Post by Jack Shrapnel on Jul 7, 2016 13:57:28 GMT -5
This is an extremely useful tactics thread from the Tyranid Hive. I take NO credit for this information - did not do it!
I just thought the information was so good that it should be copied here too, especially if someone's a new player I feel this collection of tactics would be VERY useful.
The examples are use Tyranid models to illustrate points, however the advice is useful regardless of what army you play!
Gloomfang’s General Tactica Guide
Chapter 1: Basic Deployment
It used to be said that more games are lost or won in deployment then in all the other turns combined. That is because a good deployment will enhance a sub-standard unit and a bad deployment will hamstring an excellent unit. There are quite a few different ways to deploy armies and I will list some of the more traditional deployment strategies here as well as strengths and weaknesses.
Basic Deployment Types
Hamer and Anvil (H&A)
Type of play: Aggressive
This style of deployment depends on having a hard center with more mobile elements to the flanks. This is the most basic of all deployment types. The core advances towards the target while the mobile elements remove units able to damage the core of the army or to chase down fast enemies looking to flank or seize objectives. This formation is best for armies that have buffing units as thy can give the most benefits to the cluster of units in the core.
Weaknesses: Slow. Predictable. Vulnerable to large blasts and ordinance.
Pincer (Refused Center)
Type of play: Aggressive
This style of deployment has no center core like the Hammer and Anvil. All the elements are placed at the flanks to increase mass of impact with the enemy. There may be elements in the center, but they are the fast elements that are there to deploy to either flank to help out or to harass the core units if the opponent used H&A. This deployment if best for short range shooting armies that have fast elements. Used properly half of your army will face a third of your opponents army while the center 3rd tries to redeploy to help out and the center loses cohesion.
Weaknesses: Indirect fire. Point heavy Hammer units on flanks. Quick forces.
Refused Flank
Type of play: Aggressive
Refused Flank is best when deploying second or with infiltrating. You refuse to deploy on one half of the board and use superior mass to engage half their army with your full army. You need to destroy the first half before the other flank can respond.
Weakness: You are conceding control of half to table to your opponent unless you are able to roll the flank.
False Refused Flank
Type of play: Aggressive
False refused flank sets up the same, but has either fast units or deepstrike units. The intention is to tarpit the first flank rather than destroy it and then engage the other flank when it is pulled out of position and arriving piecemeal with the fast units or units arriving out of deepstike.
Weakness: Possible piecemeal arrival of army.
Castle
Type of play: Defensive
Castling is setting up in the corner and using two table edges form "impenetrable" walls. It is strong against most deepstrike units as it forces them to have to face units you want them to face. Also strong against slow moving armies. Requires fast moving troops to steal or contest objectives late in game.
Weaknesses: It is weak to outflanking units, blast weapons and swooping FMCs/Flyers.
Chapter 2: Battle plans and the tactics behind deployment.
Now that we have covered the major types of deployment we can start to talk about tactics that can be used during deployment before play starts. These are your main battle plan and will help to determine how you will achieve your objective. You can use more than one of these tactics, but resist trying to make you battle plan too complex.
Entrenched (moved from Deployment)
Type of play: Defensive
Hiding in cover with bonuses like shroud or fortifications. Good for armies with low Toughness or low armor saves against long range shooting armies. Requires enough speed and durability to perform an "over the top" maneuver late in the game to seize objectives and survive a few turns if the game goes on longer than expected. Learning when to break cover is the biggest skill with this list.
Weakness: Ignores cover weapons and armies that just put out large volumes of long range fire.
Gunline
Type of play: Defensive
The gunline is a static formation that uses long range firing from positions that have clear line of sight or can fire indirectly. The units back up to the edge of the board to protect the rear of the unit while screening troops are used to protect the main weapons from being assaulted. Contains fast elements to seize objectives late in the game.
Weakness: Lack of board control. Not able to react to changes quickly.
