Here’s the Ascension exhibition match thread, which has links to its two progenitors in the first post.
Wow it finally updates initiative on the board. I need to play this new version some more. I think I got so annoyed at having to create a character and an avatar that I haven’t played it since. :)
I like Justin’s move quite a lot. There is serious pressure on my HQ already, and his initiative on those units is very high. I have little hope of killing either of them before they deal damage to my HQ.
I do have 7 move tiles, so perhaps I can slip my HQ away. But I didn’t draw any this turn.
From this point on, each of us draws three tiles and must discard one. At that point, we may play, keep, or discard each of the other two. (To discard a tile, press on it until it jiggles and offers you an X to click.)
Because I have to go for the morning, I thought I would pause my move here and let people chime in with ideas and questions!
What would you do?
I would discard the battle tile, place the tile that makes a move ability a double move. Switch your current soldier over to the side so he’s shooting Jason’s base from the side. Position the two shot soldier tile you drew so its targeting the base with a clear view. You two will be even on defenses with that at least.
I would dump the increased mobility token, move your robot down one and place the two ranged damage guy adjacent to your hq facing his base (or you could put it over on the right facing his hq, it has value both ways) Then I’d go battle and end up even on HQ points but with you having two units on the board and him none.
As far as the placement of the two damage ranged guy, it’s that kind of interesting strategic decision that I like about this game. If you place it next to your HQ you increase your potential max damage but definitely increase his ability to neutralize it. If you play it over to the right he has to expend more energy to counter it.
I mixed Mini-Cyn’s idea with Lantz’s, but can’t take a screenshot well from work. Justin’s first screenshot will do the trick!
I discarded the battle tile, moved my ranged unit down a spot so that he was still aiming toward the HQ, and placed both the two-move module and the two damage ranged guy aiming at the HQ. Although I loved Lantz’s idea of having a tied battle that leaves Justin with no units and me with two, I wanted to keep the two-move module because I think it will lead to more interesting strategy talk for the newbs to enjoy later.
So here’s a move most people will disagree with.
The draw: A Mutant, a Battle tile, and another Butcher.
A Battle tile is a precious resource because a) playing one is the only way to attack, and b) you can attack on your own terms. The player initiating the battle gets that all important ability to place one more key tile before battle begins (only one because each round dictates that you must discard one of the three drawn tiles).
The Mutant has an arcing melee attack that hits enemies on three sides, but he has Initiative 2 which won’t allow him to get the jump on anyone. If I intend to take someone out this turn, keeping the Butcher is the obvious choice with his high initiative and two-sided attack. And I intend to take someone out.
The smart move would be to use the Butcher to take out both Dave’s mobility module and his Annihilator with the double ranged attack that’s aiming right at my HQ. The Butcher’s Initiative 3 will stomp the Annihilator before it has a chance to fire. Dave has a couple more mobility units up his sleeve that will benefit from the mobility module if I don’t destroy it. And I can do all of this without losing my second Butcher.
But I’ve never been particularly smart.
As noted by others, Dave’s Mobile Armor is especially dangerous. Double melee attack on one face, single ranged attack on another, able to attack in both Round 3 and 2, and able to move a space and rotate once each turn? No thanks. I want it gone. And since there’s only one per game (you can see the number of each unit in the Rules>Armies menu Dave mentioned earlier), it will be gone for good.
The Butcher’s initiative makes this possible. And I have to do it now or Dave will simply move the Mobile Armor again. But there’s a price to be paid in Initiative Round 2.
I throw away the Mutant, place the Butcher against the Mobile Armor, and start the battle.
[ul]
[li]Initiative Round 4: The Butcher hits Dave’s HQ for one point.[/li][li]Initiative Round 3: The Mobile Armor and second Butcher destroy each other. The Super Mutant hits Dave’s HQ for two points.[/li][li]Initiative Round 2: Dave’s completely unguarded Annhilator hits my HQ for two points.[/li][li]Initiative Round 1: Skipped.[/li][li]Initiative Round 0: Dave’s HQ kills my Butcher and Super Mutant.[/li][/ul]
I come out on top, 18-17, and the Mobile Armor is no more. Now I just need Dave not to get a Battle tile in the next round…
Not just one, but two! Hey, is it possible to play both in a single turn? I don’t even know!
