N18 Underhive Harridans HoB Escher list

[MaliGn]

Yeah, my turn to join the "my first list" gang.

Now this is at the idea stage and is deliberately using a bonus 50creds.

Queen - shock whip, needle pistol, parry
Matriarch - stiletto sword, plasma pistol, dodge
Matriarch - lasgun spring up (intention is to replace lasgun with h. Stubber when creds allow)
Death Maiden - venom claw, needle pistol, chem synth, spring up
Specialist - needle rifle, chem synth
Gang sister - shotgun
Gang sister - lasgun
Gang sister - stiletto sword, autopistol
Little sister - laspistol, stiletto knife
Little sister - autopistol

Gone girls over gear to start with, although I have been advised that the campaign is designed to restrict income a bit to stop it getting out of hand, so may regret not getting armour etc.

I am considering switching the lasgun matriarch and specialist around loadout-wise but I'm not sure.

 

[MysticWolf]

I would definitely put the needle rifle on the champion, especially running a chem synth right off the bat because the extra INT increases the chance of getting the chem synth effect by like 15% over the specialist.

 

[MaliGn]

I would definitely put the needle rifle on the champion, especially running a chem synth right off the bat because the extra INT increases the chance of getting the chem synth effect by like 15% over the specialist.

I have a test game on Tuesday so I can try it out, any suggestions around skills?

 

[Vonvilkee]

Parry is pretty meh as most melee monsters you'd really want the defense from hit so well forcing them to reroll rarely results in a miss. Inspirational is surprisingly good, the leader is friendly to herself so if you need to push home an advantage even after bottling having a second test before running away can be clutch.

 

[MaliGn]

Parry is pretty meh as most melee monsters you'd really want the defense from hit so well forcing them to reroll rarely results in a miss. Inspirational is surprisingly good, the leader is friendly to herself so if you need to push home an advantage even after bottling having a second test before running away can be clutch.

Might have been thinking back to oldmunda where parry was really handy.

Might go with dodge to mitigate the lack of armour a bit.

 

[MysticWolf]

I have a test game on Tuesday so I can try it out, any suggestions around skills?

Spring up is your best choice, but I get that you probably don't want to spam it on every champ.
As mentioned above, the parry skill isnt really worth taking, dodge is a low chance but I personally dont mind the extra 15% chance of that additional 6 up to save.

Sprint is really good too, it can be a powerful strategic tool used turn one, it also makes the matriarch with it able to provide decent supporting fire for your DM turn two since you can keep up with her and you have a little extra movement to play with so you can position beneficially.

 

[Psyan]

Girls over gear is a great approach for Escher. While you can't quite keep up with Cawdor numbers, you can easily outnumber just about anyone else.

I endorse what Vonvilkee and Mystic Wolf said; they give good advice.

A couple of other pointers:
Don't set up Sisters for melee at the start. They're best for simply carrying those sweet, cheap Lasguns. You can add melee weapons and pistols to them later in the campaign, if/when you have spare credits, but not until they have Hot Shot packs for those Lasguns.
LIttle Sisters are the melee escorts/ablative armor for your close combat fighters. You can keep them really cheap by starting them with Stubguns and nothing else. After a match or three, add Stiletto Knives for a nice boost in effectiveness.
Try to avoid mixing regular and Toxin weapons on your fighters (unless they're Little Sisters). The Death Maiden is your best candidate for Toxin weapons due to the acidic blood rule. Always get her a Chem Synth. I'd swap the Plasma Pistol to the Queen and give the Needle Pistol to the Matriarch with the Stiletto Sword. And if you're going to equip a Matriarch like that, why not find a few more credits to run a second Death Maiden, instead?
Heavy weapons are a big investment and often aren't the most efficient use of credits, especially since you need a Suspensor to use them well.
Starting a Champion with a Lasgun for upgrade to a Heavy weapon later is a real waste. You're under-gunning one of your best shooters/fighters for several matches.
If you really want a Heavy weapon, spend the extra credits for the Plasma Cannon; the Heavy Stubber is overpriced for what it does on the table.
If you're angling for Combat Virtuoso as a second skill on your Death Maiden (because it's both cool and excellent), you may regret the Venom Claw later in the campaign; I prefer to stick with the Stiletto Sword.

 

[Psyan]

Also, skipping armor for your best fighters at the start is a very risky move.

This is my 1000cr, 9-fighter Escher list; it looks a lot like yours.

Far Dareis Mai

Escher (HoB) gang with a rating of 1000 by Psyan

yaktribe.games

If you were to use this list and use those extra 50cr to get another pair of Stubgun Little Sisters, you'd have a very respectable 11-fighter horde with armor on your heavy hitters and a several pretty dangerous guns.

 

[MaliGn]

Appreciate all the input folks, I think some of me is stuck in the N95 mindset, but if I wanted all lasguns I'd be playing imperial guard! And as I recall Escher could be pretty scary in close combat quite quickly. I'm also all about the storytelling and allowing characters to develop their own narratives and it's a damn sight easier to tell 'em apart if they have different stuff!

I'm also trying to work WYSIWYG with what I have built, which, for better or for worse is what's up there. (And in many cases is me attempting to replicate the of metal models from back in the day.)

I do take the point about the matriarch with lasgun being a waste, so will likely switch her and the current specialist around (and demoted the specialist to regular gang sister for good measure)

Re:armour Vs girls with the restrictions I've kinda caused myself would it be worth dropping a little sister in favour of some armour on the queen and maiden?

 

[Psyan]

Don't demote your Specialist, even if you just give her a Lasgun. The upgrade is free. Usually, I prefer to give Specialists a Grenade Launcher, because BS matters a bit less if you're using the 3" blast.
And definitely try to put Mesh Armor on your Queen and Champions. It's great value for the credits.

 

[Psyan]

15cr for armor on a Little Sister is maybe a dubious investment at the start of a campaign, but it's a great investment on a Leader, Champion or Specialist with a nice gun.