2000p Psychic Terror vs MI

[Galatea]

I shortly had a discussion with a friend about how extrem you could go using psychic warfare and we endet up with this:


2000p Arachnids, PL3, probe tactics

On the field:

Infiltrator (75)
Infiltrator (75)

Overseer (250)
-Ego War, Shield

Overseer (250)
-Ego War, Shield

Moving in 1st turn (if not Bugs have first turn):

Brain (300)
Enhanced Shield, Ego War, Id Sending

Brain (300)
Enhanced Shield, Ego War, Id Sending

Queen (750)
Enhanced Shield, Enhanced Rupture, Ego War, Id Sending, Assassinate, Suicidal Stimulation


Tactic is to shutdown the whole MI force by using Ego War and then sniping out the officers with Id Sendig and Rupture, while the Infiltrators tear them apart (and the Overseers move forward using the brain coordinate).
The Queen and their Brain retinue will be placed in one group, so that they have a total of 18 Shield strength together - something that could even pounce of a Pee-Wee.

It doesn't look to me like there's much you could do against this with an MI Force, espacially not when unprepared.
(The only thing could be air assets, I don't know if you can use Rupture against them, but even if not they couldn't do enough damage to harm that group seriously)
Bugs will swarm you, simply leaving back their shutdown squad members, but Skinnies should also get serious problems (although not that hard as the MI).

 

[Sgt. Brassones]

That's kinda scarey. I'll have to think about this a bit.

 

[CudaHP]

It may be scary but it more appears to be an attempt to remove all tactics and move it into force selection rather than fighting a battle.

It is a one trick pony.

Locally you play the army list game you fight once with that list, if it is as unbeatable as you seem to think no one will fight a battle against that army again.

Plus with that broken of a list I would not let you play it the first time, unless you played it with actual painted models no proxies.
Just the way we play locally.

It is just too much the way people design and play their 40K armies.

Interesting intellectual exercise. But that seven figure army is completely wrong to my way of thinking.

 

[tneva82]

Nice one for one game but if you keep doing this MI loads up his entire army to aircrafts. Can't harm them anymore and they keep shooting your stuff from the above :lol:

 

[Aniyn]

one word - ajax.

 

[Alexb83]

Let's dust off and nuke the site from orbit...

 

[Don_Silvarro]

A Queen Bug is illegal in this list. To field the big fat bitch, you need to have a Colony Level Force, so at least two hosts. To get a second host at PL3, you need to field at least 6000pts (3000 per host). You could field her at PL2, but that means no Overseers, plus you'll still need at least 4000pts.

Also, the list isn't that scary IMO, since if you lose ANY bug on the table (except the Infiltrators), you lose a turn. So one nuke at the Overseers, and the enemy will have a whole turn to get into posiotions to bash the hell out of the rest of your bugs.

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

one word - ajax.

Unfortunately you can only take 2 max, and that's if you split your forces between two platoons. Assuming you take PAMI, that's a minimum of 2 NCOs and 4 squads of MI, plus either an LT with SICON training or a SICON officer, and you're going to have to buy javelins to fire the missiles....

 

[tneva82]

Also, the list isn't that scary IMO, since if you lose ANY bug on the table (except the Infiltrators), you lose a turn. So one nuke at the Overseers, and the enemy will have a whole turn to get into posiotions to bash the hell out of the rest of your bugs.

Overseers don't cause them to go "nuts" if one is destroyed as long as another overseer or brain is onboard.

 

[tneva82]

one word - ajax.

Unfortunately you can only take 2 max, and that's if you split your forces between two platoons. Assuming you take PAMI, that's a minimum of 2 NCOs and 4 squads of MI, plus either an LT with SICON training or a SICON officer, and you're going to have to buy javelins to fire the missiles....

a) ajax's aren't launched in javelins. Those aren't big enough for ajax.
b) you can get up to _5_ ajax in one PL3 platoon if you really want. 1 cruise missile w/ajax warhead and 4 tac fighters with atomic payload. Of course that costs 3600 pts before buying any infantry but what the heck :lol:

 

[dwarvesarethebest]

seems small IMO. Perhaps Exos at PL2 with Firestorms would work. Take out the two overseers, then once the Brains and Queen come on, hit 'em with a pee-wee. Either that, or take 6 Firestorms! (3 pairs) We're talking a possibe 24 Piercing 2 D10 shots here (12 D10 + the bonus rule). Add some Sixgun fire to whittle down the shields (since they abosrb any hits) and you could possily bust through that shield in one turn and splatter brain juice all over the board!

 

[cOwgummi]

of cause noone would really want to play the list, and im pretty happy that the queen bug turned out to be illegal...oh wait...that leaves room for even more brains :twisted:

the problem is, afaik shields protect models that are in it and not only the model with the shield trait. sooo just field two overseers and two brains as a very close group, now go and crack that shield protection monster open...

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

one word - ajax.