Null Deployment
Type of play: Aggressive
Null Deployment centers on not having units placed during standard deployment. This can be done by keeping units in reserve or have them infiltrate. This allows for tactical flexibility as you can see how your opponent has committed their units before implementing yours.
Weakness: Forces can come on piecemeal allowing them to be picked off. Vulnerable to game ending due to no units on the board.
Distraction Carnifex
Type of play: Aggressive
The distraction Carnifex is a tactic where a unit is deployed deep into the enemy deployment zone. This unit has to be dangerous enough that the enemy cannot ignore it and resilient enough to last a few turns (high T, good armor, in cover). This draws fire away from the rest of the army and/or slows down the opponents advancement.
Weakness: Requires an expendable unit that can be expensive. If the unit is deepstriked it may not arrive early enough in game.
Trapdoor Spider
Type of play: Defensive
Trapdoor Spider contains elements of a gunline combined with an Ambush list. The intention is to draw the enemy in towards the gunline elements and then ambush the attacking units that are drawn into the trap.
Weakness: Trap may be maneuvered around or ignored. Ambush units may not be able to hurt units sent into trap. Ambush elements may be targeted first.
The Kite
Type of play: Defensive
The Kite requires fast vehicles that are able to move faster than the opponent. They find a position to attack from and then retreat to a different position once the enemy turns its attention to it. Generally you attack with longer range weapons that will not allow the enemy to return fire.
Weakness: Units tend to be fragile and expensive.
Advance to the Rear
Type of play: Defensive
Advance to the Rear is a tactic used by armies that have guns that are rapid fire. It involves placing your units in a forward position and then constantly walking backwards to keep them in rapid fire range, but to keep your distance from assault.
Weakness: Can be assaulted by faster units.
Zerg Rush/ Full Out Assault
Type of play: Aggressive
Zerg Rush is when you deploy your units as far as forward as possible and as close as possible to enemy units with no regards to cover or any other tactical concerns. You then run and close the distance to the enemy as fast as possible sacrificing everything for speed and getting into assault. Generally uses screening troops to absorb casualties from shooting. Units will need to have a high leadership or something like Fearless to avoid making morale checks from losses. Generally will have some method of granting cover saves or FNP to other units via a combination of Venomthropes/Malentropes, psykers, screening units.
Weakness: Highly mobile armies, armies able to put out large volumes of fire and possible bad run rolls trapping units behind the screening units.
Chapter #3: General 40K tactics
Bubble wrap
Type of play: Defensive
Bubble wrap is when you protect your larger (or more expensive) units with a larger and cheaper unit. (Ex termigaunts around a tervigon). This keeps them from being charged and sometimes gives them a cover save.
Weaknesses: Bubble wrap can often lock in the unit it is protecting. If the bubble wrap is pinned for example the unit behind it is often stuck.
Daisy Chain
Type of play: Defensive
A Daisy Chain is when you have a buff that is granted by a unit, so you string a trail of models back into the buffing area. (ex Hormagaunts used as a screen trailing back some models to be within 6" of a venomthrope)
Weakness: If the chain is cut the expected buff disappears. Can also cause problems with movement of friendly units.
Daisy Cutting
Type of play: Aggressive
Daisy cutting is the practice of using blasts to target the last few connecting units in a daisy chain.
Weakness: Scatter.
Focus Fire
Type of play: Aggressive
Focus fire is when each unit in an army shoots at the same target until the unit is removed. Then a new target is selected and focused on. Primary used in Kill Point missions.
Weakness: Spread deployment. Differing range weapons.
Forced Point Inequality
No type of play
Forced point inequality is where you force (generally by list selection) an opponent to pay for something that they can not use. (Ex Haywire weapons often cost a premium and are useless against Tyranids). By spending points for items or units that they can not use you cause the lists to become unbalanced. If an opponent spends 200pts on Skyfire upgrades and you have no flyers, you now have a 200pt advantage over your opponent. This is generally done by knowing your local Meta.
Weakness: May cause you to not take units that may be useful.
