Quick Arachnid question

[thalcos]

Hi there, I'm a fairly new Starship Troopers play (I've only played once!) but was trying to build a good Arachnid force for mostly-casual play. Ideally, I'd like to get it around 2000 points.

So far, I already have:

32 warrior bugs
6 blister bugs
3 hoppers
1 tanker bug

It seems to me that it would be logical to add either 3 more hoppers to the force to get it around the 2,000 point mark, or a brain bug (or maybe I'm missing something else from the Arachnids book that would make it better...? Those ripplers look so darned cool.). What makes the most sense to you guys?

 

[MaxSteiner]

You definatly want the brain bug man!
The extra action per turn it allows you on any of your units is a game winner, and the more evil psychic powers like Rupture are a massive advantage!

 

[Sgt. Brassones]

Brainnnnsss, brainnnsss.......

 

[CrazyKiller]

Plasma bug maybe?

 

[The Old Soldier]

Having 3 more hoppers is a good addition. Brain bugs are excellent, in forces of 2,000 pts or higher but really start to shine at the 2500 pt level.
I found the blaster/blisters are not that great unless you really know how to use them, and would never have more than 6 if I were going to use them.

Ripplers are also a good choice for a unit to keep the MI player honest when using air assets. Really the choices are up to you, based on your style. My army has

80 warriors
6 blaster/blisters
6 hoppers
3 ripplers
2 plasma
4 tunneler bugs
2 tankers
1 brain.

My motto is you can never have enough warriors, and in smaller games I mainly use warrior and tankers only with 3 hoppers in support, along with tunnel assets, and only bring in the big boys along with the brain in 3,000 plus point games.

 

[tneva82]

So far, I already have:

Any chance of you retro-fitting blaster pieces to those blisters? Blisters are just so...Useless!

Anyway I would add plasma bug. That kill-you-all artirelly fire is going to drive your opponents(in particulary MI) so mad :lol:

Also that way your army isn't so "CC only". Flexible army is good army IMO.

 

[thalcos]

Thanks, guys! I'll probably start with a brain bug and then look into either more hoppers or a plasma bug. Glad to see that there's a few options I could go with to keep with a good, flexible force. Sad to hear blisters are useless (they DID get mowed down right away in my first game...), but I suppose I could always mod them into blasters easy enough.

At least I'm not painting more warriors for a while! :shock:

 

[Adastra]

Don't be so quick to toss away the Blister Bug - with his D10 and Piercing/1 acid spit, they're great for taking out a Marauder or a CHAS from beyond retaliate range. Blaster bugs can't even scratch a CHAS' paint, and only hit an Ape Marauder on a '6' (with a D6). Go with Blasters if you expect to face mainly Cap troopers or LAMI, but if your opponents pack heavy armor, the Blister is more useful.

 

[Galatea]

Yes, but that said, anything a Blister can do a Firefrie does better. They have D10 too, cost 10p less and can JUMP (impressive 12").
Okay, they can't stay out of reaction range, but if done properly there won't be anything left capable of shooting back.
(and as a nice bonus firefries are size 1, making it easy to cover them while closing in)

 

[Rob_A]

Right first off, Good one for investing in this game, its awesome! Secondly, I would suggest getting the arachnid army book, you will not regret it.
My suggestions, would be not to get a brain. I have seen forces without them, they are very effective. Get at least 6 hoppers and some ripplers. Possibly more warriors. An effective force I have seen was 3 tankers, 6 hoppers and as many warriors as possible.

 

[JoseDominguez]

We've got everything for the bug army..... 3 plasmas, full set of tankers, 120 warriors now, 20 hoppers. And we've tried all sorts, at 2000 points the brain is the best buy, even if it never surfaces and just uses it's extra action.
Look at it this way, MI find it easy to avoid tunnel entrances, they just have to make sure they are more than 12" away from your markers each turn and even a camo entrance won't catch them. With a brain, that shifts to 18" We've found that one plasma is OK, but it tends to be taken out in the first turn, so if you are player one, go for it, he'll get one shot at least. Or, if your opponent likes nukes, place the plasma and let him use it to take it out, at least you know where it will be fired. But one plasma is a bit of a liability... if it hits, great it fries whatever is underneath. If you miss it's unlikely to get another shot.
The other option with the brain is using ego war, brain pops up, ego wars then goes down with it's third action, pretty useful. Partiucularly when facing pathfinders etc.. And rupture is great vs exo suits.
PLus, if you have a brain, he will try to take it out, so that lets you set traps and forces him to tie up points in capsules.
Best idea is to start the brain underground (you can, according to msprange) and don't use it until you have to, that way he's counting on your 6" move, then when a nice big unit is near a tunnel entrance swamp him
With a brain and a tanker the tanker will get into combat a third faster than normal. Also, once it's in there it can use the extra action to go back under... Ready..tunnel up and attack..back down the hole.
That's likely to give him another turn alive. Two tankers and no brain take longer to arrive and both will be blown to hell as soon as they spend a turn above ground. (I always have a couple of squads of pathfinders with 3 snipers and a javelin lurking about)