s a perfectly good solo piece, but really shines in a fireteam. In a Core link, in addition to being an active-turn mass murderer, he’s also a solid ARO piece. Just be careful to position him so that your opponent can’t shoot at him from outside 24”.

    The Doctor(+3) profiles are also excellent, either in a fireteam or as a solo piece with attached Nasmats. In either case, they’re solid attackers and defenders who can also push buttons and heal your other troops.

    Barid
    Linkable pitchers are a faction-defining asset. A fully linked Barid can put repeaters up to 16” away with 99% accuracy, and up to 24” with 84% accuracy. Even out to 40”, they’re 70% accurate. Paired with a guided missile bot, a linked Barid hacker is a surprisingly dangerous attack piece.

    Even more impressive is the Barid killer hacker, an absolute steal at 15 points. Compared the similar Cyberghost, the Barid has linkability, an excellent Trinity upgrade, and better BS… and is 3 points cheaper!

    Ghulam NCO
    Linkable smoke that stays pretty accurate out to 48”? Yes, please! Very close to an auto-include, it’s hard to imagine not spending 15 points to include her in a link. Sometimes you just want a smoke template somewhere, and with Hassassins, you can always have one. Thanks to NCO, you don’t even have to spend an order to get it.

    Yara Hadad
    For 28 points, Yara brings a lot to a fireteam. The ultra-rare Strategic Deployment skill gives her entire fireteam Forward Deployment, which greatly improves your deployment options. MSV2 is welcome, especially in a fireteam that can bring its own smoke. And with an AP Marksman rifle and a +1B heavy pistol, she’s lethal at short and medium range.

    Yara’s main downside is that her combat role overlaps significantly with the Asawira AP Spitfire. They both want to be in your core link, but both in one link may not be the most efficient use of your points.

    Fiday
    Nothing says Hassassins like the Fiday. She’s not the only unit that deploys on the enemy’s table side: Speculos, Kiutan, Greif Operators, Onibawan, Bran de Castro, Uxia McNeill, and Andromeda all share that honour. But of all of them, the Fiday is perhaps the best combination of cheap, versatile, and reliable. She’s got a shotgun, CC expertise, mines, smoke, and a double marker state all for 27 points.

    If the Fiday isn't deadly enough for you, Al Djabel offers a premium experience with better BS, better PHYS, much better CC damage, and Continuous Damage guns that terrify his opponents. Whether he's worth the extra points is a matter of ongoing debate amongst Hassassins players, but he's an option well worth considering.

    Other good units
    While not as iconic or essential as the above units, these guys are great additions to a Hassassins list and see a lot of table time.

    Nadhir
    A hidden Panzerfaust or Flammenspear ARO can really ruin your opponent’s day. And if the Nadhir survives the encounter, she then becomes a surprise specialist to push a button your opponent didn’t expect.

    Ghulam Doctor
    Want a healer in your link team? Other factions are stuck with paramedics, who seem to kill their patients as often as they heal them. Hassassin links can bring a Doctor(+3), who’s virtually guaranteed to heal her patients thanks to Cube rerolls.

    Muttawi’ah
    Compared to your typical warband, the Mutt gives up CC ability but gains a jammer or e/marat, both of which are very useful weapons. That said, her most important kit are the smoke grenades and the boarding shotgun. Cheap and effective.

    Leila Sharif
    An interesting unit who’s a jack of all trades but master of none. She has a decent gun, a decent hacking device, decent mines, and d-charges. But she isn’t a good gunfighter, a good hacker, a minelayer, or a CC specialist. She’s also decently cheap, though I find she never quite lives up to her potential as a toolbox unit.

    Muyib
    The Muyib is the ultimate wildcard. They come with quite a few profiles that bring some useful capabilities to a fireteam for a fairly reasonable cost. Any Muyib will boost your fireteam’s durability with Number 2, Dogged, BTS 3, and Bioimmunity. The most interesting profile is the Heavy Rocket Launcher. Don’t use him as a primary ARO – he’ll die too quickly – but he’s nice for defending a secondary firelane. More importantly, he donates an extra order to your fireteam with Tactical Awareness.

    Honourable mentions go to the Spitfire profile (which also comes with Tactical Awareness) and the two Minelayers. Viral and E/M mines are both great. Add Yara to the team and those mines can deploy an extra 4” forward.

    The Muyibs also have other decent profiles like the smoke launcher and the Doctor(+3), although these tend to be eclipsed by cheaper Ghulams with similar kit.

    Ragik
    The Ragik is a middle-of-the-road drop troop. Dogged is very nice on him, the Spitfire is a great weapon, but he’s appropriately costed for what he does – that is, fairly expensive. He’s good for hunting targets in the enemy DZ, but is somewhat eclipsed by the Fiday in that role.

