New California Republic (NCR) Tactics & Overview, v5.2

 

What makes the NCR SPECIAL?

Well, it's their Faction rule, of course. Being able to swap a Reaction marker - which is normally only offensive - for a free piece of cover against one shot is quite solid. They also have a wide variety of excellent shooting models, with even your basic NCR Troopers being decent with the right guns. Their Uniques are also uniquely supportive - acting as excellent force multipliers. Lastly, all their models have at least two Expertise skills, and some have all three - though only a few have them at any high number - so you can in theory get by without dedicated objective runners.

What makes them not SPECIAL? A complete lack of close combat. Only three models in the whole faction break 6 in the Melee skill, and only one model (which isn't any of the above) can beat STR 7 for the bonus Black. This also makes their vaunted Reaction Markers worth less against Melee-centric factions, as there's little shooting on the way in and breaking a charge after the fact with a Quick Action (Melee) is... probably not going to happen. There's also no native models with Strong Armor in the faction, as befits their reliance on men over technology.

Using them is mostly a matter of turtling in the right position: either you use your Reaction marker as a defense to outshoot other shooty factions, or you shoot the melee-centric factions to pieces as they charge in. 

I feel like the best way to start is Hanlon + Oliver, with Boone or a 1rst Recon as a sniper (the advantage of the 1rst Recon is it's NCR and can use their abilities, whereas Boone is 25 Caps cheaper); after that it's flavor to choice. Dedicated objective runners probably aren't necessary with the Fragile Bobby Pin/Temporary Password added to your Troopers, so despite my talking about those you could theoretically skip them. A pair of CQC-equipped Heavy Troopers (as described in my entry) and one equipped with a Missile Launcher will also do you well. 

There are definitely other possibilities (Eltee Gorobets Trooper/Heavy Trooper swarm, snipers backing up melee objective running Vet Rangers with Oliver passing them more shots or actions), but not much that occurs to me with their current model count.

COMMON

1rst RECON SHARPSHOOTER
I'm not saying "You need one of these guys." But the NCR is a shooting based faction, and even at 151 Caps with their Sniper Rifles they will do excellent work for you - especially with their ability to ignore a piece of Cover. They're surprisingly durable with high HP despite low Armor, and since you should have them in cover the 1st Recon sniper is probably the last one to die (and more likely they've actually slipped into a hidey-hole and are waiting to report back home).

Using one well is a matter of Turn 0 observation: Try to plant it in a high place in your deployment zone, or as close to a high place just outside the deployment zone, where it can cover as much of the battlefield as possible. You never want to move it at all; in order to obtain max value it should be sniping from at least Turn 2, preferably Turn 1. Buying them Climbing Spikes is a cheap insurance policy, ensuring that they can always spend their movement getting high if they can't start there. They also have solid Search, so they could grab an Objective on the way to their hideout, but... that might be a waste.

NCR CIVILIAN RANGER
Civvy Rangers are one potential objective runner, only suffering from a mediocre Search but with excellent Hacking, solid Lockpick, and Expertise as a Quick Action.They also have the dubious honor of being the closest to 'good' that the faction has for melee, with Melee 6 and able to use Pistols instead of needing a secondary melee weapon. That's where the good (and 'good') news ends statwise, as they have a mediocre 5 HP behind weak 1/1/1 Armor. They're also pretty pricey, at 65 Caps per.

The choice is this: One Vet Ranger or two Civvy Rangers as your objective runners? More on that under the Vet Ranger entry, but if you choose to go two Civvies you'll probably want to spring for good pistols - one of them toting Colonel Autumn's 10mm, if you can stand the anachronism, would be best for more AP. Getting extra Strong Armor tokens from Armor/Clothing is a solid place to start, as they don't have to live FOREVER - just long enough to run the objective. Picking up Robotic Bits and increase PER is also reasonable.

NCR HEAVY TROOPER
Extremely lopsided stats here; high STR usually implies both Melee and Heavy Weapons, but with only AGI 3 gatekeeping their Melee it would seem like a bad idea. 7 HP and 2/2/1 Armor is actually not terrible for the NCR, and they're at a reasonable price point since they absolutely dumpstat everything else. Buffout, man, one helluva drug.

