FEAR THE CLAWS - Namurrs in RTF
In the Unit Focus series I take a look at the different units that make up the Ramah Taskforce, and try to answer why, not if, you should include them in your lists.
Let's Get Experimental
As all of you familiar with the Ramah Taskforce profiles know, each of the supersoldiers has a lot of Special Rules and stats that effect them, and the Namurrs are no different; so let's get cracking! The soldiers of the Experimental Operative Group are excellent shots with their BS 13, and surprisingly dangerous melee combatants with their CC 21 and CC Attack (+1)! These abilities mean that these sleek predators should be able to maul inferior targets to their hearts' content, but at the same time they should be careful when dancing with dedicated gunfighters and/or deadly Martial Artists!
When it comes to mobility, the supersoldier program's name (sunur - feline) comes to it's own! With 6-2 MOV the Namurrs are among the fastest of RTF's fighters, and they come with the additional skills of Terrain (Total), which transforms difficult terrain into accelaration strips, and Climbing Plus, which means that these cats can choose the most direct route to their destination, and even get cheeky Lines of Fire on opposing models not expecting to be attacked (just keep in mind that you can never gain Cover while climbing)! The agile nature of the Namurrs is further embodied through Dodge (+3) and Dodge (+1''), skills which mean that you're often better off dodging (on a 15!) as a second skill when advancing, as it'll give you an extra inch of movement, while conveniently avoiding AROs at the same time!
The Namurrs also seem to have almost nine lives, as they benefit from two wounds, ARM 2, BTS 6 and above all the Holy Grail of defensive abilities - Immunity (Total). This skill is a really huge deal, as it effectively means that unless struck by a Plasma weapon or a Critical Hit, the Namurr can't go down to a single hit! Struck by a Missile Launcher? Just one save against ARM 2, thank you very much! Got hit by a Monofilament Weapon? That's cute; now watch me save it 50% of the time, and only take a single wound even if I fail. Got tagged with a Viral round? Don't sweat it, my flu shot is up to date! In a game of propabilities, being able to work with (near) certainty on your side is an incredible asset!
The skillset of the Experimental Operatives is completed by Courage (it never hurts to be able to choose the result of your Guts Roll), and Specialist Operative, which allows the Namurrs to moonlight as Specialists when they're not busy kicking ass and taking names!
Bring Only a Diverse Set of Firearms, a Deadly Close Combat Weapon, a Couple of Packs of Explosives, and a Sleek Cat Suit, Drop Everything Else!
The Namurrs have three different profile options available to them, and there are precious few differences between them - more on those details soon!
While the soldiers of the Experimental Operative Group aren't usually going to outfight dedicated Martial Artists, they do pose a serious threat to units that don't have any enthusiasm in close combat, because of the Namurrs' deadly melee weapons. Each feline soldier carries an E/M CC Weapon as well as D-Charges, which is pretty great! We all know and love our explosives; you can force your opponent to make three (!) ARM saves against DMG 14 with the AP trait per hit if you strike true - an attack that will blow most of the lighter opponents straight off the board, and can seriously threaten even TAGs and Heavy Infantry... Speaking of which! These supersoldiers can really mess up the Opponent's highly technological pieces, thanks to their E/M Close Combat Weapons: these blades cause two saves against half(!) BTS for each succesfull hit (don't forget that on the active turn you're swinging at Burst 2!), with each failed save causing a wound, Isolating the target AND if their unit type is TAG, HI or REM, also putting them into Immobilized-B state! Talk about a shocker...
Lastly the elite supersoldiers carry Heavy Pistols. This weapon has the decent DMG value of 14, and it also packs Shock ammunition, which makes it excellent for taking out pesky Dogged troops trying to give you a hard time. Usually this weapon doesn't see too much use though; on the active turn both profiles usually have better odds of success with their Spitfires (even at close range) or Shotguns/Rifles when shooting, or their deadly CC Weapons when in melee, but like with all situational gear, the Heavy Pistol is something that I'd rather have than not have!
Spitfire, E/Marat, D-Charges, Heavy Pistol, E/M CC Weapon; 43pts/1SWC
Both this profile and the next further echance the distruptive nature of the Namurrs by packing the E/Marat. This Large(!) Teartop Direct Template uses the E/M Ammunition, which means it in the very least it Isolates (and at the very best also Immobilizes) enemies, which effectively neutralizes them (just watch out for troops with the Veteran skill!). Also, don't forget that these weapons can also perform Intuitive Attacks in a pintch!
I feel that this profile comes to it's own as a fast flanker, highly effective Specialist, and a good Skirmisher, while still packing excellent close range weapons to threaten Fireteams and heavy armor with. This all comes at a cost though - 43 points means that he doesn't just slot into lists to replace another supersoldier option.