    Shakush
    The Shakush doesn’t look like much, but don’t underestimate a cheap TAG with an HMG. Your opponent will kill her, but you can make them spend a lot of orders to do it, and in the meantime the rest of your list is busy doing the mission.

    To get the full value of her points, be sure to put her on ARO duty in the reactive turn. Once your opponent has spent the orders to move an HMG into position to kill her, Guts her back into total cover.

    The AP Spitfire profile is also of interest. Although largely eclipsed by the Asawira AP Spitfire, the Shakush does have Tactical Awareness, increased durability, a specialist pilot, and no Frenzy. Asawiras are usually found in fireteams, but if you're considering fielding one solo, give a thought to the Shakush as an alternative.

    Rafiq
    Like every other faction’s sensor bot, but slightly cheaper and packing a shotgun. A sensor bot isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s still nice that we have the best sensor bot.

    Farzan
    The Farzan has what every skirmisher wants: a shotgun. The perfect unit for getting in close and doing some damage, and at a very reasonable price point.

    Of particular note is the Farzan CoC – a unique unit that does a great job protecting the sectorial’s generally quite vulnerable lieutenants.

    Also of note is the Farzan Minelayer, one of the very few Minelaying Skirmishers in the game that doesn't cost any SWC.

    Farzans are AVA 3, and bringing a full complement of them is not at all unreasonable.

    Weaker units
    These units aren't by any means useless, but they're expensive for what they do. You'll sometimes take them anyway, but you won't be happy about how many the points you have to spend to do it.

    Avicenna
    This expensive Doctor(+3) might be worth considering if we didn’t have the Ghulam Doctor(+3) for far cheaper.

    Govad
    Like many factions’ Medium Infantry, the Govads have some useful kit, but are just too expensive for what they do. Some of the profiles would be interesting in a fireteam, but then you’re paying for five times as many overpriced Govads. That said, they’re the best long-range weapons platforms in the sectorial if you’re willing to pay for them.

    Lasiq
    The Lasiq suffers from the same Medium Infantry problem as the Govad. Viral weapons are nice, especially if you expect to face a lot of Ariadna, but the cost is prohibitive. The Sniper has some ARO potential in a link, but it will be an expensive link.

    Yasbir
    Another toolbox unit with some interesting kit, but just too expensive for what he does.

    Ayyar
    A heavy infantry combat specialist who wants to fight his way to an objective, take it, and hold it. Holoprojector helps by clearing any mines that might be in the way. Unfortunately, the holoprojector is the only thing the Ayyar has going for him. He’s a weak gunfighter who costs too many points. If you want a tough combat specialist, the Asawira Doctor is cheaper and better.

    Shujae
    The Shujae is a nice toolbox unit, but its various skills and equipment don't synergize well. It suffers from being a Forward Deploying unit without a marker state. For the role, most Hassassins players prefer the Nadhir at a similar price point.

    Tactics
    Here is an incomplete list of some of the tactics you might commonly find yourself using which the Hassassins.

    Pitcher hacking
    An unlinked Barid lands a repeater 16” away 75% of the time. That’s not terrible, but the same Barid in a core link lands the repeater 90% of the time. If you can spare them, fire both repeaters in a single order for 99% odds to land at least one of them.

    Would you like the repeater to be further away? In the 16”-24” range, firing two burst on 12s is still 84% likely to land at least one. Even shooting on 9s up to 40” away, your odds of landing one are 70%. You can also use Yara’s Strategic Deployment skill to deploy the Barids closer to where you want the repeater.

    Use pitchers to attack hackable targets, especially enemy hackers using the Barid KHD. Against a hacker, if you have two Barids in your link team, be sure to cancel the link before you start hacking. Otherwise the target can choose an unopposed hacking ARO against one of your Barids. Once the target is down, you can reform the link with a command token.

    You can also Spotlight targets and drop guided missiles on them. Spotlight is order-intensive, so save this tactic for important targets, or targets clustered within template range of each other.

    The Shotgun fork
    Shotguns are great in the active turn, because they force the opponent to make a bad choice. Move your shotgun unit into range of an enemy trooper. If the trooper declares Dodge, shoot them in hit mode for a very good chance of winning the f2f. If they shoot, you can trade pieces by shooting them in template mode, maybe also catching other targets in the template.

    The fork doesn’t work if the attacking piece is in a marker state, because the target can Delay its ARO. Before coming around the corner to attack your target, consider first spending an order to deploy a mine. You get out of marker state so that you can fork on your next order, and a mine on the table is never a bad thing.

    Alternatively, if you already have LoF on your target, simply declare Discover as your first short skill. The Discover doesn’t accomplish anything concrete (unless the target turns out to be in the Holomask state), but it reveals the attacker so that the target can’t Delay.

