13th Varangia Gamma Commando (Catachan)

Just thought you might like to see my squad list...

13th Varangian Gamma Commando ‘Imperial Bodybags’

Captain – Major Helios ‘Flameboy’ Jones:
Catachan Fang, Helmet, Flak Armour, Hell Pistol (90)

Lieutenant – Cain Grayes:
Catachan Fang, Flak Armour, Las Pistol (88)

Lieutenant – Hector Winterledge:
Catachan Fang, Slugger (63)

Sergeant – Ralph DeStokesy:
Catachan Fang, Slugger (57)

Sergeant – Eli ‘Deadeye’ Dexter:
Catachan Fang, Lasgun (64)

HWS – Specialist Coldlake:
Flamer (56)

HWS – Specialist Byron:
Flamer (56)

Field Medic – Orderly Morgan:
Autopistol (45)

Infantryman – Trooper Qu’Shard:
Autogun (45)

Infantryman – Trooper Blackledge:
Autogun (45)

599 Credits
Catachan: 100 Credits

Cheers Laney

Interesting... seems like a good combo of units! I would arm the Officers with Catachan Fang & Pistol combo, to maximize their Close Combat. Remember to HIDE!

Yeah I totally forgot about hiding in the first game and got absolutely destroyed (4 criticals in a row! by way of the warrior (stupid GW skull dice ) - all on officers, followed by 4 OOA rolls be me! (stupid skull dice! ).

I'll learn - I'm too used to urban fighter shootiness

Laney

You've probably seen what I think about assaulting in DS. Should be a good reason for me to try a CC-oriented squad.

You know who else rolls criticals all the time? Colonel Prius. This must be his game: in all other games, he is useless with dice, losing Terminators to lasgunfire etc.

Laney: It happens to ALL of us! Granted I was playing against Dozer (who is a master Tactician), but the first 3 games (I'm a slow learner!) I got mopped so bad that I though the Catachans were broken! I taolke to Dozer and he laughed... smaked me on the head ( ) and explained to me that I had the idea right, the execution all wrong!

The Catachans are (at 1st) all about stealth. I do not know if it is correct, but has worked for me. I tend to Run if I'm out of LoS. Then, I WALK & SHOOT with Recruits in front, while I WALK & HIDE the Officers. I RUN with GEORGE (Ogryn) in my flank... make people nervous! Then I pounce on them.

Also, I think that you are also victim of not using Area Terrain (AT). This, you can blame on me. The section WAS ready for TLRB v0.5.1b, but I forgot to include it. It is on v0.6.0... basically is an AREA large enough to have a 'zone' on the gaming table, but VERY hard (if not impossible) to represent accurately... like thick jungle (can't map every tree, vine, bush, etc) or a mine-field (if you map every mines, you can avoid them!) Anyone within 1" inside the AT (measured by a direct line from attacker to target) is considered to be behind Cover, BUT it also gives the same Cover to the enemy model (so if in your turn you decide to shoot him, he gets the same Cover Save.) If you are BEHIND the AT, the you are out of LoS (like being behind a building). The implication (again... !) is that you can stay behind the AT and be out of LoS, then move in and as you are considered to be "behind Cover", you can HIDE! Sneaky!

So if you have an Area Terrain of thick vegetation (Cover Save 6+), the Catachans get a 5+ Cover Save (not great, but better than naked) BUT you could manouver yourself to get closer.

Arachas: Colonel Prius has NOTHING on me and my rolls. I have done THIS not once, but TWICE! in two different tables. I roll so many criticals that people tend to ask me to change my dice... the come when I roll some with their OWN dice. I'm the WORSE tactician... but I'm lucky!

I'll learn (HIDE, HIDE, HIDE). Full credit to Way of the Warrior, though he did have his critical rolls (all four of them), his overall tactics were better and he played to the strength of his squad.

But, apart from 'Deadeye' and his bionic I actualy came out of the post game better by about 10 credits (and only down about 3 or 4 EXP).

So not too shabby

Laney