I'm getting back into this...

catbarf

Mongoose
Hi, I've been gone a while (converting a WHFB Chaos Dwarf Army), but after seeing the prices on Ebay, I'm back. I play bugs, and I'm interested in some of the newer 'toys'... like a Warrior mega-swarm for $22. My original challenge (painting) is gone now that I realize that I have way too much time, but not enough money. So, I'm going to try an urban camo kind of scheme- black undercoat, greys drybrushed, some browns.

Oh, and does anyone know any anti-skinnie tactics? I almost cried when my Plasma got killed by two Brutes in melee.

I'd also like some recommendation on what to get next. I have:
19 Warriors (don't ask)
5 Spiders
Plasma
Mantis Assassin

I'm thinking probably some Ripplers?
 
I would concur with a lot of the suggestions above (I consider the ones in bold especially useful):

Tanker: Great heavy hitter and also useful as a (somewhat) expensive fire magnet. "Humm. Do I shoot the horde of warriors or the tanker? Whichever I don't shoot at is going to rip me a new one!"

Brain Bug: Be sure to give him Shield, otherwise he's toast.

Hoppers: A must have! Expensive, but play with an assassin mentality (sneaky, backstabbing, careful target selection, etc.) and they are well worth the points. I've killed officers, exos, cap troopers and even a couple of Chickenhawks with Hoppers.

Firefries: I know some may not agree, however, I've had a lot of success with firefries. True, they die fairly easily, but in my last game, 10 firefries toasted a Chickenhawk and severly wounded an Ape. Course, they got smoked by reaction fire, but the Hoppers were able to finish off the Ape without a single loss. Not a bad exchange.

Burrowers:I love Burrowers! Attach some Blister/Blaster bugs to a Burrower and you've got a great ambush party. Also, an extra Burrower or two add to the confusion of multiple tunneling markers. "Is it a tanker, warrior horde, or burrower?"
 
Got to get at least double that number of Warriors, maybe add in a unit of Tiger Warriors. A Tanker or two would be a good idea to take on Marauders and Exosuits etc. Brain Bugs are a must-have for their coordinate ability if nothing else. I'd go for Ripplers over Hoppers. As well as being cheaper points-wise they can stay in Loiter mode which means that if your opponent doesn't have any AA weapons they can't be hit.

Against Skinnies I'd use Tankers (immune to Constrictor rifles) and Ripplers (Skinnies can't deal with them unless they have Venerables or Heavy Speeders if they stay at Loiter speed).
 
How about a King Tanker? A bit pricey, but very hard to kill, and one helluva surprise when it burrows up. And I don't see what exactly Hoppers do that Ripplers can't? I mean, I like them, but since the only way to get Ripplers is 9 at a time I'm not sure if my list has room for both.
 
I haven't had any personal experience with a king or thorny tanker (I have a half assembled King right now.) I'd love to hear some feedback, especially on the thorny tanker. I love that it can react. :D


Same with the ripplers; I have a pack of them but have not had the opportunity to use them. On the surface, I think Ripplers would be a great replacement for Hoppers. Their stats are comparable and Ripplers have a distance attack. Just make sure there's terrain on the board; 6" slower than Hoppers makes them a bit more vulnerable, I would think. And stay away from Marauders; with only 1D6+1 in CC, Ripplers are only going hit on a lucky die roll or two.
 
Ripplers are by design quite inferior...for one they have a 6+ armor save instead of 5 and their CC is much worse... the threat range of a hopper is 24+size = 26 the threat range of Ripplers is 18+6 = 24 and they cant shoot twice whereas one can charge twice with Hoppers.... the 2d6 is useful against large amounts of infantry but keep in mind it lacks auto trait...

That being said Ripplers have an essential anti-air upgrade
 
they cant shoot twice whereas one can charge twice with Hoppers

:shock: I completely forgot about that! Great observation. I'll have to downgrade my earlier opinion.

Now, as for the AA part...... :twisted:
 
How do you charge twice? I thought you need to take one Ready action, then you can Hover, and the Hover includes 1 attack? Or do you just mean 2x melee for Hopper vs 1x melee + 1x ranged for Rippler?
 
Ripplers aren't really designed for close combat, best to use them as a ranged attacker in air mode. They might have a poor armour save but they have a high to-hit number and a good dodge save. The acid variety is especially nasty and if you expect the enemy to have air assets a few kamikaze Ripplers can ruin his whole day.
 
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