    Fiday assassination
    Whole articles could be written about the uses of Fidays. One common use is to remove key enemy models. If you can identify the opponent’s lieutenant, removing it can put them into Loss of Lieutenant for a turn. You can also go after their other important pieces such as their attack pieces.

    But maybe the most common target for Fidays is the opponent’s snipers. Bahram lacks other tools to deal with snipers, so a Fiday is often crucial. If the sniper is in a link, you can also kill one or more of the other link members to reduce the sniper’s bonuses before you fight it.

    Fiday template protection
    Impersonation markers count as friendlies for both sides, so they cancel any template attacks that touch them. Anyone standing next to your Fiday is immune to guided missiles.

    Sneaky Asawiras
    Asawiras have Stealth, so they can sneak up on targets without triggering repositioning Dodges. They can also move safely through hacking networks as long as none of your opponent’s hackers has Sixth Sense.

    They are also very good at advancing past enemy AROs using Cautious Movement - six inches can cover a pretty wide gap. Plus, thanks to their Stealth, the Cautious Movement can be done even if there are troopers in the Asawira’s ZoC.

    In a pinch, you can also get an extra 2” of movement by Dodging with an Asawira’s second short skill, since they have a 4” Dodge distance.

    Dodge can also be used to move the Asawira into LoF of an enemy without provoking an ARO. Useful if you want to attack them with Berserk.

    Asawiras want to get in close, and their kit makes them very good at it.

    Smoke
    It’s easy to get caught up in killing and forget the mission. Don’t! Rather than fighting an enemy trooper, it’s sometimes more efficient to just block it with smoke and ignore it.

    Layered defense
    Fidays like to be deployed as close to the enemy DZ as possible. But the closer they are, the easier it is for an enemy trooper to Discover them out of cover within 8”. Deploying Fidays, especially if playing second, is a balance between being close enough to be effective, but far enough away to be hard to root out.

    You can make the Fiday a lot harder to root out by covering her with a Daylami. Deploy the Daylami to guard all the points where an enemy trooper would see the Fiday from within 8”. Now your opponent has to either Discover from further away with lower odds, or deal with the Daylami first.

    Heavy fireteam
    Asawiras are a very durable unit, and up to 4 of them in a fireteam can occupy the midfield and dare the opponent to remove them. Muyibs are also surprisingly tough thanks to Bioimmunity, Dogged, and Number 2. Watch out for templates!

    Midfield spam
    In addition to our excellent skirmishers, Daylamis, and Nadhir, an entire core link can be deployed outside our DZ using Strategic Deployment. If you want, you can start the game with almost your entire force deployed in the midfield.

    Sample lists
    <to write>
     
  9. Errhile

    Errhile A traveller on the Silk Road

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    Theorizing here (I haven't, to my memory, played more than one or two games with Bahram in N4, and none of them with Avicenna), but... yes, Avicenna in current HB does not look spectacular.

    1. As solo Doctor, she's a little faster than a cheaper Ghulam (or equally-priced Muyib), though more resilient with NWI & Bioimmunity (also, better Armor and actually some BTS!). But both these qualities are of limited utility once you operate via Nasmat bots - unless you intend to actualy use your doc more proactively. As fast as an Asawira, though Asawira are way more resilient. Difference of 1 WIP is, IMO, insiginifiant at this level. In shotrt, if you want your Doc to hang in the back and use Nasmats, Ghulam trumps Avicenna, as you get practically the same effectiveness for a lower price... but in this role, Ghulam Doc trumps just like everyone.
    2. As fireteam Doctor, she's competing against Ghulam only. The extra resilience can give Avicenna an edge, and keep in mind she brings a powerful, long-range defensive effect of Flash Pulse to the table. Wit WIP 15 and Fireteam bonuses, it can be a nasty surprise. Sure, there is Ghulam FO (at bargain price... together with Ghulam Doc they do cost 27pts), but Avicenna combines both of these capabilites, and resilience Ghilim can't match. If you intend your Gulam Fireteam to be used offensively, having Avicenna in it might be actually worth considering.
    Now, if she had more Fireteam options, she's be mroe versatile. But if a combined Ghulam / Barid team is considered, I think Avicenna is a decent choice there. Unless you are on a tight budget, that is.

    As for the Ragik Hacker, I believe it is less about his WIP (though it is high), and more about his ability to show up at an unexpected point (due to Aerial Deployment) and start causing trouble. A versatile weapons package (Rifle+LSG) and Dogged can be useful in poking holes in your opponent's defenses, too. He's very universal here.
     
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  10. Urobros

    Urobros Well-Known Member

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    Thanks to take in consideration many of my suggestion, we will wait to see what people have to say :) I'm have to recognice I'am a little optimistic when I have to talk about hassasin, I hardly can find "bad lists" with them.