So there are two ways to use these guys: Missile Launcher/Minigun Guy, where Power Armor is actually optional for once (but still nice; Salvaged NCR will make them a fair bit harder to kill), or... your Melee guys.

Yes, with only Melee 3. Buying a Baton and giving it Superior Materials only bumps their price up to 79, as a big part of their pricing implies the 'premium' of Power Armor and Heavy Weapons. Adding Military Fatigues increases their AGI even more. With a reasonable 75-80% chance of hitting overall and a Black added from their already high STR, this is about your best choice for a dedicated melee countercharger. 

But if you do this, I will accept nothing less than roided-out, shirtless men charging straight from the gym, wielding their barbells as Batons. "HOORAH!" 

NCR PATROL RANGER
Pat Rangers are a sidegrade to the Civvy Ranger. For +11 Caps you drop to Hacking 6 (55% versus 65%) and Lockpick 4 (40% versus 55%), lose the special rule about Pistols in melee (and drop to Melee 4), but gain 3/3/1 Armor, +1 HP, and Search 6 (55% versus 45%). They're also marginally better at shooting, but that's not really what they should be doing. 

I hesitate to say 'too expensive', as the points cost reflect what you'd WANT the Civvy Ranger to have, but their added special rules, ability to Melee (with Pistols!), and overall higher objective running stats make them a better pick.  

NCR TROOPER
Ah, the good ol' doughboy, the dog faced infantry... These guys are actually not so bad even with only PER 5 for Pistols/Rifles, as you can buy guns with Greens to help and at their price point it's not hard to have quite a few and still have Caps for other, better units. Still, with only HP 4 behind 2/2/1 Armor, they won't last long to concentrated fire. 

Equipping them is simple: Marksman Carbines. Yes, the Service Rifle exists, but for 4 Caps more the Marksman is just superior. It's also quite possible to make them cheap objective runners with the Fragile Lockpick/Temporary Password Gear, which is actually quite reasonable as a backup solution. But relying on it is bad, as their skill is quite low even with the buff. 

NCR TROOPER MP
At first blush, these look like worse NCR Troopers. Without a Rifles skill and only a lousy 4 Pistols and Melee, they're... not coming off well in comparison. They also trade a lower Lockpick Skill for a marginally better Hacking, but not good enough to let them pinch hit. 

I say leave these guys in the barracks, making sure that soldiers who come back from leave drunk get safe to their racks. 

NCR VETERAN RANGER
Vet Rangers have solid stats across the board, with a wide variety of skills - nothing below 6, and the only one they're missing is Heavy Weapons. They also are quite durable, with 6 HP behind 4/4/1 (!!) Armor. They also have access to two usually Exclusive items in the Sequoia and the Anti-Materiel Rifle, as well as anything but Power Armor. They're also unique in being able to spend a Reaction marker in one more way - for additional damage.

But... they're expensive at 112 Caps naked and as objective runners will be plunging far outside the usual turtle, making it possible to lose a quarter of your force in a couple of bad Armor rolls.

So... which to pick, two Civvy Rangers or one Vet Ranger? The Civvy Rangers have 10 HP spread out across two models, which makes them harder to remove, and many games have multiple objectives - Battle Mode's Scrapyard, Raiders, and Extract all rely on Expertise at multiple points, and the standard Objective Markers require them too. Vet Rangers have (slightly) higher skill, and a much stronger weapon selection, which makes them more useful once all objectives have been grabbed - or in games where you have to slug it out. 

My personal opinion leans towards the two Civvies, but a single Vet Ranger, backed up by a couple of NCR Troopers with the breakable Expertise gear, is reasonable as well. At this point, you may as well gear them up; a Sequoia with a Comfort Grip, a Chinese Sword + Stun Pack, and... Buffout. Adding a temporary 3 HP, as well as enough STR to reach an extra Black die in a Melee pinch, will help them out a fair bit IMHO. 

UNIQUES

BOONE
Boone is a great alternative to the standard 1rst Recon - and is probably even an improvement. While his Speciality is in the Hunting Rifle, not the Sniper Rifle (sacrificing 2" of range and the extra blue die effects), he's 25 Caps cheaper - and adding Criticals is absolutely small thing! With decent objective running stats he could also do that in a pinch, if there's nothing for him to shoot. Boone's 'downside' isn't all that painful; not many people will toss a couple of Legion models that he shouldn't kill into a force. 

