Icchan wrote:CB still has a lot of new profiles to create to make the Tunguska a ready sectorial for Acheron Falls. What do you think their specialties are going to be?...
If we see linkable REMs anywhere, it's going to be the Vedic sectorial for ALEPH, with linkable dakinis. I don't know if we'll see it in two places. Frankly, linkable REMs aren't going to be that great outside of that part of ALEPH, which uses REMs as line troops. REMs are expensive, specialized, and limited (no cautious move, penalized Dodge ARO).
As far as Tunguska? I've always been a fan of starting with what we know:
1) Securitate
They have combi rifle/shotguns basic but can upgrade to a HMG or MULTI sniper rifle, both of which are pretty neat on a platform with BS 12. Oh, yeah, and Repeater and Sixth Sense L2 come basic as well. These guys will be interesting linked - on the one hand, a link of three is as good as a link of four, which will save points, but on the other hand they're pretty expensive to fill the role of "basic linkable order monkey." This is why I suspect that we will see a second LI option at some point.
However, Repeater coming standard on a basic infantry choice is interesting. It says that this is a faction that is interested in blanketing the field with Repeaters with a major focus on cyberwarfare. This brings us to our second unit...
2) Interventor
The best hacker in the game, in terms of sheer skill. WIP 15 and HD+ standard, options for fastpandas, options for either boarding shotgun or lieutenant. These guys tell us that Tunguska will be interested in doing HD+ hacking shenanigans. This combines nicely with the idea of plentiful Repeaters on things like line infantry.
3) Spektr
A pretty standard TO camo skirmisher. Starts with a combi rifle/shotgun (seems popular in this army...) and mines. Can upgrade to MULTI sniper, FO, or deployable repeater
and e/mauler. Again, this is a pretty standard TO skirmisher. What's interesting to me is that deployable repeater and e/mauler combination. Between one of these bastards dropping mines (too bad there's no Minelayer option...) and another dropping repeaters or e/maulers, your opponent won't know what hit him. Excellent board denial, and continuing the trend of cyberwarfare as a major tactic.
4) Szalamandra Squadron
Basically, a standard TAG, except that it comes with one of the most powerful TAG guns in the game (HRMC). This one stands out as unusual in that it's the only model that in no way takes advantage of or assists in a strong cyberwarfare attack and defense. Well, I guess you need
something to just beat face with...
A) Grenzer
We don't know much about these guys, because they're new. What we do know is that they are MI and come with a MSV1 standard (we also know that changes to the MSV rules make a MSV1 better than it was in 2nd edition), and we know that they can be upgraded to rock a MULTI sniper rifle, but don't know what their standard loadout is.
My suspicion of the grenzer is that they will follow the same design space as wildcats and bolts: specialized aggressive MI. I expect we'll see combi rifle/shotguns standard, options for spitfire and one other gun, probably either a boarding shotgun or missile launcher, and we'll see several skill options - doctor? engineer? hacker? forward observer? - and perhaps a neat non-weapon upgrade or two as well, perhaps deployable repeaters and/or e/maulers? And they will probably be linkable.
For me, all this adds together to something somewhat like, well, a cross between Bakunin and Corregidor. Or, maybe not quite like that, but it's a place to start. I suspect that Tunguska will focus on numbers of professional and well-equipped soldiers (like Corregidor) and also feature cyberwarfare and HD+ marking as a valid primary or secondary strategy (like Bakunin).
However, they will also have some element entirely their own... but I have no idea what that will be. It's been floated that they will field large numbers of REMs. That's possible, and will certainly play nicely with the fact that you are likely to field at least one hacker and many Repeaters. However, given the way sectorials are currently organized, it's hard to see how they would do that with the rules. You can raise the AVA on REMs, sure. You can give them access to some neat REMs that you don't give the other sectorials (though, remember, they will have to work with generic Nomads without unbalancing the game...).
The other thought I've had is that Tunguska will have some in-sectorial mercenaries or non-Nomads troops. Off the top of my head, I could see Tunguska working with any of the rogue recreations, Yuan Yuans, Druze, and KTS.
I can also see CB exploiting the "Russia connection" to give Tunguska some non-Nomads troops from... Ariadna. Line Kazaks could fill the role of cheap linkable LI quite nicely. Tank hunters would be... very interesting in this context (freeze that TAG with hacking, then finish it off with an autocannon!). Veteran Kazaks are, frankly, brilliant in any list, as are Ariadna scouts. Assault packs and dog-warriors would be interesting as well.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that Tunguska will get the entire RussiAriadna list! Any one or two of those, however, could be neat in the context we've already established.
That's all I got. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Disagreements?
Posted: July 31st, 2014, 11:15 pm
