Entertaining, but not really ITS-optimal, I feel. Though the last time I ran Geckos I didn't get to use the pilots. The best way to picture Geckos seems to be as S5 heavy infantry, but with 'Holoprojector L:TAG' on them. They draw positively obscene amounts of firepower for their points costs. But they can only dish out firepower like an HI, so as long as you keep 'they're only big, tough HI' in mind, you shouldn't stick them too far out. They make excellent Distraction Carnifexes. I know one of those profiles says "2x Combi Rifles" but you should treat it as a shorter-ranged Spitfire (B4 DAM14!). The Mk12 is basically a DAM16 Marksman Rifle.
@Section9 yeah I really love the feel of Fatality on them once you get in game, especially with the Blitzen/Panzerfaust. And that 16 DAM Suppression from the MK12 is scary. If only the Chain Colt or Assault Pistols got it! One of the problems with the Gecko is that it doesn't have any unique offensive capability. There's never a prompt to use it because there's inoften* a situation that calls for it over something else. So you need to think about things as a whole, not just the next face-to-face, and it can make you forget about the Gecko. Sometimes you need to run the Gecko even though a different option has a higher lethality rate or lower order cost against the current problem. You have to see on to the next targets, objectives, goals, turns. It's hard to do until you get enough experience to recognize the right times. So they sit in your DZ and you don't get that experience. That's why I don't discourage people from doing crazy things. Maybe running 4 Geckos will force you to overcome problems and learn where they do best. Playing them in low point games can do the same. Just run them around because you think it would look cooler if a TAG shot them than the Intruder. *I did have a Domaru CR in an objective room and no one could reliably get 2 wounds off or guarentee surviving the template. Gecko would have smoked him.
It's the Gecko's lack of anything fancy that makes them great imo. A Mk12 and dual Combi's with Fatality can still do a job and the extra point savings is noticable. They make life difficult for the opponent. I try to avoid positioning them in such a way my opponent can pick one off with his key trooper and simply proceed to the next one. If I bring 3 Gecko's my opponent is going to need 3 different things to kill them. I actually look at them more as heavily armored troop carriers. I get them into position killing what I can. Getting into position isn't too difficult either as they can take risks and duo saves a few orders. Then I wait for my opportunity to move onto the objective and push that button. It takes pressure off any infiltrating specialists or frees me to take other profiles instead. Nomad's really can control the midfield quite well. Intruders are also so adept at clearing obstacles if time isn't on my side.
The "problem" is that they are unintuitive, not bad. Yeah pretty much. Another thing that people don't think about is order loss. If they spend the effort killing one you still start the next turn only one order down. That's a good reason to activate one early on, keep their efforts removing wounds instead of orders.
I'm going to try a few games with the new multi-rifle/pitcher hollowman. I suspect he might fill a similar role (albeit cheaper) as a bullet magnet/chain colt ARO with the exception the pitcher gives him a unique active turn use.
Losing specialist and 1 W + Pilot is a big downside. And the 15 CC on Geckos has saved me because of how many turns it takes to kill one in CC, for example against a Dog Warrior. But the MULTI and Pitcher are super useful, and of course speed. If only Geckos had Courage...
Out of curiosity, how do you feel about Geckos compared to Xeodrons? Is the increased cost worth it when being used to fill similar roles? Remote presence is full of goodies. But the extra SWC, pts, loadouts, and no DUO has stopped me from using them in a similar role. Which is strange for troopers that look very similar at first glance.
Xeodron look fine but losing the good pilot, the DTW (huge) and that PH (20% chance turn to face instead of 30%) is rough. I would use either if I had access but if I could choose I would pick Geckos. If I had both I would use both for different reasons. As a general statement I would say Xeodron are better offensive units because of the Superjump but require more support and take up more SWC and even a few more points. I also prefer Duo over Haris option but that's pretty debatable. If they could duo together I'd probably use the Red Fury Xeodron and Combi Gecko. That would be really good.
I think a lot of it has to do with knowing when and how to be aggressive. I still play very carefully with high ARM models and leapfrog them from cover to cover a bunch, which eats orders. One thing I need to force myself to just push things into the open when you know you're just taking trash AROs. @natetehaggresar is very good at this, using his Kriza. He'll just march it into the open and let me shoot at it with most things, relying on the Full Auto to be a dice shield against my combis, SMGs, and the like. He'll even do it against unlinked panzerfausts under duress (with mixed results). I suspect the path to good Gecko usage involves doing these sorts of tactics, and also knowing when to stick to cover and throw it into suppression. They are an absolute bitch to shift once they're in suppression. I also very much prefer the Blitzen over the Panzerfaust, but this is likely because Geckos only make it into my lists when I'm playing a TAG-recommended mission like Deadly Dance or Show of Force and I need more anti-TAG kit.
We run a table with a bunch of Wood Terrain on it. Several times I've run Pi-well or Kusanagi around on it taking all the AROs. -9 before range is a solid buffer unless it's a decent weapon in it's good range
Quite true. They are NOT light TAGs, despite S6. They are armed as Heavy Infantry, you need to treat them as such. OK, they're harder to kill than most HI, and opponents throw obscene amounts of firepower at them because ZOMG TAGs!!! This 'ability' is why I call them excellent Distraction Carnifexes. They look far more dangerous than they are.
I agree. I treat xeodrons the same way. Very much just a HI statline with an extra wound and more weaknesses to hacking.
This might be more true in a larger meta but my most common opponent isn't phased by it. I don't think Geckos rely on it but it certainly helps. This results in negation tactics that typically leave the Gecko alive, at least until turn 3 when I get bold.
