Steam Archnid help

[OTP]

Hi all,

A bit of plea for some help with Ramos, I don't seem t be able to get him to click, a lot of it i think is not using spiders well. I summon them up, and then tend to find that i have put them in to B2B with someone to drop there defense.

I guess i should be running interference and completing schemes with them but i seem to be getting bogged down in combat with them. they haven't proved to bad at giving things cursed object (or i guess distracting them) but other then that....

I think my problem comes form knowing what i should be doing with them, but not being able to somehow. So perhaps a slightly odd request for help but there it is.

Pete

[bfrench]

The trick I've found, although it is tome intensive, summon 3 and place them all in base with other models and then cast Ramos' detonation spell. The other spiders ignore the damage because it's a pulse. Causes 4 damage which can take out a lot of cheaper minions. If you can pair it with Joss' open current and make all their models have a - defense flip. Can get really nasty in a hurry

[Fenton Crack]

The way usually look at my spiders is broken down to whether I am generating them for my schemes or preventing opponent schemes, or combat. If you are summoning three spiders they are going to come in pretty weak at two wounds left. If Ramos is carrying Bleeding Edge Tech, they are going to heal back to 3 upon activating, as they will be within 8", so it may not be that big of a concern. I often have other upgrades on Ramos, so unless Joss is nearby and has it (I never put it on Howard or anyone else it seems), they can't benefit, and even if they can, it's possible they will be taken out before they can activate.

Therefore, if you are summoning in 3 and there are enemy models that you think will be taking them out, your decision of in what layout to summon them will often be dictated by the nearby enemy. If there are no blast attack threats you may want to summon all three in base contact with each other. This can be helpful in two ways. If there is a melee heavy henchman with his eyes on attacking Ramos you can summon the three massed spiders as a 60mm charge barrier to protect Ramos. If they charge the spiders, they may kill one, but they just used two AP to kill one spider. If they don't eliminate a spider, they are already in base contact and even though they have slow, the first one to activate can use the tactical action to become a fully healed 9 wound Arachnid Swarm. Even at only two wounds, at Df 6 and Armor +1 it is quite likely that even if one or two of them take a shot or two from an enemy minion, they'll still be around for your next activation to make the swarm. Once you have the swarm you have a scheme/strat denial piece that can either eat enemy scheme markers with Devouring Swarm or even move enemy models for denial of a Turf War or Reconnoiter, etc. with the Carry Away trigger on Sea of Claws.

If you think they are in danger of a blast attack, you would obviously want to summon them spread far apart, and if they are to be turned loose next turn to start dropping markers or get into position for Turf War, Reconnoiter, etc., you'd want them summoned away from enemies and you'd want to activate them (hopefully with the Regen plus 1) and then either have them use their 1AP to move 5" in the direction they want to be, or possibly throw away a bad card for Df stance to have them brace for attack.

If you are summoning the spiders for combat, you can summon them right into base contact with an enemy if able, or even all of them, and decrease the enemy models Df by -1 to -3, to set them up for an easier kill. If you cannot get them into base contact you can summon them within an inch and still get in one attack in hopes of softening them up, and getting them in engagement to limit their options, or stagger them to still make a charge barrier and go Df stance with the leading spider to brace for the charge.

Ultimately you may be charging one or more of the spiders on their following (no longer slow) for the two attacks, setting up the -Df of a Latch On, and you are engaging them to prevent interacts, charges, then have Ramos blow them up for 2 more wounds if that finish them off.

---------- Post added at 04:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:06 PM ----------

I should note that often times you will simply not have a high enough tome for the summoning of three spiders. I still think it is well worth it to summon two if high have a decent tome, or even stone with just an 8 or 9 of whatever. Coming it at three wounds is obviously an added benefit, but spending the one stone for even just two 4 stone models is worth it all day for me. Even if I have a total loser hand or no stones, in every Ramos activation I will summon at least one spider, as always seemed worth the AP if there is scrap around. Incan think of exceptions, such as later game when I just don't need another minion or the activation seemingly won't help me or I want to focus Electrical Fire, then use EF a second time to finish off an important model, but it is rare.