1000pt LAMI vs. Arachnids

[Alexb83]

Okay, I'm looking for recommendations on a 1000 point loadout for a little game I'm playing with my local gaming group to try and get folks interested in SST.

It'll be an even 1000 points, PL1 game, LAMI vs. Arachnids (to keep it simple). The arachnid player has plenty of warriors, obviously (around 32 IIRC) and 6 hoppers, with a few sundry Blasters and Blisters.

What's an ideal loadout for LAMI to take them on? I was thinking along the lines of the lieutenant, and 3 squads of 12 LAMI, each with 'all the extras' - javelin, fednet, commpack, medic, corporal, armourer on all the sergeants & snipers. Alternatively, given that there'll be hoppers there, 3 10 man squads with rapier javelins. Totals exactly 1000

Thoughts? Is it worth dropping all the upgrades and taking a viking or slingshot? Or perhaps a SICON agent with a neodog?

 

[Hiromoon]

It'll depend on what he tends to do with the hoppers....does he usually fly them around or do they just hover?

 

[Ray Ray]

I'd go with either a Viking or one or two Skyhooks.

The 'flying bunker' is amazingly tough - tougher than the damage any 6 Hopper bugs could deal out. And the twin .50 do a nice job of suppressing the LZ before you land your troopers on the objective. Plus, the magazine spaces mean no low on ammo if you cluster the LAMI around the Viking - a big concern if your getting ridden down by 32 Warriors.

The Longbows are overrated - for what you are facing the Morita and sniper rifles should be sufficient firepower.

More, smaller squads are good too. Big squads mean you'll lose the squad sarge, the corp and even the com pack and still have 9 guys hanging around 'out of command'.

 

[Hiromoon]

But his longbows don't remove the Moritas those soldiers are carrying..and they're a nice 'just in case' weapon.

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

I'm going to hijack slightly here. As I mentioned yesterday I'm planning to order a full LAMI army this week, and I was thinking about getting 5 squad boxes to do it. And I was basically wondering is that enough/too much?

I take it the platoon works on the standard MI structure, 1 LT and 0-2 NCOs, allowing 2 squads per officer? I understand you can take 1 sarge+11 men in a squad, and two of them can be special weapons. can you can take a SICON military expert and the extra two squads for him?

EDIT: oh, and my plan is to order the Klendathu book at the same time, in case peopel were wondering why I didn't just look it up there or thinking I wasn't going to get it, I just like to know my options

 

[Hiromoon]

Nope...it's:
1 LT
2 NCOs
3 Squads per officer.

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

So a max strength platoon is 3 officers + 9 squads, for a total of 111 men? Groovy.

 

[tneva82]

So a max strength platoon is 3 officers + 9 squads, for a total of 111 men? Groovy.

Yup. Textbook platoon(as revealed in the sign&portents army) is lt+nco+5 squads of 10 which is where I'll be playing at(of course my army will be following textbook organisation closely. Which also means more cougars than grizzlies in exo-suit platoons etc).

It was fun designing text-book battallion for an MI

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

I have to say, when it comes to the Exos I'm gonna have to take more Grizzlies than Cougars. I'm thinking of 2 squads Cougars and four of Grizzlies, with all my officers in Cougars for my platoon

 

[tneva82]

I have to say, when it comes to the Exos I'm gonna have to take more Grizzlies than Cougars. I'm thinking of 2 squads Cougars and four of Grizzlies, with all my officers in Cougars for my platoon

As I said: I'm going for textbook(ie fluffy) selection. Fluffwise cougars are in majority. And when textbook platoon is 2 officers+5 squads of 5 even loading up officers on cougars(I'm going on both routes though) won't mean that you could load up most of exo-suits into grizzlies and be true to textbook.

Not that I'm saying everybody should follow it but _I_'m going to do it that way.

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

I have to say, when it comes to the Exos I'm gonna have to take more Grizzlies than Cougars. I'm thinking of 2 squads Cougars and four of Grizzlies, with all my officers in Cougars for my platoon

As I said: I'm going for textbook(ie fluffy) selection. Fluffwise cougars are in majority. And when textbook platoon is 2 officers+5 squads of 5 even loading up officers on cougars(I'm going on both routes though) won't mean that you could load up most of exo-suits into grizzlies and be true to textbook.

