Arachnid tactics

[November's Wrath]

hello guys  i recently started playing ramos.

the thing that puzzles me 

1) steam arachnid seems only good as a tarpit/ scheme runner.

2)Swarms seem a nice offensive unit, but the loss in term of scrap production in pretty harsh. suddenly you are looking at 2 scraps less.
so usually, how do you manage the transition from spider into swarm, and how dou you keep the scrap generation up and running?

[prof_bycid]

Hi November.  Ramos can be a lot of fun, but you need some good support models.  The steam arachnid used to have magic extension (correct name?) and be able to fire off Ramos' electrical fire.  To tell you the truth, I haven't used it much in M2E, so I'm axiously waiting to see what the Arcanist experts say about it.  To keep the scrap coming, use support henchmen and/or beat-sticks that drop scrap when they damage models, even if they don't kill them.  Joss comes to mind, as I use him for this a lot.  He has the additional benefits of dealing out good damage and being difficult to remove from the board.  You can also take the electrical summoning upgrade and get those floating bombs moving in round 1.  Then you can do some damage and generate some scrap, or if you get too impatient, just use Ramos to blow them up.

[mythicFOX]

Hi November,

 

1) That's exactly right, they're just tar pits and short range scheme runners, but they do the job excellently. Normally I wont hire any but keep summoning more to bulk out my numbers.

 

2) I don't tend to swarm together unless there's a compelling reason, normally the pulse scheme marker removal.  Like the Rail Golem the Swarm is a very swingy model on offence, it seems to either totally wreck face or do absolutely nothing, with relatively little in the middle. 

 

 

@ Prof_Bhycid - You're talking about the Brass Arachnid, Ramos' totem. Not the Steam Arachnids.

[Math Mathonwy]

Also note that the Individual Spiders and the Swarms are two great tastes that taste great together: the -1 to Df that the Arachnids can give out makes the Swarm really happy.

[zFiend]

Also makes Ramos happy because he shoots in there without randomizing.

[Adran]

I typically find that Ramos doesn't need to worry about scrap after about turn 3. And by then I'm expecting the summoned spiders to be dying almost as fast as I summon them, hydra style, so every one they kill, I bring back at least 2 to replace.

Admittedly I don't generally go for the healing upgrade, so I only really need 4-5 scrap a game. SO I can normally afford to swich 3 arachnids for a swarm (normally after the individuals have all activated to get the most AP I can) in the mid game without it really costing scrap.

 

If you are running low on scrap, you need to think a little more carefully about swarming.

[November's Wrath]

Hi November,

 

1) That's exactly right, they're just tar pits and short range scheme runners, but they do the job excellently. Normally I wont hire any but keep summoning more to bulk out my numbers.

 

2) I don't tend to swarm together unless there's a compelling reason, normally the pulse scheme marker removal.  Like the Rail Golem the Swarm is a very swingy model on offence, it seems to either totally wreck face or do absolutely nothing, with relatively little in the middle. 

 

 

@ Prof_Bhycid - You're talking about the Brass Arachnid, Ramos' totem. Not the Steam Arachnids.

Thanks for the suggestions!

i find the swarm very hand dependent: it can kick asses, but depletes your hand.