Brotherhood of Steel Tactics & Overview v5.0

BROTHERHOOD OF STEEL TACTICS

AND OVERVIEW

v5.0

What makes the Brotherhood SPECIAL is... well, about what you'd expect, along with some things you wouldn't. First, yes, they have cheap and ready access to Power Armor; the only models that CAN'T equip it are the Field Scribes. Second, all of their models have access to at least some Expertise, making dedicated objective runners less necessary and your force more flexible in what they can spend their actions on. Last, they don't actually skimp on having cheap models, meaning you can have quality activations like Knights carrying Gatling Lasers and cheaper Knight Patrols getting trampled by Super Mutants or shot by fractious wastelanders.

What's their downside? The biggest problem is that you might over-equip your models and end up with too few on the table to actually finish the job - hah, just like the real BoS! Leaning on Power Armor to do their heavy lifting means you have to find a very delicate balance between bringing enough Knights and Paladins to fight, with enough other models to keep you from being horribly out-activated.

Going into what kind of Power Armor is best is honestly best saved for a full article on equipment, but to sum up the T-60 versus T-45: The T-60 (and T-51 against physical) has an 83% chance to ignore any unmodded 2-damage shot coming in at it entirely, whereas the T-45 has a 58%. If you add in a Damage or AP die to the attack, the T-45's chances drops to 25%... whereas the T-60 (and T-51 agains Physical) still has a healthy 54%. That, combined with the extra END giving the T-60 effectively 2 more HP (thanks to Strong Armor) before breaking and +10% for Heavy Weapons and Melee, makes the T-60 worth its double points if you have 1-2 PA. With three... that's the point that the T-45 comes into its own. Two Knights with T-60s and Batons cost 296, three with T-45s and Batons costs 324. That's 28 Caps more for another Activation and effectively +7 HP.

Now, with that out of the way, moving onto their other problems. The BoS honestly doesn't have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. They drop in, shoot things, and move slowly towards their objective. Their equipment list is also limited, with many budget options not available (no BA Pipe Pistols to skimp on points). They also don't have any unique Faction abilities for the straight Faction List; while some of the other Factions may get marginal ones like Super Mutants, they might as well just have a blank card.

COMMON

EYEBOT

Eyebots are helpful little friends who basically give an extra source of LOS to models in their Presence. Helpful in built-up areas, especially for close combat Paladins or Blades who want to charge around corners. Considering the BoS lack access to dogs of any kind, this will help their melee models close in. They're also a cheap activation that goes early in the turn, saving your quality activations for later. And Eyebots do lay down some adorable pewpewpew with their li'l Eyebot Laser, for a nice cheap source of Energy damage.

FIELD SCRIBE

FSes are dedicated objective runners, with +2" movement over their fellow BoS members, using their nice Int 7 for Computer, Lockpick, and Search. Everything else? Nope. They're very squishy with 4 HP and 1/1/0 ARM and they use their PER 4 for Pistols - not good.

But the thing is... almost any model can run objectives in the BoS. Most of them worse than the Scribe, of course, but he still only has a 65% over the Knight Tech's 55%, and the Knight Tech can do a lot more. Including one, for its superior movement, seems like a good bet, but if you want cheap activations buy KPs. Give them 10mm Pistols and Machetes, save your points for other units.

FIELD SCRIBE (SHIELD)

FSSes lose -1 Int and -1 PER to the standard FS. What do they gain? Well, the ability to repair Power Armor with an Expertise action, as long as it's not Degraded! This does inflict Stun on the model they repair, so it's not free - but still, not bad. They also have Expertise as a Quick Action, which is... okay?

The thing is, degraded Power Armor still isn't that bad. You're trading 2 Actions (including the one the wearer needs to shake off the Stun) for 2 HP (considering that the PA will still have its Strong Armor bonus for at least one turn). Every Action is a precious resource that needs to be spent in a way that brings you closer to victory, or keeping your enemies from doing the same. 2 HP for 2 Actions? Not a good trade IMHO.

Even in Campaign mode, all you need is a Power Armor Station to completely fix PA between battles, so... I say stick to regular Scribes. Or no Scribes at all, let them stay in the fortress doing their scribey things.