Unfortunately you can only take 2 max, and that's if you split your forces between two platoons. Assuming you take PAMI, that's a minimum of 2 NCOs and 4 squads of MI, plus either an LT with SICON training or a SICON officer, and you're going to have to buy javelins to fire the missiles....

a) ajax's aren't launched in javelins. Those aren't big enough for ajax.
b) you can get up to _5_ ajax in one PL3 platoon if you really want. 1 cruise missile w/ajax warhead and 4 tac fighters with atomic payload. Of course that costs 3600 pts before buying any infantry but what the heck :lol:

a) good point. I've never used an Ajax so I'm not great on the stats.
b) two min strength squads of MI, an NCO and a SICON military advisor brings that up to about 4200 points, I think....

 

[tneva82]

the problem is, afaik shields protect models that are in it and not only the model with the shield trait. sooo just field two overseers and two brains as a very close group, now go and crack that shield protection monster open...

Well depends on wether I know I face that or not. If I know I'll drop in 2 pee-wee's(that's 30 hits, shields down and probably one dead anyway) and then ajax. That takes care of the rest. Splat

As said that can be nasty suprise for a while but then people will simply prepare for it. And after that not only you don't have fun in your games but you also lose in your games.

 

[tneva82]

b) two min strength squads of MI, an NCO and a SICON military advisor brings that up to about 4200 points, I think....

Yup.

Would be rather rude suprise in say 4500 pts list. 2 squads, NCO and either SICON officer or military intelligence trait and then 5 ajax. Crazy game

Of course endless tide warriors and you are screwed. So nukes took care of first wave. Great. What you are going to do for the second wave?-)

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

Strafing runs

 

[cOwgummi]

well you could still place at least one brain underground instead of taking infiltrators...

and again: its just a mind exercise, playing this is like playing with 200 endless tide workers or only with cliffmites or 7 tankers or whatever, it's extreme enough to be a bit game breaking in the right circumstances, but isn't fun (ok, at least the 200 endless tide workers seem as if they are gamebreaking in every circumstances...)

where were at it, what about combining 3 infiltrators and 2 mantis assasins wth 2 plasma bugs in reserve...
first kill all the stupid officers, than bring in the plasmas and destroy the mi that can do nothing against it...

(also possible with the brains and overseers, as a alot of points come free with the queen being illegal, just ego war anybody and then plasma them to hell)

 

[Galatea]

Hey Dudes, cool down, it was just a mentual exercise of "what would be able if you want to do it" - I don't actually plan to play such an army (except for one time to see the face of my enemy, when I field 5 psychic talented modells with alltogether 650p(!) of talents ^^).

But with the Queen illegal the list became even more ugly (or worse for the MI)

Heres the basic:

Brain
Enh. Shield, Ego War Id Sending

Brain
Enh. Shield, Ego War Id Sending

Brain
Enh. Shield, Ego War, Id Sending

Overseer
Ego War, Id Sending, Suicidal Stimulation

Overseer
Ego War, Assassinate

Optional 450p (add one of these to reach 2000p):

1)
1 Plasma
3 Hopper OR 4 Kamikaze Ripplers

2)
15 Worker
15 Worker
15 Worker

3)
5 Firefires
5 Firefires
5 Firefires
5 Firefires
10 Cliff Mites

4)
drop 1 Infiltrator giving you 75p
1 Burrower
1 Burrower
2 Tunneling Markers
2 Tunnel Entrances
3 Cave-Ins
-> Pop up your Burrowers right in the stunned MI Force and just wait till they are plopped through the planet crust and eaten

5)
1 Mantis Assassin
1 Mantis Assassin
1 Mantis Hunter
1 Mantis Hunter
10 Cliff Mites

6)
5 Blaster Bugs
5 Blaster Bugs
5 Blaster Bugs
-> For staying out of range while bombing the enemy away

7)
1 Tanker
5 Firefries
5 Firefries

8)
1 King Tanker


(My favorite is Number 4 - it isn't most effective but i assume it would be quite funny to watch all those poor MI guys plopping away to hell one by one)

 

[JoseDominguez]

Counter with.............. multiple pathfinder units with 3 snipers and a javelin each, frag grenades and capsules. All at PL1 so I get first turn and take attack so it's points for kills.
Entire army drops at the end of turn two, one pathfinder unit per psychic bug. (I play this army against anyone I'm not sure of, it's very flexible).
Pathfinders land, then it's back to MI turn. 3 morita shots, 6 sniper shots, 1 reaver and 4 frag grenades per unit, if you were 'merging shields' I'd concentrate on one brain to make sure you were frozen next turn. then your turn: Ego war is useless as it'll catch your own bugs. Any powers you use trigger sniper and morita fire. With a brain gone, it's one action, so back to the MI: Mopping up
Nice flexible MI force, as I've said, it's my standard 'not sure who I'm fighting line up'. So the psychic war would be pretty brief.

 

[Kristovich]

Let's dust off and nuke the site from orbit...

...it's the only way to be sure.

Seriously though, I dunno if that list will get all to popular as it seems hard to beat. Also nukes might do some damage to you troops (it will need more than one though).