To Guard the Walls: MULTI Sniper Fireteam

Snipers guard the HVT closely...

Yesterday I was able to get a couple games on the table. Now I don't want to battle report (I might find a way to do that in the future but frankly this game has way too much back and forth to make written battle reports easy) but I want to talk about one of the main aspects of the list I was testing: a defensive MULTI Sniper fireteam.

Until recently I misunderstood the Fireteam rules; I thought in ARO that only the Fireteam Leader actually got... one of the bonuses, I don't remember which exactly. When I learned that no, the whole Fireteam is an ARO monster I knew I had to try a double MULTI Sniper fireteam. In Military Orders I can construct a team like that reasonably cheaply for the stats (although it's no Fusilier team, I suppose.) For this specific build I was running two MULTI Sniper order sergeants, an order sergeant with a combi rifle, an order sergeant paramedic, and Konstantinos. The reason for Konstantinos, honestly, is I needed a good specialist and I didn't have the points to let him be his Infiltration version so I figured he'd help out as a fireteam member until later in the game when one or both of the Snipers die and he can blitz forward on his own to start handling objectives as necessary.

Anyway, what does this Fireteam give you? What, in my experience so far, are the pros and cons?

Well, the pros are that they're a bitch to deal with. Two Snipers like that can be hard to avoid taking AROs from; you can spread them out pretty far if you want, or have them next to each other to be a serious threat into big targets. They're each getting their full burst in ARO, they're both getting +3 to their BS from the Fireteam, and they're both probably getting +3 from their range band unless stuff got really close to you. Even on our lowly Order Sergeants you're looking at BS 18 before other modifiers at that point; typically with firing into models in cover you're looking at 2 shots each on 15s, which is pretty damn decent. Also, if you're relying on AROs, your fireteam leader can just be a totally different model (for me it was the combi rifle order sergeant just hiding behind a building) and on your active turn, one of the snipers can take over and fire even higher burst shots into whatever he's got vision on. Pretty brutal and covers a huge area of the table.

So, what are the downsides? Well, in order to remain effective, both snipers do need to be exposed. Especially if you've got them close together, if one decides to shoot on your active turn, the other sniper is typically eating ARO shots uncontested if the other player wishes, which is a great way to break that 5-model bonus.

And then... the final downside. By its very nature, this team is quite powerful, but extremely reactive. It's a lot of points that essentially become just board denial... great board denial for sure, but you aren't really forcing your opponent to deal with it unless the terrain is really ideal for snipers. Also, if your opponent *does* have a good answer (smoke + MSV sniper before MSV troop can handle it, for example), the team really isn't very effective once broken. Konstantinos being a part of it sort of helps, in that he can break away once the team is broken and do his own thing really well, but really you've just kind of got an awkward team of slightly more expensive than necessary Order Sergeant cheerleaders pretty quickly, especially if both snipers go down.

So I have to compare this then to the heavy infantry fireteams Military Orders are known for; Hospitallers with Magister Knights have been my go to, and of course I'll be trying the Joan of Arc Pain Train soon enough. These teams are highly active, highly aggressive, and force your opponent to deal with them in a big way. My favorite aspect of the Hospitaller/Magister team is that, once that team is broken, the Magisters go nuts in a big way; they're already a good ways up the table and those Impetuous Orders get out of hand quickly. Most games I've played with them I've had them dodging their way up the table extremely fast after the fireteam dies and just tearing through stuff with panzerfausts and really vicious close combat antics. While I loved the MULTI Sniper team for its power and the satisfaction of having such a vicious ARO piece standing at the ready, it made me realize I missed my angry Knights of Order charging up the table and cutting foes down with... near... impunity.

Gotta keep the pain train rolling!