Alright, new day, new random pick up game, this time playing a legal list (Sometimes I almost learn!):
Bart1 - Galleon, Nomad, Freebooter, Buccaneer, Reinholdt, Dahlia w/Skarath, Anastasia, Commodore Cannon
vs
Axis1 - 2x Inverter, Cipher, 2x Diffuser, 2x TEP, some Puncture Servitors, multiple of the Reflex Servitors
Outflank, the terrain I end up with a forest impeding access to both zone and a central obstruction. Convergence get a more awkward forest on the left, an experimental fog (Three templates, when the 1/2 comes up we randomise one of the templates to go rather than all of them) and a trench in the right zone.
I win the roll, select first to get up the board. CoC, obviously, take the fog side.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8WNrci5fqNY4PJjmkykdhNSSLfM9JOdoJjaTaiNnxETFIWzHpCbcvRGm5Lv1XP-s8JtS24IuqFNLM3BUzNBBQ3K6W67q1YN6PXUde7XA36ImhLaRBiMHEPtl8dYbwvNEfUK4m059QjEE/s1600/001+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Round 1: Coc have gone refused flank with most of their stuff, so my opening move out features a little redeployment. No super concrete plan, beyond small module things (Orin to lightning out servitors, Galleon to shoot whatever is available). See how things pan out.
On the left I have the Snake and the Cannon, the Commodore does suffer severe telegraphing when going first as it is so limp in its movement. It went left as it was the more open and trenchless side, I'm not expecting huge things from it this game.
Centre rightish the Galleon goes up into the right forest, the other jacks then form a conga line to the left. Buccaneer/Freebooter where originally on the right, I trashed a move box to get the pseudo heavy across. Bart also ends up on this side, though given how super steady the enemy is I expect to hold my feat until a time when Axis will walk to commit, as the other non steady models are irrelevant (I think it's the Diffusers and the Corrolary). Orin is also on this side, I'm hoping to put him in the forest nook and do the electric zappy plan.
Convergence mostly move forward. It's Servitors for days on the left, with the front line being the Countercharge nobs who Dig in, then a back line of the Puncture attack dudes.
Centre has most of the Battlegroup and Axis. Diffuser goes into the right zone trench, after which go the TEP's. Behind the TEP's are also a couple more Reflex Servitors hoping to mess up Anastasia.
The top left of the fogs goes away.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fQsVinA4g5hxl1m7hp1h2dZx4ZLbldN-b4ez01Y88xvBe7qU6CMzWweW1jME4hqJsZiygWZgHkPV35IVZvXtJPJYEMxZbbBQpEnNbjwBEEXFZc8BK5tHLWGVnG4h3zOo9W26I6LXW4Xx/s1600/002+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Merc 2: Alright, so this looks to be working out. The Servitors are spread out far enough left and right that the Lightning plan, which was looking bad due to the TEP's sticking close to each other with their free Servitor chumps, is irrelevant. I'm OK with my 39 point activation not relying on the squishy solo surviving. I'm going to cede scenario points which I hate, need this turn to secure the left zone so I can turn that around next round.
On the left is phase 1 of hopefully 2 Servitor clear outs. Anastasia ambushes in, between her, the Commodore and Snake the Coutnercharge bobbing heads all go away. Alas, Abinaaaar correctly didn't give me a Commodore Slam option to implode a back line Puncture dude.
Dahlia hid behind the forest, Haunting Melody optimistically up (Living opposing models: Axis. List complete.).
Centre wise, the Freebooter and Buccaneer move to the left. if my long term plan becomes apparent hopefully they can get stuck into whatever heavy moves over to contest the left zone, though again the amount of steady makes the module rather sad.
Galleon goes behind the Obstruction, which saves it from being utterly trashed by jacks the next turn. Lines up on the left most Diffuser, begins the Pew Pew.
Sadly I roll a low amount of shots, so pop the two central Shield Guards and only get one hit on the Diffuser. The price of relying on average dice rolls on your random shot generation is a mighty one.
The Nomad slithers to be between the Obstruction and right forest. Turns out some of the local meta do read the blog and work out how I play, so there was a quick convo along the lines of
"That looks like bait"
"Erm.....um.......maybe?"
