Failed alien base assault

[Wulf2k]

So, last night I was assaulting an alien base and things were going well. It was my first base assault, 2 months in or so, and I had all 8 of my squad loaded up with laser rifles and personal armour.

 

Things started off pretty good, with me clearing about 80% of the floater base without a single casualty. One of my guys even survived a grenade going off beside him.

 

Then, I swear I pissed off the John McClane of the floaters and the base was Nakatomi Plaza.... This single floater took out one group of three guys first, with nobody landing a shot on him. He then moved onto my squad of two, killing one guy from around the corner, then reaction firing the other guy as he came around. The final three met a similar fate.

 

My guys weren't the best of the best, but they weren't pure rookies either.

 

I saved and called it a night after that. Now some people might say I should have reloaded and tried it again, but damnit, they earned that one.

 

 

 

 

So, are there any tactics you guys use for alien base assaults that minimizes the damage one super-alien can do? Having my team spread out like that with so much area to cover makes it harder. I probably should've brought the maximum amount of guys, but I'd only been using 8 up to that point because downed UFOs get tedious with more than 8 soldiers.

 

Also, new here, hi, etc.

[chiasaur11]

Bring tanks.

 

They may not shoot for anything, but they provide solid scouting, mobile cover, and radical environmental restructuring.

 

Also, mutual suprise rule. Learn it. Love it. Live it. It can and will save your bacon. Frequently.

[Space Voyager]

Usually I went for grenades. In bases this is less ideal but still. Some are spotters and some are throwers. Spotters try to survey a hall than go back a corner. Also stun grenades are very effective.

 

But there is no guarantee that the **** will not hit the fan at some point.

[Wulf2k]

I've tried to avoid grenades, mostly based on the fear that their throwing accuracy is anything like their shooting accuracy. Are grenades safe enough to use with rookies, or do they have a tendency to throw them at their feet or bounce them off the wall rather than down a hallway?

 

Also, I started out using tanks but stopped using them after a few attempts where I was low on cash, and couldn't afford to keep replacing them. I should probably start bringing them along again.

 

Do the mutual surprise rules work in reverse? If it's the alien's turn and he sees me at the same time that I see him, will I not fire back? If they can see any of my guys, will none of my guys reaction fire?

[NKF]

Grenades are great weapons to use for rookies. There is always the chance of a mis-throw, but you can mitigate it by having a soldier nearby who can jump in to pick it up if it falls way too short. Having it fall short when it's near the enemy is generally not a problem since it's an area efect weapon. They work best when outdoors - be mindful of any overhanging ceilings above you like the Skyranger wings or if you're trying to throw out of a structure. They block your throwing arc.

 

A combination of the grenade relay and pre-arming grenades can also make your life easier. Have someone at the rear arm a grenade and toss it forward to another soldier, who then picks it up and deploys it forward. Either at the target or to another soldier. Or, have it pre-armed and stored in the shoulder or belt slot to allow for quick deployment when it is needed. Only problem with this is if the soldier is killed or stunned - the grenade will drop on the ground and go off at the end of the turn unless it is recovered. This is hard if your guy was carrying 8 or so grenades and only one of them was armed.

 

- NKF