Buying an addt'l 2 core sets to add to the 2 I already own?

[chris_valera]

Hey, what's up guys, just like it says, I'm considering buying an extra two box sets on 20% discount to add to the two I already own. Just for the warriors, really, although having the extra MI, is nice as well ;-)

I'm even considering buying a third set, so I can convert the warriors into Fire fries and hoppers (don't like the official models.) The Firefries are kewl, just not as part of my army. Mine is gonna use the warrior models, but using a candle and pliers, bend the tab for the jaws so I can model flames shooting out their wittle bug mouths.

I'm thinking the discount on models in the set, the discount on price (about $60) and selling off the rulebook on ebay make this a very attractive option.

Can any large-scale playing SST gamers tell me if it's worth it? Experiences playing large games of SST?

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com

 

[DaltonCalford]

Hey, what's up guys, just like it says, I'm considering buying an extra two box sets on 20% discount to add to the two I already own. Just for the warriors, really, although having the extra MI, is nice as well ;-)

I'm even consider buying a third set, so I can convert the warriors into Fire fries and hoppers (don't like the official models.) The Firefries are kewl, just not as part of my army. Mine is gonna bend the tab for the jaws and model flames shooting out their wittle bug mouths.

I'm thinking the discount on models in the set, the discount on price (about $60) and selling off the rulebook on ebay make this a very attractive option.

Can any large-scale playing SST gamers tell me if it's worth it? Experiences playing large games of SST?

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com

As the proud owner of 6 box sets, numerous MI and Warrior kits, hoppers, firefries, plasma and tanker bugs, CHAS and half a platoon of Marauders, I can honestly say........

DON'T DO IT!!!!!

mumble, grumble.....weekends lost painting,
grumble, mumble.....wife thinks I'm insane,
complain, grumble.....12'x4' game board dominates basement,

WINNING at a 4000 point game with a 2600 point margin

Priceless, ignore my warning - it is worth it, especially when playing a penny a point!

But, it is addictive. Tends to cause others to stare strangely at you.
Makes your daughter learn how to add up dice before they can read, and makes your mother in law concerned about your wifes mental health (after all she did marry you).

best regards

Dalton

 

[chris_valera]

This is awesome advice thanks!

Though I'm a little annoyed to see so few replies with so many votes on the poll. Really I'm looking for why or why not this would be a good purchase.

Anybody play any huge games with boatloads of warriors and can tell me about their experiences, good or bad?

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com

 

[nezeray]

How about a reply without a vote?

I think the main determiner should be whether or not or playing style requres these figures or not.

I have 3 boxed sets, 1 assembled. Why? because I also have the Female Cap Troopers, Heros set, soon the k9 Pathfinders (for $5.00 more than the basic pathfinders, you get dogs), numerous M8's, M9's and 2 Chas. Also I have a set of Wasp Troops. With all of these options, I don't need more grunts. If I decide to do a heavy Cap army, then I can assemble and paint them. I also plan to do different camo patterns when I get some free time.

On the Bug side, I have the 1st box set assembled and painted. I also have a box of 6 warriors painted differently that I can use for Tiger or any other bug I don't have yet. I also have 4 sets of hoppers, mainly because my wife likes painting them. I loved the firefries against Caps so I have 10 of them, quite effective as long as you can keep them out of site. Add a brain and 2 tankers and you've got a party. I need to get around to playing a game with the Plasma I assembled/painted for my local store. It should do well against the Marauders.

So with all the options possible, you'll need to decide if you want a swarm of warriors, or a mix of air/ground/underground units.

James / Nezeray

 

[aurak_merc]

If you play both sides, or just like collecting the models, I would say it may be a good purchase choice. You get a lot of stuff for a pretty good price(especially if you are getting a discount). Personally, I would not do it just because I only play MI and had a heck of a time getting my 20 Warriors traded off. Everyone wanted them at the FLGS, but nobody had anything to trade (or cash to buy) for quite a while.

I do however like the larger games and am working towards acquiring more MI for mass battles if I can get some of the bug players to do the same. 50,000 points of MI is great and all, but when the most populous bug army here is around 2k, it is a bit of an overkill. I may need to do a road trip this summer to find a couple of large games

 

[DaltonCalford]

This is awesome advice thanks!

Though I'm a little annoyed to see so few replies with so many votes on the poll. Really I'm looking for why or why not this would be a good purchase.

Anybody play any huge games with boatloads of warriors and can tell me about their experiences, good or bad?

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com

Our group plays a average of 4000 points a game although we have played 10000 point games with over 757 warriors on the board.

Overall the game is balanced with the only factor that unballances it are players who try to play the game like 40k. I usually play bugs and the scariest unit on the board for me is the lowly trooper with his rifle.

I have won every game I have played against an MI who brings nukes.
A PL1 force with the lt having sicon training is the hardest nut to crack.
They have all the benefits of PL2 with PL1 winning conditions.

I have a very hard time beating that combo.

Anyway, big games are great - just don't let your wife catch you using her clean laundry for terrain....


best regards

Dalton

 

[ScipioAmericanus]

I HATE YOU!!!!

