Titanomachina: Tactical Analysis

 Lately I've noticed that I can free up cards for the Damage Diagram, Shields Diagram, and Pass cards in each 55-card deck by making the secondary configuration of each Titan a weapon-swap with another Titan. So instead of Titan decks carrying 12 weapon cards each, they would have 6 each for a complete set of 12 together. In some cases, however, the weapon swaps aren't quite so easily straight forward. For example, Tethys primary to Styxx secondary.

With Styxx sporting a Gun Battery 2 (right hand gun battery card) and Tethys with a Gun Battery 1 (left hand battery card), and both a Claw 1 (left hand claw card), it means that I would need to either use the 55th card slot in each deck to carry an extra weapon card, or I would need to swap Tethys' gun battery and macro laser. I mean, I could swap Styxx's weapons, but that's a good configuration. 

Swapping Tethys' medium and long-ranged weapon would create something very like Rhea's primary configuration, with a left-shoulder laser and a right-handed gun. Certainly Tethys would still have a capacitor instead of a 5th extra armour, and jump jets where Rhea has thrusters, but it seems kind of same-y, or at least not showcasing the difference the placement can make. 

I think the clincher might be that both the hand and the claw weapons can grapple an opponent across into their left or right hand quadrants. This is most useful for opening up a target to stab with the laser, I think, but also for slamming them into a sufficiently large block of buildings. While the macro gun is good for the occasional snap-shot, the gun battery requires crew operation to get the most out of it. Additionally, Tethys' secondary configuration already carries a laser blade in its left arm.

Tempo-wise, Tethys would need to spend three cards to grab with the claw, and then at least three more to shoot with the macro laser, possibly five to operate the weapon with senior crew (adherent, master). That would also be a chain of three actions, possibly four if a capacitor is used to regenerate the cards spent on activating the claw to fire the macro laser. Five cards for a crew-operated attack in two actions might actually be best, as a 5-cog attack with a laser is going to amputate something even under two shield tokens. Having that on both sides of the Titan might be best, with the gun battery backing up the claw at range. A macro gun would do a 5-cog attack in two actions (operate, attack), for four cards, but it would take five cards and three actions (operate, operate, attack) for a hand to do that. I think there's an edge there, removing a part of the enemy before they act with it.

So if I go the other way and use the 55th card for a Gun Battery 2 to make the conversion to secondary configurations workable, then that suggests I could use the 55th card in the other deck to do something similar. I'm leaning towards a reference card illustrating the incoming and outgoing arcs though.   

 

Titanomachina: March & April 2024 Changes

 

I recently made a couple of significant changes, the first being a reduction in the charging costs of all limbs, such as the Plantigrade Leg. I think it's a very positive change, making Titans more mobile, and generally doing interesting things to the card economy (making activating capacitors less of a no-brainer, freeing up cards for Charge 2 weapons). It also maintains the ponderous, weighty feeling of the Titans.  

I've also re-jigged the Detect action so that Titans can detect either habitats or Titans, and a single stack of habitats at that. To remind players I've added a Detect (Titan) icon on the Sensor cards. 

Titanomachina: What If?

All limbs had their charge cost reduced by 1? So arms and plantigrade legs would just be played by themselves, while big arms and digitigrade legs would cost one card face-down? This puts the Arms and Big Arms on the power curve (1 card played : 1 cog of action), while putting Plantigrade Legs and Digitigrade Legs squarely above it at 2:3 and 1:2 respectively.

Similar cards above the curve include the Turret (1:2), Master Crew (2:3), the Macro Gun (2:4), the Capacitor (1:2), , Plasma Shotgun (3:4), the Laser Blade (3:4), and the Rocket Pod (2:3).

Systems on the curve would be the Initiate & Adherent Crew, the Extra Armours, the Sensors, the Deflectors, the Shields, the Gun Battery, the Hand, the Claw, the Laser Battery, the Plasma Howitzer, Macro Laser, Buzz Saw, the Sponsons, the Jump Jets and Thrusters. All 1:1.

Systems below the curve would be the Vulcan Gun (2:1), at the low end. However, there's a potential (1:3) involving operation with a Master Crew and Initiate Crew. 

It follows, additionally, that all systems on the curve can be pushed above it with a Master Crew. With just a Master Crew operating it, a Vulcan Gun might achieve a (2:5) depending on positioning, but minimally 1:1.

Why though? Aside from the obvious 'feel good' of making it easier for the Titans to move, turn, and fight, the limbs' combined actions are some of the most common actions in the game. It also makes for a better, more defined offset in the most efficient option vs the most efficacious option. Playing a capacitor card is less straightforward too.    

Forming a Green Strategy

Styxx is difficult to use, especially when it mounts expensive Charge 2 weapons. In part this is because the player will find themselves facing opponents with a card advantage of having more cards in hand with the opportunity to make more actions. Styxx players are forced, almost, to play more slowly, at a lower rate of activity than players with other Titans. This can be ameliorated by the green player holding off on the initial rounds to build up a big hand of cards they can use to match an opponent's rate of activity. That is pretty unfriendly to a new player though, trying to keep up with the other players and not the tempo dictated by the Styxx cards. 

Take Styxx's primary configuration, for example. In order to use both arms and both legs, Styxx needs to spend 12 cards (including the arms and legs). Rhea, Tethys, and Eos primary configurations only need to spend 8 cards. Now Styxx may get 10 cogs to Rhea's 6 cogs, for all that, but there's a question of when and where that makes those four extra cards mean something important. Notably Styxx may only use Her legs, spending 6 cards for 6 cogs, but that is two actions to Rhea's four. So either Styxx is giving up a card advantage, or a tempo advantage. 

Likewise Rhea's primary configuration can use all three weapons for 6 cards (for 5-8 points of damage) meaning Rhea can move and attack at capacity for 14 cards. Styxx primary can use all three weapons for 8 cards, meaning moving and attacking for 20 cards. That gives Rhea 9 cards to enhance movement and attacks with crew (their entire crew) and then cards to block and intercept attacks. Styxx gets 2. One of them is a capacitor, but that makes it equivalent to 3 cards if it's used at its basic effect. Where can Styxx get those six cards to make up the difference? It's going to have to be weapons, and possibly the thrusters. If we swap out the laser blade and plasma shotgun, that reduces 6 cards to 2 cards. After that, the rocket pod can be swapped for a laser battery as a dead heat, but also for weapon synergy. Take out the thrusters for a second capacitor, and that is 12 cards for limbs plus 4 cards for weapons. That's 16 cards, leaving 7 including two capacitors for an effective 9. 

Styxx's tertiary and quaternary configurations have similar issues, but have a slightly different flavour due to these configurations lacking arms. With legs and thrusters and sponsons, and only two weapons, these configurations of Styxx need crew to ensure those shots Styxx takes don't miss and hit hard. That's 12 cards for 10 cogs (and 90-180 degree arcs). Setting aside 4 cards for senior crew and their charges, lazy gits that they are, that leaves 7 cards for shooting and sensors. Including the two capacitors, that means a Titan may be able to activate legs and weapons at the same time, leaving 5 cards for sensors (two for detection, one for scanning) and blocking with extra armour. Weapon-wise, it's going to need to be guns, rockets, and maybe a laser battery. It's kind of funny to be returning to those historical roots in Adeptus Titanicus (1989) where a Warhound Titan would have a turbo laser and vulcan gun...