Utopian N-KIDUs (Neural-Kinetic Interceptor Drone Units) were developed after the CEF conquest of Utopia. Cheap and expendable, these units are often seen in large masses supported by Armiger pilots who guide them into battle. Often, Armigers or APEs are not available to oversee every single drone unit and thus some are sent out without human oversight. These clusters are called SIN Clusters and are composed of a command drone with some combination of other N-KIDUs. These units are often given simple tasks such as search and destroy or to patrol certain regions and will continue to do so until new orders arrive. This has two major effects, first it allows Utopian units to cover far more territory than their manpower would imply. Second is that the Utopia NAI (Near Artificial Intelligence) communicates with each other and actually can leverage each other’s computing power. This makes the collective group “smarter” than each drone individually and allows each group to act more independently. SIN clusters have been deployed en masse with the invasion of Terra Nova where they are used in garrison duties, long range patrols, pacification, and general support duties. Locals have come to fear SIN clusters due to the lack of human oversight. These units are very trigger happy and if they are told to liquidate anyone they encounter they will always do so regardless of the nature of the target.
Using Specialist Combat Groups in Heavy Gear Blitz!
Constructing a Specialist Combat Group is a bit different than a normal Blitz! combat group. Instead of picking the role and secondary role for the unit and filling it how you please, you must instead adhere to strict rules for composition, which may even include only running specific variants or upgrades. In exchange for adhering to this rigid formation, you may be able to run some models in a Role they may not normally fit in, or gain access to some unique options.
These groups may not be given secondary roles, and are only able to be used in armies from the force they come from, unless noted otherwise. They may however have any upgrades permitted by army and sublist rules, so long as the composition requirements are still met. Restrictions on the number of a specific variant apply as normal, for example, if a Specialist Combat Group is taken in the SK role, then model variants without SK+ may only be taken twice.
Utopia SIN Cluster
Combat Group Composition:
This combat group must contain between 4 and 9 N-KIDU models, chosen from the following list:
- 0-9 Commando N-KIDU
- 0-9 Recce N-KIDU
- 0-9 Support N-KIDU
Combat Group Rules:
- Task Oriented: Each N-KIDU variant may be taken up to 3 times instead of twice. Variants with GP+/SK+/FS+ may still be taken any number of times if the combat group is taken in the corresponding role.
- Collective Intelligence: Leaders must be Pazu variants, and may use the Drone Matrix rule in this Combat Group.The combat group is the GP, SK, or FS role, regardless of the role of any of its members.This combat group may be used in any Utopia army.
