Mechanicus Boarding Parties

[Tiger9gamer]

So with the recent release of the Battle Fleet Gothic Armada Beta, and my recent accomplishment of getting a Mechanicus Favor on my Mars class battle ship, My thought turned to something...

 

What would a boarding party from the mechanicus look like? What would they risk losing or sending over to the enemy ship?

 

For example would they send in a skitarii vanguard squad with Plasma Weapons, or are those way to valuable to lose? how about Destroyers? Would they be loaded up with the usual weaponry of plasma and Grav or would they be given some lesser armaments like Grenade Launchers or multi-lasers?

 

Edit: Lets say for the rest of this thread that the enemy ship has no Relic or Data on STC's on it. It is needless to say the mechanicus will throw everything at it if that is the case, so for the rest of this thread I would like to imagine that no such thing is on the enemy ship.

[Atia]

If I remember it correctly, they use Electro Priests in the first (?) Souldrinker book for that stuff ^.^

[MoGuy]

Skitarii and Servitors aren't valuable for the Mechanicus. They don't care if a squad or a whole Maniple of Skitarii die if it gets the job done.

[Atia]

Skitarii and Servitors aren't valuable for the Mechanicus. They don't care if a squad or a whole Maniple of Skitarii die if it gets the job done.

On top of that. That said, they usualy only do boarding stuff if they hope to find relics. If that's the case they will send priests to get the job done.

 

They don't care if hundreds or more die, aslong as they get what they want. 

[Tiger9gamer]

I'm not asking more for the troops as the equipment, as you guys probably know that each and every piece of wargear is probably a relic. What would they risk sending over?

[Atia]

I'm not asking more for the troops as the equipment, as you guys probably know that each and every piece of wargear is probably a relic. What would they risk sending over?

I think that depends on what they think they will get ^^ 

 

And I wouldn't say the wargear of the mechanicus troops is all that relicty tbh. Atleast not enough to not risk to loose it - especially if they want to get a new STC or a true relic :P

[Tiger9gamer]

But what if it's not for any relic or data? Like for example this scenario I will post at the top, Pretty much taken from one of my BFG:A games:

 

The mechanicus needs to kill the enemy flagship before it can leave the system, but there are many other ships needing to be killed too. The Mars pattern battleship launches her wings of assault boats onto the enemy ship, with the mission perimeters being thus: Kill the warp generators. It is likely a suicide mission, as the generators may be miles below the points of access the ships will land on.

[Atia]

But what if it's not for any relic or data? Like for example this scenario I will post at the top, Pretty much taken from one of my BFG:A games:

 

The mechanicus needs to kill the enemy flagship before it can leave the system, but there are many other ships needing to be killed too. The Mars pattern battleship launches her wings of assault boats onto the enemy ship, with the mission perimeters being thus: Kill the warp generators. It is likely a suicide mission, as the generators may be miles below the points of access the ships will land on.

Don't get me wrong, but honestly I don't believe the Mechanicus would do a boarding party for that kind of thing. Maybe just with Murder-Servitors or Kill-Drones. You can kill ships without burding parties too. Also, normally Mechanicus Explorator fleets have more than just Mechanicus forces - read the of Mars trilogy for details ^.^

[Tiger9gamer]

 

But what if it's not for any relic or data? Like for example this scenario I will post at the top, Pretty much taken from one of my BFG:A games:

 

The mechanicus needs to kill the enemy flagship before it can leave the system, but there are many other ships needing to be killed too. The Mars pattern battleship launches her wings of assault boats onto the enemy ship, with the mission perimeters being thus: Kill the warp generators. It is likely a suicide mission, as the generators may be miles below the points of access the ships will land on.

Don't get me wrong, but honestly I don't believe the Mechanicus would do a boarding party for that kind of thing. Maybe just with Murder-Servitors or Kill-Drones. You can kill ships without burding parties too. Also, normally Mechanicus Explorator fleets have more than just Mechanicus forces - read the of Mars trilogy for details ^.^

 

 

I was thinking kill drones and servitors too, but I kinda would like a general idea for table top stuff, too. Mostly because of my local GW's zone mortalis board being fun to play on.

 

as for destroying ships I agree that shooting it is the fastest way to kill them but sometimes, like in the games, you need a directed strike right to a critical system to make it easier to kill, or to make it at least slow down so you can get in close like for the engines.

 

So I did some more thinking and came up with this idea for some boarding parties.

