Good morning gamers,
Last time, we looked at the stock-standard Stormtrooper unit that's available to the Empire in every single army list (and was included in all but the Blizzard Force battle force starter box as your Imperial Corps choice). Today, we're looking at their Blizzard Force cousin, the Stormtrooper Heavy Response Unit (HRU from now on), which has many of the same attributes of normal Stormtroopers, but with one big exception: you have to take two Heavy Weapon upgrades and you can't take any other upgrades. Since this is exclusive to the Blizzard Force battle force, you also can't take as many Heavy Weapon upgrades as the normal squad can (none of the named guys - Gideon Hask, Del Meeko, or Agent Kallus) and per the usual, you can't take multiple copies of the same upgrade. This gives us a few different combos that we can play with, but we have a way to determine what the "best choice" is, depending on what you want your squad to do. Let's see how the profile has changed and how this modifies the way we think about fielding the unit.
I will note before we begin that Blizzard Force allows you to run both standard Stormtroopers as well as Stormtrooper HRUs AND you're limited to 2 of these units - any additional Corps units that you add (one of which is mandatory) will be Snowtroopers. Choosing whether to take Standard Stormtroopers or HRUs (or just more Snows) is a real decision point - and I don't think there's an obvious answer when you get down to it.
Stormtroopers HRU: The Profile
Many of the attributes of this Stormtrooper profile are the same as the standard version - Speed 2, non-surging red saves, surge to hit on offense, and Courage 1. These guys retain Precise 1 (so they're still a bit aim hungry - but probably not AS aim hungry as their standard cousins), but they pick up Unhindered, which is kind of like having a standard Stormtrooper unit that paid 2pts for Environmental Gear. Since Snowtroopers also have Unhindered (ignores difficult terrain when moving), these guys are able to keep up with Snowtroopers (sort of - double-moving Snows are hard to keep pace with, especially with Imperial March . . . also, it's unclear if you want to keep up with Snowtroopers, but more on that in a moment). Their Flexible Response 2 special rule requires that they take two Heavy Weapon Upgrades - but unlike Strike Teams, neither of these Heavy Weapon units gains the Leader keyword (which has big implications on the attrition effect for this unit).
The big difference between this unit and the standard version is that you start with 3 models and can't add more besides the two Heavies - you'll be fielding a unit of 5 men. I've run plenty of Stormtroopers (in Recon when I don't have the points for super-squads) with 5 men - 4 standard and a DLT-19 - and I can tell you that they last for a bit against most things, but their staying-power is very limited. Additionally (especially in Recon), you're fielding 5-man Stormtroopers because they're cheap and give you range-4 options at the start of the game for 66-68pts, but this unit will end up being ~15pts more expensive than a 5-man Stormtrooper squad with a similar Heavy Weapon choice. If you pass on the heavy on the standard squad and instead go with the Stormtrooper Squad Personnel choice, you'll be paying 2-6pts more than the HRU, but you'll have +4 bodies in the squad and will have an expected 3.375 hits/attack at range 1-3 while at full strength, compared to the 4.375-5 hits/attack at range 2-3 that you'll get from the HRU (if you have the HH-12, your range-1 score is noticeably different). If you need someone to stick on an objective, the nearly double wounds of the standard Stormtrooper unit with the "super-squad" upgrade is likely enough to outweigh the 1-2 hits that you'll lose on each attack.
Stormtroopers HRU: Recommended Upgrades and Command Cards
Heavy Weapons x2
As was mentioned above, these upgrades are not optional - and since we only have four to choose from, we have six possible combos of the four upgrades. Let's look at each as a pairing - we'll be doing it in my order from worst to best in the expected damage for cost. Each squad will be evaluated based on their ability to shoot at all ranges
Our first stop is the T-21/HH-12 combo - it scores roughly the same (1/8 hit) better at ranges 2-4, but when you factor in that the HH-12 Stormtrooper is throwing 1 white die at range 1 instead of 3 black dice, you get a MUCH lower score. Anytime you take the HH-12, you're going to want to sit back and shoot - which makes the T-21 a bad choice (as it's the only option that doesn't have a range-4 shot). The T-21 also gives Critical 2, which is pretty redundant in most cases with the Impact 3 coming from the HH-12 - it's really only useful to skip cover saves.
