i've been playing around with this idea for a bit... figured that since nobody reads this, i'd post it here with some chance of seeing my words in print helping me consider them in a different manner.
let me start off with this fact: i'm a dinosaur. not really... i don't have scales, a fear of meteors, or oil for blood. but i am a veteran of gaming. i like AD&D 2nd edition. i had fun with 40k's 3rd edition. i played GURPS before they had the square-bound one-book set. i remember the time when gaming was the solace of the social pariah. as such, some of my means are derived form older methods of play, and while they have fitting parallels i've found they work quite nicely. another, learning the game, might disagree with my means in favor of a streamlined or more efficient way of achieving the same ends.
now that that's out of the way...
WARHAMMER 40K TACTICA
part 1: the basics
Lesson One
everything counts
there was an older gentleman who played WHF back in 6th, at a store i used to frequent. he would usually look at the board at the beginning of the game and make a comment like "this reminds me of Alexander's battle at Gaugamela" or "this could be just like Caesar at Alesia." if you asked him which side was which, he would smirk and say "of course, i'm Alexander" (or insert the victor's name at will).
for him, the game was won during deployment. he knew history. he knew tactics. and he knew the game he played well enough and the strength of his armies (he had a few) such that he could deploy with pairups and a plan in mind well before the first die was rolled, and as a result his victory rate was huge.
Deployment is a skill.
how and when to Charge is a skill.
List-Building is a skill.
Target Priority is a skill.
setting up Firing Lanes is a skill.
deploying Objectives (in a competitive battle) is a skill.
Achieving Goals is a skill.
learning all of these takes time. which means that
Patience is a skill.
everything counts.
the first skill you use is list-building. this is more complicated than ever, with local and overall Meta messing with how the game is and can be played, individual playstyles interfering with what is considered sportsmanlike behavior, and generally differing ideas complicating what should be fairly easy to lay out.
i will cover this later.
the second skill is deployment. this is where some people lose, and where some people can surprise you.
before a unit goes on the table, but after you have had a look at your opponent's force, you should have a general initial plan for each of your units. are those tactical marines best suited to hold that sensor array, or should they advance toward the tau firebase for a better position and possible assault? should that Broadside unit be focusing on popping light vehicles or elite infantry? will that land raider bulldoze up the middle, or will they sit on an objective and act as a mobile bunker?
deployment is simply the second step in that plan. put the units where you think they will best be able to utilize this plan. how can they move toward the correct location, or from where can they see their goal, or where is the terrain best suited for an advance?
if you have a high-count horde army, you need to eyeball where the enemy is located (or probably will be, based on terrain) and plan your advance accordingly. minimize distances, and get there as fast as you can.
if you have a low-count elite army, you want instead to use that small size to your advantage. is there any sight-blocking terrain? can you place a unit or two where they cannot be physically seen by the opponent? if they have infiltrate/droppod/deepstrike capabilities, you may do this differently. but it's an option.
one of my favorite tricks with my old Deathwing army was to waste my opponent's first turn. step 1: deepstrike anything that was set up for deepstriking. step 2: deploy remaining units behind sight-blocking terrain. step 3: if i had won first turn, i would give it up if i had the choice. that way, they would go first... and while they could move, they would have nothing they could shoot or charge. if they were gearing for an assault and would hit me next turn anyway, i'd pull back and put more distance between us. if they moved units forward into closer range (all but the CML in those days was 24" range, so that was the optimal distance to keep until midgame), i'd focus fire and unload on them. if they were unable to make it to me, i could get two or more turns of shooting off, and maybe even the charge, just by properly retreating.
this leads to the second deployment tactic: strongflank.
a normal board is pretty easy. you have a line, and you have units on or behind that line. the longer range ones, if sight permits, stay back. the shorter range, faster, and assault-based units toe that line and move forward. it creates a more or less even line across part or all of the forefront. expecting this, you can change the game by just not adhering to this convention.
* strongflank is when you place your units in a dominant position on half of the board. if you deploy second, you can do this optimally -- choose the side that has the better longrange capacity, or the side that is the least cross-supported by comparable units. your forces will be able to overcome the side you are currently facing via outnumbering force, and half of your opponent's army will be forced to redeploy rather than join in the fighting. this works better the lower your model count is. it can still be done with an army such as a horde, but the space quickly fills up -- meaning that the strength is hidden with numbers. if you have a couple weaker units, they will ride the weak flank together and act as a buffer, maybe hanging back, maybe claiming an objective. because everything counts.
in this picture, the ruins on the lower left are optimal for placement. they provide some cover, while giving access to potential visible chunks of the enemy. the red stars can move forward, or they can allow the opponent to come around that building-and-tower to their 2oclock. if there is an objective there, they are set... but they will need to move out of this position in order to engage on their terms or to snap up other objectives. there are limitations, but it does play into the strengths of starting form a secure position.
* a variation of this (particularly when your opponents catch on to your plans) is the baited strongflank. have one unit a standalone threat on the other flank. my Deathwing would routinely have a CML squad hang out on a hilltop alone and isolated from the rest of the army. as much as i hated wasting all those points on units that never engaged, more often than not the bait was taken -- the enemy would move units into range or position to worry about the missiles, or to get the easy unit, or just because they felt it was too good to pass up. they'd further delay their arrival in the real combat zone, and allow my units to pick them apart when they were done with the first targets instead of showing up in time to perhaps turn the battle to their favor.
here, the red stars have decided to go for a more isolated deployment. they have built up in the lower right corner, where much of their opponent's longrange capability would be wasted due to the woods to their north and the thicker terrain density on this half of the board. they have placed a unit in relative safety on the opposite side -- one with long range capability, but not one integral to their plans. while the opponent moves toward them and their arc of fire, the remaining red stars can filter forward to meet the enemy's piecemeal efforts.
imagine an old action movie trope -- the line of bad guys who move forward in a single-file line for the good guy to punch out. this is the slightly more advanced version of making your opponent do this. they have only a few lines of access, and by targeting them in tandem the units have the ability to disable them each in turn.
* another variation is the "horns of the warlord" (i didn't make that up, really). it's a dual-flank deploy, simply. if there are units in the center, they are held back (like artillery, or like some ranged expensive toy you want to bait them into moving toward). the flanks and middle force the opponent to move and make decisions in order to face your forces. if you can manage your firing lanes (discussed later), you can minimize the angles that they can approach from -- either forcing a redeploy delay, or making them approach the middle where three angles can rip into them simultaneously.
here, the two stars in the center are a firebase, or a tough vehicle, or a formidable unit waiting to be called out. the 3 stars on the right plan on neutralizing anything that comes through that top gap, then aiming between those two square buildings to help the center (bait). the four on the left have more play... they might move forward, they may lend firepower upfield to hinder the enemy's advance, they may sweep up and behind that oval building to assault an objective, or they may move to the center (in preparation for a push forward, or in order to boost strength, or the like).
each unit has a plan, its position reflects what you wish to achieve.
in the end, your goal is to place your units such that your opponent
- has to move in order to be effective (disabling the effectiveness of heavy weapons and blasts)
- has fewer units, or models, or less capability, than you do in a given area
- has a limited number of targets
- has fewer options as to what to attack or where to move
- has to move or place models where they can be shot at from multiple angles and multiple units
- has to modify their plans in favor of the weighed options that you present to them.
because everything counts.
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