(Archived) THE THRILL OF THE CHASE - (ITS Bike Recon) Motorized Bounty Hunters in RTF
Important note! ITS Bike Recon and some of the other seasonal Special Rules discussed in this article are no longer present in Infinity's Organized Play -format, but despite the fact that this piece no longer is of relevance I've chosen to keep the article here as a keepsake all the same.
Volunteer Reporting In!
The Motorized Bounty Hunters as fielded by Ramah Taskforce are volunteers that are attached to RTF strike teams ad hoc, and their profile captures this feel wonderfully! They are extremely speedy with their MOV 8-6, their CC, BS and BTS a tad higher than standard at 17, 12 and 3 respectfully, while PH 10, ARM 1 and WIP 13 are about as average as it gets. The paramilitary nature of these adventurers is reflected by their Irregular training, while the unit's most notable features are his/her Motorcycle piece of equipment, the Dodge (+2) tied to it, and the Booty (Reroll) Special Rule.
Booty means that in addition to what the profile chosen brings to the table, you also have the chance to pick up anything from deadly (if rather rarely used) Close Combat Weapons to heavy armor to additional firepower! The reroll baked into to the Skill gives you more of a chance of securing something atleast moderately useful, though one obviously can't bank on getting anything specific! Because of the mostly ranged combat oriented nature of the unit I tend to keep results providing additional survivability (such as bonus Armor or Mimetism (-6)) or heavier weapons (such the MULTI Sniper or the ever tantalizing Heavy Machine Gun), while CC Weapons. Grenades and Adhesive Launchers get rerolled almost categorically! Multispectral Visor L1, Panzerfaust and Light Flamethrower are something that I consider keeping depending on the enemy being faced!
During the ITS13 the Tactical Ride rule is in effect, and it helps provide the Motorized Bounty Hunter with additional benefits. The Terrain (Total) means that not only can this brave scout blast through Difficult Terrain, she can also use the Blizzard Zones as situational speed buffs (in Missions where they're present). Mimetism (-3) makes the Bounty Hunter a bit more survivable than their humble statline would suggest, and a whole lot scarier to take on in a gunfight! During the ITS Season 13 troops utilizing Motorbikes (or AI Motorsbikes) can also choose to shed their Impetuous characteristic at the beginning of the game in order to be able to benefit from Cover, and so far I've used this option in every game I've played - in my opinion the ability to take Cover (especially on a gunfighting piece with Mimetism) trumps the sporadic extra activation any day of the week! The ITS Bike Recon Bounty Hunters also count as Specialists in all the Missions where they're included, and while there are times when this really doesn't come into play (Annihilation, Capture and Protect), there are also Missions where having an 8-6 moving WIP 13 Specialist really can come in handy (Acquisition, Frostbyte, Power Pack)!
The Motorized Bounty Hunter's Fireteam Duo Skill shouldn't come up too often, since the only option for forming such a tandem would be by pairing the Motorized Bounty Hunter with either Leila Sharif, Yara Haddad or Rahman Rouhani... And I really have to strech my imagination to think of a scenario where I'd end up doing this!
What Do You Mean by "Stardard Issue"?
The Motorized Bounty Hunters come in three distict flavors, and there are precious few common pieces of gear between them. All of these volunteers come equipped with Motorbikes (duh?!), and it pays to remember that while you can opt to jump off your metal steed, the resulting Infantry operative is going to lack the Terrain and Mimetism skills provided by the Tactical Ride, so it's recommendable to stay on your bike whenever possible!
Boarding Shotgun, Pistol - 10pts
The first option is effectively a heat seeking, living missile that aims to drive up to the enemy (preferably to a Fireteam or an otherwise clustered group of soldiers), before obliterating the opposition with either two DMG 14 Direct Templates, or gunning down Dodging enemies with effectively BS 18 AP slugs! While I don't need to tell an RTF commander how effective Shotguns can be at close ranges, and there is always the small chance of picking up a long ranged gun from Booty, I feel that Ramah Taskforce have their Direct Template needs pretty well covered without turning to outside help!
Submachine Gun, Chain Colt (+1B), Pistol - 8pts
The second Bounty Hunter is more of a jack-of-all-trades operative by the virtue of having a multi burst weapon capable of firing both Shock and AP rounds as well being able to go into Suppressive Fire, without giving up the options offered by the double Direct Templates, but the lackluster rangebands are a major turnoff for me. If making the most of my free model requires clearing the way with another piece and then using Orders just to close gap, I'm afraid I have more deadly (and diverse) options available for executing such assaults! Which leads us to my favorite profile...
