Capuan Gladiator Discussion Thread

[RoninValentina]

Originally Posted by Xn F M

I'm thinking that the gladiator's +3 may be stronger (or just less potentially devistating) than the init glyphs +8. But I won't know that until I've tried the glads. So at that point I'm reserving my right to say, "no sir, I don't like it."

And I certainly can't stop you from doing so.

[Toad Rocket]

First of all, GREAT looking figures.

However, I would have to agree that the KOW are still the best melee squad. For the exact same points both have bonding and similar stats (glads +2 move, KOW +1 def). However, the KOW have that all important 4th figure. That will win the day 9 times out of ten. Plus, in a melee fight move isnt super important because you have to get adjacent anyway so the better def KOW have the advantage there also.

To make the Glads competitive with the KOW they NEED Spartacus. But that 200 points is a heavy price, and limits army options. KOW have alot more army builds they work in than the glads do.

Even in Heat of Battle, sheer numbers gives KOW a solid edge.

Not trying to be too negative and all, but from a distance it just doesnt look all that overwhelming.

It sort of reminds me of the Kato plus yari/harqs armies. Pretty good in alot of ways, but also pretty limiting and predictable.

I am still planning going to get these guys though. They should be awesome as a part of larger point army. A glad uprising vs a Roman army would be interesting.

[Clarissimus]

Agreed that these guys lose to knights and orcs (with only 3 to a squad, chomp will really hurt.) But take a look at some of the other mathcups. Their increased speed make them more reliable to catch up for ranged fighters, and their higher attacks make them deadly against heroes. I agree that they are weak on paper with only 3 members, but I'll want to see them in action before I dismiss them.

[Devil's Advocate]

Interestingly, 1 of the most similar units to the Gladiators are the Wolves. The Wolves have a base of 6 movement and 4 defense and with Khosumet average around 4 attack dice. Yes the Wolves cost 5 points more per squad but also don't lose their defense if their Hero dies.

Granted the Wolves lack bonding but then again you can afford almost 2x more squads due to the difference in prices between Spartacus and Khosumet. Basically the Gladiator army is a slight variant to the Anubian Wolves army

[Grungebob]

Originally Posted by Robotech Master

These guys are pretty damn good. Deceptively good actually.

In a Gladiator army where your x is on Spartacus, they'll permanently be 6, 1, 4, 4.

4 is considered the sweet spot of bare minimum good defense, and a squad of 3 getting 4-5 attack on an enemy each makes them pretty powerful, plus they can bond with a gladiator hero in the same turn, meaning 3 attacks of 4-5 and an attack of 5-7.

Strategic movement will be needed to keep the army moving and advancing on ranged units. Though range is the usual answer to them, its at least good to know that these guys are as hardy as Knights but faster.

I hope we get details on exactly how the Steamroller army was played.

Initiative advantage is kinda nifty idea. +3 to initiative on most of your turns since bonding will keep your heroes active.

They're pretty much designed to never have much use in a non-gladiator army, so they have no real value on thier own. In a Gladiator army, I see these guys improving the existing Gladiators a bit, with Spartacus becoming decent by giving you squads with 6,4,4 stats, and Crixus getting a really good boost by being a heavy 4rth squaddie tag along without having to put order markers on him.

You got it right. Good eye and good analysis. Yes the Gladiator army is all about optimizing movement, attacks and threats. Knowing you are going to get initiative most of the time is quite powerful especiallly when you've maneuvered for it. You are usually outnummbered, but your army is fast and powerful. If you can keep the steam roller together you can minimize the effects of attrition on your offensive. You can take on numerically superior forces by thinning their advance before their attacks overwhelm you. Does it win all the time?? Uh no! Why would we create an army that wins all the time. The Gladiator army is fun, and is a long time coming. The hype is due to the fact that we have been playing these guys for like 3 years waiting for their release. I personally love this army and am happy to see it coming to you all soon.

[Jaz1597]

Originally Posted by Xn F M

I'm pretty sure that I don't like these guys.

