Hello fellow schemers, I've been pondering the role our new diggers play for Spiral, and after a couple of outings, I think they might be a significant addition to the roster. We're missing tough pieces to trade at short range, and CC threats outside the Igao, so 14pt pseudo-2-wound bruisers have the potential to mix up Spiral Corps way more than they might the other factions who've been granted access to them. There's also the issue that, well, SC are a little low on the power scale in N4, and are very starved for certain unit archetypes, so they might mean a lot more than they would elsewhere. 2 diggers, 2 lrl helots and a diplomat makes a cheap 51pt/1swc defensive second group for us, bringing two regulars and two impetuous orders, two booty rolls, and a lot of point defence and opportunities for trading up. What do you say? Will they see table time in your games?
The Diggers are blatantly undercosted and arguably overpowered, not in the sense that they destroy everything but in the sense that they come with too much for a waaaaay too little cost. Honestly, all armies that have access to Diggers should start their list by including 1-2 of them immediately.
Sure, I agree. But a lot of factions have a lot of great options already loaded. Spiral definitely have space for some tasty 14pt 0swc heavies in a lot of lists...
I dislike them alot. Because they are too strong. Any army that has access to it has to bring 2 of it immediately and they are out of balance for this game.
I think what makes them such a welcome addition to Spiral is because they fill the roll of an inexpensive war band unit which was previously lacking. I think this would also be true for Druze. Most other factions have a unit which already fills this roll well enough and cheap enough, or has some extra utility such as smoke, which make the digger less of an auto take for them.
I guess I'm the odd man out here. While I agree that they're a fantastic addition to the Druze Bayram, I really don't think they add that much to Spiral. I think the 10pt linkable Chaksa is a better cheap corner guard with his heavy flamer than the Digger is with his chainrifle or light shotgun. The Igao and Symbiobeasts make for better melee fighters and almost anything with Symbio armor makes for a better gunfighter. While most of these options cost more points to bring to the table individually they generally form the core of almost any well rounded Spiral force. I feel that Spiral's two main weaknesses are that they have very limited access to powerful firepower outside of the 24" range band, and that they are reliant on "specialist operative" profiles which make accomplishing the range of classified objectives challenging. I don't believe the Digger addresses either of these weaknesses. Contrast that and Druze Bayram loves a 14-point cheap corner guard to keep their expensive core and haris link teams safe. A 2-wound chainrifle in Druze that's more than decent in melee addresses their main weaknesses almost perfectly.
I think it's worth noting that Diggers also profit from being assignable, and can therefore be given mates and bombs, and that this assignation occurs after their booty role. While you don't generally waste a bomb or mate on something like a digger, there could be some corner cases worth considering - eg a bomb on an 8-4 roll, a mate on a panzerfaust/msr roll, etc.
I played in a tournament yesterday with Spiral, and the Diggers performed pretty well for me, as a source of secondary pressure and to repel skirmishers. But they also got headshot rather alot due to impetous. I do think they look more imba on paper than they play in person (unless and until you get that golden booty roll). Two Diggers are certainly not as impactful, for example, as a pair of LRL Helots. But I do think they help Spiral a lot in terms of providing some warband counterpunch.
They are not really filling the roll of a corner guard in Spiral. They are giving you a cheap impetuous warband, but I am also a sucker for impetuous warbands and regularly take at least one Krakot in my Tohaa lists. The closest comparable unit for what they offer is the Surda, but the cheapest Surda is 10 points more expensive. They are also better at trading in CC than a Surda in most cases because they can just run into a combat and double chain colt, and are more likely to survive if they are hit back. I wouldn't make any plans around their booty skill, but sometimes it can give you some fun tactical options.
Well now that these guys fireteam with and count as Brawlers, there some new life in them. Namely, a Brawler/Digger Core with a Taagma Sniper might actually be a decent option now.
They don't count as brawlers unfortunately, but they're decent filler in an anaconda haris with a tricore taagma!
I am looking at both the android army app, and the desktop version and the Digger has (Brawler). May not have been there at the beginning.
Oh! Looks like they changed it! Well that's gonna pretty much cement a Brawler Core as a standard tactic then. BS15 Taagma Sniper w/ Doctor Support, 2 Diggers to push up, and 1 slot for another Brawler of your choice.
