In different hands I (Starmada vs. DBS)

During the individual aftermath of the ENTE, Al'Espagnol and I played against each other with the conclusion that both of us said that our factions suck. Since I play Starmada a bit and he loved the challenge, the next game was scheduled easily to proof that DBS can be beaten easily with Starmada (my opinion) or that Starmada would not be able to score something even against DBS (his opinion). The mission for this was Supplies from ITS 11.

There would have been the option to set up a full anti-DBS list, utilizing on all the tools to punch their weak points, but this was not my intention. The only thing I took here concerning DBS-weanknesses was the Beta-haris with two Psi COps. Everything there has mimetism and is a good gunfighter on his own, granting great odds in FtF-rolls. Two additional flxible and fast spitfires should manage to close the gaps quickly and then simply gun down whatever there is. Especially the Raptor should do the Peacemaker-trick here with better stats.My defense should be build by Andromeda, consuming many ressources in the first turn and the Peeler, protecting my DZ in the progress. The left over points screamed for Parvati, since she was the optimal unit to keep everything else running smoothely. For the mission the Psi COps and the Santiago should be the main units, shooting their way towards the boxes and hold them in their hands until the end. Parvati may be a a last back-up for this.

Al'Espagnol build a typical list around Scarface and a flexible core-team. Both should do most of the shooting-stuff, while the Hunzakuts can grab the supply-boxes and hide somewhere. With Gromoz and an additional Brawler, the core-team can be filled up easily. The Peacemaker is mainly taken with Adnromeda in mind, to counter-deploy her directly with the Auxbot.

One of the most interesting maps for Supplies may be this ALEPH-base, even if both of us may have played on it several times now. You can cross most of the buildings on the ground level, but also have some nice elevated positions to utilize. The new N4-cover rules completely alter the former problem of being shot by crossing the rooftops, adding some new thoughts to this map.

I win the Lt roll and take the first turn. Al'Espagnol gives me my favourite side in the south.

My Peeler and a Yudbot are deployed on the far left, next to my haris-team, ready to engage whatever there is on the left. Parvati hides in the center, together with the Raptor in the right building. The Santiago is set to take the first run on the right, backed up by Cho as Beta KHD and a Yudbot.This side is completed by a Kytta to overwatch the central console.

Scarface and Cordelia take the right, where Scarface is difficult to hide but in good cover. Everything else is deployed on the left, with the MSV out to ARO. One ABH grabs an ODD. Gromoz and the Kameel have a centered forwarded position. Two Fugazis are placed on some crates in the center and each side sees a camo-marker.

Andromeda infiltrates in a lovely spot on the far right, only to get an Auxbot deployed in her back, while the Peacemaker takes the room a bit up.

Starmada 1: I have nothing to engage the core-team here, so I need to get my teeth on Scarface. Andromeda is in a bad space, but the Santiago could accomplish something and also be close to the right console. So I push him forward, shooting down both Fugazis on long ranges while climbing the first roof. The Hunzakut there gabs the wrong deployable while getting killed. The mine bounces off my armor, as well as some bullets from mine on Scarface. I manage to do one wound, then skip that after recieving one in return. Before dropping the Peacemaker, I fail to extract the cube of the Hunzakut. Now the Auxbot is disconnected but Andromeda fails to get Scarface in range and Cordelia in LoF, so she sets up an ARO-trap.

DBS 1: Scarface crits Andromeda out of the game without any problems, while the core-team advances on the left. The MSR does a great job, killing the MSV1 Psi COp, the Peeler and taking one wound of the Beta, then climbing up the small building on the left, overwatching everything.

Starmada 2: The link needs to go and the only option is my Psi COp KHD. After cybermasking her, she is able to get in the back of the link undiscovered, but only gets the Doc down with her nanopulsar. This is used by the link to dodge in different directions. The Lt is so focussed on the Psi COp, that he forgets about the Beta, now in his back. This is payed with his life. Since the MSR is dodged into full cover, I take the chance and advance the Raptor a bit towards the right, helping the Santiago with Scarface.

DBS 2: Utilizing some crates next to the building in the center, Scarface climbs it. My KHD is shot on the way. From the highest point on the field, Scarface failed for several orders to wound my Santiago, so Gromoz shoots a pitcher next to him. We forgot about the frenzy here, what would have definitely ended the Knights life here.

Starmada 3: Since the link is broken, the Beta takes care of the HMG and the sniper but can't do anything on the prone Hunzakut. Now the Raptor gets to the far right roof and together with the Santiago fail to do anything against Scarface. So the Santiago grabs the box and gets immobilized.

DBS 3: The left Hunzakut grabs the box, then Scarface kills the Raptor and the the Santiago. Cordelia is one order short to reacht the Santiago and grab the box.

The game ends 7-0 for DBS here. The high flexibility of the alpha-loadout on Scarface is a real terror, if he is utilized as the gun-platform he is. Getting him up in an elevated position, where he can hardly be reached by mid-range guns without getting shot before by the HRL, won the game here, I guess. At least after the Peacemaker shut down Andromeda in turn one, so that she had no chance to kill the TAG with her guard. That would have been the best chance for me, since then I had nothing to deal properly with the high armour, if Scarface was in cover. Pushing the full core team forward was also a great move, since the sniper then was able to cut all my visual mods. Maybe I should have ignored the left completely and saved the haris in the center, covered by all the buildings.

So in the end, Al'Espagnol could proof his point. I would say that the missing midfield presence cut my potential a lot, since there was nothing to harass the link on his way and I had no good options to set up a hacking-game for Scarface. What made Al'Espagnol successful here was the moving full core with the focus on refilling him, if needed and a focussed use of Scarface as the most dangerous shooter next to the Brawler MSR now. Since I often build on the flexibility of units, I may spend points for inefficient things. He did differently here.