They've got some cool stuff going on. I like the 6/1/4/4 stats, but I'm riding the fence right now on the initiative ability. When I first read it, I hated it. I may be alone in this opinion, but I like to go second. I like that the player who goes second has a more powerful X order marker. I like to be able to use all my OMs to react to my opponent's plays. Most of the time I'll just ignore the initiative glyph because it's so easy to play around (and when it fails you get creamed).

These guys have their Initiative Advantage, and I really want to just say it's a horrible ability. However I'm going to reserve that judgement until I've played them. That bonus is small enough that it would probably have a different effect on the game than the init glyph, but then . . . .

I wanted to love these guys so bad too . . . .

It says you may add to whatever was rolled for initiative. So if you roll an 8 and your opponent rolls a 10, you could choose not to add +3 and still go second...

[Toad Rocket]

Hmm, Thinking a bit farther. Even against the romans they are in tough.

Eg, 3 squads legos is 150, 2 squads glads is 140. You could sit a roman to make it even(ish). Thats 11 romans vs 6 glads. Shield wall will make a big difference. No way the glads are going to beat them out at 2 to 1 kill ratio.

My thinking is that these guys maybe not be meant to purely fight other melee figures. While they would be decent at it, they dont really excel. But then again, the Glad army at 500 really lacks any support units (range?) to be an all purpose army.

Perhaps we should think a bit out of the box and try to figure out where these guys would really do well at. At 500 points, I am not really sure what it would be. That build of Spart, Crx and 3 Squads is only 11 characters. Not many guys to absorb punishment.

[Soanevalcke]

Does the X marker count as an Order Marker for Sparticus and the Capuans? Cause I'd want to put the X marker on Sparti, then 1, 2, and 3 on the Capuans.

[Mr Migraine]

Originally Posted by Soanevalcke

Does the X marker count as an Order Marker for Sparticus and the Capuans? Cause I'd want to put the X marker on Sparti, then 1, 2, and 3 on the Capuans.

Yes.

[Buddy Lee]

I will say this. This is a worthy addition to the Gladiator Forces. I can definately see why it is termed "Steamroller". With bonding and the inititiative advantage they definately come out strong. Don't underestimate the advantage that going first is going to be with this army. The chance to take out a few of your opponents figures before they can even attack will give you the momentum. Throw in Kirk Douglas and you get an army that will be tough to roll back.

However, the weakness of this army is when it faces a ranged army with high hit die potential. The Protectors and Omnicrons immediately come to mind as a very effective counter.

I predict it will be quite easy for the Protectors to dance around the Gladiators. With their Arbalast they can even go in against Kirk Douglas and take him out without too much trouble. This does two things. It gets them in the rear of your opponents line, and it forces him/her to focus in a direction that ties up the Gladiators movement, even stops it. Throw in Atlaga and your opponent will now be wondering what to do. Three squads of Protectors and Atlaga is only 420 points. This leaves 80 points for RoboRats. Steamroller stops.

With the Omnicron Snipers you have high hit potential from range. Sure eventually the Gladiators will get to them, but at what strength? You can easily counter them with Roborats, or my preference the Repulsors. While 2 of the Repulsors specials have no effect do not underestimate the lucky potshot, or more importantly their ability to melee screen for the Snipers. Furthermore, they allow the Snipers to get that critical extra dice. A good army to use would be 3 sets of Snipers, 3 sets of Repulsors, Zetacron to keep the theme going, and that still leaves you with 20 points for Kyntella Gwyn (jk). The repulsors out front providing the screen and holding them off from your main force then the Snipers picking them off from a range of seven? Steamroller stops.

Impressive? Yes. Tournament changer? No.

Buddy Lee

[Grungebob]

Well it will be interesting to see what new armies are popping up at tournaments with the wave 9 units in the mix. Are deathreavers going to be as popular with repulsors in the mix? Is Q9 going to be as common a draft choice with Atlaga floating around with his bolt of doom? Will melee be more viable because of these shifts?

[clancampbell]

Well, I for one, am not totally blown away by these guys. They are not my favorite squad of wave 9, I'd put them 3rd and thats being generous.

What I do like about them is the fact that FINALLY, Sparticus is playable. I've never used old Spart, and now I finally will. Will I take the steamroller to a tourny, maybe not, but I will play it at home, and thats awesome enough for me.