KNIGHT

Knights were, at one point, the cheapest access to Power Armor in the game. This is not the case any more, as Lancers and KPs can wear it now. While they do have all three Expertise skills under their INT 5 they're only 5 Caps cheaper than the Knight-Tech with worse stats. Their Hardy skill is marginal, as you only get it outside their PA and that makes them a worse Lancer or tougher and slower Scribe. 

While the changes to the BoS were good overall, they pretty much killed Knights.

KNIGHT TECH

These guys are just straight better than Knights. They lose -1 PER (and a hit to Rifles and Pistols) for +1 Int, making them MUCH better as backup objective runners, for +5 Caps. Since PA models should always be using Heavy or Melee Weapons (and thus STR), this is nothing of value lost for quite a lot of value gained; going to INT 6 improves their success rate for those skills from 45% to 55%. Use these guys, if you can, over Knights. Field Scribes are squishy, and you don't want to be left hanging when you need Expertise. 

 

I discussed Power Armor in the opening paragraphs, so let's get weapons out of the way. Going super-cheap and exploiting their (PA enhanced) STR for a massed Power Fist, Chinese Officer Sword, or Baton charge is not a bad idea. The difference is reliability versus explosive potential; while Batons reliably hit with double greens, the COS has only a single Green, whereas the Power Fist is throwing three Blacks on a normal swing which will reliably generate 2-3 damage with a solid chance of spiking up to 4-5.

However, I'd leave the dedicated melee to the KP (Blades) and go for the Heavy Weapons. Gatling Lasers are cheap, and brutally effective against any models with less than 2 ENE armor - which is well over half of the game. However, Gatling Lasers are BAD against anyone with decent ENE Armor, and may as well not exist against Strong Armor. Heavy Incinerators are another option, and does a fair bit of damage, but are much shorter ranged and more expensive- it's hard to say whether the tradeoff is worth it

KNIGHT PATROL

These guys are your cannon fodder - throw 'em at the muties and if any survive, promote them to Knights! Using PER 5 for their Rifles and Pistols means they need Accuracy dice to bring them over a 50% to hit; they also use STR 4 for melee and only have 4 HP and 2/1/0 defenses. Their main virtue is cheapness at a measly 40 Caps, only their Blade brothers are cheaper. Give them a 10mm Pistol, Laser Pistol, or Assault Rifle (if you want to splurge) for more Accuracies, and try not to get too much of their blood on your nice shiny power armor. 

 

They can take Power Armor, but leave that for their Blade brethren who benefit from the extra STR. 

As an aside, shouldn't these be called Initiates?

KNIGHT PATROL BLADE

Same cannon fodder, at 95% of the price! If I was looking for cheap activations, I'd reach for these guys. They swap around the KP's STR 4 and PER 5, as they're more melee-focused; because of that Frag Grenades become their best ranged option. 

 

...But that's not why you should use them. A KP(B) with T-45 Power Armor and a Power Fist is 79 Caps for a model with 7 STR, 6 END, and the ability to punch things to DEATH. It's the cheapest Power Armor model available. Previously, this was a Knight with a T-45 and Baton at over 100 Caps, which is a pretty significant savings.

LANCER

Lancers are meant to be decent non-PA soldiers, and they do that job well. With PER 7 for Rifles and Search, along with... existing... INT 4 Lockpick and Computer, they're solid. However, their defense is paltry at 5 HP and 2/1/0 ARM. 

 

They're one of the few non-character units that can reliably use Gauss Rifles, and I say either do that, or buy 'cheap' Laser Rifles instead to help cut through heavier armor that might not succumb to Power Fists and Gatling Lasers. While doing so does put a big target on them, that's because it's potentially effective.

PALADIN

The idea is that Paladins are better Knights, and in many ways... yes. They have STR 6 and PER 7 for better combat abilities (+10% basically), a Battle Cry based off their CHA 6, and while they lose Lockpick they bump up to INT 6 for Computer and Search - all good things. They also move up to Blue Presence, which helps for those Leadership Perk, and have better armor than Lancers.

The catch is that Paladins cost +23 Caps over a Knight Tech, and +33 Caps over a Lancer. That's a fair whack of points. Is it worth it?