    About this particular I can say, at least in my experience, few people expects a whole hassasin list deployed outside the "deployment zone", of course this advantage will be supressed in time if people do use a lot of it, but the uncertainty we can cause will remain and will be an extra, added to the "hassasin natural" "confusion capacity thanks to the impersonator presence.

    Another forces, like TAK, Ariadna, even Nomads vainilla, have some tendency to deploy a lot of troups, decoys and positionables as mines in the midfield. It is strange to see any of these armies don't doing use of this kind of "advantage" or "strategie". We could say this is the "kind of game" that armies put on the table mainly. The thing, at least to me, is while hassasin could not be so competent as de previous mentioned before, it is almost or, at least, good enough to try. This generate an advatange to take in consideration: while confronting hassasin you can be sure of anything. If you pick that side of the table because that building is outside the deployment zone, it could happen that the hassasin players has a fireteam capable of place at least a couple figures there.

    Plus, this kind of play allow hassasin to take advantage in missions where the main source of points will come from having the control of some areas placing more points there as our rival, so we almost will not do waste or orders bringing our units into position to score, they will be really there.

    Some others factions can play to "take control of the midfield", but thanks to do a lot of sacrificies in other battle areas, for hassasin what we could lose playing this way it is not a big deal.


    This kind of play could be understand as an extension of that "kind of defense in layers" you said, @QueensGambit , one a little to extreme. If you are not confortable talking of "taking the midfield" as a valid strategy for hassasin, take in consideration to do a little coment exploring the possibility.

    :)
     
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  11. Xagul82

    Xagul82 Well-Known Member

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    Bioimmunity on some of the more important units is a strength in my opinion - especially Muyibs and Yara. Giving them Arm 3 and the ability to negate certain types of ammo.

    The Lasiq on the other hand is not as good as other options we have, but his main enemy in my games were specialist with some kind of mimitism. Though +1 Dam Mim -3 Viral and an x-Visor sounds fine, but I struggle to find a place in my fireteams for a Lasiq. (What a shame, because the models are great, but that's not important in a tactica )

    On the Ragik Hacker, maybe its less the hacking itself, maybe its more forcing your opponent to make bad decisions - comming around a corner and your opponent has to choose whether to reset, dodge, or shoot?!


    Ps: Thanks QueensGambit for lounching this threat!!
     
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  12. Brokenwolf

    Brokenwolf Well-Known Member

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    Has anyone explored the unusual profiles of the Nadhir and the Shujae? I have only bee using my old units and have been hesitant is exploring new things.

    The AP Marksman Nadhir seems like it could be a decent secondary surprise piece for armor hunting. And the submachinegun Shujae feels like it was designed to be used like a Ryuken Unit-9. Has anyone tried starting one in suppression? E/M mines also look tasty. Does anyone have experience with them?
     
  13. Xagul82

    Xagul82 Well-Known Member

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    Actually, I've used the Shujae with SMG and I liked it. It's a light Ryuken light. But Minelayer and the x-Visor makes the Ryuken better than the Shujae.
     
  14. QueensGambit

    QueensGambit Chickenbot herder

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    Here is the third draft with changelog.

    I think it's basically done. It doesn't have an introduction, and I'm no good at introductions, so my inclination is to just post it at the start of the thread as-is. Maybe someday I'll be inspired, but if someone else wants to write the intro instead, please do and I'll add it in!

    I'm gonna let it sit for a few more days for any final suggestions, then call it good and stick it up top.

    Changelog:
    - Added a longer description of Avicenna but left her in the "weaker units" section. I might have upgraded her as a fireteam unit except that the flash pulse is a technical weapon so it doesn't get fireteam bonuses.
    - Added mention of the Ragik Hacker in the Ragik section, but didn't add him to the "active turn hacking" faction strength.
    - To Yara's section, added mention that most of the list can be deployed outside the DZ.
    - Removed the "sample lists" section. I'd hoped to put in a variety of lists from different players, but haven't received any contributions and I don't think it should just be a bunch of my own lists. Maybe it wouldn't have been a useful section anyway.

    Introduction
    <Insert something pithy here once someone writes it!>

    Faction strengths

    Versatile fireteams
    The Ghulam Core with associated wildcards and other linkable units is one of the most diverse toolboxes available to any faction. Here are just some of the tools you can mix and match to customize your link team:
    • A Smoke Grenade Launcher that lands 91% of the time.
    • A Pitcher that lands 99% of the time.
    • Extra orders from NCO and Tactical Awareness.
    • MSV2
    • Forward Deployment (+4”) for every member of the link.
    • One of the best Heavy Infantries in the game, armed with one of the most destructive midrange weapons in the game.
    • Number 2.
    • Several great Doctor (+3) options.
    You’ll see a Ghulam Core in just about every Bahram list, although it may only have one Ghulam in it. It’s a very powerful tool, and the main reason to play Bahram over Vanilla Haqq.

