Acontecimento in N3 - toughts?

[Scorch]

So, what do you all think about Acontecimento in N3? I am personally eagerly awaiting the Bagh Mari resculpts to make them more in line with Rao and the Bolts. That + the combined boxed set of Uhlans and Tikbalangs might make me expand my NCA into some Jungle Territory. The Red and the Green

I've been toying around with some lists on Mayanet, and from what I saw, they have become a much more ITS friendly force. Still hurt by SWC on specialists, it isn't such a crippling problem and many of their units actually became better due to the rule changes.

Msv1 got better? The Bagh Mari got better! No SWC on the Gaurda Multi anymore. ASA still comes across as a remote heavy faction; relying on support from the REMs to give them orders and extra backline tricks. Price reductions on them, makes this army pretty nice in my mind.

Let me know what you all think! any experiences?

[TanKoL]

I must say that apart from the Bagh Mari link (like Bolts, except they're good in all situations rather than a few select ones), I don't see many things that make ASA shine in my view
Nagas are nice for sure, but not better than Croc-men (apart from the minis that is ... I hate the Croc ones)

That's not to say I think ASA is bad, I just prefer looking at MO (for the spec sergeants) or NCA (multi Hexas / fusilier link) if I want to take a sectorial

[VisOne]

I took my ACA to CanCon 2015 and did reasonably well.



A 4 or 5 man Bagh Mari link team is freaking amazing especially the Boarding Shotgun variant its so cheap at 17 points and its freakin devastating because your often going to have atleast 2 in a link to save on points.

I can see with the very big buff that Croc Men got why ACA isn't as attractive to some but I think its much much better than previous in N2 is was very hard to get what I needed out of them. Remotes are especially useful now the Pathfinder, Peacemaker and Bulleteer are all usually included to some extent in my lists.

[Scorch]

Yep, I agree. Bagh Mari leveled up in N3. A lot. From what I understood they were a bit of a subpar link in 2nd, and they got a lot better now. Especially as Paramedic became a all-round specialist; MI link with specialists are always a slow but worthwhile investment.

I also agree with your assessment of ASA being hard to get what you needed from them. The reason I stayed away from them was their lack of options in 2nd. I always felt short for points, options, SWC.
But remotes in N3 got a big boost and the faction still relies on them a lot.
A lot of other options got cheaper or better (no SWC on guarda, Bagh link, Akalis got a lot of new options) the sectorial really came into its own I think. Not saying they shine, but they can be played very effectively now in N3.

Like I said.. Tikbalang/Uhlan boxed set + Bagh Resculpt and the ASA has me!

@TanKol
I play NCA too, but I think the ASA has got some cool new things going for them.

[Phototoxin]

Baghs are great as are GdAs - the whole faction is pretty offensive though and you need to make sure that you've squeezed your specialists in before buying the toys.

[Scorch]

Yeah, PanO's strength is a lot of dakka. Their sectorials lack a lot of the things that are considered 'really good in ITS' (infiltrator/camo spam; loads of orders, cheap specialists, high WIP), so they focus on punching. High BS + high-tech gadgets helps them a lot.

NCA really are the golden boys; good toys, extremely well supported by top-tier TAGs and a lot of Remotes, and access to lots of heavy weaponry. They do lack on attack angles in my eyes; no infiltrators, lackluster AD options. They start in DZ, and move forward blazing.

Personally, I like ASA's less high tech approach in favor of their damage output and determinism. Still supported by top-tier TAGs, they have access to less remotes (total AVA) but I feel this opens up a lot of other playstyles.
Their access to pretty good AD troops, infiltrators and Mech Dep gives them so many attack angles, that it becomes a very interesting sectorial next to NCA. Especially now that N3 gives them in my eyes a lot of extra bite to go for.
They have 2 good link options, can drop up to 5 AD troopers and due to the Remote point reduction can get the orders needed to power their key attack pieces and specialists. Makes the ASA much more fit for ITS.

In all seriousness, if CB gives the Bagh Mari a resculpt and cranks out a dual blister of Akalis (hacker + BS) I might expand into the ASA. I have all the Remotes from my NCA. The ASA has always resonated with me in their fluff but I couldn't find a reason to toy around with them as I found their list-style lackluster for my personal preferences.

Phototoxin, great article on the ASA. I found the thorough look into the sectorial really nice!

[Yossarian78]

Just got my first taste of N3 this weekend. I am a dedicated ASA player and I found that N3 has a lot to offer the Shock Army.

Sensors coupled with Sniffers can now be used in a first-turn blitz to make the board uncomfortable for camo. Even with the decreased AVA of Fugazi, one can coordinate the placement of several sniffers of the battlefield. Just be careful regarding sniffer placement in proximity toyour own mines and Nagas. The minelayer regular keeps the net functional even if the Pathfinder bites the dust.

The new suppression fire mode makes the Montessa a dangerous roadblock. The rewrite of Religious will ensure he stays put. (Can't fail a guts roll.)

Shotguns are crazy good. ASA has got quite a few shotgun-toting profiles. The auxbot_2 gets special mention because of its high mobility, small silouette and access to Gadget Programs in addition to running as wingman to BS 15 HI.

Spitfire Akal is cheaper and pretty much just as deadly as the HMG was. You have to be slightly more careful with the enfilading fire b/c the mid-range takes you only to center-table from the table's edge. Still quite effective.

