First competitive N4 experiences

This weekend we managed to run a small (really small) tournament to close ITS 11 for us and give the new N4 rules a first competitive test. Due to the current Covid-19 circumstances we ended up with five guys and a lot of space. As organizer, I took the first bye and then got the last three games.

The missions for that day were Show of Force to encourage the players fielding some heavy gear, Highly Classified to force some thinking out of the box and then concluding with Frostbyte from ITS 10, since it is an easy mission but not only killing stuff with the biggest gun available. Since I know that the tables I build can end up quite dense and a bit empty from time to time, depending on the box I grab, I decided to build my list with densitites in mind, able to do every mission.

The first list was more or less derived from what I am used to in N3, sprinkled with the new tools we got in the new edition. Since spitfires and multi-rifles don't like long ranges that much and I have no tools to deal with a linked MSV2 MSR overwatching nearly everything, this list is supposed for denser maps, where I can move freely and work on shorter ranges. The core-link is the base-line here to defend my homeground and deliver some hacking-support. Gromoz joined for her pitchers and to get something against TAGs, if I need this list in Show of Force. One KHD is a must in this list and besides this, the KHD is a great tool for Highly Classified, especially with the easy to get cybermask! Group two is mostly designed around a haris with Wolfgang to push forward and wreck havoc. Here I included an engineer for mission-reasons, but also to have at least a small chance to fix a broken REM on the way.

Since open maps can be dominated easily with sniper rifles, the two options DBS offers were set here. Again, the Brawler marked the anchor for my defense, while Armand offers more flexibility, also in the active turn. The hackers here are more or less there to defend my Anaconda a bit, which should be covered by repeaters or the KHD on its path. The HMG on her is a cheap option to deal with opposing long-range AROs and if it has not to engage a MSV2 MSR, the evac-system can be quite useful, too. But since there are no other great tools in this list, other then the red fury-ABH in a haris, the Bashi Bazouk, now quite flexible, showed up with rifle and LSG to clear what is left by my big guns. I opted to use this list better in show of force and not in highly classified.

As it turned out, I got the bye for Show of Force and joined the party for highly classified against White Banner.

While the table was not very dense and had some quite scary firelanes, I wanted two Hunzakuts and Wolfgang here, so I went with the narrow-list. Mainclassifieds were mapping, HVT: retroengineering, sabotage and in extremis recovery, my personal one was follow up. To avoid getting crushed by Guilangs or a linked Shangji HMG, I opted for a restricted deployment, only leaving the Clipper and the MSR out to ARO and trying setting one Hunzakut in SF in front of them. Unfortunately that did not deliver the wanted effect and the HMG crushed all of them with ease and without any losses. Even the second Hunzakut, templating the Zhanshis of the core-link, only managed to kill one of them. So the path was free for my opponent to score the first two classifieds.A bit under pressure, Wolfang and the Bulleteer made a great comeback, dropping the Shangji HMG and some other stuff to prepare an objective run with my KHD in the following turns. A dangerous situation appeared as Wolfgang engaged a Guilang from behind, which had layed a mine next to my link-remainings. I opted for my chain-colt, but the Guilang and the mine made the saves. Luckily I shredded the Guilang in CC then and tanking the mine after a failed dodge then... By putting my opponent in LoL, I gained some more freedom and survived a shot by chance of a Long Ya-REM on my Lt. Wolfgang and the Bulleteer then finished the remaining stuff, utilizing the repeater and my KHD, so that Wolfgang could score in extremis recovery and prevent the Mechanic from scoring HVT:retroengineering in the last round, while my KHD sneaked around several mines and a monk, scoring my own classified and sabotage, ending up with a reliant armor but one order short for mapping. In the end it was a narrow loss in a very intense and joyful game.

The last round went against Cosmoflot, fielded by a very experienced Ariadna-player and ended up in a personal mission to kill Wolfgang as bloody as possible. The list was build around a Varangian-core with a Voltolak ML and the Unknown Ranger, some camo-troops (SAS) and the Polaris-team, supported by Wiliam Wallace. I wanted some more guns on the table and opted again for the narrow-list. I got the second turn and got lucky that Uxia failed her infiltration roll. That was balanced by a Volkolak ML dropping my MSR, while the link advanced on my unprotected left flank. The SASs activated two heaters, but got stuck in LoF of the Bulleteer and the Clipper. The Unknown Ranger dropped both of them and finally the Bearpode rushed into my DZ, killing Gromoz and threatening my LT, as well as my engineer. The KHD failed against his smoke-dodge, while Wolfgang was pasted by a Voltolak missile-crit on 15", leaving me without any good chances for the rest of the game. But my Lt managed to crit the Bearpode with his viral-pistol, killing it instantly. A bit of repairing and a landed Gizmokit got me both REMs back and one Hunzakut could activate my heating unit. Nevertheless it was just a matter of time, until the SAS and the core-team managed to wreck the rest of my crew and warm themselves up in my DZ, so that the second turn ended with me in retreat.

Thanks to the OPs I scored in highly classified, I ended up on the fourth place of five, but without any glorious moment. Most of that I would track back to not that optimal list-designs. Wrapping Wolfgang into a haris, just because he is a wildcard, is a waste of points and resources, since he works totally fine on his own. The freed space there could have been used better for a Peacemaker, securing the side where the Brawler won't overwatch. Or maybe a Sierra could be squeezed in, if the Clipper is dismissed. Here things have not changed - I can't get a proper use of this REM and would prefer the LGL-Druze or none of that. But this needs to be tested better.

N4 plays more killy than N3, that is fact and many defensive strategies may be thought through now. DBS in special is missing a good mid-field defense, since we have no minelayers. Of course, we have Hunzakuts, Peacemakers and Swanson now, but they are quite easy to dismantle with a dtw, which is quite frequent for attack-pieces. I really felt the need of something to shoot from 11" to not have the autoloss against a chainrilfe. Maybe a better deployment can solve this, but for such nasty things like the Bearpodes, that would not be enough. Besides that, DBS is a more solid sectorial now and can recover quite good, even with a stronger turn one now. If that keeps valid if you don't include Wolfgang, a Bulleteer and or a TAG, needs to be tested further.