And it’s bedtime here, so I will leave this with you guys:
What should I do?
I liked Justin’s move. Got Dave’s best unit out of the game.
Dave you obviously have to battle and clock the 2 damage. Hard to decide if you should hold back the scout for damage control or attack with him too. Love all the hard choices.
Yeah, a number of options on this one. The board is pretty wide open, so that scout being able to double-move might prove useful for a bit. On the other hand, sending it on a kamikaze attack is a guaranteed extra 2 damage on that HQ right now. With Justin’s HQ giving an initiative bonus, it might be hard to keep melee units alive in those two hexes where they’d get the bonus turn from the Green HQ, so I’d be tempted to strike now.
I was going to post questions, but after Justin’s detailed explanation of his last move, I have none. I’m finally getting this game. Thanks again for doing this.
In the manual, I learned that a player’s move ends the moment he or she plays a battle tile. So it is not possible to play two in one turn.
However, I can play one and save the other for next turn, but then I will only have one fighter on the board, and I believe that Justin will counter him somehow. Thus, I discarded one battle tile, placed my military unit on the board next to Justin’s HQ, and triggered a battle.
Now it’s 17-14 in my favor, and Justin has no units on the board. Things are going my way! But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in playing Justin, it’s that he always finds a way to come back. All two times I’ve played him!
No screens cuz I’m not at an iPad.
The draw: Another Butcher, another Super Mutant, and a Net Fighter.
Ah, the Net Fighter. Or, as I like to call it, the “HQ Killer.”
The “net” mechanic is one of the most powerful in the game. A unit with a net—shown as a spiderweb-like weave—completely disables the unit it touches. Like melee and ranged attacks, a net is side-specific. While the short and long black triangles indicate the directions in which damage will be dealt, the net effect will only work on enemy units that touch the side (or sides) of your unit with the net graphic.
When a unit has been…um, netted, it can’t perform any actions in or out of battle. It will not attack or retaliate, and you can’t get out of the net with a Move or Push Back tile. A netted unit is helpless.
Which is why the Net Fighter is perhaps the strongest Borgo tile. Not only does it use a net, but it also performs a triple melee attack on the netted victim. Such as a helpless HQ, which will not be able to retaliate in Initiative Round 0 and will have to continue to take 3 damage every time a battle takes place.
The Net Fighter’s weaknesses are that it has a normal toughness rating (one hit will destroy it) and that it’s slow (Initiative 1). That’s why I’m going to place it in the middle of an HQ sandwich. The net will disable Dave’s HQ while my HQ will raise the Net Fighter’s initiative to 2.
As for the other tiles, I have the same choice as I did last turn: play defensively and use the Butcher to take out Dave’s Annihilator and mobility module or play aggressively and attack a higher value target (i.e. place the Super Mutant on Dave’s HQ).
Being aggressive has put me in the hole by 3. But being aggressive will also allow me to pound Dave’s HQ for 5 damage in every battle from here on out. And that’s before I get any other units in the mix.
So goodbye, Butcher, and hello Net Fighter and Super Mutant.
My HQ bumps the Super Mutant to Initiative 3. With his pal, the Net Fighter, disabling the HQ retaliation, the Super Mutant will also be around to bring the pain over and over again.
Unless Dave does something about it.
Lots of options available here (as usual).
The module at the top of my three tiles will reduce the initiative of all surrounding tiles by 1. That along with my melee unit could threaten Justin’s net tile. I have GOT to kill that tile as soon as possible; it’s priority one.
But what would you do?
Concede. :)
Haha!
Justin, I think our job here is done. But let’s finish the game in the thread anyhow, because it may catch the eye of some new folks!
Wow. That’s a painful place to be in.
Hope you’re not saying that because of me, because I was totally joking. This game is far from over.
I would dump the move tile and place your attack guy at the lower left of the net guy. Then I’d put the other tile in the upper right from his HQ. This would prevent him from drawing one of his 3 initiative ranged units and knocking you out at initiative 4 before you can take out his net. it also helps lower the initiative of anything he blocks your 2 damage range unit with.
I would drop the module. Use the movement tile to back your HQ up so his melee guys are attacking nothing. Then use the second guy to do more damage to his HQ, lower right so he can’t block your ranged damage.