Just above these guys across all range bands (and just below them if you take the ideal case of range 2) is the T-21/DLT-19 combo. This is the cheapest of the configurations at 76pts, but when you're talking about a 2-4pt difference from the rest, the T-21 is letting this attack combo down quite a bit. 12 success icons (vs. the 14-16 icons on the other three options) and only a situationally useful special rule to offset it isn't great. Yes, the Critical 2 will be more useful into Armor targets because the DLT-19 only has Impact 1, but it's still not THAT great since you have to get surge icons to trigger it. This build doesn't have to sit back as much as the previous one, but it still doesn't want to get much closer than range 3 because of its small wound count. Rounding out the bottom half is the last combo that didn't have one of its heavies contributing to the range-4 score - but it was also the fourth-lowest score when looking at just the range-2 scores . . .
Yes, it's the T-21/RT-97C combo - and I will say that the T-21 is a FANTASTIC choice in the Imperial Remnant list for units like Shoretroopers and Scout Troopers who don't have surge to hit on their units (that Critical 2 comes in super clutch). However, on Stormtroopers of any stripe, this just isn't a great choice. This is particularly true if you're fielding a 5-man HRU unit. The RT-97C also doesn't add Impact X to the unit, which means this unit is counting on the Critical 2 to deal with Armor . . . or skip shooting at Armor entirely. For several reasons, I'm not a big fan of this one.
As we get into the top half, our third place combo is actually my favorite: the DLT-19/HH-12 combo. Not only did the DLT-19 and HH-12 come in the old starter set (I have two copies of the Imperial units, so four pairs of DLT-19s and HH-12s), but this combo gives you 2 red/3 black (or white if you move, thanks to Cumbersome) at range 4 and Impact 4 - this makes the unit incredibly likely to damage any kind of Armor unit and can really roast the armor choices that don't have great armor saves (like Rebel AT-RTs and AT-STs - both of which are competitive choices for Rebel and Imperial players). To be honest, however, the extra Impact from the DLT-19 isn't doing that much for you - you might be better served by upping your damage ceiling a bit with . . .
. . . the RT-97C/HH-12 combo. This squad throws 1 red/3 black/3 white (or 1 red/6 white if you move) with Impact 3 at range 4 - that adds 0.25 hits to your expected damage across all range bands AND still has Impact 3 for reliable damage. This is the most expensive option at 80pts, but we're talking 2pts more than the competitive pairings and 4pts more than the cheapest option. I think the 4pts are well spent here - and this one actually scored the best when you just look at range 2-4 scores. That being said, the weakness of the HH-12 not contributing much at range 1 put it just below the last combo in our final analysis.
All hail the RT-97C/DLT-19 combo. This combo costs 78pts (bang on the mean/median/mode of the combos), it has Impact 1 for an off-chance of getting something past Armor, it throws 3 red/3 white at range 4, and it throws 3 red/6 white at range 1-3. All in all, it has a great damage ceiling, reliable damage output, and actually has the best alpha-strike option on Turn 1 (since the HH-12 will downgrade to white dice if you don't have the Deploy the Garrison advantage to have it start on the board). If you have RT-97Cs, take them with the DLT-19s. If you don't have them . . . well, save some points and take the HH-12 (this combo has 4.59 expected hits across all four range bands, while the DLT-19/HH-12 combo has 4.09 expected hits across all range bands - it's a half-hit difference on each shot). :)
"Training" x1
Technically speaking, these guys have access to Imperial March - because you have to move twice to use this ability, the only situation where these guys would benefit from having it would be if they wanted to discard it to gain Charge for the turn. Frankly, you're paying for the Heavy Weapons to field this unit, so charging isn't great. Additionally, you're already pretty expensive - I'd save this upgrade for your Snowtroopers instead (who have a reason for moving twice each turn because they have Steady and won't mind Charging if they have a Flamethrower Snowtrooper).