So yeah, bait Nomad goes forward.
Orin goes into his zone toeing forest corner, zaps a TEP. One bounce that fails to break armour on a Servitor. Regretting some life decisions at this point, though not as much as Orin is about to be.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKEsQrvk7dg3seDXKOK7f2E5DjFr52SzFOdrCquPoQLb75I9ukpHXb8j7dNvTvpDklM7X8t6SYq1G20kch7C7RcXuAOqOU_7l86e7C0ViGcDbO802R1IdOfQetxF1E4tsHDQfdPBh97Lx/s1600/003+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
CoC 2: On the left, a Flarebot toes the top of the zone, hits Anastasia. The three Puncture bots then aim and do three point (Acupuncture: Not even once).
There's one Reflex Servitor left on this side, it runs to be a few inches from the Commodore Cannon. That'll be a *great* 7 point activation....
Centre wise, the Battlegroup advances tepidly, sticking out of the Freebooters threat range (Though really, the Sturdy jacks had very little to fear. Their armour isn't great, but they can easily weather the POW 14's.). The left most Diffuser toes the left zone.
On the right, one TEP sprays the Nomad, rolls laughably bad, doing a total three boxes. The right Diffuser and a Servitor run to specific locations in front of the Nomad, serve as target locations for the Cipher to throw down rough terrain. I quite liked this play, though it makes the Nomad a sad sack.
Last the other TEP moves far enough across to blast down Orin. Such was likely to be.
CoC go to 1 CP.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOxCLp_NAeppOjzv-7NWuk1ZNYVjxht4zJOR8PuWKgopf7VOQVZaBGN29zT3rqGLQ8R_4NYvg_hRxxvJM9ZJficdvTLLHMAJgPLx_ugOcnM8A5nJ82jr5deXNvCA1a3yOJylbmbOuKo3m/s1600/004+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Merc 3: Bit of a quandary. I can't afford to give up the Galleon, which makes contesting the right zone problematic. My plan was to throw in suicide contestors into the right zone, curve the Galleon around the left side of the obstruction and effectively seal the left zone, so that I'd score on Convergence turns and pull ahead that way.
Clearing out the left zone duty first, the Snake pops the contesting Flare and a Puncture Servitor. That success lets Anastasia move right up and kill the Reflex Servitor threatening the Commodore. As the Snake maxed Fury to cast Counterblast, Dahlia runs to the extreme left, relying in distance to keep her safe (Puncture bots being incapable of killing her. 5 health boxes stronk!
This leaves the Diffuser towing. Galleon moves around, little guns blow up the Diffuser and he then drags in the Inverter next to it and smacks it to death. Eventual Shield Guard kills benefits.
Commodore, Freebooter and Bart all move around in the backfield, the Cannon desperately attempting to be relevant, Bart hiding behind the Colossal, the 'booter getting set to replace the Nomad as the one off contestor next round.
Said Nomad charges into the zone, triggers a counter charge that moves the Cipher forward (inevitable but ultimately acceptable). Hits the Diffuser for a reasonable sum according to my hazy recall.
Reinholdt is also still alive, getting intimate with the far right board edge.
Scores go to 1 each.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_p5Ah_z6l4SZMc2kqtkda6pGonwMkc42UK5GaDJVs-a4e5HR4pBm34M7LJLXH1G6JE5TOajeREGPEK0bjCqLT-dxPPVFKp6JPC5omTfSYIDwi0NzhugezGNP4iQTRro2mxsnnpMjzn0d/s1600/005+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
CoC 3: On the left, a Puncture servitor moves into the zone 9I should have moved the Snake further across for the Counterblast trigger). The other hangs back.
On the right, the clockists get control of the zone super hard. The TEP's kill the Nomad, in a sharp reverse of their previous attempts.
The Cipher charges forward into the Freebooter, I think it pops off a claw and otherwise rolls awfully.
The Inverter stays hiding behind the objective, making the Commodore a sad man (Though, as a withered corpse consisting of at most 50% it's original state, he was probably already sad if we wre to transpose some manner of humanoid thought to him).
