Getting Started: Part 2 — U.N.A.
by Carl Hotchkiss
Now that we have covered the basics of what is in each box, we can get specific on each faction. I will start with one of the two original factions, the U.N.A.
The United Nations of AVA, or U.N.A. for short, is usually mistaken at first sight as being of our 2008 Earth civilization, due to a similarity of look between the U.N.A. and the U.N. of modern times, and the similarity of look between the Red Blok and Russia. However, this is a mistaken impression, as our current civilization in the storyline has evolved into the Therians of the AT-43 game-world. The following examples of various companies will be created at 2000 points using a 1500/500 design, which means 1500 A.P. for Assault and 500 for reinforcements.
The basic armed forces organization of the U.N.A. is the White Stars, and the basic platoon pattern is found in the White Stars section of the main rulebook. This platoon pattern is the core pattern, and thus has no special rules. The rulebook also provides three organizations under the White Stars banner, and each one has its own particular platoon pattern, showing a different emphasis for each organization.
Central Command
Central Command, or CentCom, is the organization directly in command of the armed forces. The CentCom advantage is that they may change a standard fighter into a Sergeant for free during company building. This allows me to save a little on costs, while also helping my A.P. management, since all of my units will now have officers, and not cost 1 L.P. to activate.
CentCom concentrates on training their troops heavily and tend to field units of higher Rank than other organizations, having smaller numbers of higher quality troops. Thus, the compulsory slot for their platoon pattern is a Rank 2 Infantry unit. This allows me to field my troop of choice - the Wing Troopers. The Wing Troopers have G-Packs which allow them to jump over miniatures and terrain elements, and allows them a greater rate of movement compared to other infantry. For this first unit, I select a Colonel to lead my troops and be the commander of my company. Due to his high stats he also allows me to bring extra forces, so I bring 12 Wing Troopers. For my special weapons choice, I pick 2 sniper rifles, which are a core choice, as it gives the ability to target leaders and powerfully equipped fighters, giving a degree of control over the battlefield. I also pick 2 medics, as they can prevent 2 deaths per turn, arguably one of the most powerful abilities of the game. I equip them with triple lens helmets, so they can target units with stealth.
For my second unit, I choose another group of 9 Wing Troopers, this time led by a sergeant. I don’t bother with the helmets this time, as this group is meant to hold objectives, and target AFVs. To do this, I equip them with 2 missile launchers for my special weapons, and 2 medics.
My third unit is a unit of 3 Fire Toads, led by a sergeant, to give the firepower to back up the soldiers. The Fire Toad is a solid choice for this role, as their twin Light Laser Cannons work equally well against infantry and AFVs. With its 8 accuracy, on a large, open terrain board it can engage targets before they can effectively respond. That finishes my assault group. I always try to split my reinforcements into 2 groups, as it is easier to bring them in with R.P.s when I need them. My first group is 3 Steel TacArms, led by a sergeant. While I hesitate to use TacArms in excess, as their numbers are small, making them targets as their firepower is great, I do find them useful as a reinforcement, to bring in a solid hitting unit later in the game. My final unit, as I only have 200 points left, is a Fire Toad with a sergeant.
Military-Industrial Complex
I now move on to the second organization under the White Stars. The Military-Industrial Complex, or M.Ind, supports the war effort by manufacturing the weapons and equipment needed to make the White Stars successful. The M.Ind advantage is incredibly powerful, as each AFV gains the ability to repair 1 S.P. from a AFV within 2.5 cm, including itself. This can be done at the start of its activation, therefore keeping them alive through the game. M.Ind concentrates on bringing machines to the battlefield, thus a high concentration of striders, accompanied by low ranked troopers like Star Troopers.
The compulsory unit I pick for this company is Colonel Stark in Copperhead. This unit's combination of Missile Launcher and Mortar are great for defeating Vehicles and Infantry alike.
My second unit is a contingent of 3 Fire Toads, which as stated before is also a great multi use weapon. The armor on the U.N.A. striders is not as strong as the armor on other factions vehicles, but the repair ability is the key to the whole concept. The idea here is to keep these two units together, so the Fire Toads can help repair Stark, forming a bulwark that can travel the battlefield obliterating everything, while continually repairing.
My third unit for this pattern is a unit of 14 Star Troopers. While this is the weakest of the infantry types, they are cheaper and in this particular build, are not expected to get into much combat. I also have equipped them with triple lens helmets to get rid of stealth, and a couple of Volcano MGs which get a lot of shots off with decent penetration. The idea is to hang back and advance behind the striders, capturing and holding objectives, but avoiding direct combat. Once finished with my assault group, I pick the first reinforcement unit, a unit of 3 Steel TacArms, that can help finish the fight solidly, and a second unit of 9 Star Troopers, with a Volcano MG to finish my remaining points. I have been running variations on this pattern lately, and it has been very successful.
Union
The third of the White Stars organizations, Union collects all the U.N.A. civil institutions into one structure that manages the public war effort. Their platoon pattern emphasizes large groups of basic troops. My compulsory slot will be my core troop to center my company around.
Since the idea here is to simply overwhelm with numbers, I start with my commander as the leader of this unit, which allows me to bring 15 Star Troopers. I am going to make this group primarily anti-infantry, so I give them the helmets to spot stealth units, 2 Volcano MGs, 2 medics, and grenades. I want this unit to survive, so it is going to be expensive.
The second unit I select is a Fire Toad. I want to concentrate on large groups of infantry, to attempt to overwhelm my opponent, but the platoon pattern requires that I take 2 units of AFVs, so I just take 1 Fire Toad Sergeant, to get one of my two AFV slots out of the way, and the single Fire Toad gives me some solid support as well.
My next 2 units are again Star Trooper units, both with 13 troopers and 2 Missile Launchers for anti-vehicle capability. One of them gets a Lieutenant, as a backup for my colonel, helmets and grenades, while the other gets a master sergeant and nothing else, as I have now run out of points for my assault group.
My final unit in this pattern must be a AFV, so I again pick 1 Fire Toad Sergeant. As I still have a lot of reinforcement points left, I begin a second pattern, and again pick a unit of Star Troopers. My points allow me to get 12 Troopers with sergeant, 2 missile launchers, and a medic. My company is now complete. I look back over at the sheer size of the group which now numbers 55 miniatures, and look forward to a horde-like rush.
These three army selections are just examples of the endless array of troop mixes. There are many newer variations in the troop types out now, such as the Shock TacArms, Shock Troopers, Defender Snake, and others that I have not touched on here. When the Fire Crawler comes out in the near future, their option in larger armies will only get better, as the rank 3 vehicles will add a new and exciting dimension to AT-43.