 

Skitarii Kill Clade:

 

The kill clade deploys with only the target in mind, the location burned into their brains by the uncaring tech priests of the war fleet. The close combat proficiencies are perfect for powering through the ship, and their speed, while fast, is controlled and careful enough for them not to get damaged by sharp turns. The infiltrator's Data Screech echoes through the halls making it difficult for the enemy commander to get a lock on their location while they murder the crew with tasers and flechette rounds. The rust stalkers bound through the enemy, slashing apart the defenders and opening doors with grenades. Should the grenades be exhausted when they reach the target the Princeps uses his dataspike to make the system go critical, often sacrificing the klade for the mission in the resulting explosion.

 

Servitor battalion:

 

Programed with the approximate location of the enemy critical systems the servitors march through the ship from the point of entry, targeting and destroying anything in their path. Breachers terminate any doors or vehicular enemies they find inside while the destroyers live up to their name, ending whatever they see. The march is slow, but relentless and without fear of lost or suicide. Should they reach their target they annihilate it with whatever ammo they have left, reducing it to slag before standing dumbly in the destruction, the main programing fulfilled. Used in conjunction with a kill clade or other boarding parties they provide the rear guard or a distraction while the main group spearheads towards the target.

 

 

____

 

I hope something like that makes sense? 

[Atia]

Yep that sounds cool^^

 

Btw, FW has rules for murder servitors and two kinds of drones as part of their ZM strategems ^.^

[MajorNese]

Breachers would make sense - disable technology with arc weaponry, rip open bulkheads and barricades with torsion gun and hydraulic claw, while being the first to soak up damage. All while being expendable servitors. That's what the whole breacher theme is about.

 

Regular skitarii make sense too, especially vanguard. They're irradiated and will expire anyway, so use as close-range shock troops. Infiltrators and ruststalkers would be at home in a boarding action. The fluff says that pretty much all ships have grand, central avenues (which these guys would steer around) and lots of small, cramped spaces, that would be the perfect hunting ground for the sicarians. Considering the fluff about how expendable everything is, and that Onagers can even climb vertically when digging in, I guess those could be adapted to claw their way across a starship hull and do their job, or give fire support on those central avenues. The size shouldn't be a problem, there were already 2 fluff cases of huge mechanicum transports who, to settle their intruder problem, fielded titans to get the job done.

 

As far as the heresy stuff goes, pretty much every Mechanicum installation or vessel has a de facto two-staged counter-attack pattern:

First, send the expendable stuff. All servitors, thralls and menials are to simply attack the intruder. A certain and useless death, but the necessary delay to mobilise the real combat troops. Second stage, counter-attack with the real hard-hitters. Cybernetica units (mostly thallax), combat servitors, automata, sometimes even a war magos. Bigger units like Castellax aren't mentioned often in that case.

[Atia]

Thallax aren't Cybernetica units :x

[IamJacksUserName]

I am not as positive about this in the heresy era, but in 40k a large enough battleship is a relic of technology in and of itself. If they had an opportunity to reclaim a warp capable vessel, I could see the mechanics boarding with everything they have available.

I do have to agree that servitors and thralls would be your initial wave followed by the fancier technology and toys.

[dogfender]

 

Don't get me wrong, but honestly I don't believe the Mechanicus would do a boarding party for that kind of thing. Maybe just with Murder-Servitors or Kill-Drones. You can kill ships without burding parties too. Also, normally Mechanicus Explorator fleets have more than just Mechanicus forces - read the of Mars trilogy for details ^.^

 

 

I require these books you speak of, care to entice me what what these Explorator fleets have other than mech forces? To my understanding I know some Priests saddle up with Rogue Traders.

But I seek to know more about the Explorators in the funky space suits, not super cyborged out.. like in the old necron night bringer artwork.

[MajorNese]

 

I require these books you speak of, care to entice me what what these Explorator fleets have other than mech forces?

Out of memory: Skitarii led by a secutor, cadian troops (infantry, armour, everything not airbourne), a titan legion (or part of one), a rogue trader and a small squad of astartes. The archmagos leading the expedition pulled in every favor he could.

[Grand Master Laertes]

a titan legion (or part of one)

Only four Titans (two Reavers and two Warhounds), if I remember correctly.

 

Also, there were (obviously) many Techpriests and hosts of Servitors.

[Seneschal]

Well we must also keep in mind that often times the Mechanicus does things as a human would do, for petty vengeance, for a slight on honor, for sheer malice, or truest of all, for Hard Data. Would a Mechanicus fleet encounter an enemy fleet of unknown capacity and power I bet that they would eagerly send thousands upon thousands of Skitarii, Servitors and other types of drones to fight and die, just to learn more about this new enemy, this new enigma. 

