Been very quiet here so I am going to speculate a bit. Traditionally only Characters get smoke in JSA. If that where to continue and we assume that Shurayuki will get smoke then both Shindenbutai and Vanilla JSA will each only have 2 sources of smoke compared to the 4 in Oban. Shurayuki + Yojimbo in Shinden and Shurayuki + Saito in Vanilla. Shinden might get away with that since they get Yojimbo but it really feels like Vanilla is going to suffer a lot. The above assumption that Shurayuki will get Smoke brings me to the second part. What the hell is Shurayuki supposed to be? The reference of her name as well as the lore part about her in the book makes it look like she is going to be another melee specialist. My initial guess was Impersonator to make her a different take on Shinobu but turns out she is a Fireteam Wildcard which makes absolutely no sense to me. Is she going to be a sniper? Not withstanding the potential smoke issue in Vanilla I do feel it's going to be better to play Shindenbutai in Vanilla. The Shinden links just doesn't look very interesting, mainly because of the Jizaumari. The Jizamurai is your link glue that you are going to take multiples of but the unit just isn't very good. Like it's not a unit you would ever take if it wasn't needed for your links. This could change if Tanuki Team turns out to be the best thing since sliced bread since it's the only Shinden exclusive unit and a Tanuki Haris looks like it could be interesting pending the profile. Say perhaps a Tanuki Engineer (assuming there is one) + Rui Shi + Shurayuki with smoke could be an interesting combo.
Yamabushi is Bath Salts Beast Hunter. It drops HFT and Surprise Attack and mines but gets speed, better CC and is regular. If it dodges it's full order move is ten inches! It's also cheap enough to ARO with panzerfaust and absorb a few orders
It's hard to see what a jizamurai offers compared to a tanko, in that "medium infantry 1v" hole. From one of the earlier videos, we can identify the roof monkey ninja and line infantry, so hoodie guy is the Tanuki as Bostria was making the Resident Evil joke about the picture. Light or Medium gear, Yu Jing shotgun, is that a Hacker visor?
I hope Tanukis have an engineer slot, because haris with Tanuki, Ruishi and Karakuri could be great. PS: i was also expecting Shurayuki to be an impersonator and not a wildcard character
Shurayuki is "definitely-no-Lady-Snowblood", isn't she? I'm expecting some sort of assassin, certainly, either Infiltration/HD or IMP. IMP would be in character and would add something new to JSA; We don't lack for HD Infiltrators.
But how is that supposed to interact with her being in a fireteam? It doesn't even specify FTO in the fireteams chart. Will she get Holomask or something?
Yeah, it's a mystery. Can't wait to see the new armies on the 18th! Holomask + FTO could be Taowu-like fun, but JSA has so many CC specialists that a surprise CC monster is not that impactful. A model with both markerstate and a fireteam option would add a bit of deploy-time flexibility, and would allow forming a fireteam during the game. But is this the time we see than rules combination? Maybe it's a Beasthunter-like profile? That would let the new JSA Beasthunter model be actually usable in Shindenbutai.
Yes, but it is not in Shindenbutai, as far as I can see - which is strange, they're the sectorial on the planet with deadly megabeasts...
Kyojin Killers are the Attack on Titan inspired unit with mobility jetpacks, so they'll be different from the efficient camo melee beasthunter. AoT had thunder spear weapons as an alternative to their blades, so it's possible Kyojin Killers have a mid range shooting option with thunderbolts. I hope the Shurayukihime has a cool umbrella. https://postmodernpelican.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/lady-snowblood_06p1.jpg?w=943
Viral minelayer and Infiltration. With a PH of 13, no camo, and Hidden Deployment, it might be worth chucking it across the mid line. I hope all ninjas get Bangbombs. I am also liking more of the no-camo hidden deployment models. It allows you to do some interesting things. Edit: I wonder when we will get more information on unit AVA numbers in Shindenbutai?
Ooooooooh, I like that one! Interesting profile. BS11 with LSG or SMG is quite lethargic but he is cheap and bring an interesting package of equipment and skills. Happy to see a japanese profile that is a bit less "bland" than some of the stuff we saw before. P.S: and yes, please, bangbomb on all ninjas by default!
I forgive his lack of camo for its minelayering and hidden deployment, allowing him into my oops-all-ninja lists x)
I'll give him a chance.. The Viral mines are pretty good (we assume) but that poor guy won't take much to remove from the table. ARM0 and Mim -3 means you have to be pretty cautious with him, and he can't even re-camo to hide. Dump some mines, go into suppression, and see what happens. Half decent speed bump.
Most N4 ninjas are PH12 mim-6, so PH13 +4 bangbomb dodge plus mim-3 is better when not firing back. No camo state but super jump is nifty. Deploying a mine from hidden deployment means they lose surprise attack to shoot a guy right? Maybe 22pts is cheap enough to risk an infiltration roll.
That is a hard hitting profile. Similar to the Daiyokai. And you could link them with the Hatamoto. That's a team that would rock in CC. Also, SK? That might not be right. That is not what I would consider a skirmisher.