3v1 to Convergence.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1kneUzKvPbUtzLJQsNZt3rLtIq8SJvoIyLBugYoTyUpjkewd-gN5_g1vDbIADpBkJYKDY7qcs9eXmN6k2o0J7eDmmrTqCbmhyphenhyphenzKMF0far7OFpHdFxMWO86cJSR7p2ztLeBwJ2wo-vr0F/s1600/006+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
Merc 4: Well, this is awkward, I've not accounted for Dominating the zone appropriately in my long term planning. Have to contest the right zone as much as I can. I'm well ahead on clock, so we'll try to push through that.
The left zone is easily cleared, as Anastasia kills yet another and the Snake does another and Counterblasts, moving to trigger range of anything going for the left zone. Dahlia stays super out of the way.
Now, onto the dear-god-how-do-contest part. The Cipher is blocking everything, so the Cannon tries a Slam shot as the only viable option (Freebooter ain't killing or throwing it with one hand, Galleon has other places to be). Unlike last time I tried a desperate Commodore Slam, this time it hits and knocks the Cipher well out of the way.
Freebooter tepidly slaps at the Cipher, but ultimately doesn't do great.
Bart feats, hangs in the backfield out of TEP spray range, camps 3.
Galleon runs to get into the zone, engages all the jacks to stop Counter Charges.
Reinholdt runs into the right edge of the zone.
3 vs 2, still Gearheads in charge.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhl4A7U_sKCqvz3CS5CpUogwU-f3v3CaN4YIkvJj2bIZFypI1G-zBrn3F38HE0cG-2XKLcUHl-cafXSLhIRCNxitd-TbUnhTfcuOnYETz1BIo5R90N_j-_-KPp-8m1xnDFARSEzUeY3l18/s1600/007+%2528800x450%2529.jpg
[/img]
CoC 4: On the left, a Servitor suicides to get rid of Counterblast, freeing up another to go in and contest.
On the right, a TEP advances, sprays the Freebooter down to a box of movement.
The other TWP pew pews at the Galleon.
Cipher and Inverter go into the Colossal, there was a timing/space issue here, in that the Cipher wasn't in range to pass on focus. Only one of them Axis feat as well, though I don't recall exactly how it played out. Galleon ended still with his left grid on about 2/3rd's health.
Axis feated and charged in for the win, per my mild dreams this meant he went into Bart's Feat and fell over in front of the Galleon.
With that, I surprisingly live, with Axis knocked down and camping 3 in front of me. Time to try to screw this up. Scores remain at 3v2.
[img]https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63EqaBi-vqGswFwRD2jSQm_jhUUyenZBvJhYXkUr8jCOTvbgy1pi62jUXheND51nws8Bpq9aTCv-fm7O_oELMra1FsgQq3Il5CiE5iEoUfUYY0Qn2U7lGrTXKrAP6_IHjA1beDdh4US4F/s1600/008+%2528800x450%2529.jpg[/img]
Merc 5: The plan is devastatingly simple. Punch Axis 5 times, four of them being the good arm. Or we could have a sodding embolism and not do that at all.
Bart moves up, puts Hot Shot on the Galleon, sprays it to hit Axis, boosts damage for not much.
Galleon rolls up shots, hits Axis with the Harpoon. The last available Servitor Shield Guards it and dies, so no melee attacks for this activation. Oh god. My mental stats are clearly the equivalent of High Shields (Needs a solo to fix it).
My saving grace is that I rolled a high amount of shots on the good arm. When the dust settles, Axis is down to about 5 or 6 boxes and no camp.
Time for mega desperation.
Dahlia runs across. Skarath moves over, sprays. Hits. Needs a 10 to kill. Boost.
I roll exact.
Undeserved victory!
Convergence: Not getting me to drop Bart anytime soon. Or at least this trashy iteration. One day the Freebooter will get a chance.
It feels reminiscent of my Cancon IG lists, which telegraphed that you should drop your Pull immune stuff, except it applies to Knock Down. Granted, not as likely to happen generically then if I just do pick up games into Convergence.
My real issue is I finally did the latter half of this one on the day the Una nerf came out, which is what I'd been dojoing for. Now I've got to realign myself, whilst I've also been missing game nights due to overtime.
