Your views on the current official Spyrer gang?

[Tulkas]

Hello fellow Necro-enthousiasts.

I've been playing the Spyrers for two games now and from what I heard about them and what I've experienced with them, I must say they don't live up to their reputation. So I was wondering if you guys have any thoughts on the current official version of the Spyrers (as DL'able from the GW site). It's probably just my ****** luck bottling out on me, but I don't intend to (try and) keep this up for another 10 games without looking for the opinions of others on this. In my gaming group, I'm the only one of two with any reasonable experience in this and the only one that's played Spyrers at all. So not alot of help there.

That's why I would like to know how they're seen on Warseer. I'll also post this on Yakromunda at some point but don't let that deter you from replying. (Please).

[Catferret]

Been a long time since I played them, not quite as long since playing against them but see if anything below helps you.

Spyrers can be quite good early on in the campaign when the superior equipment and stats will give them an edge. But an experienced gang, or one with lots of models, or a savvy opponent can deal with them. Avoid getting in range of gangers with manstopper rounds in their shotguns. They will chew through you in seconds if they get given the chance. I have found most players will load up on such weapons as backups if there are Spyrers in the campaign. Lots of Dwayne Hicks's on the go...

I guess it depends on what skills and the like you get. And what combination of models you take. I feel that the fast ones are likely your best bet. Try and rack up as many penalties to be hit as you can. I don't think the Orrus is survivable enough to make up for his slow movement (in comparison to the others), although I do like the modelling ideas I get for them.

Pick scenarios that minimise the number of opponents fighting back. Hit and Run, or Raid/Rescue are great. I have found Ambush to be a bit too risky.

[Lord Inquisitor]

The spyrer rules are fine for the most part. They do quite nicely in a campaign as they quickly drop to the bottom of the gang ratings and can therefore more often choose the scenario. A good choice of scenario and they do well.

The main problem with Spyrers is not actually the Spyrer rules, but the core rules. The rules for pinning really ruin the gang, specifically pinning on overwatch. The pinning rules are really screwy on overwatch - not just for spyrers, for everyone, but spyrers really feel it the worst. Since a hit is automatically a pin, an overwatch hit automatically ends a model's turn, regardless of how powerful you might be. Essentially a game moving against a gang on overwatch means move out from cover, get hit, lie down outside cover for any other OW shots, continue lying down in the open for their entire turn, then maybe recover from pinning and be able to do something in your turn, otherwise stay in the open for another whole turn. Urgh.

A good house rule is to allow an Initiative test to avoid pinning from OW, or apply pinning at the end of that turn's move (allowing you to complete a move into cover, or into combat where pinning doesn't apply).

[Malo]

The original pinning rules are definitely the bane of Spyrers, and overall they're quite sucky. The Community Edition version is so much better as it adds in:

Whilst pinned a fighter cannot do anything except crawl up to 2" during the movement phase.

and

If a model is hit during his own turn by an enemy fighter on overwatch, then he will automatically recover from pinning at the end of that turn. This is an exception to the usual pinning rules.

Both of these changes help Spyrers survive better in most scenarios.

[Tulkas]

I might have to check out the Community edition. Those two things also actually make sense.

Also, does anyone have the old version of the Spyrer gang? From what I've heard my mate tell about them (his cousin played them against him ages ago) they had alot more than they do now.

[Malo]

I have all the original info. I don't know about a lot more in the old version. The only real big difference between them is the xp table. The old xp table is the same as Ratskins, the new one they get a lot less advances.

[Tulkas]

Then it could just be my mate's dodgy memory. He talked about things that sound like grappling hooks but that might have been the Malcadon's web, without him knowing it.

[peterjameslewis711]

The biggest difference i found was the "Buying" experience, you could do a trio of super soldiers. which is really quite fun for a 1 off game against an exeprienced gang, i loved the idea of having a random supped up spyer gang fighting in 1 or 2 matches during a campaign to help add some variety in the campaign (like each gang having it fight them once just for supirority or bonus's chosen by the gm).

[Humongus]

The advance rolls were also different. You could roll the same advance multiple times and get cumulative boosts on some things to insane levels (insanely good, or insanely useless).

[AWu]

Ive played against them with 1st ed rules only..

And well played they were insanely powerful.
Early voluntary bottle out from any symmetrical scenarios, and devastation in raids and ambushes..
In hands of good player playing them to maximize effectiveness they border to being fun killers for others..
I hate them because of that and discourage anyone who wants to play them really, as killer way is only sensible way to play them
IMHO they were least balanced gang in 1st ed.

[Damien 1427]

IMHO they were least balanced gang in 1st ed.

I found Scavvies worse, especially if someone went for a Scavvy Horde. It was perfectly possible to drown you in bodies.

For what it's worth, I quite liked the original Spyrer gang. The update felt a lot more restrained, but at the expense of... well. They didn't feel like sadistic big-game hunters in Dark Age of Technology war-suits.

[AWu]

Scavvies have potential, but we were budget players and we did not used proxie so i don't think Ive seen more than 15 of them, and not so early in campaign.

But yes scavvies and redemptionist spam were quite overpowered but in my opinion were giving more fun games. Well played spyrers were slaughtering poor sentries and ambushed parties without any fun to other players, when fighting hordes of mutants or fanatics was always bloody fantastic.

[corps]

i find them more equilibrate than in the previous edition especially the orrus who before can put shame on a space marine. the grand pa and grand ma are not interesting i tink but there miniatures are beautiful.