I don't disagree that it fits the fluff, but it's less interesting from a game-play POV. The same as "Fusis in all PanO". It was one of the reasons ASA was interesting compared to the other sectorials. VIRD isn't 'all of Varuna's defence force': you can easily imagine the Squallos in the line regiments, not the IRD.
Exactly. Unit reuse is lame. Like Aleph in Pano, Montesa in Varuna, Squalo in Varuna. And it's totally random. Reusing one unit while having redundancy all over the place (Nisse clones, Akal/Crusader).
Well, Varuna-only profiles could up its "interest" factor significantly. (but if that is the route CB go, I'd really like to see it back-dated onto other sectorials too)
I don't mind the Aleph re-use, CSU appearing in multiple sectorials or cross-sectorial use of things like Black Friars. They're not list defining in the same way Links or TAGs are. It's the difference between re-using flavour pieces and feature pieces.
Besides PanO's flavor was always "regular, professional army" (I won't go now into the issue of how well this was implemented). It makes sense to include core units, like Fusiliers, ORCs or Squalos across multiple sectorials.
This is only your taste. I personally find Squalo more exotic and interesting to play than the Dragao which is just a more boring Szalamandra. Even if the Lizard can look like a Squalo, it has to choose between a HGL and HFT. It can't have both. And this AP HP change a lot of the way you use your TAG in CQB. What does mean boring to you? Stuff you don't like because you are able to use it to its limits easily and don't have fun with it, or is it stuff that you struggle to see the ultimate potential and you know how to make it work just like everybody? I find HFT pretty boring on TAGs as everyone has one and that don't help that much against a lot of stuff except if you're willing to trade damage with a less costing unit. High BS TAGs can work pistols and I find it a lot more interesting to see variation in the side weapons as it change the way you play the model a lot.
Alright if you are going to consistently move the goal posts and misinterpret shit we are as done here as i mentioned. You even went ahead and claimed youd take the fusiliers over the superior hmgs which is completely dishonest. Your keep referencing to order viability of a bunch of irregulars, that go up in a puff of smoke as soon as they die in aro, sure you can convert those orders but then you are again spendint other resources to make your point. The ninja will still die to a single template or mine, and according to you he is also absolute shit, after all he is 5 monks right ? And negligible odd increase on its 1 surprise attack. I did misinterpret how cc works however in my case the domaru still ends up being superior at removing rhe model from the game in one order. While in your retelling of your misinterpretation you opted to leave out hit mode grants ap in addition to +1 dmg for the majority of templates or specifically BS which is the weapon i mentioned. Next time i build a jsa list ill take just 6 keisotsu instead of a daiyokai, just for you.
I don't play nomad, so don't really care if they resemble Szalamandra or Lizard. It's boring, because other S7 Pano TAGs are the Squalo + something (while that something is the HGL for one Squalo option for sure), like Jotum has ARM and HFT, Cutter has TO, Dragoe has HRMC. HFT helps when you can't win the FtF, not even with BS15 and a +3 range, like surprise attacking Ninja. Usually a TAG can handle an unopposed hit to the face (don't do that with ML though), and a HFT hit usually kills TO stuff, or at least cripples their TO.
to be honest, Regulars were just Fusiliers again but with a better sniper profile. the stat differences were negligible and hardly ever came up. I wouldn't be surprised if the Squalo Duo profile omitted the HGL. how exclusive....
Probably not a great example... Regulars are one of the game's more unique infantry choices. Fusiliers certainly don't have Spitfires, LGL Hackers, Fast Pandas, Sensor or Minelayer. That being said, bring on the reuse of Fusiliers. They're a great unit, and AVA5 is the best they've been able to do in a Sectorial. It's kind of a relief that I can tramsfer some of my existing mini lineup to Varuna. Getting new things isn't as important to me as getting things that work well, whether it's a new unit or an old one. And Fusiliers work really well.
eh, for me, the sniper was the stand out profile. Not much else really mattered, the hacker was too expensive and the spitfire was a little too weak. I feel as though a lot of the other profiles were over shadowed by other units, for me at least. eg. Sensor regular was overshadowed by the remote, DZ minelayer by the Bagh, ect ect. That being said, I really like Fusiliers, I've dreamed of the day when I could get really good use out of their FO deployable repeater profile. oh, and bipandra.
That seems very likely plus I wouldn't mind it. Though would the Squalo be of use in Svalarheim compared to the Jotum?
To each their own. It's odd to me that you feel the minelayer is overshadowed by a model that's twice the cost and three times the SWC... But then you like the Sniper, where for 6 points more you can get full Mimetism and MSV1 as well. At the end of the day, all linkabe line troopers are fundamentally similar, but Acon Regulars strike me as the ones that clearly have their own unique brand. Fusiliers will be happy in Varuna, though I'm curious how much SWC will be spent on them. Just playing around with Army a bit, I'm not reaching for the Fusilier HMG when the Kamau is also there. +10 points for Mimetism and +1 BS isn't bad... Plus it operates a hell of a lot better on its own than the Fusilier HMG does, which is really nice for deployment flexibility. I think that Fusilier missile launcher is always going to be good though. Hard to argue with missile AROs.