Now, I'm looking at all the SST boxes I've got stacked up in queue, and I'm asking myself "Hmmm. Maybe I should get a few more core sets too?"

Grrrrrr!!!! Curse you for planting that suggestion in my head!

I can see it now: I'll be 90 yrs old and working on my 450,000 point bug army...

If I could only teach Taco to paint! But...she seems more interested in chewing on bugs than painting them.

Still...one or two more core sets couldn't hurt, could they?

 

[Mr Evil]

i found 3 box sets were perfect, gave a big mi army and a great start to a bug force, also a rule book per player and one for referance away from gaming.

id say at present 2-3 boxes would be good especialy witht he level of new modles comming out.

 

[chris_valera]

How about a reply without a vote?

Somehow, I think I'll live.

I think the main determiner should be whether or not or playing style requres these figures or not.

I have 3 boxed sets, 1 assembled. Why? because I also have the Female Cap Troopers, Heros set, soon the k9 Pathfinders (for $5.00 more than the basic pathfinders, you get dogs), numerous M8's, M9's and 2 Chas. Also I have a set of Wasp Troops. With all of these options, I don't need more grunts. If I decide to do a heavy Cap army, then I can assemble and paint them. I also plan to do different camo patterns when I get some free time.

On the Bug side, I have the 1st box set assembled and painted. I also have a box of 6 warriors painted differently that I can use for Tiger or any other bug I don't have yet. I also have 4 sets of hoppers, mainly because my wife likes painting them. I loved the firefries against Caps so I have 10 of them, quite effective as long as you can keep them out of site. Add a brain and 2 tankers and you've got a party. I need to get around to playing a game with the Plasma I assembled/painted for my local store. It should do well against the Marauders.

So with all the options possible, you'll need to decide if you want a swarm of warriors, or a mix of air/ground/underground units.

James / Nezeray

This is great advice, I see what you're saying. Yeah, my playing style revolves around mass hordes of infantry, and I'm only just now getting into using the alternate troop types.

So really I'm wondering how good the basic Warrior bug is. Would it be worth having a done of them. Like, how well does all anti-infantry force work? Can you actually fit all the models on the table, what big gaames play like, what a standard force with mostly Warriors plays like, etc.

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com

 

[chris_valera]

I HATE YOU!!!!

Now, I'm looking at all the SST boxes I've got stacked up in queue, and I'm asking myself "Hmmm. Maybe I should get a few more core sets too?"

Grrrrrr!!!! Curse you for planting that suggestion in my head!

I can see it now: I'll be 90 yrs old and working on my 450,000 point bug army...

If I could only teach Taco to paint! But...she seems more interested in chewing on bugs than painting them.

Still...one or two more core sets couldn't hurt, could they?

Naw, of course not...

I mean, you're just *looking* right? I mean, it's not as if you're actually going to *buy* them, right? There's no harm in looking... You're just thinking about how nice it would be to own those box sets... With all those models in them... All those lovely, lovely finely crafted toy soldiers. That are cheaper to buy in the box set than buying individually... That you can get on discount... That would be even cheaper if you sold the spare rulebooks on eBay... Be a good deal, woudn't it? But no, you don't *have* to buy them.

But you could.

If you wanted to.

I mean, you know, if you *wanted* to. Not that you *have* to, but if you *wanted* to... There's no shame in that, right? It's like you're some crazy model junkie or anything, naw...

You could quit buying anytime you wanted to...

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com

 

[JLS83WARRIOR]

I HATE YOU!!!!

Now, I'm looking at all the SST boxes I've got stacked up in queue, and I'm asking myself "Hmmm. Maybe I should get a few more core sets too?"

Grrrrrr!!!! Curse you for planting that suggestion in my head!

I can see it now: I'll be 90 yrs old and working on my 450,000 point bug army...

If I could only teach Taco to paint! But...she seems more interested in chewing on bugs than painting them.

Still...one or two more core sets couldn't hurt, could they?

You like that bird to much.

 

[ScipioAmericanus]

You like that bird to much.

1. Doesn't b*tch at me if I stay out late.
2. Likes to be with me when I paint minis.
3. Doesn't buy 2 or more outfits and matching pairs of shoes every week, then expect me to surrender yet more closet space to store them.
4. Is always genuinely glad to see me.
5. Idea of a great dinner is grapes, apples, snow peas, strawberries and orange...not $150 plus at the latest trendy restaurant.
6. Idea of a great toy is a $5.50 plastic chain that she can climb on, not an Audi TT.
7. Could care less about her birthday or Christmas, since parrots hate "new" stuff.
8. Considerably broader vocabulary than "Again? We already have this month!"
9. Emotional maturity of a 2yr old...a decided improvement.
10. Totally unconditional love.

Also...Hates soap operas, loves Battlestar Galactica, Firefly and Serenity, and war movies.

I'm allowed to like my bird. But I don't just like her, I love her. I'm allowed to do that also.