Redfury, Breaker Pistol - 15pts
Ah yes, finally! Burst 4? Check! Up to 24'' positive rangebands? Check? Shock ammo? Check! The ability to go into Suppressive Fire? Check! The ability to force BTS saves? Check! Despite the fact that my Mototized Bounty Hunter model herself wields a Boarding Shogun (due to the model she's based on), I feel that the Redfury is by far the most superior choice of armanents available to this speedy fighter! This light automatic weapon allows for the Bounty Hunter make effective use of the first MOV 8, BS 12 and Mimetism Order in and Order out. So far the results I've been able to obtain have been pretty spectacular, and what's even better, I'm not endangering one of precious supersoldiers when my volunteer trooper drives towards her (almost inevatable) end! Just in my last game the Redfury MBH took out a Core Fireteamed Muyib Heavy Rocket Launcher perched atop a building overlooking my lines of advance! Then again, my Opponent's identical Bounty Hunter used her (Booty granted) MULTI Sniper to crit my Shakush unconcious, so there was that...
A Task Most Dangerous
While a Suppressive Firing Motorized Bounty Hunter can end up proving troublesome to remove from a well covered position for Opponents who are unable to leverage long range pieces or Direct Template Weapons, the truth of the matter is that these volunteer fighters lack any real staying power. This, combined with their excellent (if not stellar) offensive capabilities, Irregular training, and their status as Specialist troops means that these recon operatives will most often end up doing just that - rushing ahead of the strike team and making contact with enemy forces where ever they may be found.
This is exactly the reason I favor the Redfury profile. This daredevil should be able to go in guns blazing from the starting line, leveraging an 8'' Move to take a peek at an enemy within their weapons optimal rangeband without sacrificing cover, and then taking a lobsided face to face fight. If the enemy get gunned down, great! If the enemy passes their saves, you either get another crack at it, or they fail their Guts Roll and open the road for you to press the attack, nice! If the worst comes to pass and your Bounty Hunter actually gets taken out, well atleast you didn't in all the likelyhood just spend several Orders to set up a failed attack! The Redfury's rangebands should also enable a capable commander to mind their distance from Direct Templates and Mines, and the Burst 4 combined with Mimetism should make it dangerous for most Hidden foes to reveal themselves and take a shot at you too! Once your attack run is over, if you still have an active recon trooper and an unused Order, throw her on Suppressive Fire and let the enemy worry about her from here on out!
The various Missions that incorporate the Bike Recon rule offer differing tactical opportunities for your Motorized Bounty Hunter, and as ever you as a player should strive to capitalize on any and all of the opportunities provided by the battlefield!
- Acquisition has 16'' Deployment Zones that facilitate the MBH's ability to engage her chosen targets at optimal ranges from the first activation. The two Communication Antennas are very valuable when it comes to Scoring the Mission, and although the Bounty Hunter can't make use of the Hacker Bonus, she can still activate the Antennas with a straight up WIP roll.
- Annihilation hinges on destroying as many points worth of enemy models as possible while losing as few points as possible in the process, and thus using a fast and deadly 15 (or even less!) point model to spearhead the offensive seems like a pretty optimal choice! While the Blizzard Zones can reduce the Bounty Hunter's Burst by one, this penalty is going to hit defending Fireteams even harder - going from Burst 4 down to 3 is a whole lot less crippling that going down from Burst 2 to 1! While these winter storms could slow down troops less accustomed to them, this brave scout can use them to speed her progress towards the enemy instead!
- Frostbyte not only includes Consoles to activate and Blizzard Zones to potentially make use of, but the Antarctic Terrain rule also grants the Bounty Hunter a flat +1'' bonus to her first MOV value as long she stays on her Bike!
- Power Pack's limited Deployment Zones may make finding an optimal starting spot for a Motorized unit more difficult than usual, but the more spread out Deployment of the opposing squad may also endanger their defensive structure and offer better attack vectors for you. A fast Specialist can be a valuable asset in activating the Antennas in this Mission as well, but the real money is in controlling the enemy Console at the end of the game, and what better a unit for such a last ditch dash than an effectively MOV 9-6 Biker with Mimetism?
When building your lists for ITS13 Tournaments or Missions that include the Bike Recon, you will need to decide upon both the loadout and the Combat Group of the Motorized Bounty Hunter in advance. I've come to believe that the best spot for the MBH is in a Group that can afford to funnel one active turn's Orders into a vicious attack, but also one that can make constructive use of it's Orders even when the Bounty Hunter is unable to advance, or worse still, she is already dead! So far the best spot I've found for her has been in the five or six Order firesupport Group. I usually include Carmen & Bâtard in my list's primary Battle Group, and this opens up the possibility for a dual strike by a pair of destructive Bikers that I can well and truly afford to lose!
Bike Recon, On Duty!
Some people seem to hate the Bike Recon rule, and I guess everybody has the right to their opinion... But I personally love it as an addition to the quarter of the ITS13 Missions where it's included! I've gotten to convert a Motorized Bounty Hunter from an otherwise unused Hassassin Ragik, and Ramah Taskforce can well and truly use a fast throwaway attack piece to use before committing the force's elite pieces into the fray! So head out to the Frozen Roads while the snows last and make the most out of the adrenaline filled chances provided by the Bike Recon!
Until the next time - I wish you the very best in leading the Swift and Deadly Spear of the Haqqislamite Army to Victory!
20/9/2022. Archived the text now that ITS13 has passed.
It seems I found a use for my defunct Kasym Beg ^_^
ReplyDeleteHe lives!!! :D
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