Stormtroopers HRU: Sample Lists and Strategies
Obviously, both lists that we're looking at today will be Blizzard Force lists (and equally obviously, both of them will have at least one HRU squad in them). Our first list is an 11-act Blizzard list that brings a single HRU unit that is designed to deal with enemy armor - so I've chosen my favorite squad option (DLT-19 with HH-12), since I'm counting on my other units dealing with the infantry. I've also opted for a super-sized Stormtrooper squad for sitting and holding close-range POIs - you could do this with a Snowtrooper squad if you want, but I wanted to save the points:
- Darth Vader with Burst of Speed, Force Choke, Saber Throw, and Inspiring Presence
- Imperial Officer with Academy Trained
- 2x Snowtroopers with Flametroopers and Imperial March
- 1x Snowtroopers with Flametrooper, Snowtrooper Squad, and Imperial March
- 1x Stormtroopers with DLT-19 Stormtrooper and Stormtrooper Squad
- 1x Stormtroopers, Heavy Response Unit with DLT-19 Stormtrooper and HH-12 Stormtrooper
- 2x 74z Speeder Bikes
- 2x 74z Speeder Bikes with HQ Uplinks and Strike and Fade
Our second list is another 11-act Blizzard list that features two of the "most optimal" HRU squads, supported by two "Ion Snows" to deal with enemy armor (mostly by taking away one of their actions - they're not punching through the armor quickly). This list looks surprisingly like the previous one . . . or perhaps not so much, because our force options are limited (especially when you've decided to go with Vader/quad-bikes, as I have):
- Darth Vader with Burst of Speed, Force Choke, Saber Throw, and Inspiring Presence
- Imperial Officer with Academy Trained
- 1x Snowtroopers with Flametrooper, Snowtrooper, and Imperial March
- 1x Snowtroopers with T-7 Ion Snowtrooper, Snowtrooper, and Imperial March
- 1x Snowtroopers with T-7 Ion Snowtrooper, Snowtrooper Squad, and Imperial March
- 2x Stormtroopers, Heavy Response Unit with DLT-19 Stormtrooper and HH-12 Stormtrooper
- 2x 74z Speeder Bikes
- 2x 74z Speeder Bikes with HQ Uplinks and Strike and Fade
This list, like the last one, could have gotten an extra activation by using E-Webs instead of Speeder Bikes - if you prefer that, do that. However, I will note that we could have also just dropped the "super squad" and both of the "extra guys" from the Snowtrooper squads to add a fourth Snowtrooper squad. This would raise you to 12 activations (we can't get more Commanders and we don't have options for Special Forces/Operatives) and keeps with the theme of throwing a bunch of guys forward instead of having one-third of our army sitting back and shooting. None of my lists have medical droids in them - if you'd prefer that, you'll have to do some re-tooling of the lists, but it won't take much.
Stormtroopers HRU: Final Review
The HRU variant of the Stormtrooper squad functions pretty differently from a standard Stormtrooper unit - and it's unclear to me if it's better than just taking a big squad of Stormtroopers (or even two). Still, they provide long-range firepower and potentially better anti-armor options than Snowtroopers (their competitors in the Blizzard Force list). If you've never given these guys a try, please do - they're definitely worth a try!
Overall Unit Review: 3.5/5 stars. This squad is an interesting alpha-strike unit that can do rear-POI holding OR mid-range support (but you don't want them getting too close to the enemy if you can help it). The squad punches hard out of the gate (if you leave the T-21 at home), but is also vulnerable to being overrun because of its limited size. Paired with big squads of Stormtroopers (or Snowtroopers), you can get quite a bit out of these guys while drawing the aggro of your opponent with your other units.
Next time, we'll be sticking with our review of the Empire by looking at the big man himself, Darth Vader. Vader is a beast on the board - sometimes he's Infiltrating, sometimes he's not. We'll be looking at the more popular Commander variant first and then tackle his Operative version in the following post. Find out how this lynchpin of the Empire works next time - and until then, happy hobbying!
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