Tuesday, June 21, 2016

[CCC] Heavy


Apologies for the delay in this post, real life has been getting in the way of blogging!
This is my favorite model in all the MERCS line, and has been since MERCS 1.0 released in 2011.
I took these photos from the side to emphasise the gangster lean he's got going, and his stance really highlights the weight of the heavy weapon he's bringing to bear!


Sync out.

Friday, June 17, 2016

[CCC] Medic


Another classic model from MERCS 1.0 makes it to MERCS 2.0! This model was one of the 5 originally released for the CCC, and was intended to be able to be used to represent  either the Medic and Demo - until the Demo got his own model of course.
For MERCS 2.0, this model comes back with a Medkit attached to his left thigh.


Sync out.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

[CCC] Sniper


Say it isn't so - his backwards cap is gone! The original metal CCC Sniper model featured a backwards cap, which I thought added a lot of character to the model.
While the new plastic model looks much more tactical (I even emphasised his racing stripe by painting it a speedy red!), I think my still prefer the backwards cap variant on this model... but I'll see if this new look grows on me.


Sync out.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Overpowered Active Camo


Active Camouflage - KemVar is always considered to be at one higher tier of cover than their position as long as their armour hasn't failed.

What does that mean in practice? If a KemVar model is in
  • the open, with No Cover, any shot against them counts as Weak Cover (+1FN)
  • Weak Cover, any shot against them counts as Strong Cover (+3FN)
  • Strong Cover, well, you technically can't draw LOS to them to take a shot anyway
That means that a KemVar model that has elevation and cover would have a +4FN modifier to any shots fired on them. When the general FN of models is FN6, you'd already be at FN10 to make your shot!
At a glance this seems like a very overpowered Corporate Trait, but here are some pointers to ensure fun and balanced MERCS games. Note that while this was written with KemVar in mind, it does apply across all factions.


MERCS Appropriate Terrain

Firstly, ensure you are playing on MERCS appropriate terrain.
Specifically, ensure terrain elements that offer optimum firing positions (that is, both elevation and weak cover) are limited and are located mid-field.
This ensures that both teams have an equal opportunity to secure these positions, and the most valuable firing positions on the field are rare and have to be fought for.
As an extreme example, if you put all the buildings that provided elevated cover in the KemVar deployment zone, then the KemVar would have very little motivation to give up their prime firing positions to expose themselves - they would just sit there and shoot down the opposition that came towards them.

A good example of MERCS appropriate terrain from the rulebook

Missions/Scenarios/Objectives

Similar to the extreme example above, if there are no in-game objectives or missions to accomplish, once a KemVar model has secured an optimum firing position, there is very little incentive for them to move from it and expose themselves.
This is where good missions and scenarios significantly improve games - by helping to ensure units are forced into action, as well as adding an element of narrative to the game.

Squad Selection - Template Weapons and Armour Failure

It should be noted that Active Camo only affects weapons with an FN - so things like grenades thrown at the ground, that auto-hit anything within their template, are not affected.
Furthermore, note that the Active Camo ability does not work once a KemVar unit's armour has failed - some units have abilities focused on causing armour to fail, which is invaluable against Active Camo.
This battle report (specifically Game 2) shows how it's done. After the KemVar stole Game 1 by surprising the CCC with their speed, the CCC then played defensively and brought their template weapons to bear. The template weapons destroyed the KemVar - the Incinerator's flame thrower, the Demo's Frag Grenades and the Leader's Emp Grenades made short work of the KemVar.


Sync out.

[CCC] Reinforcements Painted!


It was great to add these models to my CCC force, with the Heavy and Sniper being some of my favorite MERCS models from MERCS 1.0.

I'm going to take a short break from painting my MERCS models - even after dropping my hobby goals down to 3 models per week, I'm feeling a little burnt out and want to take a breather and come back to painting MERCS when I'm feeling fresh and excited about it again!

Sync out.

Friday, June 10, 2016

[Keizai Waza] Booster


And finishing off the Keizai Waza for this round of painting, the Booster, which I think is a fantastic addition to the Keizai Waza line up. I love the cool pose on this model, and wide visor helmet variation is great.


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Wednesday, June 8, 2016

[Keizai Waza] Demo


This is a really awesome dynamic model, and still one of my favorites from the Keizai Waza - great to see him back in action for MERCS 2.0!


Sync out.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

[Keizai Waza] Sniper


The original metal model for the Keizai Waza Sniper had options for either cloaked or uncloaked, and for MERCS 1.0 my Keizai Waza Sniper was uncloaked.
As an individual model, I think I prefer uncloaked - but looking at this model on the shelf with the rest of the Keizai Waza squad, I think the cloak adds some needed variation.


Sync out.

Monday, June 6, 2016

[Keizai Waza] Reinforcements Painted!

Demo, Booster, Sniper

It was great to repaint the Demo and Sniper, which are welcome returns from MERCS 1.0.
The original metal Sniper had two head variants, one with cloak and one without, but for MERCS 2.0 only the cloaked variant is available.
The booster is an awesome addition to the roster as well, and I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my remaining Keizai Waza models as part of the All Your MERCS add-on.

Individual model photos coming up - stay tuned!
Sync out.

Friday, June 3, 2016

[KemVar] Spy


A great addition to the KemVar line up for MERCS 2.0, the Spy has a colourful and dynamic pose, while maintaining the KemVar aesthetic we all know and love.


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Thursday, June 2, 2016

[KemVar] Monkeywrench


A very dynamic running pose, this classic sculpt is welcomed back to the KemVar as part of MERCS 2.0!


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Wednesday, June 1, 2016

[KemVar] Sniper


I was so happy to have this model in plastic, as opposed to metal, because the hair on the old metal model was delicate and tricky to work with - but in plastic it was an absolute breeze!


Sync out.