    The same flexibility can make for an excellent Haris and even a Duo or two.

    Expendable AROs
    For their (incredibly cheap) cost, Panzerfaust Daylamis are one of the best AROs in the the game. The Nadhir also brings dangerous Panzerfaust and Flammenspeer AROs. Muyibs come with Panzerfausts and Dogged. At close range, Ghazis can hold off an attacker with Jammers.

    In short, our best AROs are Disposable weapons on expendable troops. They won't last the whole game, but they're very, very good at holding off the opponent for the first turn or two. Enjoy watching your opponent flounder as they try to push through a network of Panzerfausts. Just make sure that you use the time you've bought to do some decisive damage. Otherwise, you'll be overrun once the Panzerfausts run out.

    Active-turn hacking
    Bahram is one of the strongest factions for delivering repeaters to the opponent’s side of the table, thanks to cheap linked BS12 Pitchers. Once the repeater is in place, we deliver Oblivion, Carbonite, and Spotlight at WIP14.

    The Barid KHD also comes with the incredibly cheap and effective Trinity(-3) for hunting enemy hackers. Even an Interventor won’t last long against that.

    Smoke
    The Ghulam NCO delivers smoke with maximum efficiently in a 24” radius, and even beyond. Fidays deliver smoke directly to the enemy DZ. Ghazis fill in any gaps with cheap impetuous smoke grenades. Basically, the Hassassins put smoke wherever they want it.

    Skirmishers with shotguns
    Shotguns are great weapons, and are particularly strong on skirmishers. Most factions get some skirmisher profiles with shotguns, but few get very many, and they’re usually trading other abilities for the shotgun. Bahram has a shotgun on every single skirmisher. Daylamis, Fidays, Farzan minelayers, Farzan specialists, in addition to the other skills and equipment they bring to the table, every one of them has a shotgun.

    Hidden deployed template
    Any time your opponent can only see 14 of your orders on the table, they have to worry that a Nadhir could ARO a Flammenspeer template. Their movement is constrained by the threat, whether or not you actually have the unit in your list.

    Faction weaknesses

    Low regular order count
    Bahram leans heavily on Daylamis, Nadhirs, and sometimes Ghazis, none of which bring regular orders to your pool. Consequently, we can be very strong on defense but can struggle to get enough done in the active turn. NCO, Tactical Awareness, and the Ghulam Lieutenant(+1 Command Token) can help mitigate this, but you’ll still feel the pinch.

    Long-range active turn shooting
    In the active turn, dealing with enemy snipers is a priority. From outside 24", we don't have good guns for the task. Our best long-range weapons are low-burst options more suitable for the reactive turn. Our high-burst options are lackluster.

    While a Shakush HMG, linked Ghulam HMG, or even a (very expensive) linked Govad HMG will sometimes do the job, more often we need to find other ways to deal with snipers. Assassinate them with Fidays, maneuver an Asawira into Spitfire range, or just block them with Smoke. Consequently, we spend more orders on countering snipers than most factions do. Snipers with MSV are a particular weakness since they can see through our smoke.

    Defensive hacking
    Although we’re very strong at offensive hacking, we have a subpar reactive hacking game, especially if playing second. Our repeater network relies on Pitchers, and can’t be deployed before the opponent’s first turn. Our hackers also all have low BTS and won’t last long against an enemy attack.

    Use your hackers for offense, but use other tools to protect yourself in the reactive turn.

    Standout units
    These are the units that define the sectorial’s strengths. Some are exceptional value for their points; others bring unique abilities. If you’re deciding which faction to play, these are the units that might make you choose the Hassassins.

    Daylami
    The humble Daylami is the backbone of the sectorial. In a faction loaded with offensive tools, the Daylami provide the defense. For 8 points, you get a camo marker that can deploy anywhere in your half of the table, biding its time, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash a deadly Panzerfaust ARO. Don’t reveal them too soon! The lingering threat of a couple of Daylamis can keep your opponent pinned down for the better part of the game.

    Don’t underestimate the shotgun, either. At 8 points, Daylamis are prime candidates for midfield trading. Think of them as a Liberto with extra forward deployment. At both long and short range, they punch way above their weight.

    You’ll rarely see a Hassassin list without a Daylami or two.

    Asawira
    For their points, Asawira are extraordinary. In a gunfight, they’re on par with some of the game’s strongest HI. They’re also CC experts, they’re fast, and they’re champions at Dodge. Stealth and BTS 9 provide solid protection from hacking. And if all else fails, they Regenerate on 14s. Basically they’re good at everything but don’t pay the points for it. While not quite an auto-include, you’ll rarely see a Hassassin list without at least one.

