Archetype Overview: Skirmishers

Skirmishers - First in the Fight (and probably first to die)

The tip of the spear, the thin front line, Skirmishers will probably be the most numerous archetype in your army, if not the most powerful. With light to non-existent armour, small arms, and few abilities you can take many of them on your squad without breaking the bank, but they're mostly useful for taking early objectives or screening other skirmishers. Their weapons will seldom penetrate heavy armour and don't expect them to stand up to much fire.

From Left to Right

R.U.R. 545 Domestic Security: With minimal plating covering it's internals, the 545 is a light and cheep machine originally meant to provide low level policing. In that roll its 'Tomcat' Class burst pistol usually fired rubber bullets which have been swapped out for standard pistol ammo. However it still retains the ability to swap and fire a single salvo of armour piercing rounds or special 'Irritant' Crowd Control rounds. While its arm servos aren't very powerful, the 'Eel' Gauntlet does give it's melee strikes a small sting.

The Monster Maker's Terrorbird: While often taken on missions as expendable fodder, they were designed as a fire and forget terror weapon, through agents hiding their eggs on enemy station. With nothing in the way of synthetic armour or ranged weapons the Terrorbird has to rely on it's small size and speed to get into melee range, good thing you get three of them for your purchase. Once actually in melee their talons can disembowel a unarmoured man in one kick and their beak and crush bone.  Of all the MM units, Terrorbirds are perhaps the ones least under their control and are prone to flying off the handle. Best practice is to make sure they're closer to the enemy than you when that happens.

The Steel Legion Miner: Exactly what it says on the tin, these are your average asteroid miners that have been called up, reflecting that they have only the equipment they bring with them, hoping to quickly end the fight and get back to their real job. Not being the suicidal sort the Miner is the slowest of the skirmishers but does have actual (surplus grade) armour. Most often they carry the 'Troynoy' pistol into combat, it being a popular anti-piracy weapon common in the fields. It is designed to fired shotgun rounds that are unlikely to penetrate a stations, or ships, hull, but when faced with a armoured opponent, the underslung third barrel has a special surprise. A high calibre armour piercing rifle round.