Not that I'm saying everybody should follow it but _I_'m going to do it that way.

Oh yeah, I see where you're coming from, but there's a point for me where going from fluff floowing to what *feels* right for me kicks in. so my Exo Platoon will be a heavy weapons platoon or somesuch

 

[tneva82]

so my Exo Platoon will be a heavy weapons platoon or somesuch

Well exo-platoon with plenty of cougars and some grizzlies is still quite a heavy weapon platoon

Exo-suit platoon #2:

Grizzly NCO - sixgun, firestorm missile system 170 pts
Cougar Lietnaunt - firestorm missile system 185 pts

Exo-squad: 5xgrizzly - 2(2xsixgun), 2(2xfirestorm missile launcher), sixgun&thermic lance 665 pts
Exo-squad: 5xcougar - 3xsixgun, 2xfirestorm missile system 585 pts
Exo-squad: 4xcougar - 4xsixgun + grizzly - 2xsixgun 535 pts
Exo-squad: 4xcougar 4xfirestorm missile system + grizzly - 2xfirestorm missile system 685 pts

15 sixguns, 14 firestorm missile systems and thermic lance. That's a lot of firepower And just one of the 3 exo-suit platoons in my Battallion(no I won't be btw collecting all of this but enough that I can field any invidual platoon I have designed yes. Makes good material for campaigns Especially map ones.)

 

[Alexb83]

Hijacking back again... I have to take a minimum 3 squads and LT for the platoon - I see the wisdom of going for more, basic squads and shaving out points to make room for the air assets. Remember I only have 1000pt to spend! I imagine the hoppers are likely to take off and loiter, which is why I want some kind of AA in there. Also, direct fire longbows would be nice to use against the advancing hordes.

I can see how dropping all the unneccesary extras would allow for air assets, but remember at 1000pts, PL1, I will be playing a Hold mission, and have to pick my tactics... defending against this many bugs with plain LAMI is going to be tough.

How does deploying from dropships work with regards to my tactics? (would I need to use probe tactics?) I can see dropships would be good, as it will only be a 4 turn game, and I want to get into his deployment zone to earn VPs. Easier to do in the comfort of a dropship than with 4" moves.

 

[Hiromoon]

Actually, they might backfire on you in that case. At PL1 can you take the Falcon AA missile?

 

[Alexb83]

How's this:

Lieutenant (LAMI) - Fleet liason, rallying cry. 100pt

Squad 1

Sergeant (Armourer) 235pt
Corporal
Medic
Commpack
Sniper
5x troopers

Squad 2 (as above) 235pt
Squad 3 (as above) 235pt

1x Viking landing boat - 195pt

1000pt on the nose

 

[Hiromoon]

Well, there's really only one way to find out, my friend.

 

[Alexb83]

Yes, you can get falcons at PL1 - 20 points extra (55 with the longbow). You can also have Skyhooks and Vikings. This is an early foray for me into the game, so advice greatly appreciated...

 

[Hiromoon]

Well, remember your air assets don't arrive till your second turn, so you have to decide if you want to hug the positions and wait for the enemy to come into range while the Fleet boys drop, or fire missles at the onrushing arachnids.

 

[Alexb83]

Yes - it will be tough - but I think going all-infantry would be a sure way to a bit of a massacre.

With fleet liason I guess I don't have to roll to bring the boat on, and I can loiter it onto the field, getting a few shoot actions in as it flies over the bugs. (two twin-50s is pretty much as good as two artillery fire longbows)

It is a bit worrying that hoppers may be flying my way - but can hoppers attack ground units during the air phase, or do they need to make a move(land) action, then ready/jump+charge?

 

[Hiromoon]

Fleet Liason means you get to choose who goes first in the Air Phase...

The hoppers have to land before being able to attack ground tagets, so having a viking flying around above you is a sure fire way of getting them up into the air. That said, just land, load two squads and the Lt into the viking, then just fly around for the rest of the game after you eliminate the Hoppers.