Using him is just like using the 1rst Recon; get to a high place and shoot down. Even though he's still not too bad with a Sniper Rifle (6 + 2 Greens is solid), having the option to go to Short for two Yellows is always solid. 

CHIEF HANLON
Chief Hanlon is an exceptionally good model, and probably the first I'd reach for if building an NCR force. He has a decent objective running ability and is actually durable with 7 HP behind 3/3/1 Armor. In his Black aura giving NCR models Quick Action (Move) helps their faction theme, and the Brave ability is the only method of ignoring Battle Cry in faction. 

But what makes him unique is that each turn, he gets a maximum of two bonus AP to pass to models within LoS - no sneaky saving unused AP for later turns! With all the ways to use AP in in NCR (defensively, offensively, and with him as movement!) it only makes sense to start with Hanlon.

Where he falters is in his combat ability; a Hunting Revolver with its bonus Greens is likely his most reliable choice.

COURIER
I'm starting to feel weirdly ambivalent about the Courier. Yes, he has solid objective running stats and decent Pistols/Rifles, with a salvageable Melee as well. His defensive stats look great, but 5 HP behind 4/4/1 can melt away quickly enough. The Companion Perk is a double edged sword; giving a bonus die of your choice to two models per turn is awesome, but the Courier is effectively crippled if the Companion is removed. Lucky and Quick Action (Move) is nice, and in faction he can use Hanlon to gain another bonus die, but... 

I'm not sold.

The Courier is always a pinch-hitter; but in this case, what the NCR lacks (reputable close combat) he... can do, but it gets expensive and there are other means to get it. With only STR 4 he requires T-51 to hit STR 7 for a reliable bonus Black, which is pretty expensive. Military Fatigues + a Baton will improve his Melee as well as his HP; one could also go for a different weapon with Superior Materials but the cost gets pretty high for a model that isn't super squishy but isn't too tough either. 

YMMV, and he's not a bad model. But I feel like the Caps could be better spent elsewhere.

GENERAL LEE OLIVER
Another unique Unique. He's got a high enough Melee at 7 to use a weapon without Greens, which is great, and a matching Pistols, Lockpick, and Search skill for some solid objective running (no Hacking, though, he's too high-class). He's also pretty tough for an NCR model, at 7 HP behind 3/2/1 Armor. 

But it's his abilities that make him stand out. Tactical is 'nice if it works'; yes, the NCR tends towards larger model counts and hopefully it'll nab you an Advantage Marker at least once a game. but the second... passing his Actions to a nearby model that could be doing something more important can come in clutch. Ordering a 1rst Recon sniper to take a third shot? Or a Vet Ranger to take another crack at an Expertise check? And at 12", it's not short ranged at all. If Hanlon's the first model I'd grab, the second would be Oliver. 

LIEUTENANT GOROBETS
Gorobets... isn't bad. He has the Orders ability which in a faction with cheaper models can swing games, and buffing the HP of his fellow NCR members is helpful - but more on that in a bit. His skills aren't shabby, but neither is anything too exceptional; he can try for objective running but has less than a 50% of actually succeeding. He's also a bit squishier than the other Uniques, at 6 HP behind 2/2/1.

However, I feel like he's overpriced. At 120 Caps, he's 11 Caps more than Hammer and two Caps more than Paladin Danse, his fellow Command types, and a whopping 40 Caps more than Vulpes. Adding more HP to NCR models is nice, but 5 HP on the Trooopers isn't substantially different from 4 when it comes to being removed in two Activations with their light armor. That extra HP also goes away if he's removed, which is quite easy - and difficult to compensate for, as he's already at a price point competing for 1rst Recon and Vet Ranger.

I could be wrong, wildly wrong, and Lt Gorobets in a Trooper swarm list with the Troopers carrying fragile Expertise Gear and wielding Marksman Carbines is solid. 

CHANGELOG
v5.1-5.2 - revisions to the Heavy Trooper to account for the NCR Salvaged being their ONLY armor of choice.