Regulars are still the back-bone of the list. The hacker has become very important as the only regular hacking device in the list. The minelayer is great for the sensor/sniffer combo. Triangulated fire could become a first turn gimmick. Hold the minelayer in reserve if you are going first and then deploy behind partial cover at long range to targets. Take 3 shots at net BS 9.

Still missing that forward deployed specialist that is not a hacker or CoC.

[chunky04]

I justed received my first models for this sectorial yesterday.

I am intending to use Fusilier models as Regulars, and have converted up a Spec Ops as a Spitfire.

I am also awaiting a Bagh Mari resculpt, though I did notice that the Spec Ops comes with a very Bagh Mari like helmet option, so might end up doing that at some point.

I really like the look of the sectorial from a list building perspective. The WIP 13 on the Regulars makes them an excellent cheap link option with access to 0 SWC specialists, and the Bagh Mari seem like a good option for more oomph - Mimetism + MSV1 on a link team is pretty damn amazing, and again they have 0 SWC specialists.

I think they really benefit from a Spec Ops to allow for them to cover more classifieds in a tight package. Otherwise you have to trade off SWC for cheap specialists, then round out whatever is left to get some more hitting and manouvre elements into the list.

[VisOne]

HeHe,

Took me 2 years to get a win out of them though N2 they were pretty terrible.

These are the 2 lists I took to the recent 3 round 12 Point Spec Op Tournament I won.

Shock Army of Acontecimento
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

Group 1 10 0 0
INDIGO Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (10 / 12XP)
MOV:4-4 CC:13 BS:12 PH:10 WIP:13 ARM:0 BTS:0 W:1
Jungle Terrain, Hacking Device, Engineer, Chain of Command
NAGA Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 32)
NAGA Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 32)
MACAYANA Lieutenant HMG, Heavy Flamethrower, Antipersonnel Mines / AP CCW. (2 | 85)
REGULAR Spitfire / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 16)
REGULAR Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (10)
REGULAR Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (10)
REGULAR Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (12)
AKAL COMMANDO Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, E/M CCW. (0.5 | 28)
PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (16)

Group 2 2 0 0
PEACEMAKER Heavy Shotgun + AUXBOT_1 / Electric Pulse. (23)
AUXBOT_1 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (4)
SIERRA DRONBOT HMG / Electric Pulse. (1 | 25)

5.5 SWC | 299 Points

Open with Army 5

And

Shock Army of Acontecimento
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

Group 1 10 0 0
AKAL COMMANDO Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, E/M CCW. (0.5 | 28)
DRÃGAO Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon, Heavy Flamethrower / . (2.5 | 94)
LT. STEPHEN RAO Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Assault Pistol, Knife. (23)
BAGH-MARI HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 26)
BAGH-MARI Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (17)
BAGH-MARI Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (24)
BAGH-MARI Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 28)
PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (16)
INDIGO Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (10 / 12XP)
MOV:4-4 CC:13 BS:12 PH:10 WIP:13 ARM:0 BTS:0 W:1
Jungle Terrain, Hacking Device, Engineer, Chain of Command
NAGA Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 32)

5.5 SWC | 298 Points

Open with Army 5

I know what I will change up in the future and it's the lack of Sniffe remotes I want to get 1 or 2 into those lists to make the PATHFINDER DRONBOT even more effective as an anti Camo/TO objective grabber/s for my opponents.

[VisOne]

One thing I really really dislike in ASA is the 1 SWC cost on the Regular Hacker that really pisses me off. Outside of Spec Op tournaments it's so hard to get a hacking device to use supportware.

[Claudius Sol]

Congrats on the win, Danny boy! I've heard so many bad things about SAA in the past, but never really believed any of it. Glad to hear you have (kinda) debunked the rumor and myth.

[Yossarian78]

One thing I really really dislike in ASA is the 1 SWC cost on the Regular Hacker that really pisses me off. Outside of Spec Op tournaments it's so hard to get a hacking device to use supportware.

This, and the only FO outside the Pathfinder costing extra SWC, does seem to unfairly penalize ASA. I also dislike that a Regular Hacker is not going to be integrated into a link team b/c of the implications of using support-ware. Hopefully we see some revision in HS:N3?

Congrats on the tournament win. I had a similar touney (non-spec ops) experience winning my three rounds (coming in 2nd overall by 1 pt aggregate) while playing the Shock Army. How did your TAGs perform? For me the Dragao was a nice threat but other pieces did most of the heavy lifting. Nagas and Akalis carried the games for me with hackers, mines, and e/mitters all making an impact.

[VisOne]

In both games my TAG's were deciding factors in protecting my assets and advance or by completely removing the enemies means to complete their objective/s.

With PANO you have to use the guns to mitigate your opponents advantages because you can't mitigate your own such as small order pool! So every step they take must be at a cost of orders either through attrition of models generating them or by forcing them to use more order intensive means to get things done. Popping more smoke, using using cautious movement or less effective routes so as not to trigger your better ARO threats than their active shoot'y'ier models.

I basically through my nice guy attitude to one side for this event and acted first took the advantages I wanted then explained how to mitigate them AFTER not during the game. I still want people to learn what I did and how I did it but not during a tournameant when I want to actually win for once.