How do you close the gap

Were yiu playing against QK or hassassin?

Without pictures of the table im makimg an assumption that it was setup poorly. Of a single snipers' nest can dominate yoir entire deployment zone i think you have a problem.

In general, I prefer to finding the points for saito over taking yojimbo. Smaller base, marker state, not impetuous, is a specialist, is better in CC and at shooting. His smoke is more reliable.

Never rely on keisotsu to win any type of firefight. Even when linked. I take them with a missile launcher and use them as an ARO threat and order battery for my other toys. Typically i throw yuriko (panzerfaust) and either the msv or bsg kempie - while they're both specialists, their inherently higher bs makes them an actual threat when linked.

Your list also includes a lot of large bases. Why take the EVO? The keisotsu hacker is just as good at putting up supportware unless you really want to buff the lu duan that first turn when you go second. The infantry is easier to hide and better suited to defend itself as well.

With what you took I would suggest looking at cybermask on the aragoto - you can then zip 14" and all he can do is toss a discover your way. The lu duan can also be used in that manner with its holos. The oni can also return to marker state to cross gaps and close the distance. Neko can also survive a failed save from a Haqq sniper since they're shock ammo and he's a HI. If he gets close enough to lob em grenades he can shut down the link.

With those models you can use coordinated orders to limit your loses as you maneuver up the field.

 

I'd say you were unlucky. Not only with the dice but also because that was an example of bad table (a Fireteam dominating the table without moving leads to a boring match). Maybe you could have tried a suicide attack with your HRL Ryuken, catching someone under the Teamplate, I don't know how close the enemies were.

When things go so bad, what I do is fish for the critical hits using high burst weapons against the AROing Fireteam, but looks like you only had B3 weapons after losing the HMG Keisotsu.


What about the ODD Ryuken? Did that also fail?


P.D.: @clever handle , I don't think the Aragoto can use Cybermask because it is Impetuous.

 

Good catch. I don't make regular use of impersonation, nor do I use the aragoto regularly

 

Then you are left with either Smoke or High Burst Weapons and fish those crits. That's the reason why I always try to fit a couple of Burst 4 weapons in my lists (either because its a B4 weapon or because the trooper gets the Fireteam Bonus); even from far away, a linked Spitfire/Red Fury can work as a backup plan if everyting else fails because you throw so many dice that you might win the FtF rolls if the oponent fails just once.

I do the same when playing with Tohaa, by the way.

 

Hassassin don't have msv so in this case yojimbo is your crutch. If the terrain is too open you absolutely need to leverage his smoke to allow you to isolate that defensive link.

If you can't make use of cautious moves with any of your models I would again question the table setup.

I attack with oniwaban, shinobu and saito generally. I rarely roll for infiltration. Basically I need a 100% safe place to fail to in my DZ and a target that's worth infiltrating to (link on a rooftop, mash of models near an impetuous target that I can template, etc)

From the DZ I'll bring the cheaper shikami profile for missions like comms center. The Rui shi partners well with smoke from either of those named ninja.

Comms center is also a good mission for the resilient karakuri Harris. They can absorb a bit of firepower while walking up the field, cover a bunch of rangebands, and are specialists. The karakuri can basically bully through that link's firepower for an order or two.

The do-tanko link can also bully through an open firelane as long as you accept it may cost you a body and a command token.

 

How to close the gap?
Step 1: Domaru link team.
Step 2: Refer to link leader as dutch
Step 3: Have some goddamn faith, he has a plan.
Step 4: Honorablly charge across the board with Move move orders. Ignore the bullets which will be completely ineffective against your bushido and honor.
Step 5: Murder everyone in close combat
Step 6: Tahiti.

 

Have the Oniwaban Superior Infiltrate?

 

My (non-educated) guess is that the HRL Ryuken should have done the trick. One good (surprise) shot would have decimated the opposing fireteam, because they must have been bunched up (within 8' of the teamleader)...

 

Not sure what those measurements are supposed to indicate. Once you failed the infiltration roll your keisotsu hmg was your best chance against the link - slicing the pie to engage only one model at a time. Once that failed you had to choose whether to ignore the link, or basically spend as many orders as it takes to get the oni into position to neuter the team. That may mean spending the remaining 6-7 orders entering camo and moving without engaging at all on the first turn.

The ryuken9 is not a good active turn piece to counter the link for a few reasons - they don't suffer surprise attack mods, their BS is better and they get to return fire with the same number of dice - 2 on 12s vs 2 on 14s assuming good range and cover... he ryuken makes a better aro threat in this case.

I really tried not to say your list was bad, but I honestly don't like it. I think it's missing synergies - with smoke and a standard (or evo) hacker I think the lu duan really should be the rui shi to maximize those synergies.

I would downgrade the evo to the keisotsu hacker, possibly downgrade Neko to a standard domaru, upgrade the lu duan to the rui shi, lose the ryuken HRL, using those points to upgrade yojimbo to saito because of the reasons I mention above. Those changes should net you enough points to add another keisotsu to replace the order lost from dropping the ryuken.

