What use could you make of the Malifaux Arachnid swarm

[oabee]

Well, I saw these and was instantly intrigued by the possibilities. But lately I've been overwhelmed by various life events (the good, the bad, and the mundane), and the resultant brain drain has resulted in a mental block. I've got them on order, but in the meantime, until they arrive, inquiring minds want to know: how in heck can I incorporate them into an IHMN Company?

I think I can come up with stats fairly easily, but for me, the back-story--the raison d'être, if you will--has always come first, and the stats naturally follow.

My initial impulse is to fold them into my recent creation Lámh Dubh, the Black Hand, which is a Celtic secret society dedicated to the overthrow of the British Empire. These steam arachnids definitely would fit the Society's reliance on "Infernal Machines and Unspeakable Horrors designed to drive the Oppressor off of their lands."

You can find Lámh Dubh  here:
http://wrgmr.com/pdfs/lamhdubh.pdf

Anyway, enough of my incoherent ramblings:

What say you? How would you make use of these mechano-critters?

[Dewbakuk]

I have 10 of them in the employ of my American 'Mad Scientist' as walking bombs.

[Genghis]

How about a relatively basic area clearance automaton?  They are pre-programmed with a geographic area to clear and will sweep across that area attacking any living creatures they encounter (maybe just larger living creatures, or even just humans depending how 'clever' you want their logic engines to be).  To enable them to work in conjunction with the rest of the company, they will ignore anyone who's wearing some sort of a bracelet (or similar such device) that emits an IFF signal to identify them as friendly.

Given the high likelihood of civilian casualties resulting from the use of such a weapon, they would probably only be used by the more morally dubious companies (or with very specific constraints on their employment by 'good' companies).  They'd be perfect for terrorists, or slum clearance by unscrupulous landlords.  Insurgents could use them against their enemy's facilities (maybe ensuring any friendly locals who work there have the IFF device prior to the attack).

Depending how complex you wanted to make the rules, maybe you could make them non-lethal, merely incapacitating their targets (or assume that the incapacitation has the same in game result as death, but allows full recovery in a campaign).

[Craig]

My clockwork brain just spewed out a title for such a scenario: Arachnids on a Dirigible 

[Bullshott]

I have some of these too

I have been considering adding them to a company I'm working on. I'm working deploying these as swarm bases. Each swarm would need several hits to stop it. When the swarm contacts a target it explodes as a bomb.

[Craig]

I have been considering adding them to a company I'm working on. I'm working deploying these as swarm bases. Each swarm would need several hits to stop it. When the swarm contacts a target it explodes as a bomb.

You Sir, are a very bad man...

[oabee]

I have been considering adding them to a company I'm working on. I'm working deploying these as swarm bases. Each swarm would need several hits to stop it. When the swarm contacts a target it explodes as a bomb.

Hmmm.

How about a Swarm of three Arachnids on one of the 40mm bases the Wyrd people provide, with the following stats:

Armor 8
Pluck 4
Speed +1
Bomb (4" radius, Pluck modifier -2, +4 modifier to hit)
13 points

The Arachnid Swarm is subject to all the rules for a Bomb, with the following additions. Its movement (as well as its detonation) is remotely directed by an Engineer.  A hit on the Swarm, in addition to possibly detonating it (see Bomb rules), destroys one of the Arachnids: obviously three hits will eliminate the stand. For explosive or fire area weapons, roll to-hit for each separate Arachnid in the area of effect. A destroyed Arachnid reduces the radius and to-hit modifier of the bomb by one.

OK, but what if the Engineers are taken out? Well, more rules appear.  

If all Engineers in its Company are eliminated, the Swarm will continue moving at full speed in the same direction it last moved until it contacts a miniature or solid object (wall, tree, building, etc.) at which point it stops. At the beginning of the Shooting phase it explodes if it fails a Pluck test. If it's able to move the next turn, it will do so at full speed. Every turn it is unable to move, it takes a Pluck roll and will explode if the roll is failed. An Engineer from an opposing Company may attempt to disarm a Swarm only if it is unable to move. If a Swarm's movement would take it off the playing table, it is out of the game.

Any comments? Dewbakuk, what stats are you using?

Mike O

[The_Beast]

I should like the possibility of some opposing scientist, Mad Mick in my Russian professor guise comes to mind, gaining control, especially if the engineers are removed.

Doug

[thebinmann]

Don't forget to order these too

[Skrapwelder]

Clockwork Segway?