And......I've flipped to Gorten. Cause I suck.
For a long time I avoided Ossrum in Mk2. There were a number reasons put forward, such as a general loathing for most Rhulic/Ogrun models rules, inability to make a satisfactory list, that sort of thing. Most likely the actual reason is my snowflakenesss can't handle that Robekaar, the other regular Merc Player, enjoys him and plays him reasonable regularity.
Now that I've played him a bunch, I can happily conclude a valid reason with table time.
I find him as boring and pointless as non-Quicksilver characters in X-men Apocalypse.
He's good, don't get me wrong. Snipe is always great, Energiser and feat really counters the traditional plodding nature of his race (species?) and their stubby legs. Fire For Effect has uses. Bullet Dodger makes him die a lot less when you don't screw it up. Stranglehold is a great gamble.
Doesn't keep me awake in my turns during games.
Ergo, I last minute flipped from Ossrum to Gorten in this, our glorious fourth week of pushing Journeymen's together. Internally, I've dressed this up a an experiment in going for assassinations over other win conditions and to see what models are worth finagling in my regular list.
I now own a pair of Drillers, with the current intent to cycle one into the regular 75 pter (At present it's Gorten w/2x Basher, 3x Gunner, 2x Blaster, Tinker, Acosta, 2x Eliminators, Wrongeye w/Snapjaw, Rorsh w/Brine).
Plan is to drop a Basher/Tinker, add one Driller. Theory is that with Strength of Granite it'll threaten opposing colossals. Won't necessarily kill them, but that fits with my current Gorten play anyway. That leaves me with a free point, so in theory I can drop a Blaster and can pick up some other bits and pieces (everything else in the list has clicked so well I can't really contemplate changing them).
Journeyman goals:
1 - Look for and attempt assassinations
2 - Weigh up if one Blaster is sufficient against 20 off infantry lists
3 - Test the viability of Eiryss1, Taryn1 and Orin1
Right, onto the Batrep that is the supposed point of the thread nowadays!
My list ends up as:
Gorten1 - Basher, Driller, 3x Gunner, Blaster, Sylyss, Dahlia w/Skarath, Eiryss1, Orin1, Taryn1
Additions are one Gunner (I find three to be the sweet spot), Taryn (Was Kell for a while, then the "Go for assassination" goal cropped up) and Dahlia/Skarath because I love them, have an addiction to Lesser Warlocks and lent the others out to stop me consistently putting them in lists.
It's into the Chriseth, arising from his Palanquin to scatter some clockwork disguised by a nasty Art Deco aesthetic.
Syntherion1 - Corollary, Diffuser, Galvanizer, Modulator, Cipher, 2x Monitor, ODO? (Whatever the solo arc node guys name acronym is)
I find this interesting in that he's taken all the heavy Vectors that I looked at and think are garbage (Well, weakest in their respective types). I see the logic of the choices with Syntherion, it's most certainly playable, you just wouldn't see me doing the same (Monitor/Modulator specific, I'm down with the Cipher).
Scenario these days is flipped to The Pit, table set up by Haidexeris which appeals to my spirit animal. Key points are one side has a wall near the flag, a forest in its side of the zone and a hill, countered by the other side having a lot of water with a particular piece in the zone and a forest placed inconsequentially near the flag (Barring flanking ploys, unlikely with our battlegroup heavy lists).
I win the roll, pick second and the good side (the one without water). Gorten can add his own wall around the friendly flag to bunker up, the forest can be negotiated by Dahlia and Syntherion only has his feat for pathfinder (Bemused note about floating things not having flight/pathfinder here).
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CoC 1: Convergence run up, the Monitors are out on a flank each, Cipher is the central anchor, lights are to the left, Modulator to the right. Syntherion is pretty much back in the centre line rather than placed to score off the CoC flag.
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Merc 1: Right off the bat the assassination planning isn't happening. Had Syntherion been placed to obviously go for the friendly flag score, then Gorten deploys opposite with Eiryss, Snake and Driller going up the foresty guts to ensure there isn't a safe placement in the zone.
Instead, Chriseda has placed Syntherion central, which gives him easy leeway to say in the kill box and edge off to the left if needed.
The net result is I've gone for the scenario push deploy and move out, Gorten lines up to get to my Friendly flag, a line of Gunners shielding him. The Spray Bunny goes far right, ready to be a disposal piece for contesting. Driller/Snake move up behind the forest. I didn't really have a location I wanted to put the Basher, the forest constraining his useful a bit to much in the matchup, so he hangs a bit further back prepped to replace the Sprayer on Contesting duties later in the game.
Orin runs to be in Arcane Vortex range of my heavies and the Gunners, in the event the ODO runs up to flick out a Magnetic Hold, which once in place I can't get rid of.
Taryn and Eiryss hide behind the metal wall.
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CoC 2: I'm not in the Vector's threat ranges for the most part, so generally everything advances up. The left most Monitor shoots the Driller, doing 5 points to column 3 (Noteworthy in that usually that sort of detail flees my mind, leaving a disproportionate amount of notes that end up being "Takes lots/little/preferential/unknown amount of hurtyness").
The Modulator moves up, pings the Spray Bunny, does 9 points. Being an amazing Rhulic jack with a nonsensical point cost and optimal grid lay out, it retains all systems.
The Galvanizer moves way up on the right side of the zone, the Cipher stumbles up last and throws down some out of range difficult terrain that scatters to locations that are sadly pretty useless.
