Freeborn 1,000 Point Force

Faster than a speeding Santa, we’re continuing to race around Antares looking at army lists for the various factions. 

In the news letter from Warlord this week there was a sneaky picture of some painted Skarks. http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=71ca505c950f8867eb0fa9748&id=c24cdf6d09&e=[UNIQID]

Seems reasonable to look at the Freeborn this time.  But what kind of themes?  Skarknado!! Maybe.
I really like the idea of having a group of merchant traders that deal with problems in the simplest of terms. I also really like the Nuhu melds, but they don’t scream “traders”, more an offshoot of a shard gone bad, perhaps more feral.  Finally a crack troupe of mercenary fighters doing the dirty work the IMTel factions don’t want to do themselves. 

Force Selector

Force size	Points Value	Tactical (t)	Support (s)	Strategic (g)	Auxiliary (a)
Combat Force	1,000	5-7	1-5	0-1	0-2

A standard set of options for the Freeborn, not the most numerous of all the lists but still plenty of wiggle room to give some head scratching moments when trying to decide what to take.  The obligatory Strategic option rolls in at this level too.

Selecting the army

As we’ve come accustomed to, we need to take a peek at the new Strategic options available to the lists.

Freeborn Heavy Support Team can be equipped with Heavy Mag Support (High RoF, Medium SV), Heavy Mag Cannon (single shot, High SV), X-Howitzer and Mag Mortar.  It fills the roll of being a heavier weapon, as one would expect. 
There is a Limited Choice option in the guise of a Specialist Heavy Support team, equipped with Plasma or Fractal bombards.  Again, nothing really making me excited about these in the list.  Useful if big gun is needed for low points.

Feral Meld Skark appears to be a close combat beast.  6 attacks in hand to hand with SV2 is quite nice.  It is a humongous beast, when it fails its Resistance test during the hand to hand it at least gets to roll on a table.  Perhaps it is best at picking off small units (like support weapon teams) that cannot damage it too badly in closing fire, nor have too many attacks in the assault themselves. Being Fast it can strike from a distance; coupled with Savage Strike meaning it will more than likely make the assault.  Notably it is the cheapest of all the Strategic choices.  Leader re-rolls may be worth investing in, along with the Plasma Carbine (please make the Carbine an option in the box Warlord!!).

The remaining strategic choices are almost identical to the Concord Strategic Drones.  An M4 Combat Drone, a T7 Transport then the M25/M50 Heavy drones with all their fun and goodness (not to mention MoD3 Mag Mortar.

Only the Meld Skark making itself stand out as being something truly new, but solid options none the less.

Just a quick note that we kind of skipped over the Striker Attack Skimmer in the 500 point list (it was rather pointsy).  MoD 2 is good, Plasma Light Support is nice, but can be upgraded to a cannon for extra killyness.  Spotter is almost mandatory if taking the cannon though.

Merchant Traders:

For this variant, I’d like to focus mainly on the Domari, the middle ground.  The guys that go with the proverbial caravans to make sure that if any trouble happens, they can have a good go at seeing it off in time for the mercantile folk to escape. 

(t) Freeborn Command Squad (111), HyperLight (+3) = 114
(t) Vardanari (126) = 126
(t) Domari Squad (97), Micro-X (+0), Spotter (+10) = 107
(t) Domari Squad (97), Micro-X (+0), Spotter (+10) = 107
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           
(s) Striker Attack Skimmer (148) = 148
(s) Support Team with X-Launcher (34), Net (+5), Spotter (+10) = 49
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag Cannon (44), Spotter (+10) = 54
(g) Heavy Support Team with Mag Mortar (71), Ammo (+15), Spotter (+10), Batter (+20) = 116
(a) Targeter Probe Shard (20) = 20
Total = 985 points & 13 order dice.

POW!!  15 points to go.  Tempting to drop them on the X-Launcher to give it more ammo, but there may be some other gems to be found first. 
Perhaps a spotter in the Vardinari unit, for patching with the Mag Mortar or X Launcher.  But then on the other hand, the Get Up! Army option could save a unit in a pinch.  Perhaps switch the Hyper Light in the Command Squad for the Phase Armour of the Isori.
That would leave 5 points, just enough for a Well Prepared.  In anticipation of missing a crucial shot with the Mag Cannon.

Final List for Merchant Traders
(t) Freeborn Command Squad (111), HyperLight (+3) = 114
(t) Vardanari (126) = 126
(t) Domari Squad (97), Micro-X (+0), Spotter (+10) = 107
(t) Domari Squad (97), Micro-X (+0), Spotter (+10) = 107
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           
(s) Striker Attack Skimmer (148) = 148
(s) Support Team with X-Launcher (34), Net (+5), Spotter (+10) = 49
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag Cannon (44), Spotter (+10) = 54
(g) Heavy Support Team with Mag Mortar (71), Ammo (+15), Spotter (+10), Batter (+20) = 116
(a) Targeter Probe Shard (20) = 20
(o) Well Prepared (+5), Get Up! (+10) = 15
Total = 1,000 points & 13 order dice.