These changes would seem to make the list more shirt ranged focused - changing out the HRL and MK12 for an MSV spitfire, but the list elements synergize better

Japanese Secessionist Army──────────────────────────────────────────────────GROUP 1 10 1 ONIWABAN Submachine Gun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Monofilament CCW. (0 | 37) DOMARU Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 26) KEISOTSU HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 17) KEISOTSU Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 14) KEISOTSU Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 17) KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9) KEMPEI (Chain of Command) Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, CCW, Electric Pulse. (0 | 21) RYŪKEN (Forward Deployment L2, ODD) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (0.5 | 24) ARAGOTO (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25)GROUP 2 6 RUI SHI Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 20) SAITO TOGAN (Specialist Operative) Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, EXP CCW, Knife. (0 | 40) TOKUSETSU KOHEI Engineer Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9) KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9) 5 SWC | 300 PointsOpen in Infinity Army

Alternatively, don't bother with the two keisotsu in group2, instead take the toolbox remote at 16pts and keep Neko. The toolbox bot gives you an extra specialist and brings sensor to the table, further synergizing with the 8point Flashpulse / sniffer bot you've already taken

 

Indeed, the surprise shot does not apply negative modifiers to the shot (hence the parenthesis), thank you for making this clear.
When firing the HRL, you preferably target one guy without a long-range weapon (OP mentioned 2 sniper and one ML - that is two filler) from a spot without LoF to the other four guys. If you make the (normal) roll, all troopers under the template (even those with no LoF to the Ryuken) will have to dodge and chances are pretty high, the enemy will take a couple losses. If the Ryuken survives this, fire again! As you pointed out, the loss of surprise shot makes no difference...

 

The Rui shi is everywhere because it's just so good - also why it costs an extra 0.5swc too. If you want to make use of msv and smoke for attacks, the kempie in a keisotsu link is arguably better - inherent bs15 means shooting models out of cover on 18s, and you're a wash with the buffed remote shooting at something in cover. Maneuverability takes a trade off between the large base and maneuvering the link.

Alternatively use smoke for maneuvering only and ignore the allure of MSV completely

I think the lu duan is supposed to make a good backline defender utilizing suppression and the flamer to guard your flanks, however the way holo2 works with allowing reactive delays, and the fact that AROs reveal the true modem before your opponent has to commit their active turn attacks. I'm not really sure where the lu duan is supposed to go.

 

There's a lot of variables to deal with here but since it seems that the opponent had deployed in such a way that templates would not catch more than one member of the link, it makes it clear that you could pick off members of that link individually. With that in mind the best way in my eyes is to perform a co-ordinated order targeting a single member of the link. (Break your own fire team if you have to but aim to have at least 2 weapons with about a 50/50 chance of hitting with a single shot or better.) It's not possible to split burst in ARO so they can only target one thing unless they are using a template weapon and the blast would catch multiple models. The opponent may kill one of your guys but with 2-3 normal rolls against them you will hopefully bring the enemy down and make the rest of the enemy link that much easier to deal with.

So long as the path you're heading up only grants AROs to a single member of the enemy link you can also use co-ordinated orders or just moved the main fire-team up out of your deployment zone so that more models get into better range. The opponent can only ARO onto a single target and it can be worth the sacrifice. (Never know, they might miss or you make your armour rolls but it can be worth it to get other models into position so that you can do something.)

Cautious move is an under-rated skill. I don't know if you had any options to make use of this, although smoke can help there, but the terrain does allow for it then use this ability to cover short gaps safely.

Camo and marker state models are great for closing the distance because the opponent has to either discover you first or they choose to delay ARO and you just dash forwards as fast as you can.

The Lu duan is actually quite great for these situations at well. 6/4 movement can cover a lot of ground but more importantly, holo-echoes mean the opponent can delay ARO, in which case you can move-move without fear of getting shot. It's something of an abuse of the ARO and dealy sequence but is no different to the way camo does this to close the distance. The Lu duan is also a pretty good option for leading a co-ordinated order since the Mk12 (potentially with marksmanship) is a very deadly weapon.

Since remotes take quite a bit of punishment to actually remove from the table and they don't go prone when unconscious they are also an option to allow prone friendlies to creep up behind them.


Although it may feel like a waste for models with infiltration when there's an exclusion zone, they are still 4" outside your deployment zone and closer to the enemy. If a marker then they will also have an easier time covering the distance as well. It's not the same as their normal options but it's not bad.

 

I always forget about the Coordinated Order for attacking, very important advice against very strong ARO pieces.

 

Then I'm not sure the game was winnable, between terrain and failing that rather critical Superior Infiltrate roll to deal with the Link Team.

It certainly doesn't sound like there was anything left to try.

 

Friendly reminder that JSA has access to nimbus grenades with the shikami, and those are really, really good against fireteam (though against something like the kamau sniper the only units able to use it to even the odds are the O-yoroi and the husong with supportware).

Otherwise, coordinated orders are your best bet, and luckily jsa have a bunch of units with disposable weapons to do it, most of which are HIs. Tanko's flammenspeer/blitzen, dayokai or Yuriko's panzerfaust should all get the job done, albeit at a cost.
Another often overlooked option is to coordinate forward obs. It's kinda dicey, but you only need one hit to start the grenades/guided missile firework!