Hey guys, I just saw that we don't seem to have a thread discussion good data tracker choices for Vanilla Ariadna yet. Next tournament (40 participants, missions are Supplies, Transmission Matrix, Comms Center) I plan to run Ariadna again and I just realized that picking a good data tracker might be harder than I thought. So in this specific tournament there are two missions in which 2 additional points can be gained from using your data tracker. Thats not a lot of points, but in a 3 missions 40 people tournament you really need to win big in all three rounds to come out on top and the 2 points may very well be the decisive element between a minor and major victory. In my typical play style I spend most points on camo troops (Spetsnaz, Chasseur, Foxtrott, Uxia), irregular impetuous (Dog face, 45er, Irmas) and some cheap regular troops (2 volunteer with chain, dozer plus cheap muls, 3 line kazaks, one of them being lt.). In other words, in my normal lists there is no sensible data tracker option. I'd like to find one without having to reshape my lists too much. My theory crafting so far has come up with these options: Morat Renegade: Really cheap, but if you just want to make a suicide run for the designated target he can be pretty good for that. Maverick: Also more of a throw-away unit when you want to hunt down the designated target. Good mobility and smoke should give you a good chance to kill the target unless the way is completely paved with mines. Blackjack: I like that that this is a very affordable and sturdy option. However, I feel that the data tracker should be able to get to the designated target quickly (so no 4-2 MOV). If taking one, I'd probably go for the Sniper as the SMG gives you the range bands typically needed if the opponent deploys the designated target hidden away in some terrain. Veteran Kazak: Probably a good choice in principle, but taking one heavily messes with my list building. I usually play them in limited insertion with great success, but I've never felt inclined to use them outside of it. I guess that in both Comms Center and Transmission Matrix having a specialist Veteran Kazak move up the board, grab objectives, remove enemy skirmisher and then kill the designated target would be very order efficient though. Marauders: In principle a pretty interesting option with a reasonable price tag, but the 4-2 MOV just isn't compensated by the forward deployment. Zouaves: The Zouave Paramedic seems like a pretty good option. PH 10 is pretty bad, but BS 12 and ARM2 are pretty neat. Rifle / DEP / Assault Pistol / Paramedic is an interesting loadout, which adds nicely to the type of skills and weapons of the Chasseurs and Foxtrotts. Loup-Garou / Briscards / Scots Guard / Moblots / Highlander Grey / Wulver: I dont own any of these units (outside a Scots Guard ML) and I am not too keen on buying them. They all seem to be okish, but nothing outstanding. What are your thoughts on this?
My thoughts on Datatrackers are basically as follows... In any mission where your choice matters, they are going to have a big red flag over their head saying "KILL MEEEEE", much like a single Strategos unit on the board when you just declared your army is using Strategos. Since Datatracker can't be a marker, it needs to have some way to survive long enough to be useful. This means that you have two possibilities: Either Datatracker can get things done right away and a death won't matter, or it needs to be durable enough to last into late game. In the first scenario, if you can get initiative and deploy an infiltrator to grab Datatracker points early, going for small, maneuverable and disposable can give you the Foxtrot as a good option for a sacrifice play. To me the second scenario seems more common, so I generally am looking at something more capable of surviving, so durable but capable of being played tight if necessary. (This generally excludes anything impetuous like a Dog Warrior right off the bat). This pretty much puts me solidly in the thought of "Get a specialist Vet Kazak and make him also a Data Tracker." With an effective two Wounds, full 4-4 mobility, higher ARM, Veteran, and mimetism keeping him alive, this guy is out there scoring points for your scenario, and potentially doing some damage with a decently high BS and an AP rifle. For extra survival get him to mid-field and put him in Suppression until your window to score opens up.
I've always used my Vet Kazak as my Datatracker, cos he's the most likely to survive! Though I've always used the T2 Rifle + X-Visor load-out as it's incredibly dangerous to face, especially in suppression fire. Alternatively, if the mission required them for a "push the button"-type objective, then I could see an infiltrator as an alpha-strike solution: Spec Ops Uxia looks like the #1 possibility on paper due to Superior Infiltration. My approach to missions tends to be; Stage 1: Have a number of long-range pieces to surgically kill anything really nasty. Stage 2: My impetuous and/or skirmishers take down anything else that's blocking/covering the route. Stage 3: Blanket the area in smoke. Stage 4: Send my Datatracker to complete the mission. The outcome being I don't tend to need anything special as my Datatracker, but simply use my Vet Kazak as a safety net. Of course, not being able to use Dog-warriors/Cameronians/etc, (outside of CHA with Wallace Lt), means we struggle with "survivable" Datatrackers...
I agree with macfurgusson. If you want a survivable data tracker in base Ariadna, the vet Kazak is your man. I'm kinda surprised you don't consider him more. He can shut down a lane, hunt valuable pieces, hold ground like no other in all of Ariadna, and also capture objectives too. In base Ariadna I usually take two. A T2 for data tracking and a paramedic for taking objectives and going for opportunistic revives. If he's gonna have a kill me flag over his head he might as well make your opponent earn that kill. You should post up a full version of your list. Might be easier to make some recommendations on what to cut/replace or could still stand in as a data tracker.
I generally divide data trackers into 2 camps - survivors and killers. Survivors - In any mission where he has to sit on an objective/zone or whatever, I consider the Veteran, Blackjack and Le Muet to be our premier options. All are varying degrees of "hard to kill" thanks to being able to shrug off a hit, decent armor/modifiers and potent weaponry. The Veteran tends to edge out for me on missions where it involves crossing the table thanks to his superior speed, but it depends on your list, the SWC available, and what other roles you need filling. In certain scenarios (e.g. Annihilation) a simple mook line kazak (or better, a Grunt) will usually do if staying alive is the only consideration, as you'd rather just have some guy survive somewhere prone on a rooftop, rather than spend a huge amount more on a marginally tougher model. Depends on the table a bit as well, so it's probably best to have the option of both and then you can decide between your toughest or your easiest to hide model accordingly. Killers - If the requirement is to kill something with your data tracker (e.g. enemy HVT in Decap) Uxia is about as good as it gets - 85% odds of splatting the HVT with the assault pistols and can usually start right next to it is immensely hard to compete with. You can also try something with grenades - definitely more order intensive, but definitively safer too. In a budget role (which can be valuable if Uxia flubs the roll or something) I've also used the eMauler Zouave to surprisingly good effect - still starts halfway up with an assault pistol, doesn't lose camo so cares little about being a data tracker, can lay emaulers as he goes. Not for everybody I know, but in some of these missions killing the HVT is worth so much that I feel like having a backup option is no bad thing, and eMaulers are increasingly important with more tags and HI showing up these days.
Well, maybe we have to point that a Camo can't be choose to become the datatracker, but still can forgó that state and start on the board, the enemy won't need to discover Uxía to kill her, but she still has his smoke and pistols to do the job. Me, as a Caledonian player, barely think in other thingh than the Wulvers or even Wallace to be the Datatracker. They usualy let the job done and are a little more harder to kill than most of the other non camo regular troops.
Most of the times my data-tracker is the antipode handler, plus her sgl is really handy. That is because i don't prefer to pay for the camo and not be able to use it. The Veteran Kazak is a great option but i do not use him often in my lists.