Have gone for the Striker over the Skyraiders purely for the MoD 2.  Would like to give it a batter, perhaps depending on how games go it could borrow the one from the Mag Mortar in future revisions. 
The Mag LS are a nice deterrent working in pairs to assist the Domari, Ferals and Command to advance.  The Vardinari to be firefighters. 

Rogue Shard:

I love the smell of Meld Skarks in the morning.  Melded, presumably by a psudo-insane Nuhu meld.  So a few skarks and a Nuhu meld.  Figure the tactical options are going to be cheap Ferals.  Just need to ensure I don’t end up going full Skark (Never go “full Skark”…). 

(t) Renegade Nuhu Meld (297), additional Nano (+20), 2 Shield (+20) = 337
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           
(t) Domari Squad (97), Micro-X (+0), Spotter (+10) = 107
(s) Feral Skark Squad (115) = 115
(s) Feral Skark Squad (115) = 115
(s) Support Team with X-Launcher (34), Net (+5), Spotter (+10) = 49
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(g) Meld Skark (54), Leader 3 (+20) = 74
(a) Misgenic Rejects (30) 1 pick & 2 rolls (+20) = 50
(a) Misgenic Rejects (30) 1 pick & 2 rolls (+20) = 50
Total = 1,193 points & 14 order dice.

Overshooting the target by a bit.
Losing a single Misgenic Reject units isn’t that bad – I will probably forget the rolls as well during the battle...  That would save 70 points.
We have to have 5 tactical choices; even swapping the Domari for Ferals would not save enough points.  I think the firepower from the Support Teams is required. 

This leaves only a unit of Skarks to be dropped.  Well, that’s not too bad.  It was never going to be a Skarknado.
That leaves 8 points to find.  The obvious option being a shield drone on the Nuhu.
We could then have a Soma Graft on the Meld.  You know, just in case.

Final list for Rogue Shard
(t) Renegade Nuhu Meld (297), additional Nano (+20), Shield (+10) = 327
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           

(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           
(t) Domari Squad (97), Micro-X (+0), Spotter (+10) = 107
(s) Feral Skark Squad (115) = 115
(s) Support Team with X-Launcher (34), Net (+5), Spotter (+10) = 49
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(g) Meld Skark (54), Leader 3 (+20), Soma Graft (+2) = 76
(a) Misgenic Rejects (30) = 30
Total = 1,000 points & 12 order dice.

Pin the enemy with the support weapons, grind them down with the Ferals & Domari before gleffuly uttering “Smithers, release the Skarks.”
Excellent.

Mercenary Fighters:

We’re going to keep Ferals out of this one.  This is the best of the best of what the Vardo has to offer.  I ought to think about the name of the vardo at some point.
Hansa I think is a must.  I could take Bo too, which kind of goes against the non-feral thoughts.  I guess we need to see how the list pans out first.

(t) Hansa & Bo (262) = 262
(t) Vardanari (126) = 126
(t) Vardanari (126) = 126
(t) Domari Squad (97), Micro-X (+0), Spotter (+10) = 107
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           
(s) Skyraider Squad (121) = 121
(s) Support Team with X-Launcher (34), Net (+5), Spotter (+10) = 49
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag Cannon (44), Spotter (+10) = 54
(g) T7 Transport drone (164), Plasma LS (+30) = 194
(a) Targeter Probe Shard (20) = 20
Total = 1,203 points & 13 order dice.

Grrr.  All the tough stuff is sooo expensive *stomps foot in temper tantrum*.
I hate to say this, but I fear dropping Hansa is the best thing to do and include a regular command squad.  That would save 148 straight away, leaving only 55 points to drop.
Changing the Domari for Ferals would save 31 and also dropping the Targeter shard 20.  That leaves 4 points to shave off.  The spotter on the X Launcher is looking superfluous now.     

Final list for Mercenary Fighters

(t) Freeborn Command Squad (111), HyperLight (+3) = 114
(t) Vardanari (126) = 126
(t) Vardanari (126) = 126
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76
(t) Feral Squad (73), Mag Gun (+3) Micro-X (+0) = 76           
(s) Skyraider Squad (121) = 121
(s) Support Team with X-Launcher (34), Net (+5) = 39
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag LS (34) = 34
(s) Support Team with Mag Cannon (44), Spotter (+10) = 54
(g) T7 Transport drone (164), Plasma LS (+30) = 194
(o) Well Prepared (+5) = 5
Total = 999 points & 12 order dice.

The command squad and one of the Vardinari take the T7 up the table, supported by the fast Skyraiders.  The Ferals are speed bumps hoping to protect the support weapons.

I’m not totally convinced by it, but getting the really good expensive in is tricky when you’ve got 5 tactical choices to fill. Perhaps drop the transport down to a Mag Mortar and boost the Ferals to Domari. 
Will just have to see how these fair first before making too many changes.

Until next time!