Hunting Party specific, but the ADHL profile gets a second ADHL. ADing on V2 ADHLs is just rude. (Although, to be fair. Carlotta walking on in T3 with a BS13 ADHL, the ability to push buttons and unglue your Lt / Specialists is perhaps the rudest interaction going).
I am not particularly good with AD, so HMG is my favorite Hellcat. He is most likely to walk in and engage troops where he is the only one in optimal range and therefore has the greatest chance of surviving the turn. The E/Mauler is just gravy. I also like a good BSG, but outside of some link team conga line dream template scenario, they don't tend to last very long or take very much with them.
I mean that's the main use, as well as getting armor out of cover to use AP. any 2 guys within 8" of each other can be double hit if you can line up (AD helps). It comes up a lot it can just be hard to see.
I look forward to the loricus AD masterclass guide. My AD game could use some work. I was super stoked to get my Beyond Icestorm Hellcat spitfire, but I gave up on him after he died without killing anyone three games in a row.
Here's sort of a miniguide I just posted in Yu Jing talking about using 3 but I still need more games. I'm concentrating on Wildcats and Geckos right now so I haven't been able to polish it.
Great stuff! Raoul seems like he could cover both the role of BSG (obviously), and the AHD with his EM2 CCW / drop bears for incapacitating heavier units / area denial. The few games I have had with him, he has had a huge impact, and very flexible. P.S. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Wildcats and Geckos.
Thanks! I talk a lot about Wildcats/Geckos in the Nomads forum especially in the Corregidor Tactica but I haven't condensed anything. edit: Spector has a ton of reasons to drop over a different AD but the BSG Hellcat uses the AD3 a lot and it is harder to justify the risk on Spector. Overall he adds a lot to the concept of having a keyring of AD that you get to apply where/whenever you need because of CC and DBears. NWI/Mimetism might help you pull off attacks you otherwise wouldn't, possibly even dropping in front of weak AROs. Although a lot of times it will probably amount to taking an extra order to kill once he is reactive. If only he could take over the Hellcat Spitfire instead of BSG.
I simply can't make hellcat's work but I figured the overwhelming enthusiasm for them in this thread means it must be worth further try! Game 1 - Nomads versus Assassins in Annihilation I bring 2 - one with BSG and one with HMG. BSG goes first and walks on the board edge out of LOS of everything. He flanks an Aswira + Muyib Haris and puts one wound on a Muyib. The Muyib goes dogged then turns to face with light shotgun. I really, really need him gone to sneak a bandit past them in a later order so I activate the BSG once more. 2 dice to 1 isn't great odds but I have cover and he doesn't. The Hellcat then loses the F2F and drops... I then walk on the HMG in a similar spot, also out of LOS. I don't engage the Haris as it's a poor range band but instead walk him the other direction to engage a Muyib core. There's a panzerfaust out of cover. 4 shots against 2, both in good range band but I have cover. He has the link team bonus but this is the weakest model to kill first. It's pretty tricky engaging a link team where everyone has HRLs or panzerfausts plus rifles/shotguns for close range defense. I figured this was my best chance but you can guess where this is going. The Hellcat explodes! Game 2 - Starco verus ISS in Supremacy I bring just the HMG. There is a wonderful opportunity for an out of LOS, good-range-band and out-of-cover shot on a 1-wound Su-Jian who's been giving me grief all game. If I can kill the Su-Jian, I can then move on to enfilade a core of Celestial Guard who are perfectly positioned for murder! I'm almost salivating, it's rare to get a shot this juicy. All I need to do is walk on at a spot where I have to take an unopposed pistol from a Kuang-shi at 24" then it's hunting season! Alas, the pistol drops him unconscious... I can forgive the BSG because he's cheap but I think the HMG is cut from all future lists. I just expect more from such an expensive attack piece.
@SuperD First situation was 61%/13% Second was 54%/27% Final was 14% to take the wound. I'm curious which attack piece for under 40 points can survive that luck.
The point I'm coming to is that my opinion, Infinity is so drastically different to 40K, warmachine or Malifaux. In this game your orders are so limited and the consequences of failure so punishing, you really should only spent them on either premiere attack pieces that have the best odds for success or spend them on button pushers that are getting objectives and blocking/utility moves like laying a mine. To be honest, I'm not a great player - I'm still figuring it out, I certainly won't pretend to be an expert here! A hellcat is not an ARO piece and typically is not a button pusher. If he's an attack piece, I find he needs BOTH good range band and an opponent out of cover to make odds acceptable. In my examples, above only one of the two applied - the third with the Kuang-shi was an outlier and was just funny! On a typical board covered with potential AROs how often do you have that? It's usually pretty easy to flank for the cover, but the BSG profile will often still have to contend with combis/rifles that are still in a good range band. The HMG is more of a mixed bag - as you often need to clear a "hole" for him for cross-board shots. Contrast that with Spector or Brawler sniper in smoke in Starco for example. All those attack pieces (while more expensive) are so much more reliable at getting a bonus of 6 (or more) and don't have to fight as hard for both range bands or cover. Why not simply funnel your orders through pieces like that or pieces like MB or Jaguars who can take a hit? I'll probably take the Hellcat AHD because he can double as a button pusher and hacking is a totally different attack vector against big nasties but when points are tight, I don't see myself buying a BSG/HMG Hellcat AND Spector in the same list. In summary, Tiger soldiers/Spector are cool with the mimetism. Hellcats not as much :) Again, solely my opinion based on now 12-15 games with them! My hellcats have racked up an impressive ratio of very few kills contrasted to many deaths at the hands of pistols and combi rifles, often wielded by the weakest of troops! On the other hand, Spector has obliterated everything in his path.
The reason I still like Hellcat over Spector is because the combat difference (in previous scenario) is 61/13 to 71/8 but they're both easy to kill after their turn is over. Basically, my perspective is "Why spend so many points on attack pieces when they just die anyways? I can spend that on utility or orders."
I just can't stand it when I'm pulling my guys off to ARO, it has to be the most annoying feeling in the world! Not only did you lose a trooper while your opponent did not, but you paid an order (and probably more than one) for the privilege. If my guys must die, I'm so much happier if the other guy is spending the orders to do it!
Right, but 10 points for it to happen like 8% less seems steep to me. Edit: not that he's not worth it, bears and NWI are great. Just that it's not auto.
Spector can do anti-tank jobs with NBW + EMCCW. You're looking at a Hellcat AHD for that. Which means that you lose the templates from the Hellcat BSG. I think he's a tool box, whereas the Hellcats are specialists. Also the ability to walk on or jump into an ARO and know that it won't stop you is huge.
DropSpector is amazing... but at close range. The advantage of the Hellcat is supremely strong lateral ranged firepower due to the Spitfire and HMG, and also the E/Maulers. A Hellcat HMG with Spector is a devastating combination, and in a Sectoral that can spam very effective and cheap troops, perfectly doable.