    The AP Spitfire profile is the obvious choice, offering very high lethality at up to 24”. He’s a perfectly good solo piece, but really shines in a fireteam. In a Core link, in addition to being an active-turn mass murderer, he’s also a solid ARO piece. Just be careful to position him so that your opponent can’t shoot at him from outside 24”.

    The Doctor(+3) profiles are also excellent, either in a fireteam or as a solo piece with attached Nasmats. In either case, they’re solid attackers and defenders who can also push buttons and heal your other troops.

    Barid
    Linkable pitchers are a faction-defining asset. A fully linked Barid can put repeaters up to 16” away with 99% accuracy, and up to 24” with 84% accuracy. Even out to 40”, they’re 70% accurate. Paired with a guided missile bot, a linked Barid hacker is a surprisingly dangerous attack piece.

    Even more impressive is the Barid killer hacker, an absolute steal at 15 points. Compared the similar Cyberghost, the Barid has linkability, an excellent Trinity upgrade, and better BS… and is 3 points cheaper!

    Ghulam NCO
    Linkable smoke that stays pretty accurate out to 48”? Yes, please! Very close to an auto-include, it’s hard to imagine not spending 15 points to include her in a link. Sometimes you just want a smoke template somewhere, and with Hassassins, you can always have one. Thanks to NCO, you don’t even have to spend an order to get it.

    Yara Hadad
    For 28 points, Yara brings a lot to a fireteam. The ultra-rare Strategic Deployment skill gives her entire fireteam Forward Deployment, which greatly improves your deployment options. MSV2 is welcome, especially in a fireteam that can bring its own smoke. And with an AP Marksman rifle and a +1B heavy pistol, she’s lethal at short and medium range.

    If your list is skirmisher-focused, it's actually possible to deploy nearly the entire list outside your deployment zone if you want to. Well worth considering in zone control missions.

    Yara’s main downside is that her combat role overlaps significantly with the Asawira AP Spitfire. They both want to be in your core link, but both in one link may not be the most efficient use of your points.

    Fiday
    Nothing says Hassassins like the Fiday. She’s not the only unit that deploys on the enemy’s table side: Speculos, Kiutan, Greif Operators, Onibawan, Bran de Castro, Uxia McNeill, and Andromeda all share that honour. But of all of them, the Fiday is perhaps the best combination of cheap, versatile, and reliable. She’s got a shotgun, CC expertise, mines, smoke, and a double marker state all for 27 points.

    If the Fiday isn't deadly enough for you, Al Djabel offers a premium experience with better BS, better PHYS, much better CC damage, and Continuous Damage guns that terrify his opponents. Whether he's worth the extra points is a matter of ongoing debate amongst Hassassins players, but he's an option well worth considering.

    Other good units
    While not as iconic or essential as the above units, these guys are great additions to a Hassassins list and see a lot of table time.

    Nadhir
    A hidden Panzerfaust or Flammenspear ARO can really ruin your opponent’s day. And if the Nadhir survives the encounter, she then becomes a surprise specialist to push a button your opponent didn’t expect.

    Ghulam Doctor
    Want a healer in your link team? Other factions are stuck with paramedics, who seem to kill their patients as often as they heal them. Hassassin links can bring a Doctor(+3), who’s virtually guaranteed to heal her patients thanks to Cube rerolls.

    Muttawi’ah
    Compared to your typical warband, the Mutt gives up CC ability but gains a jammer or e/marat, both of which are very useful weapons. That said, her most important kit are the smoke grenades and the boarding shotgun. Cheap and effective.

    Leila Sharif
    An interesting unit who’s a jack of all trades but master of none. She has a decent gun, a decent hacking device, decent mines, and d-charges. But she isn’t a good gunfighter, a good hacker, a minelayer, or a CC specialist. She’s also decently cheap, though I find she never quite lives up to her potential as a toolbox unit.

    Muyib
    The Muyib is the ultimate wildcard. They come with quite a few profiles that bring some useful capabilities to a fireteam for a fairly reasonable cost. Any Muyib will boost your fireteam’s durability with Number 2, Dogged, BTS 3, and Bioimmunity. The most interesting profile is the Heavy Rocket Launcher. Don’t use him as a primary ARO – he’ll die too quickly – but he’s nice for defending a secondary firelane. More importantly, he donates an extra order to your fireteam with Tactical Awareness.

    Honourable mentions go to the Spitfire profile (which also comes with Tactical Awareness) and the two Minelayers. Viral and E/M mines are both great. Add Yara to the team and those mines can deploy an extra 4” forward.

    The Muyibs also have other decent profiles like the smoke launcher and the Doctor(+3), although these tend to be eclipsed by cheaper Ghulams with similar kit.

    Ragik
    The Ragik is a middle-of-the-road drop troop. Dogged is very nice on him, the Spitfire is a great weapon, but he’s appropriately costed for what he does – that is, fairly expensive. He’s good for hunting targets in the enemy DZ, but is somewhat eclipsed by the Fiday in that role.

