Following the busy weekend of Autumn Invasion, my mind was buzzing with things to try out with the Resistance - many of the other Resistance players were fielding units I had not tried yet, and most of them did a lot better than me! Following my conclusions at the end of the tournament, I decided to run something different.
The first army list was inspired by Stefan Nordström of the Team Sweden (find his tournament report here), who had played my friend Simon in the fifth game of Autumn Invasion and won well with a force of Freeriders, Technicals, Wagons and other smaller units, supporting a Thunderstorm. This was my modified list...
Warlord's HQ - Leader
One NT-5 Thunderstorm Custom
One Barrel Bomber with AA Cannon upgrade
Vehicle Detachment
Three Gun Wagons mounted in an NT-1 Kraken Hovercraft
One Barrel Bomber with AA Cannon upgrade
Vehicle Detachment
Three Gun Wagons mounted in an NT-1 Kraken Hovercraft
Resistance Band
Three bands of Resistance Fighters mounted in three Jackson Half-tracks, carried by an AT-77 Lifthawk with AA Cannon upgrade
Resistance Infiltrators
One band of Freeriders
Two bands of Occupation Veterans mounted in two Battle Buses, one with Rocket Battery upgrade, carried by an NT-1 Kraken Hovercraft
Resistance Infiltrators
Two bands of Freeriders
One unit of four Attack ATVs, mounted in an NT-1 Kraken Hovercraft
What leaps out? Loads of bikes, two (!?) Barrel Bombers, two units of Gun Wagons and Attack ATVs. Very different from the Lifthawk-mounted tanks of the past.
I figured this list would do well with Objective-based missions, as there were a lot of infantry and the Attack ATVs would bring the opportunity to deny buildings to my opponent, while the Barrel Bombers and Thunderstorm would demolish them. It was a list very much different to my previous ones, with little in the way of long-range firepower and almost all of the anti-tank fire based in short-range units like the Freeriders, Thunderstorm and Occupation Veterans. I was excited to run two units of Occupation Veterans, as with good rolls that would be a lot of E11 getting thrown out there!
Though lacking in armour, the list is big, with a lot of units, transports and infantry. With high numbers and a focus on achieving Objectives rather than destroying my enemy, this feels more like the "traditional" Resistance list, and if it wins will score in the traditional manner - by small margins!
FIRST RUN
Playing against Simon this past week, I was dismayed to find out we would be playing a Focal Point mission - not great for this list! Nonetheless, I have always enjoyed the Focal Point missions and would just have to alter my plans to fit.
Simon took his tournament list as his new models had not yet arrived. This meant two Type-4 walkers, two Phobos and four Helios for AA, Odins for heavy-duty work and four Tritons each with different infantry units - one Valkyries, one Medusa, one Longreach team and one of basic Immortals.
The game started, as ever, badly, as the PHR kept the initiative and piled on the pressure. Losing a building in my deployment zone, my force was exposed and many of the Freeriders culled by long-range fire. My attempts to demolish his own buildings and expose the Focal Points were stymied by poor dice.
The game turned late, around Turn Four, when the Freeriders and Thunderstorm managed to bring down the Nemesis Command Walker while the Gun Wagons and flyers removed most of his infantry from the game by bringing down the small transports. I then concentrated on denying him movement, meaning his force was trapped defending only a small number of Focal Points while I could dominate. The Occupation Veterans won the day, bringing down everything around his home Objective and leaving the game 8 - 4 on Focal Points, with a ~200 Kill Point difference in his favour. 14 - 6 VICTORY!
The list played messily and bloodily, and though I won, it was difficult! Losing on Kill Points was to be expected - the list lacks in killing power but is great for Objectives, AA and Demolition. I doubt the same list would do so well against Simon's new and improved PHR list.
In particular, the Attack ATVs did not get to do anything, as nobody entered any buildings. They could have caused some damage with their Shaped Charge grenades, but ultimately I kept them back to hold a Focal Point. More experience with these guys needed!
The Thunderstorm was cool, but did not last long once the Nemesis Command Walker got it in it's sights. It managed to take five Damage Points off the Nemesis Command Walker and nearly bring down two buildings, which is not too shabby, but I hope it can last a bit longer in the future.
The Barrel Bombers were... okay. I flattened one small building easily, which was fun, but it was not necessary for the game. The one I wanted to blow up missed, wasting the shots from the Thunderstorm! Very disappointed, but they can't all be winners. Overall I'm not sure two is necessary, and may swap one for another band of Freeriders, or perhaps a small squadron of Fire or Storm Wagons. Fire Wagons and Attack ATVs is probably overkill though!
Ultimately, I think the list needs some tweaking, and some reorganisation with the Battle Groups - as it was, having the Freeriders and the Barrel Bombers in certain groups made my playstyle very limited, forcing me to activate in a certain order that would make my intentions clear, and thus easier to stop. Moving the Barrel Bombers around (or dropping one entirely) and running Freeriders with the Thunderstorm is the first change I will make.
THE FUTURE
I own everything currently released for the Resistance aside from the Fire and Storm Wagons, and these seem to be the units calling out to me. Brilliant! Otherwise, I will be painting up more Freeriders, Attack ATVs and of course the mighty Thunderstorm.
Thanks for reading,
George
Very cool!
ReplyDeleteI love your army 😁👌
ReplyDelete