Paving the Road
Type of play: Aggressive
Paving the road is using your shooting to kill units that are bubble wrapping at target you want to assault. By killing models you can create a gap large enough to get your lead charger into combat with the target unit.
Weakness: Failed charge rolls. Getting charged and tarpitted by the bubble wrap.
Planting the Heavy
No type of play
This is the practice that combines Daisy Chaining with Advance to the Rear. The heavy can fire normally as long as it does not move, so it remains stationary while the rest of the unit advances or retreats around it with a trail of models connecting them.
Weakness: Maintaining unit coherency
Barrage Sniping
Type of play: Aggressive
Barrage sniping uses the fact that the model casualties are removed from the units closest to the hole. You can use this to remove special weapons or other specific models.
Weakness: Scatter and in some cases LoS! rolls.
Screens
Type of play: Defensive
Screens are when you have a unit of disposable models that act as a movable wall of cover that advances in front of your army. The larger the screaning units the better. They should be able to advance at a faster rate than the units behind them.(Ex gargoyles are our best screening unit). This differs from bubble wrap as generally the screen is depolied in a long line and the rest of the army hides behind it.
Weaknesses: Screens can often lock in the unit it is protecting. If the screen is pinned for example the units behind it is often stuck.
Tanking
Type of play: Agressive
Tanking is the use of an IC or charater that has a high armor save and is placed so that it is the closest model to an attacking unit. This means that it can use it's superior save to protect the unit that it is attached too. If a weapon hits the unit that is a danger to the Tank, then they LoS! to another member of the unit. This is a cheap way to effectively raise the armor save (or give the unit an invul) for a unit.
Weaknesses: Blast weapons, templates, flank attacks and bad rolls.
Ablative Wounds
Type of play: Defensive
Ablative Wounds are cheap troops that are often found with a powerful IC. Buy using LoS! the IC gets and effect amount of wounds for a cheap price. Generally used to deliver a Deathstar or to protect a key element in your army.
Weaknesses: Makes unit less maneuverable and harder to get cover. Generally lowers the effective toughness of the IC.
Pinwheel
Type of play: Agressive
Pinwheeling is when you have a unit of multiwound models and you move the wounded ones to the back and the undamaged ones to the front. This helps the unit maintain combat effectiveness until an unsustainable amount of damage is done.
Weaknesses: Rear models are often vulnerable. Weapons that cause ID can kill a full health model rather than a wounded one.
Overwatch Sponge
Type of play: Aggressive
An overwatch sponge is a unit that exists to take the shots from overwatch by charging just before a more expensive unit. They also can remove the negatives from assaulting into cover for another unit as that no longer apply to units already in combat.
Weaknesses: Sponges take points and slots from other units. They need to be advance ahead of your main force and may be shot before getting off their charge.
Tar Pit
Type of play: Defensive
A tarpit is when you have a cheap unit with a lot of wounds go into CC with a unit they have little chance of hurting. The other unit will be locked in CC and be unable to shoot or move until the tarpit is removed. This can tie the unit up for several turns.
Weaknesses: Morale checks, units able to put out a lot of attacks and area affect powers.
40K General Tactical Concepts Part 1
There are several tactical concepts to keep in mind when choosing your army and setting up your battle plan. These concepts are key to using your army effectively and preventing your opponent from enacting their battle plan.
Assault Threat Bubble: This is a simple formula: Move + Average Charge Distance = Assault Threat Bubble. (EX Termigaunts have a threat bubble of 6” + 7”=13” normally. Giving them AG makes them 6” + 8.5”= 14.5”). That bubble means that you have a 50/50 shot at getting the charge off at that distance. How great that threat is directly proportional to the ability of that unit to hit (WS skill), the number of attacks (+1 as you always assume the charge for this calculation) and its ability to harm units (S and AP). That number is called the unit’s damage output (See Below)
Ranged Threat Bubble: This is a simple formula: Range of attacks + Move = Shooting Threat Bubble. (EX A Walkrant with TlDev is 24”, while a Flyrant with TlDev in Swoop mode is 42”). That means that any unit that is within that bubble is in danger of being shot at. How great that threat is is directly proportional to the ability of that unit to hit (BS skill), the number of shots and its ability to harm units (S and AP). That number is called the unit’s damage output (See Below)
NOTE: Keep in mind that you strike at initiative and compare your initiative to theirs before determining how many in your unit will be able to do damage.