    At WIP 15, the Hacker is also an interesting option. In addition to being a versatile attack piece, he can also do a surprising number of classified objectives.

    Shakush
    The Shakush doesn’t look like much, but don’t underestimate a cheap TAG with an HMG. Your opponent will kill her, but you can make them spend a lot of orders to do it, and in the meantime the rest of your list is busy doing the mission.

    To get the full value of her points, be sure to put her on ARO duty in the reactive turn. Once your opponent has spent the orders to move an HMG into position to kill her, Guts her back into total cover.

    The AP Spitfire profile is also of interest. Although largely eclipsed by the Asawira AP Spitfire, the Shakush does have Tactical Awareness, increased durability, a specialist pilot, and no Frenzy. Asawiras are usually found in fireteams, but if you're considering fielding one solo, give a thought to the Shakush as an alternative.

    Rafiq
    Like every other faction’s sensor bot, but slightly cheaper and packing a shotgun. A sensor bot isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s still nice that we have the best sensor bot.

    Farzan
    The Farzan has what every skirmisher wants: a shotgun. The perfect unit for getting in close and doing some damage, and at a very reasonable price point.

    Of particular note is the Farzan CoC – a unique unit that does a great job protecting the sectorial’s generally quite vulnerable lieutenants.

    Also of note is the Farzan Minelayer, one of the very few Minelaying Skirmishers in the game that doesn't cost any SWC.

    Farzans are AVA 3, and bringing a full complement of them is not at all unreasonable.

    Weaker units
    These units aren't by any means useless, but they're expensive for what they do. You'll sometimes take them anyway, but you won't be happy about how many the points you have to spend to do it.

    Avicenna
    This expensive Doctor(+3) might be worth considering if we didn’t have the Ghulam Doctor(+3) for far cheaper. As a solo unit, it's hard to see how she could be worth her points. You might consider adding her to a fireteam as a more resilient alternative to the Ghulam, although her Flash Pulse doesn't benefit from link team bonuses.

    Govad
    Like many factions’ Medium Infantry, the Govads have some useful kit, but are just too expensive for what they do. Some of the profiles would be interesting in a fireteam, but then you’re paying for five times as many overpriced Govads. That said, they’re the best long-range weapons platforms in the sectorial if you’re willing to pay for them.

    Lasiq
    The Lasiq suffers from the same Medium Infantry problem as the Govad. Viral weapons are nice, especially if you expect to face a lot of Ariadna, but the cost is prohibitive. The Sniper has some ARO potential in a link, but it will be an expensive link.

    Yasbir
    Another toolbox unit with some interesting kit, but just too expensive for what he does.

    Ayyar
    A heavy infantry combat specialist who wants to fight his way to an objective, take it, and hold it. Holoprojector helps by clearing any mines that might be in the way. Unfortunately, the holoprojector is the only thing the Ayyar has going for him. He’s a weak gunfighter who costs too many points. If you want a tough combat specialist, the Asawira Doctor is cheaper and better.

    Shujae
    The Shujae is a nice toolbox unit, but its various skills and equipment don't synergize well. It suffers from being a Forward Deploying unit without a marker state. For the role, most Hassassins players prefer the Nadhir at a similar price point.

    Tactics
    Here is an incomplete list of some of the tactics you might commonly find yourself using which the Hassassins.

    Pitcher hacking
    An unlinked Barid lands a repeater 16” away 75% of the time. That’s not terrible, but the same Barid in a core link lands the repeater 90% of the time. If you can spare them, fire both repeaters in a single order for 99% odds to land at least one of them.

    Would you like the repeater to be further away? In the 16”-24” range, firing two burst on 12s is still 84% likely to land at least one. Even shooting on 9s up to 40” away, your odds of landing one are 70%. You can also use Yara’s Strategic Deployment skill to deploy the Barids closer to where you want the repeater.

    Use pitchers to attack hackable targets, especially enemy hackers using the Barid KHD. Against a hacker, if you have two Barids in your link team, be sure to cancel the link before you start hacking. Otherwise the target can choose an unopposed hacking ARO against one of your Barids. Once the target is down, you can reform the link with a command token.

    You can also Spotlight targets and drop guided missiles on them. Spotlight is order-intensive, so save this tactic for important targets, or targets clustered within template range of each other.

    The Shotgun fork
    Shotguns are great in the active turn, because they force the opponent to make a bad choice. Move your shotgun unit into range of an enemy trooper. If the trooper declares Dodge, shoot them in hit mode for a very good chance of winning the f2f. If they shoot, you can trade pieces by shooting them in template mode, maybe also catching other targets in the template.