 

I also see the Skitarii Vanguard quite the boarding troops due to their devastating weapons, inhuman resilience, hardwired coordination and sheer belligerence imparted by their doctrines. Where better to slough an enemy to radioactive puddle than in the tight corridors of an enemy battleship, where the enemy is compacted into small confines and when such devastating weapons as are those of the Skitarii would reap a fearsome harvest.

 

Then a Mechanicus has even more tricks up their red sleeves when comes to enemy fleet. The Tech-priests are able to hijack a ship by simply overriding its drive and motor commands, they can shut down all forms of life support and thus have an advantage in combat due to their advanced bionics and technology, or they could summon virulent data-phages or cyber-djinns (FFG RP games) which can easily take control of the enemy ship systems as long as it has some human technology within it. 

 

In the end, the question is not why they board, but why not? There is so much information to capture, least of all the ancient cogitators full of secret warp routes, important data and who knows, even STC hints...

[MajorNese]

 

Only four Titans (two Reavers and two Warhounds), if I remember correctly

Might be the case, it has been a while since I read it. Only remembered multiple titans.

 

 

Well we must also keep in mind that often times the Mechanicus does things as a human would do, for petty vengeance, for a slight on honor, for sheer malice, or truest of all, for Hard Data. Would a Mechanicus fleet encounter an enemy fleet of unknown capacity and power I bet that they would eagerly send thousands upon thousands of Skitarii, Servitors and other types of drones to fight and die, just to learn more about this new enemy, this new enigma.

Not to forget, archaeotech. There was an example of techpriests (and Reclaimers space marines) cleansing a space hulk to recover tech from ancient ships that made up part of the hulk. According to the leading techpriest, even the maintenance protocols would be worth the investment, but they later showed tech they recovered and reverse-engineered.

[Tyriks]

Another reason for boarding would be damage to their own ship. If their main guns are out, sending in Kataphrons or something to tear out the guts of the ship they are fighting would make sense. Or, if their ship has been disabled and they need to get somewhere, taking a ship by force would be the thing to do.

[SydonianDragoon404]

Sicarians strike me as perfect, their mobility, close combat orientation, heck they even look like they could crawl through the vents like spiders. That and Breachers could actually do some... you know... breaching... ahhhhh yea I know that wasn't funny.

Skitarii are probably a given as well.

[Xisor]

Whilst they might not risk relics and things, I doubt the Machine Priests would hesitate to trade resources for objectives. If that objective is data, annihilation, the reduced risk of damage to more significant resources (like a ship), then I just don't see them even hesitating. Not where Cult/Skitarii tabletop troops are concerned.

 

Even at that, Kastellans might be the ones they consider an unacceptable risk. And even then, they're an overwhelming reward too. Graft some meltaguns on in place of phosphor blasters and you could tear a ship apart no-handedly!

 

---

 

As for boarding action troops... All the usual suspects have their place. Then you've got myrmidons, unusually powerful or esoteric boarding torpedoes, teleporting heavily armoured Skitarii, legions of tech-enhanced, religiously charged menials readily suited and booted for void warfare or exposure. Then there'd be ship-based tech guard.

 

It's all mortal fuel for the Machine God's victory, after all.

 

I'd be surprised if they don't commit a lot of valuable tech too, really. The Mechanicus do have more technology than sense, after a fashion. They might make a song and dance of being ultra careful, but they still will make mistakes now and then. Or sensible decisions.

 

<Commit the priceless tech relic!>

<Why!?>

<It increases likelihood of victory from 32% to 57%, yet only increases critical disaster failure to 1.5%.>

[Battybattybats]

Skitarii are sacrificed just to learn more about enemy guns. So no doubt there.

 

I'd suggest the battlefleet gothic mechanicus ship background & rules but they may not entirely make sense any more though, having them only boarding via teleportation not boarding torpedoes and especially being extra vulnerable to being boarded because of the higher automation and lower crew makes less sense if you have whole irradiated decks from centuries of transporting vanguard, have knights walking out onto the hull shooting enemy ships etc.

[Battybattybats]

I note the coming forgeworld parts to go with the skitarii kit include shields... While titan legion troops they may make excellent boarders.

[Cactus]

I note the coming forgeworld parts to go with the skitarii kit include shields... While titan legion troops they may make excellent boarders.

Where did you get this information?!

[Battybattybats]

You didn't see the images from the forgeworld event? There were new helms guns and one with a shield and lance-like weapon all on plastic skitarii torsos.