Firefight: Second Edition Faction Focus – Veer-myn
23rd Mar 2022
Rob Burman
Welcome to the future, soldier.
By now you should be aching with excitement for the release of Firefight! But what faction will you take command of in the vast Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere? Today we’re finding out more about the Veer-Myn.
Background
Not all the enemies of the GCPS are obvious or easy to find. Some are altogether far more insidious. Take the Veer-myn for example. It is said that you are never more than a few metres away from one, no matter where you stand in the GCPS. This is not strictly true. There are places mankind has colonised that even the Veer-myn would not choose to go. But there are nests of these rat-like aliens on almost every large starship and within most large colonies of sentient beings inside the five Spheres. And yet, most humans have never seen a Veer-myn alive.
The Veer-myn achieve this anonymity by carving out a life in all the places no other species would ever choose to go; amidst the sewage systems and throughout the electrical ducts. Amongst the abandoned maintenance sub-levels and the forgotten mine workings. Crawl spaces between decks and purpose-dug excavations beneath foundations all provide ample opportunities for a Veer-myn colony. Space to live and space to breathe. Space to build and space in which to breed. They steal what technology and materials they can from their hosts, all the while growing in strength and numbers.
Studying the Veer-myn is a dangerous and difficult proposition as they do not like other races, despite living so close to them. This has not deterred the brave researchers employed by ETCU though. Through their bold and imaginative actions, and thanks to all their consequent sacrifices, the GCPS’s understanding of the Veer-myn grows all the time.
HOW DO THEY PLAY?
Hordes of angry space rats?
Hordes of angry space rats with chemical weapons and a tunneling machine?
Horde of angry space rats with chemical weapons, a tunneling machine and a massive mutant rat with two mouths?
Although individual Veer-myn may not excel at a given task, group enough of them together and suddenly they’re a threat against even the toughest opponent. A great place to start is the humble Stalker – the Veer-myn’s ever reliable and ever stabby assault troop. At 45pts for a squad of five, then just an additional 8pts for each additional Stalker, you can quickly create a reliable killing machine. A horde of 10 Stalkers will be rolling 20(!) dice and hitting on a 3+ when charging into combat. Yes, they’ve got no AP, but you can get around that to some extent with the addition of a Night Terror with Scythes, which adds an additional four dice and has AP2.
It's also worth noting that the Veer-myn are fast, like really fast! Whereas the majority of units in Firefight have a sprint of 12”, a large portion of the Veer-myn move 15” on a sprint, while units like the Tunnel Runner have a speed stat of 12/18. As a result, you can catch the enemy unawares with some fast movement, or claim objectives in the early stages of the game.
Talking of taking the opponent by surprise, Tunnel Runners and the Tunneller both have Subterranean Deployment, which means you can hold them back in Reserve during deployment. When it comes to emerging onto the planet’s surface, they can be deployed anywhere in Open Terrain, as long as they’re 6” from any enemy unit. So, why not cram your Tunneller full of Crawlers, erupt out of the ground and then charge into combat? Sounds good to me!
If you want some heavy support for your skittering hordes, then definitely consider the Mutant Rat Fiend. Attacking on 3+ (2+ on a Charge) with a sprint of 15” and eight dice with AP3, means the Rat Fiend can cut open some of the toughest opponents in the game. Oh, and as if that wasn’t sweet enough already, the Rat Fiend has armour of 7+ and Regeneration (6+), so it can heal back some of those five health points. And all this for a tasty 100pts.
Ultimately, if you’re opting for a Veer-myn list, your best bet is to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers. Yes, most factions are better at shooting. Yes, some are better in combat. But, quantity has a quality all of its own. Eventually the enemy will run out of bullets, ready for you to charge in with teeth and claws at the ready.