    The fork doesn’t work if the attacking piece is in a marker state, because the target can Delay its ARO. Before coming around the corner to attack your target, consider first spending an order to deploy a mine. You get out of marker state so that you can fork on your next order, and a mine on the table is never a bad thing.

    Alternatively, if you already have LoF on your target, simply declare Discover as your first short skill. The Discover doesn’t accomplish anything concrete (unless the target turns out to be in the Holomask state), but it reveals the attacker so that the target can’t Delay.

    Fiday assassination
    Whole articles could be written about the uses of Fidays. One common use is to remove key enemy models. If you can identify the opponent’s lieutenant, removing it can put them into Loss of Lieutenant for a turn. You can also go after their other important pieces such as their attack pieces.

    But maybe the most common target for Fidays is the opponent’s snipers. Bahram lacks other tools to deal with snipers, so a Fiday is often crucial. If the sniper is in a link, you can also kill one or more of the other link members to reduce the sniper’s bonuses before you fight it.

    Fiday template protection
    Impersonation markers count as friendlies for both sides, so they cancel any template attacks that touch them. Anyone standing next to your Fiday is immune to guided missiles.

    Sneaky Asawiras
    Asawiras have Stealth, so they can sneak up on targets without triggering repositioning Dodges. They can also move safely through hacking networks as long as none of your opponent’s hackers has Sixth Sense.

    They are also very good at advancing past enemy AROs using Cautious Movement - six inches can cover a pretty wide gap. Plus, thanks to their Stealth, the Cautious Movement can be done even if there are troopers in the Asawira’s ZoC.

    In a pinch, you can also get an extra 2” of movement by Dodging with an Asawira’s second short skill, since they have a 4” Dodge distance.

    Dodge can also be used to move the Asawira into LoF of an enemy without provoking an ARO. Useful if you want to attack them with Berserk.

    Asawiras want to get in close, and their kit makes them very good at it.

    Smoke
    It’s easy to get caught up in killing and forget the mission. Don’t! Rather than fighting an enemy trooper, it’s sometimes more efficient to just block it with smoke and ignore it.

    Layered defense
    Fidays like to be deployed as close to the enemy DZ as possible. But the closer they are, the easier it is for an enemy trooper to Discover them out of cover within 8”. Deploying Fidays, especially if playing second, is a balance between being close enough to be effective, but far enough away to be hard to root out.

    You can make the Fiday a lot harder to root out by covering her with a Daylami. Deploy the Daylami to guard all the points where an enemy trooper would see the Fiday from within 8”. Now your opponent has to either Discover from further away with lower odds, or deal with the Daylami first.

    Heavy fireteam
    Asawiras are a very durable unit, and up to 4 of them in a fireteam can occupy the midfield and dare the opponent to remove them. Muyibs are also surprisingly tough thanks to Bioimmunity, Dogged, and Number 2. Watch out for templates!

    Midfield spam
    In addition to our excellent skirmishers, Daylamis, and Nadhir, an entire core link can be deployed outside our DZ using Strategic Deployment. If you want, you can start the game with almost your entire force deployed in the midfield.

     
  15. Urobros

    Urobros Well-Known Member

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    A excellent work! Thanks for all the efort @QueensGambit. Sorry about the "army list" question, I totally forget about that request. A thing I left for "later" and later become "never". My apologies. If you are still willlingly to do it I could share some, but probably it is something that will come when the post will be ready 100% and all of us beginn to "talk" and "share".
     
  16. Brokenwolf

    Brokenwolf Well-Known Member

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    Thanks again @QueensGambit. Hopefully you can use this for the Intro:

    "Welcome the most important Brotherhood of the Human Sphere, the Hassassin Society. Founded by Abdulahmed Rashad, its one purpose is to protect the Search for Knowledge using whatever means possible. This pursuit of individual and collective enlightenment is the highest endeavor for humanity and is the most fragile. Hassassin Bahram, a military intelligence branch of the Haqqislamite armed forces, shall use all and every tool to protect it. Including fear, terror, and swift death. We are faceless, legion, and exist everywhere. We have specialists in all forms of murder and kill discretely or spectacularly without remorse. We answer only to the dictates of the Old Man of the Mountain, who has our undying loyalty. For we know the Truth: We are the guardians of humanity and nothing must impede the Search for Knowledge."
     
    Urobros, Dhar, Errhile and 3 others like this.
  17. QueensGambit

    QueensGambit Chickenbot herder

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    Final version is up. Thank you everyone!
     
  18. Saitan247

    Saitan247 Well-Known Member

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    Great very helpful for a new Fiday joining HB
     
    Urobros and Brokenwolf like this.
  19. Urobros

    Urobros Well-Known Member

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    Welcome? :D
     
  20. Saitan247

    Saitan247 Well-Known Member

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    Hopefully :)
     
    Urobros likes this.
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