Phalanx is actually a really nicely put together Sectoral in many ways. It feels very unique both within faction and within the game, but not so much that none of the regular tactics work. I wish that it had another couple of non-Enotomarchos options, like regular non-character Argyraspides and Sophistes troops (just to add a bit more flexibility outside of the block-based list building), previously that was something they definitely didn't need and they still don't really, but the modern game thrives on flexibility and they maybe could do with a little more of it.
I just mean they had a big gap of releases and you couldn't mention them without turning the thread in to complaints.
You can say the same about most Sectorials. The difference is that as a primarily Corregidor player, you get easily enjoy vanilla Nomad releases whereas SP players didn't really and Tohaa don't have that luxury. I fully expect JSA players will be next on this bandwagon (for similar reasons). CB clearly doesn't expect the faction loyalty some of us show. So we get floods and droughts. Honestly it's essentially fine albeit understandably frustrating. The bigger issue is that Tohaa actually has a quite narrow range of "optimal" lists, so you either deliberately branch out, do D20 list building or you get bored. I'd argue this is why the Tohaa forum is largely quiet: most of key topics have already been canvassed. This is largely a consequence of Sukuels and CoC Kaeltars distorting internal faction balance. The fix to making Tohaa more interesting isn't to release more profiles or models but run an internal balance pass. Ideally you nerf Sukuels and then immediately release a Sakiel box. This would give Tohaa everything they've hoped for: new models and lots of new options for building "opyomal" lists.
I was saying that as "people are being asses about Tohaa" side I wasn't disregarding it. Both me and @Solar were giving people the same shit a few years ago when the Phalanx hate was around. Like, we get it, but I don't want to drop my faction until you don't have a problem with them.
That is a pretty reasonable comment. As for the Tohaa? Just remember that they used to have a much worse Fire issue. Roasting Artichokes would take down even the Gorgos with a single wound dealt, as the mental feedback from the burning Symbiont Armor killed the wearer.
Freaks and Hillbillies. Nomads and Ariadna. Hate 'em both. Wanna smash 'em. Nomads a bit more because they, xey --whatever pronoun fits -- are the Mary Sue DM PC pet faction. However, the game loses nothing if Ariadna disappeared. Just a bunch of boring ass minis and those damned werewolves. You know you agree with me. You, too, are tired of all the Uxia MacNeill sculpts, and jokes about Uxia MacNeill Sculpts. you think CB is done with sculpting them. Ha! You Fool! You know full well there will be a new Uxia sculpt just for the TAK sectorial. And another LE Uxia next year at GenCon. And don't get me started on that Laika dog-girl crap.
This, yes. When the game was first getting teased, the low-tech, scrappy underdog thing was pushed pretty heavily as Ariadna's downside. But then they released and being low tech felt more like a boon than a bane. They were (and still are) one of the reasons hacking isn't more universal, because high-cost elite troops tend to give diminishing returns being a faction full of cheaper units is actually a plus, and not having access to the top-tier tech isn't so bad when it means you can spam the most powerful skills in the game (like camo). Ariadna basically warped 2nd Edition in to the shape the game has continued to be. Order heavy, marker-state heavy, with lots of cheap specialists to push all the buttons. I don't hate Ariadna, but I think the way they implemented their low-tech style was one of the worst early decisions they have made that continues to affect the game to this day. Either the delta between low-tech and high-tech costs are too steep, or they didn't build in enough ways for lacking technology to be a hindrance. In general, it feels less like Ariadna have a disadvantage as much as they simply have a fairly effective dump stat that gives them enough of a point break to go for the actual good options. Low-tech may as well be Frenzy, or an SMG in terms of how little its "down sides" actually affect gameplay.
Yeah, this. Poor hacking is only relevant when you have things that are hackable. Status effects, like Isolation from E/M, are just as easily removed by an Ariadna Engineer as any other - arguably easier because they have such a high saturation of Engineer options.
Seems like these days its basicly just limited to across-the-board vulnerability to nano, viral and breaker damage, with the benefit being that all their other stats and profiles are crazy optimal.
Yeah I misunderstood I thought you were referring to the complaints coming from Tohaa / SP not about them. Honestly I don't think Tohaa are bad. I do think Symbiomates are bad (they deserve a work around other than "hope to crit"). I think Sukuels are too good primarily from an internal balance POV (I think the same about Kriza HMGs incidentally). But those are specific issues rather than whole of faction ones.
Sadly, I only have one Like to give. This times x1000. The formula of "low tech" making them immune to "high tech", which apparently gave them Carte Blanche to be full of cheap Camo and Smoke (the game's two most powerful rules) while also giving them loads of unique tech, weapons and abilities... That blend of decisions remains utterly baffling to me.
Was waging hard between Ariadna and Nomads, but my vote's on Ariadna folks. I know their faction theme is low-tech, camo flavoured old fashioned army, still rhe game mechanism is very fond of such camo spam(or cheese if you like) meta. IMO this is kinda steal when the other armies actually struggle to beat the buzzer, one just take a visit with a poncho dyed with greasy dyes over the head. I call that steal. Besides, "THAT GUY" in our club constantly butcher a starter-level newcomers with a freaking 200pt camo spam army, and that looks awful at least.
Just sayin' :P PanO: "Ok, we've just binge watched Hunger Games. Who wants to create a Peacekeeper army?" Yu Jing: "We've got evil capitalists, now we need evil government" Ariadna: "We need Proud Warrior Race Underdog Guys, everyone loves those" Haqqislam: "Oh come on, every faction needs a weakness! No combat remotes for them!" Nomads: "Remember that last campaign we've played? Let's bring it to tabletop!" ALEPH: "Ok, you've gone too far with the cost of their units. Let's throw in something awesome but cheap, for balance" CA: "Let's just throw a bunch of stuff together and see what sticks" Tohaa: "How come we don't have elves yet?"
Elves wish they were as resilent as Tohaa. Tohaa wish they were as good shooters as Elves. I'll never get why people insist on comparing them when they are completely different.
Ariadna gets my vote too. As many others have stated already, they feel like a faction that should be fighting an uphill battle against a superior adversary. Yet it often feels like they’re a bunch of Rambos and Solid Snakes butchering whatever they come up against with their camo spam and shenanigans. Also I get that teseum is good and all, but the fact that Grunts are armor 3 while say a warrior race like Morats have their vanguards rocking a puny armor of 1 has always annoyed me.
