Harlow First Reaction Force is the fastest force in BLKOUT. They focus on speed and positioning with a smaller emphasis on denying enemy reactions and their own positioning.
The Harlow force rules add movement to their sprint actions, and their battledrills block reactions. To top it off, their smoke only dissipates on a roll of 10 or higher! The denial game with Harlow is substantial.
Armory
Harlow’s armory is pretty straightforward, offering both anti-infantry blast and anti-vehicle weapons. The micro launcher provides a heavy blast weapon, giving a much higher chance of landing hits on tougher units like Manticor. The best option in the armory is the jump boost, which offers a one-time Jump 4 to the force. Combined with the Assaulters' battle drill, you can land in a great position with no reactions to the movement. This means the ensuing gunfight is in your favor.
Harlow has several synergistic units; let’s break them down.
Harlow Assault Team
The slowest of the group but the most standard. This unit comes equipped with an LMG with cyclic and a team leader who can give out ready tokens to units that have already gone. This allows the LMG to take two shooting actions and then get a ready token for reactions later on. The Assault Team is one of the most flexible units in the game and, combined with Harlow’s speed boosts, can get into a great position very early.
While lacking at ranges beyond 12", they have access to some excellent anti-infantry armory options with the frag launcher. This forces armor rerolls and brings the medium special rule, allowing you to pick off key specialists or even challenge powered units.
Harlow Control Team
Bringing three models, this is your Swiss Army knife unit. The grenade launcher provides an unlimited-use blast 1 weapon, while the data knife keeps your army up and running. In matched play, that data spike is essential for providing EWAR coverage to your forces. This unit has a special ability allowing another unit to activate after it without the cost of a command point. This means you can squeeze out an extra battle drill, maximizing your positioning.
Springbok
These are the essential Harlow units. Two extremely fast and durable AIs with sustained rifles. They can completely ignore overwatch reactions, allowing them to pick their fights at least twice per game. While they are AIs, it's important not to overextend into data knife ranges. Luckily, this is easy with the Springboks' jump abilities. They can jump into a great position, pop their chaff to avoid a reaction, and then win the gunfight.
Harlow plays fast and brutal but is a very high-skill ceiling force. Where Manticor and other forces have direct bonuses, Harlow requires the player to focus on synergy and teamwork.
