you can do surprisingly well without a solid grasp of certain game-centered skills. you might win games more than the kid who does the "march forward and shoot" strategy of losing, but experienced players might take you apart without even blinking. this comes form a certain degree of mastery of the underlying concepts of the game. here are three that are crucial to master if you are playing Deathwing.
1. target priority
definition: focusing your fire on destroying specific units -- usually the most dangerous first -- before moving on to other (often less dangerous or less crucial) units once they are eliminated.
using target priority is a must. you need to clearly identify both short-term and long-term threats, and engage them quickly. you also need to be prepared to meet said challenges.
to that end, you should have a plan for what battlefield role each squad will serve. are they your long-range anti-armor, with bait written all over them? are they going to back up a unit that will be claiming an objective? will they find that they have to switch roles based on events? be ready. have a plan.
one way to manage this is to set units with dedicated tasks. one unit might primarily be used to target specific threats, another to move forward and present a threat, another to occupy a location in order to score, another to aggressively encounter certain enemy units in order to prevent their scoring. a predator should be tasked with destruction with this unit… then this unit… then this unit. ravenwing should be first a delivery of the teleport homer, then resilient flankers and speedy objective-contester. some will have a goal for the whole game, others will be better off ditching their plan to seize the opportunity (a solitary independent character might be a better target for that trilas predator, for instance), and others will realize that their role needs to change in order to make a difference in the game.
often, pairing up units can help them take care of their objective. two units that have the same goal make much more progress by cooperation -- both shooting or charging the same unit, both hovering around the same objective, both protecting the same character or region. that way, they will often team up to overwhelm one enemy unit, or one can countercharge the other unit’s attackers. if their target is eliminated, they can move together to counter another together. this gets expensive, and it means identifying the primary targets first, but it can really make a difference.
2. firing lanes
definition: creation (via terrain and movement) of zones in which certain models can see designated targets while avoiding the line of sight of other dangerous opponents.
believe it or not, line of sight is a big deal for such small squads. if you are playing with enough terrain, you will be able to reduce the number of units that can shoot at you each round. keep that in mind as you seek position -- use every tree, every enemy tank to shield yourself from the buckets of dice that your opponent will send your way just to kill one of your terminators. each model is an investment. IG can afford to lose ten models at the blink of an eye and it changes little, whereas even one will limit your options.
thus, you cannot afford to place yourself in danger.
One way to influence this is to make sure you have terrain on your side. be sure to check not only where units are, but the distance they can move, to use terrain best for you. keeping the wall of a building or ruins between you and the brunt of your opponent’s forces can allow you to take apart one unit at a time while limiting your own casualties. i know this sounds like it is obvious, but normally we are concerned with gaining cover saves while achieving our primary goals, not isolation and limitation. the good part is that with so few units and models, it is easier to limit shooting than in other larger armies.
many of my better-performing games have one thing in common: i went second. my units were placed in such a way that none of my opponent’s units had line of sight to my army, even after moving. their first turn allowed them to move, but an entire phase of the game was irrelevant to them. then, as they had moved closer and partially out of terrain or into visual range, during my turn i could bring them into the open and utilize my shooting phase. in a 1500-point game -- especially with deepstriking units taking up a sizable chunk of your army -- there will be few models on the board at the start of turn one, and outside of your AV14 vehicles presenting a difficulty to hide you should be able to secret them in nooks and crannies until that first volley has passed.
it’s a game of numbers. if a model stays on the board for six rounds, they have six opportunities to shoot. removing them early is best to limit their shooting, but neutralizing them (such as giving them no targets) can also limit effectiveness.
3. distance games
definition: specific attention to distances within the game in order to keep away from certain units while remaining in range of others
“distance games” is how i think of using range for your benefit. there are two kinds of distance games -- those in the shooting phase and those in the assault phase.
shooting phase distance games are all about maximizing your potential. The ranged armament of terminator squads is really at three levels: short range is the heavy flamer (which i rarely use due to the sacrificial nature of the squad that ends up using this weapon), medium range is the storm bolter and the assault cannon, and long range is the cyclone and the plasma cannon. you will notice that the majority of your models will be medium range -- specifically 24” effectiveness. for that reason, you will probably spend the first part of the game moving forward to encounter units to blow to pieces, then you will begin to retreat in order to keep them coming at you piecemeal. remember -- you want to charge, not be charged. as resilient as terminators are, losing the extra attack and allowing your opponents that attack can be disastrous for a small unit. as a comparison, a full squad of Dark Eldar Wyches without their extra weapons have 30 attacks if they can all close, and 40 if they charge -- meaning that they would get 15/20 hits, and 5/7 wounds. statistically, you will lose one model for every six wounds you have to save (though we all know that’s rarely the case), so you are looking at a slight chance of losing none to a virtual statistical guarantee of losing one. closing to optimal distance also means being outside of rapid fire range for most weapons, meaning keeping at least 15” away from Tau and 12” from most others when you are moving toward your opponent’s units. moreover, if optimal charge range with reasonable success is somewhere around 6” and movement is the same, brushing the outside of the charge range (or being just inside of it) is necessary to end up in combat if that’s your need.
the Cyclone and the Plasma Cannon both give you slightly different scenarios, however. a unit with no upgrades past the CML means a long-range antagonist that an opponent cannot ignore. it is good for popping AV12 and under reliably, and has the potential to scratch anything (however slim). it can also do damage to tightly-massed troops, though with limited effect on Marine EQuivalents (MEQ = t4 3+). on the other hand, the plasma cannon is a great (if slightly unreliable) intensifier for the same situation. either way, these units are perfectly suited to operate independently on a flank, targeting specific elements of the army you most want to whittle down.
assault phase distance games are harder. your goal is to assault on your terms. in older editions, you knew what charge range was -- it was set at a static amount. you could get used to an estimate of a specific distance -- such as 24” being half the short length of the board -- and then concentrate on keeping the opponent at that distance. now, with random charge length, there is always the possibility when you’re within 18” of infantry that they will get the charge on you. thus, until you are ready to charge, you should stay between 18” and 24” of your opponent’s units, erring on the side of caution if you have to. often, a charge will be more successful if you manipulate the odds in your favor, so waiting until two units are in range is a plus. additionally, if you know there are dangerous weapons in the unit -- grav, plasma, melta, or the like -- then you need to be cautious, and may want to reduce the unit down before you charge, but therein lies the juggling between allowing them to shoot once more and allowing them a lucky overwatch potshot.
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