How'd that get so close?

[Jack Shrapnel]

We've all been there... our best setup, all ready to go, objectives in sight... then BAM all of a sudden the opponent is on you out of nowhere, assaulting your defenses and making a mockery of your once impressive battle lines!

So how do you defend against those early or surprise assaults - the ones that drop in or outflank where you least expect them, and throw a wrench in your best laid plans?

blood angels can be on you very very fast, and are a nice new codex with all kinds of new toys, so are a good example, however there are others as well... all generally share the same thing - they're on you where you least expect it, and much faster than you anticipated...

so? what do you do about it??

[thesanityassassin]

Being prepared for what the foe can do is a definite key to competing in 40k, and that of course means knowing what units in your opponent's army can do. Obviously we can't all own all of the codexes (though lots of us try...and some might even have succeeded), but make sure you aren't caught off guard by some special rule or the like...ask questions, check online or ask to see your opponent's book. Only the jerkiest players will not let you know what units can do, and you probably don't want to play them anyway.

My biggest answer for units that can suddenly be in front of you is to make sure you have either an extremely mobile, heavy shooting unit that can clear your lines, or an effective counter assault unit. Playing Eldar and Chaos Marines, I can say for a fact that having a roving close combat unit amongst your shooters is a BIG bonus. That squad of Blood Angel assault marines is no where near as scary if you're shooting then charging them...Normally I'm not a fan of charging rather than shooting, simply to avoid being charged...but when your foe has some nasty tricks like Furious Charge, it's often worth it. If you can catch a squad that lacks a powerfist or equivalent, charging in a Dreadnought can solve the problem VERY quickly.

Taking extra care with your deployment is a must too. A lot of folks are quick to throw everything in reserve, which can be handy, but remember that you'll still likely have a single turn to shoot at those deep striking troops, or else assault them yourself, and that they're at their most vulnerable on the turn they arrive. I personally try to set bait units out around the places I want the foe to be deepstriking towards....bait in their flamers with a weak squad in cover, or their melta-guns by exposing tank armour.....it can be worth taking a few hits to a vehicle if it puts you in a place to annihilate the squad the next turn. This works VERY well with outflankers. I use my Eldar Pathfinders in this roll all the time, as I know they're often a prime target for outflankers to hit when they're riding the board edge. Knowing that the foe will likely go after them I can concentrate my defense against the outflanking unit in a fairly small area rather than having to be concerned about the entire board. If you know outflanking CC troops are coming, make sure not to put large units of vulnerable infantry where they can get hit, and guard your rear armour against outflanking shooting.

Also decide whether you're going to "bunker up" and attempt to weather the assault through massed shooting and some delaying CC, in which case you want to pile your army into a small area, and try to block the best places for them to deep strike, or else spread right out, and make sure your opponent can't easily concentrate HIS force.

[shasodnarb]

When I designed my army, one way I classified the units was according to primary roles. Some of units are specifically assigned to skirmish with the enemy. In other words, their assignment is to disrupt the enemy by drawing their attention, even if this means that they will be destroyed. With luck and careful attention, hopefully they will allow the rest of the army to do what they're supposed to.