 

[Mr Evil]

Wow and i thought i suffered from bitternes lol

i know many women who like plastic toys, but the cost more than $6 lol

 

[ScipioAmericanus]

Wow and i thought i suffered from bitternes lol

i know many women who like plastic toys, but the cost more than $6 lol

Not bitter, Evil...totally f*cking RELIEVED!!!!!!!

As for the plastic toys...it's funny you mentioned that, because I was just talking with a female co-worker about that very subject today! It was hysterical, and I had her blushing big time. Still...she brought it up... :lol:

Regards.

 

[anton970]

I'd say......

na.

As I got two box sets and that gives me plenty just gotta sick another five togeather and I'll be set, tankers & plasma's eat your points and when you start bringing hard core tunnel assets into the game your sorted, for example I used 1100 of bit stuff ie 2 tankers, 1 plasma, 1 brain, tunnel assets were 625, 5 markers, 2 nest's 1 camo, 1 norm, the rest of the army was bugs and the like but we were playing 3K and thats the most we've played so far!

 

[Grah]

I've gone from not really liking the Endless Tides rule to loving it. I don't need so many Warriors. Maybe 40, which is 1000 pts with Endless Tides. I don't need many more as I'm going to recycle plenty, now that all of a sudden I don't care whether they die any more :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Endless Tides really frees you up to think more like a bug.

 

[DaltonCalford]

I've gone from not really liking the Endless Tides rule to loving it. I don't need so many Warriors. Maybe 40, which is 1000 pts with Endless Tides. I don't need many more as I'm going to recycle plenty, now that all of a sudden I don't care whether they die any more :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Endless Tides really frees you up to think more like a bug.

I started liking endless tide, until I found that with so few bugs on the table at any one time, the MI could easily out maneuver them. The fact that the MI can keep killing the bugs, while staying out of CC, causes the bugs to loose even if they wipe the MI off the board. With endless tide, and fewer than 60 warriors on a 4x6 board, the MI can average killing 5-6 bugs each. That means a 30 point trooper can wipe out an average of 125-150 points of bugs.

Without endless tide, and using the workers/warriors options, each bug is only worth 10 points. You can field 100 bugs, truely swarm your opponent and they will not have anywhere to jump. They kill only 2-3 bugs each, somtimes not even getting a chance to kill one bug.

In the game I have found that endless tide looses battles when you take victory points into consideration.

best regards

Dalton

 

[Mr Evil]

yeah i hope so, my next game agaist gray is going to try and find away of counteracting endless tide.

 

[Grah]

I'm not say use just Endless Tides. You have got to have a combined arms approach. Have your Plasmas sat at the back, lobbing blue death at the bad guys. Have a Tanker and some small warrior units tunnelling forward at 5" per turn confusing the MI intel johnnies (not difficult). Then have Brain-boosted Hoppers to really make them think - 'Now, do I spend my firepower on taking out all those swarming warriors or do I shoot my long stuff at the Plasma, or maybe I should set up an ambush for those three tunnelling Tankers, or what about my AA assets for when the Hoppers appears or ...chomp!'

 

[DaltonCalford]

yeah i hope so, my next game agaist gray is going to try and find away of counteracting endless tide.

Ok, do not engage his tanker, it is too slow to keep up and, you are guarenteed your opponent is at PL3.

Take a PL1 force, if you must, use SICON training on your LT, but, mostly don't bother.

Give your sargeants the armourer skill, its as good as an ammo dump in your situation but far more mobile.

DO NOT SHOOT DURING YOUR TURN! just shoot as reaction fire.
DO NOT take alot of heavy weapons, flamers are nice, everything else is not neccessary.

Keep killing his warriors - you will harvest tons of points by ignoring his big tanker and just killing warriors. Remember, killing 10 warriors is equivalent to killing his tanker and is alot easier.

His victory conditions will tell him to either go camp out in your deployment area or to go and hunt you.

If you keep your squads moving in lock-jump, his hoppers will always end thier move within your reaction zone. You will loose a few troopers but, his hoppers - the key to most bug strategies, will be nullified the turn after he uses them.

Be sure to take a LT and corporals although a second NCO is not bad as long as you do not load them up with options.

If the tanker is busy hunting you, you are free to go and take out his brain bug. Any warriors around the brain make it even more enticing as you can really rack up the points. Remember, with low cost squads, and pl 1 winning conditions vs pl3 winning conditions, the bug player is at a severe disadvantage when the final points are counted.

If he uses endless tide, you can destroy more points than he origionally fielded (remember you get points for every bug you kill, so if you kill two warriors bugs, the original and the spawned, you get 50 points, not 25)

I am a bug player and I have totally wiped the MI from the board just to have lost by over 1000 points due to the victory conditions and endless tide.

Remember the tactics of Rommel and McArther., hit them where they are weakest, and make them come to you. If you combine that with Monties concept of a mobile defense.

If you want to really want to get to know winning tactics, put some blood on the table. We play for a penny a point where the looser pays the winner the point spread. With your opponent using endless tide, you may be able to afford a few more box sets in no time.

best regards

Dalton