The Greater Empire of the Rach

[Club 178]

As three conquerors, a gnomic and two emperors somehow manage to do nothing, despite firing everything indirect for the first two turns of the game, my friend tells me that the Rach need to stop buying their munitions from the Kerbals.

[Weird-O 2514]

So I had a minor squeegasm when I was flipping through the SO book, and realized that just about ANYTHING can be a combat engineer unit. (Oddly enough given my faction choice, I'm a big fan of nonlethal force multipliers that get overlooked but multiply the heck out of my lethal bits.)

 

Before I start planning TUSK-style mods to the Despots I don't even own yet or strapping bridgelayers to the backs of Khans, does anyone have any good advice as to what Rach stuff makes good engineering units?

[Savage Coyote 527]

I'll look at the rule book at home as I can't really answer the question haha!

 

[Jeneki 921]

I tend to be mobile and aggressive with Rach since their faction abilities play into it well.  Krakens dropping aerial assault infantry right in the face of the enemy, Malefactors bringing Hot Plasma Death into point-blank range, etc.

 

With that in mind I haven't tried the nanotech barriers yet as they would be quickly abandoned, however if you take fire support then propping up an instant wall in front of your Reapers or whatever could work.  Repair modules might work, as getting close means taking damage yourself, but be mindful that "healer aggro" will make that unit a target.  Repair modules are neat because the engineer model is the one that takes the action, leaving the repaired unit free to use its full actions to merrily destroy stuff.

 

Unrelated to combat engineers, but I always take at least two external active phase arrays with Rach as there's no other way to get them and I'm going to be up close and personal anyway.  At least two, because it makes them a priority target and I'll need a backup.

 

[Weird-O 2514]

My view on nanotech barriers is that I'd only be using them temporarily anyway. To me, the idea is that my scouts have the module, and they set up the wall in a convenient location as they close. The main battle CAVs don't get to the wall and fight from that spot, they use the wall as temporary cover, so that they're that much more intact by the time they get in close.

 

These walls are rapidly going to become favorite artillery targets, so the next trick is to start placing the walls where enemy units might use them...and then use the scout that happens to be there to accurately drop FASCAMs right next to that wall. There's cover right there for you to use...but it'll cost you.

[Corsair 5633]

Getting started in CAV, and have 5 Rach mechs so far:

Gnomic

Dictator A

Dictator B

Voodoo

Imperator

What will be good filler units to round this out?

[CAVBOSS 2558]

You need a Kahn in there for sure. 

[SparksMurphey 493]

[Weird-O 2514]

So I've been planning out my future Rach army, and this is where I'm at so far. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

CAV company:

Command Squad:

Emperor

Emperor

Imperator

Voodoo

 

Battle Squad:

Imperator

Dictator

Dictator

???

 

Fast Battle Squad:

Dictator

Dictator

Tyrant

Tyrant

 

Heavy Fire Support Squad:

Reaper

Reaper

Reaper

Khan

 

Recon Squad:

Gnomic

Khan

Khan

Khan

 

Armor Company:

1st Squad:

Despot x4

 

2nd Squad:

Despot x4

 

3rd Squad:

Malefactor x4

 

4th Squad:

Warden x4

 

Infantry Company:

1st Squad:

Heavy Weapons Team x2

Light Infantry Team x3

 

2nd Squad:

Heavy Weapons Team x2

Light Infantry Team x3

 

3rd Squad:

Medium Mortar Team x5

 

4th Squad:

Power Armor Team x5

 

Transport/Support Squad:

Simba x3

???

 

Air Section:

Kraken x?

 

Thoughts or suggestions?

 

I'm trying to stick to units with minis in Bones. The units I have so far(and thus locked in) are the two Emperors, one Imperator, one Voodoo, three Dictators, two Reapers, two Khans, four Despots, and two Krakens.

[Corsair 5633]

Always hard to go wrong with a Voodoo. Also, I would probably swap one squadron of Despots for Malefactors, but that is my play style. Anytime I am not ammo dependent for my primary weapon, I like it better.

[Weird-O 2514]

Valid, but Despots are just too pretty for me to take less than two full squads. 

[Corsair 5633]

3 hours ago, Weird-O said:

Valid, but Despots are just too pretty for me to take less than two full squads. 

Somewhere, there are 4 Rach Despot crews sharpening knives and coming for you for calling their war machines "pretty"

[Weird-O 2514]

I call A-10s pretty. They know it's not an insult. 

[WhiteWulfe 14873]

7 hours ago, Weird-O said:

Valid, but Despots are just too pretty for me to take less than two full squads. 

Those are some gorgeous tanks.....

[Corsair 5633]

On 8/16/2016 at 8:19 AM, Weird-O said:

What kind of unit markings or numerals do Rach use? I imagine that every Rach player eventually runs into the problem of being able to tell all of his Dictators apart...

I found a link with Klingon numbers on it and am using that to mark my Rach units.