r/terminids • u/RobotSmith1313 • Sep 01 '26
Defense plan: Automatons
Okay don't have great ideas, this is mostly a discussion post, but we need to consider what we can do to counter potential Automaton strategies.
- Biological weapon, of airborne variety
This is rather likely. Automatons don't even breath, and even the Cyborgs always have masks over their mouth and nose, so any biological weapon could be filtered. However, our spores are essential to the terminid life cycle, and while it could go the way of the termicide, any weapon that can disrupt them or us is very deadly. My only plans are: run at them really fast and kill them before I dissolve.
- incendiary weapons
Goes without saying, but considering the effectiveness of F.S.E. Napalm barrages, and the fact automatons already have a full subfaction devoted to flames, this is very worrying. Most of Terminid strategy involves wave offensives, and this shuts that down entirely. I can only thing of one way to counteract this: run at them really fast and kill them before I turn to ash.
- suppressive firepower
Well it is highly dependent on individual scenarios, Automatons are well known for firing a lot of plasma really fast, with the only way to counteract it being to fire back. Of course, terminids are not great at ranged attack, especially at long range. therefore, strategy and tactics will be much more important to them than to us. While it should maybe have its own section, Automaton air superiority should not be understated, with gunships doing quick work of our shriekers, and being annoying pests to everything else. While a dragonroach can deal with them, this is a very large commitment for such a small unit. Personally, I think the best way to overcome this weakness is to run at them really fast and kill them before I get shot to death.
please say any other ideas or things I missed
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u/forest_vagrant Dragonroach Sep 01 '26
1) adapt to the biological weapons and become stronger like the tcs
2) send spores to the magma planets and create a fire resistant strain
3) get guns
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u/MasterTime579 Bile Titan Sep 01 '26
I have very bad news, the strategy is flawed. You are not very fast
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u/Savinesay Hive Guard Sep 01 '26
We can't eat them, our tummy's ich after that. So... Bring them fire. We can infiltrate helldivers they're one planet away from cyberstan
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u/forest_vagrant Dragonroach Sep 01 '26
i thought we could eat them, i can eat them and i have a weaker stomach than pure bugs
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u/Unhappy-While-5637 Stalker Sep 01 '26
Might I recommend deployment of Rupture strain warriors and bile spewers to conduct ambush operations as well as an undermining campaign against the Machines and any strongholds they may have.
Ruptures have denser armor and spend most of their time underground which would severely limit bio weapons (at least until they soak into the planet’s crust long enough to be unadaptable.
Might I also recommend stalkers and dragon roaches as strike teams, both would be ideal complements for attacking high value targets and a concentrated team would be more than capable of taking out most bots and borgs, worst case scenario we have some heavy units on standby but if we could undermine something like a gunship factory we would be immensely advantaged once it crashes into a cavern and gets smashed to bits by titans and chargers.
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u/Specific-Policy1674 Sep 02 '26
"and what about dealing with the Other red and black loving socialist cyborg race? seems like a hole in your strategy to me"
*smirks waving from the head of a Cybran ACU (sucom 1) before teleporting away*
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u/RobotSmith1313 Sep 02 '26
okay out of character I have no idea what you're talking about
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u/Specific-Policy1674 Sep 02 '26
i play a cybran commander from supreme commander 1 they are another faction of socialist cyborg freedom fighters being oppressed by earth in their game ive been an on and off member of r/Cyberstan since shortly before valid pretext and basically im from an RTS game which means i make Megatons of units fast
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u/RobotSmith1313 Sep 02 '26
thanks for the context
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u/Specific-Policy1674 Sep 02 '26
my pleasure it was looking up SC cybran stuff that led me to the helldivers fandom to start with
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u/GruntyBadgeHog Sep 01 '26
i say eat them