Winter lectures are great, especially when they teach you how to win games. Kris Sherriff is back with the next part of his British Commonwealth series for Konflikt ’47.
This time he focuses on automation, because robots do not panic and they do not miss lunch breaks. Moreover, these units define how the faction holds ground and applies pressure. So if you want Commonwealth lists that feel consistent and mean, this is the core lesson.
The Automation Pillar and Why It Matters
Part One covered the living troops, from Grenadiers and Riflemen with rifle grenades to Cerberus squads in close fights. It also highlighted Galahad Powered Armour and the Churchill Meteor as the big anvil piece. Now, Kris shifts to automated assets as the second pillar of the faction. These constructs are tireless and unflinching, so they advance, hold, and complete tasks with mechanical certainty. Therefore, Commonwealth play becomes human decision making backed by robotic consistency.
Mk II Heavy Automated Infantry and the Co-Ordinated Strike Puzzle
Kris calls Mk II Heavy Automated Infantry simply Mk IIs for clarity. They are the refined workhorse that delivers accurate, repeatable fire at ranges most infantry cannot contest. They run a rules package built for that job. Augmented, Large, and Wide Formation help them bring guns to bear. Fearless and Hard to Kill keep them around longer than you expect. Computational Systems plus Lumbering creates that slow, inevitable march that still keeps shooting.
A base unit of two already matters on the board. Adding models increases staying power, and upgrading a Light Automatic Cannon to a Heavy Automatic Cannon extends reach and threat. Maintaining Pen at distance makes them nasty into targets like Grade 2 powered armour. They do not get the long range defensive perks those suits enjoy. However, they also do not hand opponents the Point Blank bonus. Therefore, they want to keep closing while staying consistent, which is exactly what Computational Systems encourages.
Their Co-Ordinated Strike Active Rift Enhancement is a huge part of the faction skill test. It lets them ignore friendly units for Line of Fire, so they can shoot through their own screen. Combined with Hard to Kill and intervening friendlies, they can sit on a 3+ cover save while still firing at full effect. However, this becomes a sequencing trap too. The real player skill is timing Rift Dice across multiple automated units, especially units with First Off the Line. Use Co-Ordinated Strike at the right moment, and your line feels unbreakable. Use it at the wrong time, and your rift economy stalls and your advance loses momentum.
Mk IIs can act like a beat stick when you need reliable firepower and resilience for reasonable points. However, Kris stresses their true strength is integration. They are best when they support and enable every other automated element. That interplay is presented as a core part of Commonwealth identity.
Mk I Automated Infantry, High Voltage, and the Tracked Platforms
Mk I Automated Infantry are the prototype foundation, not the polished instrument. They share Lumbering, Augmented, Large, Fearless, Computational Systems, but they also have First Off the Line. That rule gives a flat minus one to hit when shooting. Combined with Computational Systems, they reliably hit on 5+ whether Advancing or Firing. Because they are Fearless, they never carry Pins, so they do not degrade under pressure. For a slow unit that must Advance constantly, that consistency is a big deal.
Their standard MMG loadout throws six shots per model. So even a minimum unit hurls thirty dice, which averages about ten hits. Upgrading to HMGs increases range and Pen, which matters because they are slow and need earlier impact.
High Voltage is the Active Rift Enhancement, and it has two modes. The first is the synergy buff. If the Mk Is and a nearby Mk II unit both have an Active Rift Dice and are within 6 inches, the Mk Is lose First Off the Line. That pushes them to hitting on 4+, which is a massive jump with their volume. A minimum unit rises from about ten hits to about fifteen, which suddenly threatens DV7+ targets that thought they were safe.
The second mode is the overload shot. You exhaust the Rift Dice for one extra shot per model, but each model then takes a hit equal to its own weapon Pen. With HMGs, that self harm is brutal. A five model unit might lose one or two models just for five extra dice. Kris says the math rarely supports this unless the moment absolutely demands it. His rule of thumb is simple and cold. If it is easier to wound yourself than the enemy, save the Rift Dice. If both sides are equally fragile, decide whether the trade matters right now. Rift Dice are a resource, not a reflex. Even in a best case like point blank into Shreckwulfen, the expected gain is marginal and the risk remains. Therefore, Mk Is thrive by keeping dice active and leaning on Mk II synergy instead.
After infantry, Kris covers Automated Mobile Platforms, tracked weapon teams that carry heavier ordnance. They share most of the rules suite, including Fearless, Augmented, Computational Systems, First Off the Line, Large, Hard to Kill, and Bulky, which blocks transport use. Each platform has a clear role.