I say maybe.The other thing they have is Battle Cry, which is something that players would expect from Super Mutants but not BoS, and that higher STR means they can use Melee or heavy Weapons even more reliably - important when it comes to the Gatling Laser's Walked Fire rule.

UNIQUES

ASPIRANT GODDARD

T-60 Power Armor is 70 Caps; that means you're paying a measly 41 Caps for Goddard and... it shows. He has high STR with the T-60 at 8, but that's his only decent stat aside from END.

However, with the changes to the way that weapons work, he now has access to Heavy Weapons. That alone gives him a unique niche of being able to hit 8 STR and use a Heavy Weapon - he's 26 Caps cheaper than a Knight in T-60 with a Gatling Laser for the same effective statline (just one less END). That extra point of STR puts his base chance of hitting to 75% instead of 65%, which is important for Walked Fire. 

Goddard with a GL and 3 KP(B)s with T-45s and Power Fists costs only 378 Caps - that is a solid brick of combat capability with some extra Caps to throw at Lancers or Scribes or another unique. Zero to Hero, just by getting Heavy Weapons. 

THE COURIER
The Courier is a pinch-hitter that can do a little bit of everything. In this case, what he brings is his Companion Perk with many excellent targets (from Goddard to Maxson to Danse to the Sole Survivors), solid defenses on a 30mm base (versus the 40mm that PA models have), and decent objective running. Yes, Knight-Techs can do it as well for (in theory) cheaper, but they require Power Armor to get as durable as the Courier and that bumps their price way above his. 

Is he worth it over the SST or a Knight-Tech, though? I think so. The Companion Perk's downside of "If the target is killed, you've effectively lost two models" is helped by the overall toughness of the BoS; a highly effective pair could well be Maxson in his Elder Power Armor mowing down enemies while the Courier runs objectives, with some Lancers and Laser Rifles to burn through anything that resists Final Judgment.

ELDER MAXSON

THIS GUY. This guy is a one-man army. High defenses with 7 HP and 3/3/1, along with baller combat skills in STR 6 for Heavy Weapons and Melee, and PER 7 for Pistols and Rifles, make him a solid all rounder. His Computer and Search skills are also high at INT 6, and he can even chuck grenades well with AGI 7. He has Lockpick based on his LUK of 3, which... seems laughable... but more on that.

His abilities are also unique. While Command is highly situational in letting him spend Actions to give friendlies Actions (honestly, he's good enough that he should be using his own Actions!), being immune to Battle Cry, and making models in his Blue Presence likewise immune, is going to make Super Mutants cry. He also has the Critical ability.

When it comes to equipping him, you can go cheap with a Combat Rifle or Laser Pistol and a Chinese Officer's Sword for around 140 Caps, to maximize his abilities in buffing his BoS brethren, or you can go all-out with his signature equipment: T-60f, Final Judgement, and a backup Baton. Now, all this kit takes his price from 120 Caps naked to 250 (more than a Behemoth!), but it also turns him into a murder machine. STR 10 means that he's got an 85% hit chance, and free Elder Paint gives him LUC + 1 and Lucky. Final Judgement's Critical is no joke either, but it's kinda overkill - how much armor can you possibly remove? Since you're at this point and might as well go all-in, why not give him the Leader card Tech for Luc +3 and improved Hacking rolls? Final Judgement also throws a LOT of black dice, so Heavy Gunner might also pay its points back!

But that's a TON of Caps in one model. Yes, a very tough model with a nasty long-range gun that can cover most of the board while still helping his soldiers, but only one model. I'm personally against building Death Star units - but at the least, Maxson lives up to the promise, and he can hard carry a cheapie group of KPBs to cover up his weaknesses.

KNIGHT-CAPTAIN CADE

Cade heals with one hand and hurts with the other. His stats are decent (if not great) for the Brotherhood, at 5 HP and 3/3/1 ARM, with an okay PER 6 to let him shoot Rifles and Pistols. Also, he has Hacking and Search off his INT 7, making him a good objective runner.

 

But that's not why you brought him. On his turn he heals 1 damage off a non-Power Armor card, non-robot model. Unlike the FSS, he doesn't spend Actions to do so, making him superior. Battle Experience is a mixed blessing; letting models activated on his turn swap a non-Armor Piercing die for an AP die is good, but letting other models use it means double activating, which can be dangerous in a limited model count list.

