With the recent experimental release of the Katana... some of you are on the "fence" or maybe you think, from the forums, that power creep is happening! Let's do the math...
There have been calculations already about Katanas vs MBT on the other sides, but let's go with Katana vs Sabre action!
Katana vs. Sabre
24" effective range, kills 33%.
If hull down (articulated fire)... 17%.
vs. Building = 2.22 DP (double the damage of the Sabre)
Sabre vs. Katana
28" effective range, kills 42%. If smoke is deployed, 25%!
Articulated Weapon.
With a squad of 3, you are saving 21pts with the Katana. That gives you a Wolverine or Missile Pods on an Albatross.
WHAT IF...
Sabre vs. Katana (Armor 8).
Kills 56%... if smoke, 33%.
Personally, I think the Katanas should be armor 8 and that would be suitable for the "light tank" description. Wolverine B would damage on a 5+.
Katana hits on 3+ vs. Sabre
Kills 22%.
If you want a hammer unit, 9 Sabres are superior to 9 Katanas IMO. That's three rows of 3 tanks that can shoot (first row, 2nd row can shoot over first, articulation let's the 3rd row shoot over the other two). All in all, I think you need to maneuver and use articulation... otherwise, Katanas are the more versatile unit.
Nice writeup. I think it comes down to tactical reasons and metagame reasons as to which one you should pick... for example, if you play on mostly terrain-sparse boards with long ranges, the railgun-toting Sabre will have a slight edge over the Katana at extreme ranges. The only other reason for taking Sabres is their hull-down capability, which can be used to attack with relative impunity if behind sufficient cover... or as you pointed out, to make "Hammer" units that can put out more firepower with less exposure to return fire.
ReplyDeleteExcellent article, +1
Hey, wondering where you play. I saw your post on the Hawk forums about people playing in the York PA area from about a year ago and was wondering if there is still a group there. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm also a Talon based in Baltimore-DC-Northern VA so that's my "zone."
ReplyDeleteAt the GenCon tourney, I met cool dudes from Pittsburgh(?). You might want to try searching there?
Nevertheless, they have plastic starters in the 4 major factions... that should help you get friends in the entry point!
Good Hunting!
Pittsburgh is a bit too far from me... I found a tourney in Somerville, NJ, which is also really far, but I'm going to try to do that one. Hopefully Dropzone will continue to grow and there will be more local stuff soon!
DeleteJustin, Showcase Comics in the Philly area has a good tabletop following. Try them? Fly Safe and Good Hunting!
ReplyDeleteI'll check it out, that is much closer, thank you!
ReplyDelete