The problem is that it takes time to chase the Sniper away, and by the time you have done it, you are 3 pieces lighter. And by that time there was nothing left to snipe at anyway, so the Sniper happily moves to a new location where it forks another 3-5 of your pieces, for the next round. Pieces like Midnighter, Impala or Gerbil are not very manouevrable; it takes many moves for them to renew the attack on the Sniper when it just steps one square. And any move you use to let your most important pieces flee from Sniper attack cannot be used to launch an attack on the Sniper. (And attacking the Sniper with the distant leap of the Impala is suicide, as the Sniper has that move too, and just takes it out.)
Attacking a rifle piece is indeed the only way to defend against it, but it is a woefully inadequate defense, which just gets you slaughtered.
You should really try this out with an ID; even if only with one that doesn't have some of the more exotic rules of this game, to guage how devastating Snipers are even if you don't have any Friends to amplify them.
The problem is that it takes time to chase the Sniper away, and by the time you have done it, you are 3 pieces lighter. And by that time there was nothing left to snipe at anyway, so the Sniper happily moves to a new location where it forks another 3-5 of your pieces, for the next round. Pieces like Midnighter, Impala or Gerbil are not very manouevrable; it takes many moves for them to renew the attack on the Sniper when it just steps one square. And any move you use to let your most important pieces flee from Sniper attack cannot be used to launch an attack on the Sniper. (And attacking the Sniper with the distant leap of the Impala is suicide, as the Sniper has that move too, and just takes it out.)
Attacking a rifle piece is indeed the only way to defend against it, but it is a woefully inadequate defense, which just gets you slaughtered.
You should really try this out with an ID; even if only with one that doesn't have some of the more exotic rules of this game, to guage how devastating Snipers are even if you don't have any Friends to amplify them.