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Fireteam Core Options In NCA

Discussion in 'PanOceania' started by AdmiralJCJF, Feb 13, 2018.

  1. AdmiralJCJF

    AdmiralJCJF Heart of the Hyperpower

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    Fusiliers:

    [​IMG] Neoterran Capitaline Army

    ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

    [​IMG] FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)

    [​IMG] FUSILIER HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 18)

    [​IMG] FUSILIER Combi Rifle + Light Grenade Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 14)

    [​IMG] FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15)

    [​IMG] FUSILIER MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 18)

    [​IMG] FUSILIER Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 18)

    [​IMG] FUSILIER (Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)

    [​IMG] FUSILIER Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)

    [​IMG] FUSILIER Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)

    [​IMG] BIPANDRA Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 24)

    [​IMG]

    Cheap, with stats suited to long range engagement and all the options to back that up (and little else clogging up your choices) Fusiliers are one of the ideal defensive Fireteams. On top of that they offer little incentive to actively engage as a Specialist unit, making building your link that much more straightforward.

    One of the beauties of the Fusilier Fireteam is their access to a full array of the longer range SWC weapon options. With HMGs for the active turn (and at the low SWC of only 1), Missile Launchers for the reactive and Multi-Snipers as a great compromise between the two, you have every long range option covered. In close things aren’t so great, with only Bipandra offering a Light Shotgun… but at least your basic weapon is a Combi Rifle so enemies with 8” don’t have too much bonus advantage. While the Light Grenade Launcher looks tempting here (it’s cheap and the BS15 of the 5 man link seems tempting for the price) it is something of a trap for most Fusilier Fireteams. Alone amongst the options available this weapon encourages you to move in close, so if you ARE building a mobile specialist group then this can be a great option (and pie pan ARO fire is always a laugh when your opponent doesn’t see it coming) but that doesn’t really work to the true strengths of the team.

    Well, we have the whole crew here. Hacker? Check. Forward Observer? Check. Paramedic? Check. Nothing too fancy, but you can cover all but the Engineering Classified Missions out of your Fusilier pool alone. The big downside to all this is WP 12, which isn’t getting any kind of bonus from the Fireteam either. So while you CAN build a specialist team (all three + HMG and either Bipandra or a LGL makes for a good package) and move out to do mission work, it’s probably not your best plan (and these aren’t your best options). On the other hand they make a GREAT cheap backup, or deployment zone supplement for your otherwise forward deploying specialists who will push up while the Fusiliers take care of whatever was close to your base line. Don’t forget about Sixth Sense, especially with your Hacker, as the ability to delay that ARO is even more important here (as is the ability to ignore Stealth).

    To be honest the biggest selling point of the Fusilier Fireteam is that they are dirt cheap, largely because they don’t have any “special features” bloating out their cost. The drawcard here is BS12, a stat some factions (looking at you Tohaa) would murder for even on their better units, let alone their line infantry. The Deployable Repeater on your Forward Observer is a nice touch and Bipandra lets you put a regular Doctor into your link, but fancy gimmicks is not what you came here for.

    When it comes to getting good mileage out of cheerleaders it’s hard to go past the Fusilier Fireteam. The bonuses feed directly into their existing strengths (firepower and accuracy) creating a dangerous tool which your opponent cannot simply dismiss as a threat at a very low cost. There is good reason for the Fusilier Fireteam to be commonly ranked amongst the best in the game and this unit alone is a good argument in favour of playing NCA as a sectorial.


    NeoTerra Bolts:

    [​IMG] Neoterran Capitaline Army

    ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

    [​IMG] BOLT Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 22)

    [​IMG] BOLT Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun, Drop Bears / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25)

    [​IMG] BOLT Boarding Shotgun, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 19)

    [​IMG] BOLT MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 26)

    [​IMG] BOLT Missile Launcher, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 27)

    [​IMG] BOLT Spitfire / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 24)

    [​IMG] BOLT Hacker (Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 27)

    [​IMG] BOLT Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 24)

    [​IMG] BOLT Lieutenant Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 22)

    [​IMG]

    Boasting a good statline, let down in one key area, and an interesting package of weapons and skills the NeoTerra Bolts sit in an interesting but difficult design space as a Fireteam Core. They have a lot of potential in the right situation, where their advantages are leveraged effectively, but suffer in comparison to far less expensive options or ones better synergised within their capabilities.

    The Bolts have a weapon system for every possible engagement range. What some read as a schizophrenic array of options, others will see as a tool for every combat situation. Missile Launcher and Multi-Sniper give good long range punch, with the Spitfire covering the mid ground and giving good advancing fire, but Light Shotguns and Boarding Shotgun options also supply punch in close, allowing a fully spread Fireteam to be dangerous in every rangeband. This can allow the team to be adapted to nearly any combat role, from long range fire support through to close engagements where their access to E/M Grenades (one of the best anti-rambo ARO tools in the game) and Drop Bears (a fantastic area denial and offensive multiplier) make them particularly deadly. Given that there will always be a lot of close range firepower coming along for the ride (given that the basic and cheapest options sport shotguns) it can be tempting to build purely for such a role (and a Fireteam with the Spitfire as the longest range weapon can be a great option) but they can also play the role of all-comer base defence, with the long range reach to hold down a fire lane but also the close in punch to deter enemy infiltrators, impersonators and air deployed units.

    With a regular Hacking Device and a Paramedic as the only Specialist options and the same WP 12 issue as Fusiliers the Bolts might seem at first glance to be a weak choice as an objective grabbing unit. To dismiss this potential would be a mistake however, as what they might lack in one-push potential they can more than make up in close-quarter-battle potential and area denial capability. This is a Fireteam which can fight their way onto an objective and then hold it with strength, something many similar units cannot promise. The added edge of a regular Hacking Device (rather than the AHD which is more common on similar units) and BTS 6 further encourages this option (and the fact that it’s built off the cheaper Boarding Shotgun option with E/M Grenades helps here too).

    Unfortunately it is when we consider their unique features that the Bolts Fireteam run into issues. Their movement disadvantage has no multiterrain capacity to help mitigate it and particularly hurts on a unit which is so well equipped for CQB. These are troops who you want moving up the table, and while there will often be potential for them to shoot, drop mines or otherwise make use of the second short skill of an order it does hurt that they can’t just keep moving up at a good pace when they need to. This is further compounded by the highly situational Bioimmunity and Veteran Lvl 1 abilities. Bioimmunity is a great skill, but one which is totally dependent on what your opponent is running for its utility. The issue with Veteran is similar, it is a skill which kicks in most often in situations which you will be striving to avoid, so will produce a waste in any game where you do your job well. Both abilities further escalate the already borderline affordability of the Bolts, especially across an entire Fireteam.

    When their special abilities are leveraged to their maximum (Bioimmunity against Tohaa, Haqqislam or French Ariadna and Veteran in lists with aggressive Lts like Devas, Aquila or Squalos) they can be fantastic. And they certainly have a lot of potential as a CQB unit which pushes up aggressively into the mid-field. Both of these roles are somewhat mission and opponent sensitive however, and it is hard to recommend them as an all-comers Fireteam. They are, however, a great option to have up your sleeve for the right circumstances (when you run the right Lt against the right opponent in the right mission) because then they can be amazing.

    And, goddamn, but they look pretty on the table!
     
    #1 AdmiralJCJF, Feb 13, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2018
    coma, Andergdet, Cthulhu363 and 6 others like this.
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