The Bombardier is a Light Howitzer on treads. Once ranged in, Computational Systems lets it drop indirect fire reliably. It can also use the same line of fire trick to stack cover and Hard to Kill for a 3+ save while still contributing. Its 2 inch HE template can be devastating, and it can direct fire too. With Mk II support, it can temporarily shed First Off the Line. It can also High Voltage into firing like a Medium Howitzer, but it takes D3 Pen+1 hits in return. Kris calls it situationally strong, yet he notes the chassis pays the price, and it only survives that backlash about 38% of the time.
The Lancer is costly, but the reason is obvious. It packs three HMGs on one 32mm base. It is easier to hide, and DV6+ plus Hard to Kill can keep it alive longer than expected. High Voltage is harsher here, since the D3 Pen+1 backlash will kill it more than a third of the time. So those extra three shots better win you the moment. Still, positioned well, it delivers a volume that demands an answer.
The Hunter gives the Commonwealth a mobile Light AT Gun. Importantly, it can be taken in the Assault Platoon as the anti tank team slot. It brings a Pen 4 shot at 48 inches without needing rift tech. At 24 inches it still threatens walkers and powered armour. It is tougher than a Veteran Super Bazooka Team and cheaper too. High Voltage can temporarily upgrade it to a Medium AT Gun with Pen 5 and more range. This is framed as reach rather than aggression, since tagging something you otherwise cannot threaten can be worth the risk.
Kris then covers the Automated Carrier, which plays differently from the infantry derived chassis. It is a veteran grade vehicle with Automated Crew, so it auto passes Morale Checks. Therefore, it never dies to On Fire and never takes Pins, which keeps accuracy stable and Orders automatic. Automated Recovery lets it ignore Crew Stunned, so it shrugs off disruption even after penetrating hits.
Its guns mirror the Veteran Humber with twin automatic cannons, so the Humber is the natural comparison. The Humber has constant Recce for classic evasion. The Carrier instead gets situational Recce from a Surging Rift Dice, trading frequency for resilience and crewless stability. Its Active Rift Enhancement is not High Voltage. Instead it gets Firing Solution for plus one to hit. Layer that with Mk II synergy that removes First Off the Line, and the Carrier can hit on 3+ whether it Advances or Fires. Even without that support, it bottoms out at 4+ because it never takes Pins. So it is reliable, steadfast, and unfazed, which is perfect if you want fire support to stay exactly where you left it.
Cohesive Platoon Concepts and What Comes Next
Kris finishes with concepts rather than rigid lists. He notes you cannot currently run pure automation, yet these ideas show how the pieces fit. The Army Box Special uses the British Commonwealth Starter Army to build a foundation. Mk IIs advance behind a screen of Mk Is so both maximize rift interactions. A Galahad Officer with Rift Mastery can pass an additional Rift Dice to the Mk IIs early. That keeps their Active Dice alive longer and relieves sequencing pressure. Then the Officer can go support elsewhere while the robots grind forward.
Pressure and Presence focuses on running two units of Mk IIs to reshape board control. Even minimum sized, Wide Formation gives about 17 inches of lateral aura coverage. That lets them support Mk Is, Hunters, or Lancers moving with them. Mk IIs also hit like an Automated Carrier or Humber while costing less, and DV7+ plus Hard to Kill makes them hard to shift. This concept shines with multiple Platforms in a Heavy Weapons Platoon so the right table section always benefits from Mk II synergy.
Pen Everywhere! frames Automated Carriers as strong Ambush pieces if protected. They give early overwatch, then transition mid game with enough speed and firepower to pressure Jump Infantry and chip tough targets like the Ursus. Meanwhile, Mk II automatic cannons plus Bombardier 2 inch HE can blanket the board with Pen 2, and the Hunter supplies cost efficient AT as long as you do not expose it carelessly.
Summary
This lesson frames Commonwealth automation as a flexible, resilient backbone. Mk IIs bring durable long range firepower and key rift sequencing decisions through Co-Ordinated Strike. Mk Is bring volume of fire and consistency, and they spike hard through High Voltage synergy with Mk IIs. The tracked platforms then round out the toolbox, with Bombardiers, Lancers, and Hunters filling clear roles. Finally, the Automated Carrier gives reliable fire support that ignores morale and Pins.
Kris closes by saying the next installment will cover larger autonomous assets. Tanks and walkers will expand these doctrines into full combined arms play. So for now, the key takeaway is simple. Keep your Rift Dice active, plan your sequencing, and let the robots do the boring winning for you.
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