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Merc 2: In theory I could throw Gorten, drag in Syntherion and try to kill him. I cower out, last time I tried that Syntherions natural hardness proved a step beyond what the Gunners could do and the Snake will have issues getting into melee with the Heavy Vectors blocking the path.
Go for assassinations plan is a failure, not helped by the fact Gorten loves this scenario like a toddler loves their raggedy teddy bear, which is doomed to be abandoned in later life and stare at them from the shelf with lifeless, glassy eyes as they grow older and move onto drugs.
Um....anyway....
It's fairly simple, start the scoring train, bunker up Gorten. I don't need to throw the Spray jack away this turn, though he's not liable to survive another round anyway. POW 10 is wowing anyone this match anyway.
The Bunnies and Gorten form a wall up around the flag, using their handcannons and some sweetastic rolling to demolish the Diffuser. The dice were hot, but doing the math the only uncertain part is Gorten's shot, if he hits then on average a light CoC Vector dies. He missed this round, but that's not the point!
Gorten plonks a wall up in front of the Gunners.
Around the same location, I run the Basher past my other Heavies and leave it flapping in the breeze. He's the most expendable heavy, I'd rather get rid of him and prevent further shots on the Driller, which sidles up behind him (Yes, its still a Juggernaught, should be the last game unless I feel very lazy for the next couple days, so 50/50).
Dahlia puts Mistwalker on the snake and walks backward, Skarath then slides into the zone/forest and sprays down the ODO (Was hiding behind the Modulator). Also corrodes that auto repairing jack. Woo.
The spray bunny goes up on the right, pings the Galvanizer for a few points.
Last, Taryn runs way up the left as an annoyance piece, optimism being either the Corollary moves somewhere awkward or she shoots it up, allowing a sacrificial Gunner to finish it off.
Extra last, Eiryss sits behind the metal wall and regular wall, shoots the left most Monitor and disrupts it.
Extra extra last (Crikey, not doing well here) Orin moves into Arcane Vortex range of all my heavies.
Mercs go to 1CP.
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CoC 3: Syntherion tries to get to the CoC flag but is sadly short. He (it?) feats.
Cipher trundles up, throws out some Flare templates, the first hits both the Rhulic heavies, the next tries to land on the stealthy snake but scatters astray and hits the same Rhulic jacks again.
Right side Monitor charges and easy slaughters the Blaster, tries a shot on Orin (Damn you True sight!) but misses the boosted 9. This was some forwarning for the rest of the turn.
The world then mostly tries to kill the Basher, the Disrupted monitor moves up and pew pews him, the Galvanizer and Modulator both charge in which full focus stacks from Induction.
Basher survives, all systems active.
For some more salt the Modulator tries a pair of unboosted shots on Orin and misses both.
Mercs go to 2 CP.
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Merc 3: Well, the scenario game is looking pretty good versus the assassination which involves dice rolls so......
My plan is to clear off the models in my grill, mess up the Monitors activations and Basher slam the Cipher away, using Grand Slam to get well past the shallow water. Probably out of Gorten's control range, but given I'd given up the Basher for dead anything he does is a bonus.
The Driller, with Strength of Granite and a full focus load goes into the floaty heavy, only needs a single focus spend to dust it (Def 11 aye? That's....uh.....well, it's better than Skorne titans!)
The Gunners all aim and shoot the Galvanizer, they all land the boosted 8's to hit but roll poorly on damage, taking about half its health off.
I spend some tank time trying to line up Gorten's shot, each time having to slap myself upside the head regarding the Gunners blocking Line of sight.
The Snake needs to do other stuff, so the Basher gives up its Slam dreams for the greater good, walks in, with Flak Field and a boosted damage attack easily polishes off the light.
Dahlia moves, gives Mistwalker to Skarath, who slithers across, staying in the forest, to start jabbing at the right Monitor. I loath dice-3 for damage, like 7's to hit it's the painful part of the curve where I don't want to boost but risk enough low rolls to make it not work. I end up boosting damage and spend a Fury point shy of max so Dahlia can transfer if needed. I fall just shy off knocking off the right arm, not that auto repair makes that a meaningful distinction.
Orin ducks into the forest, Eiryss disrupts the left Monitor again, Taryn runs across in the back field.
Mercs go to 3 CP.
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CoC 4: The right Monitor tries the assassination, cops a Freestrike from Skarath for sod all damage, but can't get line of sight past the forest.
Chraanesh concedes, which is fair enough.
Well, I love Gorten and he's great, but this scenario is probably to good for him. Definitely not following Utilitarian practices with that move. Ironically it'd be better if we followed the Journeyman scenario for this time period, which negates the friendly flag scoring deal.
Trying to work out the Convergence options, they feel pretty bad. Overall the CoC heavies are better than mine, but my tool pieces, Eiryss in particular, allow me to slow up what I need to. Disliking the CoC heavies here, I tried throwing together my own CoC journeyman lists briefly, that 10 point week is a killer if you want good games that week. It's a junky light, Corrolary or Modulator, if you take into account it didn't need to be battlegroup for this journeyman iteration then you still have Syntherion who does sod all if you aren't a Vector. Ick.
Obviously the assassination gameplay didn't happen, so nothing useful to emerge from that one.
Eiryss1 - Was excellent. Effectively stopped a heavy being meaningful every combat turn of the game, forced Syntherion to leg it as well which Eiryss2 would not have done.
Orin1/Taryn1 - Both nice, but didn't get up to much this game. Once the arc node is popped, which happened ASAP, I'm content for Syntherion to advance for Magnetic Hold as he'll then be brutally killed.
More games required!
