Cyber-Swarms

Joyeux Noël everybody! Nearly at the end of a crazy year, so here's hoping 2021 turns out a bit better than 2020.

Trying to look on the bright side of life, while I haven't been able to do a lot of gaming in 2020, I have been able to do a decent amount of painting and modelling. I now have some good terrain and armies for both 6mm and 15mm, so once we're able to gather again I should be able to run some fun and impressive looking battles. 

A few Christmas presents (from myself) arrived today and yesterday, the last 15mm models I currently have on order. Yesterday the Shalur mercenaries from Rebel Minis arrived, which fills out the Malroid Swarm force with some infantry. 

With these latest additions, it seems time to fill out some background fluff on the Malroids...

The Malroid Swarm

One of the greatest threats known to humanity (and all species) is the Malroid Swarm. These mysterious robot armies of unconfirmed origin possess terrifyingly advanced technology, and an unrelenting commitment to the destruction of all organic life. Every attempt to communicate with the swarm has failed. When they arrive on an inhabited world there can be only one of two outcomes - every Malroid combat unit is destroyed, or the world is reduced to a lifeless husk.

The origin of the Malroids is unknown. It has been noted that their technology shares many similarities with that of the Crystal City and its constructs. This has lead to speculation that both are linked in some way, possibly both being built by the same (now extinct) alien civilization. One popular variation of this idea is that the Malroids wiped out their creators, leaving only a few remnants (such as the Crystal City) behind.

While new units are occasionally encountered, by and large the Malroids rely on a few standard drone types.

Scorpion Assault Mechs

One of the most formidable war-machines encountered by humanity, the Scorpion-mech provides the primary heavy support to the Malroid swarms. Equipped with extremely resilient shields, heavy physical armor, and a range of destructive weapons, the Scorpion is an extremely dangerous opponent. 

The primary long range armament of the Scorpion is its "energy-stinger" - an intense beam of energy emitted from the tail which disintegrates matter on contact. The exact nature of this energy beam is a mystery to human science; it is not a laser, particle beam, or any other form of energy weapon humans can construct. While heavy enough armor can resist the beam to a degree, it is an extremely potent weapon. 

For close combat the Scorpion's two front pincers can be surrounded by an energy field (exact nature again unknown) which allows them to slice through even the thickest armor plate. This makes Scorpions very effective in assaults with other mechs. 

The last (and probably most distinctive) major capability of the Scorpions is they are equipped with a version of teleportation device. While very short ranged (only able to beam objects up/down from up to a few hundred meters away) and only usable on objects up to a few hundred kg in mass, this device has at least two extremely useful applications. First, it can be used as a terrifyingly effective weapon. Enemy soldiers that approach within range can simply be beamed up, and never beamed down again - in effect they simply cease to exist. Second, the Scorpion can beam up friendly forces and hold them in a buffer. At a desired moment during a battle the friendly unit can be beamed down, providing immediate reinforcements. In effect this allows the Scorpion to act as an infantry transport, just without having to physically hold the units within its hull.  

Reaper Biped Drones

The drones designated as "Reapers" are human-sized bipedal robots who fill the role of conventional infantry for Malroid forces. The hand-held energy weapons they typically employ appear to be of the same nature as the stingers on the Scorpion-mechs, but at significantly lower intensity. Reapers are significantly tougher than humans or most other biological species, able to withstand considerable damage and continue to operate effectively. 

In combat Reapers are typically deployed in one of two ways. Most commonly a platoon sized formation will be beamed in from a Scorpion-mech to sweep an area and exterminate any survivors. Alternatively, some large Malroid structures have teleporters with much greater range than those carried on-board the Scorpions (it is estimated up to tens, perhaps hundreds of kilometers) which allows Reapers to be beamed directly into combat from a nearby base. 

Banshee Attack Skimmers

The fast attack craft designated as "Banshee" type are one of the most numerous drones in the Malroid Swarm, and perform a number of different tasks. They provide reconnaissance and tactical data, locating opposing forces for other units to engage. They provide a fast attack unit, able to engage any enemy forces that can evade heavier units like the Scorpion. And they can provide a precision strike capability, able to target and engage high-value enemy units. 

The Banshee-type comes in a number of different configurations, with different equipment fits. The most common is the medium-attack configuration (as pictured above), armed with a medium energy cannon. However versions with different weapons, unarmed purely recon, and troop transport versions have all been encountered.