Vax's Bamaka Tactics

[Vaxillus]

Ah, that would be an error on my part. I assumed there was only one threat level for the entire match, not for each player. I have yet to play that mission as, until just recently, there were not enough NPF miniatures to even get to TL 7.

As for Bak and Dacke, I'll cover them now. First though, Tukwila:

Tukwila Blood-Fang
Tukwila adds a very good offensive option for the Bamaka. His stats are all around decent to good, though he lacks much in the way of defensive ability. His CBT of 6 is good, and probably the highest you'll see on a 25 point fighter. Never forget about his Pack Spirit ability which ups his SPD and PSI if he stays close to an allied fighter with the 'change' stigma. Speed means he's good for interrupts and dodging, though with a high CBT he's sometimes better just used the response reaction.

His real advantage is his Adamantium Fangs, which allow him to tear off one point of protection for every time he damages an opponent. This means he's always worth taking against an ISC list, since everything has protection. Just set him loose and watch them turn into scrap metal. His other ability allows him to get rage markers when his limbs get wounded, but you need to be careful with this because it reduces his already less than amazing body. Without AP to react to attacks, he will die fast, though under ideal circumstances with Rage and Pack Spirit his speed will be at 6 for dodging.

Bak and Dacke
When you use Bak and Dacke, it's absolutely essential that you use them together and keep them close as most of their abilities rely on one another. It's also helpful to think of them as a single 25 point fighter when building your army.

First off, neither has very good stats, even for a 10 or 15 point fighter. On the bright side, they both have protection (1) to the arms torso and which means they need to take substantial damage for it to matter. When close, their speed also goes up 1, which brings Bak to SPD 5.

In terms of use, the way it seems they're intended is to throw Bak ahead and use Bait, which forces an enemy to activate. If you can get said enemy to charge Bak, use Dacke's ability to switch places. Then, use Dacke's Parry ability to turtle, which brings him to a SPD 5 dodge if Bak is still close and gives him an extra full protection (+1), which means 2 on his arms and torso. In this way, they become an excellent tarpit for the enemy to get stuck in. Also, though their CBT is only 3, once the enemy has tired themselves out against Dacke's Parry and has no AP to react to attacks, CBT 3 can do some damage.

One of the most obscure advantages of this pair is that they up the model count of the Bamakas. I've already pointed out how numbers are important for many of the Bamaka missions, and Bak and Dacke help a great deal in capturing objectives. Putting Dacke and Abama in contact with a pure spring and just defending the entire game is a valid strategy, and though they're only 10 and 15 points, Bak and Dacke are worth 30 VP apiece in Escape to the Contaminated Zone. Nonetheless, the pair is still a little fragile and isn't worth anything if they're dead. Use Bait to pick and choose your battles with them and stay away from template weapons that ignore protection.