Though you can put him into PA himself, without at least T-60 he doesn't hit STR 7 and he's plenty tough enough, so keeping him fairly cheap with a rifle or pistol is probably your best bet.

LANCER-CAPTAIN KELLS

To make it clear: he's an upgunned Lancer, with +1 HP and 3/2/0 over the basic Lancer for durability, and +1 PER (for +10% more hittin' chances) at +23 Caps. He also has baller Computer and Search skills at Int 7 thanks to his hat.

But the main thing he brings is his Teamwork, which at minimum always gives him an extra Green or Yellow die to one shot, and can spread them out to up to three models IF they're Ready when he Activates. This is... good. Especially with the lower Accuracy of the KPs, the extra die could easily help them hit, and the AP die can help him or fellow Lancers against their targets of choice. But be careful! If you try to exploit this too often, you could fall into a trap: enemy models could kill your Ready-but-not-Activated models, removing resources and gaining tempo over you. The best tactic is, I think, to use his ability to its fullest Turn 1 by Readying 3 models and then giving them all bonus Markers (since Markers are only removed when you use them!), then ignoring his ability except to give him an extra AP die.

Paladin Danse can also combo with him, but once again you run the risk of being out-tempo'ed by leaving a RbnA model on the table to be targeted.

Is he worth it? Well, you need a Lancer or two anyway, and his ability is helpful without being CRAZILY priced over that of a Lancer. He can also objective run decently. I think he's worth the points.

PALADIN DANSE

Danse adds +28 Caps to the cost of a Paladin for +1 PER, +1 HP, +1 CHA, and 4/3/1 ARM versus 3/2/1. These are good improvements. He also adds +16% to any AP die's chances of cracking armor by treating blank faces as one AP result, this is also good! The main reason he's attractive, though (other than that beard and sculpted chin, yowzah!) is that he can also make a nearby Unready model Ready when he activates, which is one of the best abilities in the game.

The downside? He can ONLY wear T-60 Power Armor - which puts him at 188 Caps even before a weapon! Leaving him out of the armor and giving him a Rifle to maximize his usefulness (probably Combat for the AP die) just feels wrong, though. So if you field him and want to keep it fairly thematic, I'd go with a Combat Rifle and Baton along with the T-60; that way he's making use of his other ability while not breaking your budget. 

 

SOLE SURVIVORS

A rather large change is that now the BoS also has access to the Sole Survivor - all except Day 1. Does this really add anything to them?  

 

IMHO, no. In other factions, the SS has PA, a decent stat spread for shooting, melee, or objective running, and wide access to items. These are all things that the BoS gets as standard. The only exception is that the SS is the only model in the BoS with access to the Wasteland table, aside from Veronica and Courier, but nothing leaps out as being exceptionally important to Battle Mode success. 

But stay tuned for SS in the Institute... 

VERONICA
Veronica is a cheap Melee-focused objective runner. This isn't a bad thing; for +20 Caps upgrading an Aspiran- er, Knight Patrol (Blade) to someone who can punch things AND have 6 for all three Expertise skills, as well as the Scribe Counter giving her free AP to make Quick Action (Melee), are all great.

The budget way to equip her is just a Power Fist and running around (as she prefers!), but the way to maximize her out is in T-60 Power Armor (which gets her STR to 7) and by preference a Relentless COS with a Stun Pack. Don't skimp, and she'll be chucking out enough attacks to fillet anyone who comes close, while still getting the objectives you need.

 

CHANGELOG

v5.0 - added Wave 5 models to the list. 

v1.1 - Added a section on the upsides and downsides of all the Power Armor choices on the top, and revised the Knight, Knight Tech, Paladin, Aspirant Goddard, and Paladin Danse with more accurate assessments.

v1.2 - Revised the Paladin section to account for their (rare) access to Gauss Rifles, as well as being fairly cheap for a model with access to them. 

v4.0 HUGE HUGE changes, of course - the Knight, Knight Patrol (Blade), Lancer, and Aspirant Goddard were the main beneficiaries of the changes (or victim in the case of the Knight). Added the SS section, of course.