Breaker Rifle, Light Shotgun, E/Marat, D-Charges, Heavy Pistol, E/M CC Weapon; 39pts
Breaker Rifle, Light Shotgun, D-Charges, Heavy Pistol, E/M CC Weapon, Tactical Awareness; 41pts
The new profile brought about by the Fireteam/Unit Update of March 2022 sure is an interesting one! For a couple of points extra, the Breaker Rifle profile above exhanges the E/Marat for Tactical Awareness! While losing the ability to threaten Direct Template E/M attacks does sting, the fact that this Namurr brings an additional Order to the table is a BIG thing. First of all, it effectively halves the cost/Order -ratio of the model, which means you're paying about 20 points per activation instead of the hefty 40ish points that would otherwise be the case! The other important thing that the Tactical Awareness does for you, is that it allows for you to effectively "break the rules" of listbuilding by adding another way of generating activations beyond the "15 model limit" - a big boon for a Order hungry Faction such as Ramah Taskforce!
Fire and Maneuver, That's the Name of the Game, Fire and Maneuver...
The Namurrs are a truly unique unit that can press their diverse set of skills and equipment to work as close range anti armor pieces. While the members of the Experimental Operative Group can't really hope to take out a heavy weight such as a TAG at range with any regularity, they sure can get the job done in melee! To me, the Namurr is an excellent piece in this role, because it can (when properly supported) execute all the stages of close range anti-armor duty succesfully:
- Approaching the target. Ramah Taskforce has good access to Smoke, which means that for excample a Ghulam NCO should be able to Smoke off any dangerous firelanes to allow the Namurr to prepare for it's attack run without much fear from long range fire. The 6-2 MOV means that the Namurr can cover ground quite fast, and even perform 6'' Cautious Movements, while Climbing Plus opens up additional lanes of access to the target.
- Closing the Gap. Making the final move to engage an enemy (especially a TAG) in melee can be very dangerous: the attacking model can't benefit from cover, and a hit from a Flamethrower or such a weapon can see the aggressor killed before they can finish their job. The Namurr is in the almost unique position that it can't get killed by a single hit from most weapons if unwounded (crits not withstanding), which makes this part of the anti armor task an almost easy one. Furthermore, if your opponent decides to take their shot, two of the profiles can respond with an E/Marat hit that will likely disable your target and thus make them easy pickings from there on out. If the enemy decides to Dodge instead, swing away with your blade!
- Dealing the Killing Blow. The E/M CC Weapon is actually more dangerous than the Nahab's Viral CC Weapon against most enemies if it hits, as it halves the target's BTS and forces additional States on it's victims. If you can incapacitate the target with an E/Marat or close combat hit, you can then proceed to blow them to pieces with the D-Charges without breaking sweat!
- Staying Alive While in Melee. The CC stat of "only" 21 with no Martial Arts means that there is a chance that the Namurr loses a face to face roll and suffers a hit as a result when brawling, even despite the Burst 2. The combination of the supersoldier's defensive abilites however means that they have a good chance of surviving any returning attacks to keep the fight going - this applies even if they get locked in melee and have to face shots from uncaring enemies willing to risk hits on their own troops.
- Being Relevant Afterwards. If and when the Namurr takes down the armored piece they where gunning for, they will propably still find plenty of things to do. They can press their advange if there are Orders left, try and accomplish either Classified or Mission Objectives, or simply hunker down and force your opponent to come and dig them out (Supressive Fire can be a great option here). This way the Namurr can still continue to serve, even after their primary task is fullfilled.
On your Opponent's turn a Namurr left close to their line is a puzzle that they often can't afford to bypass - otherwise they can quickly find their backline under attack or their Fireteam members/obvious Lieutenants/REMs hit with an E/Marat or sliced by the E/M CCW. How do they deal with the elite supersoldier then? Unless you've left yourself open to a long range shot, there aren't many good options. If they close in on the Namurr, they'll suffer an E/M (or Shotgun!) Template in response, and killing an unwounded Namurr with a single activation is rather hard - the opponent has to score several hits, crit, or use Plasma weapons to inflict several saves, some of which the haqqislamite soldier is rather likely to pass anyway. If they try Direct Template weapons, Speculative or Guided Fire, they're faced with the Namurr's excellent Dodge chance, and should the feline fighter win the face to face with a dodge, they can potentially reposition 3'' to an even more of an obnoxious position!
Packhunters
Namurrs are capable of Wildcarding into any modern Fireteam of Ramah Taskforce, and they're quickly becoming the most common Wildcard to be sighted, partly due to their excellence (even despite their lack of any "counts as" status), and partly due to the changes that their competitors have gone through. Some of the things that a Namurr can add to a Fireteam include:
- A Credible melee threat. A Namurr can pretty easily butcher most non-Martial Artist enemies in close combat, and not only can RTF reliably provide Smoke to cover such attacks, any accompanying Fireteam members can pile in on the fun, providing even more attacks for the supersoldier thanks to the multiple melee combatant Burst Bonus.