Damage Output: Damage Output is the average damage you can expect your unit do against the 3 main types of targets with both shooting and in assault. This is where Mathhammer comes in most times, but you only have to crunch the numbers once per unit. For larger units figure out a good baseline for your calculations (if you have a unit of 30 termigaunts use units of 5 or 10 for your calculations).
The three main targets are:
Marine Equivalent (MEQ): Target is assumed to be T4 and 3+ save with WS4
Terminator Equivalent (TEQ): Target is assumed to be T4 and 2+ save with WS4
Guard Equivalent (GEQ): Target is assumed to be T3 and 5+ save with WS3 (Most Tyranids are considered to be GEQ)
Until you memorize the values for your units it is ok to make a cheat sheet with the expected wounds per unit.
Example #1:
Lictor
Assault threat bubble: 14.5”
MEQ: 5 attacks. 3.33 Hits. 2.77 Wounds. 1.28 unsaved wounds (0.55 Rends)
TEQ: 5 attacks. 3.33 Hits. 2.77 Wounds. 0.46 unsaved wounds (0.55 Rends)
GEQ: 5 attacks. 3.33 Hits. 2.77 Wounds. No Saves (ID)
Shooting threat bubble: 12”
MEQ: 2 Shots, 1 Hit. 0.833 Wounds. 0.4165 unsaved wounds (Ignoring rending)
TEQ: 2 Shots, 1 Hit. 0.833 Wounds. 0.138 unsaved wounds (Ignoring rending)
GEQ: 2 shots. 1 hit. 0.822 Wound. 0.27 unsaved wounds (ID)
Example #2
10 Termigaunts with fleshborer
Assault threat bubble: 12”
MEQ: 20 attacks. 10 Hits. 3.33 Wounds. 1.0989 unsaved wounds
TEQ: 20 attacks. 10 Hits. 3.33 Wounds. 0.5478 unsaved wounds
GEQ: 20 attacks. 10 Hits. 5 Wounds. 3.3 unsaved wounds
Shooting threat bubble: 18”
MEQ: 10 Shots, 5 Hit. 2.5 Wounds. 1.25 unsaved wounds
TEQ: 10 Shots, 5 Hit. 2.5 Wounds. 0.416 unsaved wounds
GEQ: 10 shots. 5 hit. 3.3 Wounds. No Saves.
Now that we have the basis for evaluating your units and we know their capabilities in combat we can start going over other tactical concepts that build on these basic building blocks.
40K General Tactical Concepts pt 2
There are several tactical concepts to keep in mind when choosing your army and setting up your battle plan. These concepts are key to using your army effectively and preventing your opponent from enacting their battle plan.
Overkill: Overkill is part of a strategy to force your opponent to inefficiently use their points (Forced Points Inequality) There are two main types of Overkill.
1)Using weapons that are to powerful. (Ex. Using a las cannon on a termigaunt or an ID weapon on a 1 Wound model). More powerful weapons cost more points. Your opponent is paying a premium for a weapon that is providing them with no benefit for the cost. If you are fighting an opponent with 4 squads of marines each with a sergeant with a powerfist and they never fight anything but gaunts then all the points he spent on the wargear was “wasted”.
2)Causing excess wounds beyond what it takes to kill a unit. While some overkill is necessary to ensure you wipe out a unit using to causing too many is a waste of points. A 500pt unit that can put out 30 S6 AP3 shots is paying about 100pts per turn to shoot. If it is only shooting at 60 pt units it wasting 40 pts per turn in point inefficiencies. This is one of the reasons that MSU is a popular strategy as the smaller unit sizes is more economical with its firepower as it allows for fewer wasted wounds.
