Imagine stalking the crater pocked battlefield with a rocketlauncher pressing it's weight into your shoulder. The seemingly quiet moments before you hear the low growl of your prey. Totally ignoring the rest of the battle as you take a knee. Squinting as you press your eyes to the viewfinder and aim, slowly, deliberately...
Now here we have a unique dilemma for any army, how to deal with the rhino rush. Simply outmanoeuvre it, and present it only with options you preplanned. For example, lets pit two squads, a platoon command squad, and an autocannon heavy weapons team, against ten Space Marines in a rhino. Set it up with the autocannons a little further back in the center, the squad on your right with the platoon command squad, and the other squad on the left, but within four inches of the autocannon team. Alright, the rhino should play like Space Marines, and attempt to crash into what looks like a gunline. Once he is approximately one turn away, I'd say about 14 or so inches, use the command squad to give the MMM order to the squad next to it and run them up the right, trying to get in range of the side armor. Then use your squad on the left and run them forward and a hair left getting very close to the rhino. If your like me and have grenade launchers in your platoon command squad fire all of them at the side, seeing as they used their MMM order on the other squad. Now the rhino has an interesting choice, do I disembark? move in any particular direction? stay put? Well, if he runs away, you win. If he gets out, he has to wait to assault, so you can now out manoeuvre him or shoot him down if you've got the chops. If he stays put, no matter what direction he turns the rhino, its side or rear armor will be available to one of your forces, which should at the very least have a grenade launcher, though I highly recommend bringing rocket launchers, at least one per platoon. There is no right answer for the Space Marine Player. You have provided him with the illusion of coming within a hair's width of breaking your line, and replaced it with him naked and in the open.
Showing posts with label Warhammer 40k imperial guard strategy tactics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warhammer 40k imperial guard strategy tactics. Show all posts
Monday, March 1, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Inner Conflict
One of the stranger things you will likely have to face at some point, is another Guard army, or whatever army it is you collect. I recently discovered a new pocket of wargamers, with the somewhat disheartening news that 2 or 3 of them, already play Guard. Which has spurred me into a, how to kick my own ass, lesson.
First off, lets talk about how I would kill me. If it's annihilation, then I have combined squads, don't bother trying to kill those straight up, pin them. With mortars, firing at compact units of Guardsmen pretty much guarantees a pinn. Then chip away the rest of my army, until you have to deal with the bigger formations. If it's objectives, place your objectives as far away from my army as possible, and in open ground. If it's firebase, then again, place it in open ground. In conventional warfare, you just can't beat Guard, they will hammer you into the ground, and then shit on the dust that were your remains. So that said, that's how I'd kick my own ass. No, I will not reveal my counterstrategies, there have to be some secrets, especially considering they will probably read this.
Second, lets see how to deal with treadheads. It should go without saying but, bring lots of heavy weapons. Second, there is an unexpected route Guard can take, and that is the priest. Now I've always been a fan of the priest, but it wasn't until recently I truly advocated vehicular destruction with him. all he needs to do is roll his 2d6 and get 5 or higher, and your vehicle is at the very least unable to fire. There is yet another, and even cooler way to take out tanks than those mentioned above. My personal favorite style of tank warfare, is, well, tankwarfare. That's right, tank V tank. I will almost always have the upper hand here, with my tank ace in my Vanquisher, good luck there with your Russes. Now if you want to have a vanquisher just for this, I recommend just the bare minimum here, camonetting, and that's it. No stubber, no sponsons, no heavy armor, just the tank ace and camonetting, this is pure tankhunting. Now how to deal with the tanks. First thing you want to do is target the single tanks, more than likely they aren't using squadrons, if so, probably just one. Then deal with the tougher nuts to crack, that way they can't target as many units, minimizing casualties, which is what my support vehicle (in this case my vanquisher) is trying to do the whole time. Now that you have one unit of a few tanks, close combat is best, denying them those coversaves, if you can run a squad with meltabombs out there, or use stormtroopers also sporting handy meltabombs, then you've got them where you want them.
Lastly, how to deal with mechanized, this is a piece of cake to deal with, first off, bring lots of autocannons (check), bring lots of grenade launchers, missile launchers, and meltabombs (check, check, check) and well, let them come to you (CHECK). I personally hate mechanized forces, it's a waste of points, especially for Guard. But there is another trick for wiping the floor with mech, and that is the killzone. Once you have destroyed/immobilised the transport, they will bring them out of the back, and the rest of your army, who can't Peirce tank armor, are just itching to mow them down. Now they are stuck, if you have barage weapons, now is the time to use them, once pinned, attempt to maneuver a small force to either finish them off, or force them to move into the field of fire provided by the rest of your force.
