Titanomachina: Styxx Senary Configuration

Styxx's senary configuration is due to be deployed on Tabletop Simulator via the Steam Workshop. I'm warming up to it. I'm starting to think this is a well-balanced Titan, or at least it seems like it isn't hampered by too many high-powered weapons, or thrusters. They can consistently attack with either arms or weapons for the same cost, with a turret concentrating two or more attacks in the same round. Four cards for all four limbs can be two sensors and two deflector arrays. The thrusters and the third sensors support full operation by crew. The plasma howitzer would do best supported by the capacitor and two extra armour systems recovered from the capacitor. That leaves the vulcan gun, the buzz saw, the turret, a third extra armour system, and the Titan's force of personality. The turret is a given. This configuration can fire all of its weapons, attack with all of its limbs, fully operated by crew, with an activated turret, for a total between 23 and 28 points of damage, not assuming impact from limbs, which could conceivably get up to 38, assuming sufficient two and three habitat tall buildings (100m-150m tall buildings). 

That's in comparison to Rhea quaternary configuration with 21 to 29 points of damage, with limbs limited to bringing it up to 35 provided sufficient buildings to bust someone through. Rhea holds a massive edge in protection though, with a full five extra armour systems available to Styxx's two under maximum output conditions. Interestingly that can go up to three. The plasma howitzer helps reduce that, forcing a discard for shock. Styxx can also voluntarily slow down, as not using both arms means the limbs can still put out 8 damage, and not using any means still on par with Rhea's total cogs of 6 for all four limbs. Without the arms then deflectors or sensors can activate, protecting the Titan or detecting Titan targets. Maybe even thrusters. Sensors can also be used to scan, to capture the initiative, and control the fight. 

The question becomes then, can you maintain this pace when pressed for angles, ranges, and choice of targets? What if you need a third extra armour to soak three points of damage getting through your shields from crew-operated macro guns? What about recovering from impacts and grapples so that you can maintain those arcs and ranges, which trades off against distance and damage? Or hope that the turret will make up for it.

 

Titanomachina: Eurybia

 

The Primary and Secondary Configurations, tentative, for Eurybia would be: sensor (1), arms (2), plantigrade legs (2), shield generators (2), sponson (1), extra armour (5), crew (4), and coolant (2). That's thirteen systems requiring no extra charge, twelve if you consider Detect mandatory. If it is, then it's five systems requiring +1 charge (one card played face-down), and two requiring +2 charge. So without activating shields or weapons Eurybia may do 12 + 5 to move 4-6 times, activate sponson or sensor more than once every four rounds. But what do you give up to get that? Giving up two cards (one coolant, one face-down to +1 charge coolant), probably extra armour or shields, to de-activate one (or more with crew) activated system. Using initiate crew you could de-activate two systems already activated. Including the crew... Of course that is the same as not using an initiate crew, and different than not including the crew. Activating two limbs could be a good use of an initiate crew, a coolant system, and the power to extra armour 4 & 5, or even a shield generator. 

Which brings me to weapons. A rocket pod so Eurybia doesn't have to chase, and a vulcan gun, laser blade combo. The vulcan is defensive, but reactivated and operated by another crew member it could win a game. The laser blade is because it combines well with a rocket pod. Which all sounds pretty incredible right? It's like having two extra copies of weapons except you're firing two rocket pods at the cost of six cards, the rocket pods themselves, the charge for them, super-cooling to deactivate for a second activation next round, and the charge for that. Two separate rocket systems would do that with four cards. To activate all weapons the primary configuration will require seven, eight to ten if you want crew in on it. That leaves 12 cards for manuever and defense. 

More importantly not only do the coolant systems make the primary configuration less predictable and more agile, it can also be pushed to make the Titan faster and hit harder. 

The secondary configuration ups the ante to make the range shorter and the threat bigger. Using coolant on the claw and getting in multiple grapples into buildings, or simply into arc of the laser blade, may make up for an inability to multi-task offense and defense. She still has the best armour and shields in the game, and can leverage that hardiness to absorb damage as well as prevent it. 

It's worth considering that using the coolant system will leave Eurybia dead in the water, spending at least one other card, leaving itself in place to be shot and two cards short on defensive options. It's not gaining anything until the next round, so using it might signal that a player can do nothing else.

Either way, it'll be interesting to get these two out on the board to see what happens.