- A good gunfighting platform. A Burst 5 BS 13 Spitfire is capable of gunning down most light and medium targets that it can engage at midling ranges, the Breaker Rifle is surprisingly lethal against the right targets and a Burst 3 Heavy Pistol (or Light Shotgun!) should see foes off pretty quickly at close ranges!
- A durable and mobile Specalist. While most Ramah Fireteams can innately bring very capable Specialists with them, these soldiers are going to lack Immunity (Total) and Climbing Plus - when a Namurr sets their eyes on an Objective, they will get there!
- A versatile Classified Card hunter. An Elite Trooper with fast movement, good melee skills, highish PH, and D-Charges is capable of completing 8/20 optional Objectives by themselves!
- An additional Order. The Tactical Awareness profile allows for you to motor a Fireteam around beyond what the 15 Order generating model cap would normally allow for you achieve - your deep strike just got deeper!
- Access to medical support. While the Fireteam itself is unlikely to buff the Namurr beyond providing the +1 Burst Bonus, the squad does offer you the chance to have a Doctor accompany the deadly supersoldier, ready to pick them back up should they fall on the line of duty!
The most natural place to the Namurr is probably in a Haris or Duo Fireteam, because in these cases you aren't going to be that worried about maintaining "Fireteam purity" for the purposes of full Bonuses. While it is true that including a Namurr in a squad of lesser soldiers will probably force you to consider your movement a bit more carefully (even if you pair the feline fighter with the 6-2 moving Khawarijs or Mukhtars, they won't have Climbing Plus), this slight disadvantage should be easy enough to overcome, especially when considering all the great things you get for tolerating such an arrangement! The Namurr can even act in limited ARO capacity in a Fireteam including a Doctor - Burst 2 BS 13 shots (or effectively PH 15 Dodges) and Immunity (Total) should give you a fighting chance against most foes, and such engagements can help you slow down the enemy just enough for you to get the to strike back on your active turn!
The Most Cutting-Edge Haqqislamite Biotechnology in Action
When I first saw the N4 Namurrs in the Infinity Army, I was a bit dissapointed. "What can you guys do for me?" I asked, and as it turns out (especially after the most recent Update!), the answer is "Quite a lot"! The modern Infinity meta has been saturated with powerful heavy armor pieces, strong Fireteams, and counters to conventional approaches of problem solving. In an environment like this, a jack of all trades model that can accomplish Objectives, bully opposing Skirmishers, and threaten even a PanOceanian Jotum, is a piece I'm glad to have access to. If I'm facing an Opponent who'll probably deploy a TAG against me, a Mission that requires even more flexibility than normal (or one that impairs the use of Infiltration/Parachutist), or I just have an opening for a single supersoldier in my list, I'll gladly turn to one of my Namurrs. I feel that this unit has in the past suffered from an undeservably bad reputation, that used to stem from the disconnect between looking at a profile in theory and seeing it in action. The Update of March 2022 not only elevated the Namurrs to their rightful place as the de facto strongest supersoldiers of Ramah Taskforce, but also made them in to the Sectorial's number one Wildcard option - oh how the tables have turned! So what say you; are you too scared to give the Namurrs a try, or are you ready to have your Opponent fear their claws instead?
Until the next time - I wish you the very best in leading the Swift and Deadly Spear of the Haqqislamite Army to Victory!
The Veteran's Word
In The Veteran's Word I write down experiences and tactics that I did
not include when I released the article originally. I will separate
these additions into a subpart of their own, instead of adding them to the
main text, as to make it easier for readers who've already read the article
to find the new additions!
- On the Prowl. In addition to all the other wonderful things that the Namurrs can do, I've found them to be excellent first turn pieces when going first - especially in Missions/situations where the Opponent is trying to slow down the game and stall for later turns by hiding most of their models. In such instances it's often quite easy to clear the few AROs left to watch the field (if there are any) with sweeper pieces, and then have a Namurr charge down the field to take the iniative. In a recent game of (ITS13) Unmasking, my feline supersoldier sprinted down a flank on my first turn, activated a Console to identify a Decoy, gunned the said Decoy down, and then proceeded to Climbing Plus into a building in my Opponent's Deployment Zone to engage targets and pressure pontential Lieutenants - and all this after my opponent spent a Command Token to reduce the Namurr's Order Pool from 8 to 6 Orders! My Opponent had to spend most of his first turn to take out the troublesome supersoldier, which not only caused him to suffer casualties, but also meant that the iniative of the battle remained squarely in my hands for the following turn, which in due time facilitated my eventual victory - not a bad return for 43 points and 6 Orders spent!
19/4/2021 Edit. Corrected a number of spelling mistakes, made some quality of life changes and added links to the text.
3/8/2021, Edit. Added the Veteran's Word paragraph "On the Prowl".
25/4/2022 Edit. Updated the arcticle to the post N4 Fireteam Update era.
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