First off, lets talk about how I would kill me. If it's annihilation, then I have combined squads, don't bother trying to kill those straight up, pin them. With mortars, firing at compact units of Guardsmen pretty much guarantees a pinn. Then chip away the rest of my army, until you have to deal with the bigger formations. If it's objectives, place your objectives as far away from my army as possible, and in open ground. If it's firebase, then again, place it in open ground. In conventional warfare, you just can't beat Guard, they will hammer you into the ground, and then shit on the dust that were your remains. So that said, that's how I'd kick my own ass. No, I will not reveal my counterstrategies, there have to be some secrets, especially considering they will probably read this.
Second, lets see how to deal with treadheads. It should go without saying but, bring lots of heavy weapons. Second, there is an unexpected route Guard can take, and that is the priest. Now I've always been a fan of the priest, but it wasn't until recently I truly advocated vehicular destruction with him. all he needs to do is roll his 2d6 and get 5 or higher, and your vehicle is at the very least unable to fire. There is yet another, and even cooler way to take out tanks than those mentioned above. My personal favorite style of tank warfare, is, well, tankwarfare. That's right, tank V tank. I will almost always have the upper hand here, with my tank ace in my Vanquisher, good luck there with your Russes. Now if you want to have a vanquisher just for this, I recommend just the bare minimum here, camonetting, and that's it. No stubber, no sponsons, no heavy armor, just the tank ace and camonetting, this is pure tankhunting. Now how to deal with the tanks. First thing you want to do is target the single tanks, more than likely they aren't using squadrons, if so, probably just one. Then deal with the tougher nuts to crack, that way they can't target as many units, minimizing casualties, which is what my support vehicle (in this case my vanquisher) is trying to do the whole time. Now that you have one unit of a few tanks, close combat is best, denying them those coversaves, if you can run a squad with meltabombs out there, or use stormtroopers also sporting handy meltabombs, then you've got them where you want them.
Lastly, how to deal with mechanized, this is a piece of cake to deal with, first off, bring lots of autocannons (check), bring lots of grenade launchers, missile launchers, and meltabombs (check, check, check) and well, let them come to you (CHECK). I personally hate mechanized forces, it's a waste of points, especially for Guard. But there is another trick for wiping the floor with mech, and that is the killzone. Once you have destroyed/immobilised the transport, they will bring them out of the back, and the rest of your army, who can't Peirce tank armor, are just itching to mow them down. Now they are stuck, if you have barage weapons, now is the time to use them, once pinned, attempt to maneuver a small force to either finish them off, or force them to move into the field of fire provided by the rest of your force.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Some Neat Guardsman Tricks
One of the unique factors of the IG is that every single infantry unit is essentially a squad of Guardsman (i.e. Conscripts, Guardsmen, Veterans, penal legions...) how do you use this to your advantage?
When in doubt with the IG, look to history. There was a particular battle in the Revolutionary War, when General Green and Cornwallis engaged head on (a rarity for the budding Americans). What makes this battle stand out, is there were three types of infantry under Green's command: Militia (conscripts), Regulars (Guardsman), and Marksman (veterans). Green deployed his militia in a way where they were going to give him two or so volleys, then fall back. To do this yourself simply use a large units of conscripts, and run them forward turn one, and use FRFSRF on them, and at the last moment (right before they either break, or are assaulted) pull them back behind the cover of your regulars, i mean, Guardsmen.
Green also used his regulars how we would our Guardsmen, they were outclassed by the British, but they held the line just fine. While they are doing this try and use your veterans on your flanks, so they don't break, and your men aren't surrounded.
One of the important aspects of this strategy, is that your opponent probably won't ask if they are Guardsman, conscripts, or veterans, so its a total gamble he doesn't even know he is taking, and when those guys who need to roll 5's and 6's suddenly are replaced with guys who hit on 3's or higher, and have a whole lot of special weapons, he will be thrown off his game, this is especially handy against new players.
When in doubt with the IG, look to history. There was a particular battle in the Revolutionary War, when General Green and Cornwallis engaged head on (a rarity for the budding Americans). What makes this battle stand out, is there were three types of infantry under Green's command: Militia (conscripts), Regulars (Guardsman), and Marksman (veterans). Green deployed his militia in a way where they were going to give him two or so volleys, then fall back. To do this yourself simply use a large units of conscripts, and run them forward turn one, and use FRFSRF on them, and at the last moment (right before they either break, or are assaulted) pull them back behind the cover of your regulars, i mean, Guardsmen.
Green also used his regulars how we would our Guardsmen, they were outclassed by the British, but they held the line just fine. While they are doing this try and use your veterans on your flanks, so they don't break, and your men aren't surrounded.
One of the important aspects of this strategy, is that your opponent probably won't ask if they are Guardsman, conscripts, or veterans, so its a total gamble he doesn't even know he is taking, and when those guys who need to roll 5's and 6's suddenly are replaced with guys who hit on 3's or higher, and have a whole lot of special weapons, he will be thrown off his game, this is especially handy against new players.
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