This is the Wartrader, rambling on about random Remotes…

Following on from last week's article, let's take a look at Missilebots and Repeaterbots.

GMLbots/Missilebots/SMLbots

The Guided Missile Launcher is dead! Long live the Smart Missile Launcher! The general idea with SMLbots is to mark a target and then rain down guided ammo on them from out of sight on the other side of the board.

SMLbots have seen the biggest price drop of any of the standard Remotes, typically having dropped from 34pt to 18pt but with in increase in Support Weapon Cost from 1 to 1.5, limiting the amount of other heavy weapons you can take. They've also seen a BS increase from 11 to 12.

Smart MLs are less damaging than Missile Launchers (two armour rolls from DA ammo instead of three armour rolls from EXP ammo) but are also much better at direct fire as they effectively have an X-Visor built in and have no -3 BS range bands. Combined with the slight increase in BS this makes SMLbots quite useful in themselves, even without using guided mode.

Guided ammo itself has undergone a reduction - it used to be an automatic hit on a marked target with each enemy Hacker having a roughly 50% chance of stopping each missile, while in N3 it is instead a +6BS modifier on a marked target but because it's a template weapon the target gets to Dodge with a -3 penalty, and any non-Assault Hackers each reduce the BS by three. So the target is much more likely to survive, on the other hand with the points reduction and increased efficacy of Forward Observers it's much easier to mark a target.

So overall, Missilebots are less specialised and have more overall utility. Especially once Hacking buffs are included in the picture, but more on that later.

N2 Profile:

N3 Profile:

Repeaters for Newbies

Repeaterbots such as the PanOceania Fugazi Dronbots or Nomad Transductor Zonds are largely there to help give your Hackers more coverage and potentially to act as cheap Order-generators.

In N2 Repeaterbots were almost defenceless, their sole defence against incoming fire was the -3BS modifier from their Mimetism. Dodging wasn't really an option as mentioned last week, due to PH8 and a -6 modifier taking them to PH2, effectively useless in an opposed roll.

In N3 not only do they benefit from the reduced Dodge penalty but they got +3PH compared to the +2PH boost of other Remotes - Dodging on PH8 still isn't amazing but it's an awful lot better!

The other big change is the addition of a Flash Pulse. This lets the Repeaterbot attempt to blind enemies in Line of Fire and more importantly gives them a respectable ranged ability for opposed rolls - being based on the Remote's WIP13 and with a +3 bonus from 8-24" and stacked with Mimetism affecting the opponent's rolls a Repeaterbot is now a unit that your opponent actually has to worry about, at least a little.

Another nice little addition is Sniffers, which can be deployed to extend the area of effect of your troops with Sensor, such as Sensorbots.

Of note is that the Repeaterbots have retained their 6-6 movement rate from N2, making them the fastest Remotes, capable of moving 12" in a single Order - although at severe risk of going down to reaction fire if they do so. They also kept their 8pt cost but have, like the Sensorbots, gained a lot of overall utility.

N2 Profile:

N3 Profile:

Holy Flying Sensorbots - The Nomad Meteor Zond

Ah, Nomads! Not content with their Sensorbots and Reactionbots having Climbing Plus, they decided to build a flying Sensorbot. So while most other factions have the four 'standard' Remotes, Nomads get a fifth variation.

The Meteor is almost identical to the Stempler Zond but with one major difference - instead of Climbing Plus it has Combat Jump, allowing it to drop onto the table or walk on from the side. Minor differences are +1PH and the loss of Sniffers.

This does cost an extra 4pt and 1SWC but it gives you the ability to get Sensor and Repeater coverage right into the middle of the enemy troops without having to slog across the battlefield first. However, given the general points cost drop for Sensorbots, the 21pt N3 Meteor is still cheaper than the basic 22pt N2 Stempler.

N3 Profile:

Still to come - the interaction between Hackers and Remotes, because some of these tin fighters get really bleeping nasty when buffed by hacking programs…