Having a Heavy Grenade Launcher is unique and can be a pain to deal with. It also comes with a MULTI-HMG which is nothing to sniff at.
In a vacuum the Regular minelayer is cheaper than the bagh sniper – but I highly doubt you end up taking a Regular link with just the Minelayer and no other SWC options. with the bagh sniper you're simply getting the same tools and SWC spent but just on more condensed profiles. As for the Sniper regular, I think Sapper is severely under utilized. Once again, its only 6 more points in a vacuum, but once you add in the rest of the link the bagh get a little more expensive. Sapper is a also great in tournaments when terrain density on tables might be a little light – who needs cover when you can make your own! Even as a defensive ARO link, The fusiliers might not get my SWC love simply because of ORC mixed link options as well as Kamau wildcard.
I like MULTI HMG, though I'm a bit disillusioned about grenade lobbing. Tried that with a Montesa, in it's good range (BS14, +3 range, DAM13 Vs. BS15, +0 range, DAM14), and it wasn't that impressive.
For sure, it's hard to rely on that 1-dice exchange. Having used the Squalo a number of times... It can be great, but sometimes it can just go horribly, horribly wrong and you've spent an entire Order pool achieving very little. I don't mind the Squalo for Varuna though. There's so much invested in TAGs for PanO; it's a faction strength, and CB has designed and released all these TAG minis, many of which don't see a ton of time. I don't really begrudge them sharing the Squalo around to different Sectorials, since it's meant to be the most common TAG. With the lore ramping up towards more open-scale conflict with the EI, it makes a certain amount of sense for the Counter Terror forces to be liaising more closely with PanO army (hence the Squalo.) It doesn't necessarily mean I'll be running one very frequently... I'm all about those Infantry... But I'd rather have options for the sake of versatility, than not have options for the sake of theme. @MikeTheScrivener That Sensor/Minelayer Regular is a really great defensive tool. Acon may have "Shock Army" in their name, but I've always found they're better at solid defense, and the Regular Minelayer is a big part of that. We agree entirely on Sapper being fantastic though. Great rule, great application.
I’ve found that unsupported Spec fire is a great way to waste orders. Sure yeah, sometimes you’ll sneak through a kill on the first or second order, but more than likely you will be 6-7 orders deep before you win the F2F and the target fails ARM. I’ve taken a page from @barakiel and started including a small second group with a couple Fugazi, a Pathfinder and an EVO remote for sat locking fun. Pepper the midfield with Sniffers, sat lock a fool with the Pathfinder, then start raining down grenades on 18s. Really you never need to spec fire more than 2-3 targets per game - a big vulnerable link team, TR Rems or other things that suck at dodging, or maybe just a juicy camo token in a bad place. So after you are done raining hell, the second order group becomes a battery for your Pathfinder to do mission objectives. The Montesa might be the only thing in PanO I’d trust to spec fire without a sat lock. And only if I limit myself to 4 orders max, because I’ve definitely thrown 10 orders at spec firing on a Designated Target before. Got a crit in the last one.
I second @barakiel about the use of the Minelayer. 90% of the time I'm playing Vanilla or Acon, there is at least one. This guy is just a wonderful toolbox. Mines for defense, Sensor for Triangulated fire and easy discover without the need in investing in a troop that cost at least twice more just to gain MSV. This guy is the my favorite among all the ASA stuff, even above Tikbalang. About the Squalo, the use of the HGL depends of your opponent. He is playing 20+ models? If he/she doesn't think that there is a hole wide enough in your deployed troops to fit a Squalo HGL and he isn't playing first, there will be areas where you could fit 4-5 models under one template. If he/she is playing first, there will be a lot of orders spent on dispersing everybody or just taking your Squalo out for good. If your opponent spot it, you still forced him to choose a deployment that might not fit his/her list and you'll be able to make use of it. Against Camo spam, this HGL is going to be gold if the Camo markers aren't dispersed enough. And don't forget that you can still shoot it in view of your target. My opponents tend to forget the HGL during their turn and sometimes, I can have an ARO with 3 ennemies under my template. Don't care if I lose the FtF. If I can shoot down the guys behind, that's good for me. The strength of the HGL isn't what you're doing actively with it. It is all the things that your opponent has to do to not give you a damn reason to use it that is powerful. And it only costs 2 pts and 0.5 SWC. It is quite affordable. Oh and I love it when playing Supplies. You have the only box at the other side of the table and I can't reach you with my orders? Ok, let's try to bomb you to death. If I hit you, I win, if not, well, I was loosing anyway. PS : Fat L1 gives DAM 15 to Squalo's HGL