2 phase CC: 2 phase CC is the principle that when assaulting you want the combat to last for exactly 2 phases (unless the unit is intended to be a tarpit). If the unit charges and wipes out the intended unit in one turn then they are exposed to shooting during the opponent’s shooting phase. If you are able to stay in combat during their shooting phase you will be protected and once they are wiped out in the assault phase you can then move and charge another unit during your turn. There are several ways to do this other than modifying your unit size and attacks: decline a challenge first phase, adjust your movement to limit the number of models engaged in the combat, chose to use ineffectual weapons like scything talons for some of your attacks.
Board Control: The concept of Board Control is the simple premise of using units and their corresponding threat bubbles to control and limit your opponent’s movements. This often will require some units to have overlapping threat bubbles as an opponent may move several units into a choke point or to a highly desired position (Ex objective). This may require layering in some cases when the enemy units have the ability to pass over your units (IE warp spiders, jet bikes, jet packs, jump jets, wings). You will want to have coverage in the areas where they will want to land so that they will have to choose between taking damage or choosing a less optimal position.
Tactical Objective List: Each unit in your army should have a priority mission and a secondary mission. They should never have more than that or else you will not be able to respond properly to a threat. (A flyrant is great but it cannot react to multiple threats at once).
Missions are:
Kill AV 14
Kill AV 12
Kill AV 10
Kill hordes
Kill flyers
Kill 3+ Saves
Kill 2+ Saves
OBsec (should have at least 4)
Contest/Hold Objective
Linebreaker
Synapse (Tyranid only)
So let’s take this 5 Flyrant list: 5x Flyrants with TL/Dev and eGrub, 5x 1 Mucolid spores, 5x 1 Lictor, 1x Malenthorpe, 1 xMawloc, 1 x Void Shield Genererator.
Flyrant 1: Anti-Flyer. Kill AV 14
Flyrant 2: Anti-Flyer. Synapse
Flyrant 3: Kill AV 14. Kill AV 12.
Flyrant 4: Synapse. Anti-Flyer
Flyrant 5: Kill 3+. Kill 2+
Mucolid Spore 1: Kill AV 12. Kill hordes
Mucolid Spore 2: Kill 3+. Kill hordes
Mucolid Spore 3: Kill AV12 Kill 3+.
Mucolid Spore 4: Kill 3+.
Mucolid Spore 5: Kill AV 10.
Lictor 1: Kill AV 10. Linebreaker.
Lictor 2: Kill AV 10. Linebreaker
Lictor 3: Contest/Hold Objective. Kill AV10.
Lictor 4: Linebreaker. Contest/Hold Objective.
Lictor 5: Contest/Hold Objective. Kill AV10
Malenthorpe: Synapse. Protection (not a mission)
Mawlock: Kill 2+, Kill 3+
Void Shield Generator: Protection (not a mission)
So lets take a count:
Kill AV 14: 1 Primary, 1 Secondary
Kill AV 12: 2 Primary, 1 Secondary
Kill AV 10: 2 Primary, 2 Secondary
Kill hordes: 0 Primary, 2 Secondary
Kill flyers: 2 Primary, 1 Secondary
Kill 3+ Saves: 3 Primary, 2 Secondary
Kill 2+ Saves: 1 Primary, 1 Secondary
OBsec: 0 Primary, 0 Secondary.
Contest/Hold Objective: 2 Primary, 2 Secondary.
Linebreaker: 1 Primary, 2 Secondary.
Synapse (Tyranid only:) 2 Primary, 1 Secondary.
Looking over our mission list we can see that we are light on Kill 2+ Saves and have no OBSec units. We are a little too heavy on Kill AV 10. We look to be ok on this list for Synapse, but that changes for every list.
We might want to think about swapping out e-grubs to make one of our Flyrants better against hordes or re-allocate some points to a few Biovores or some troops that can hold objectives.
