Scenario: Pitched Battle (or similar), Any mission type
Enemy forces: Used against deepstrike (not fully deepstriking, but with some forces) and backfield outflanking forces (which can't be in its entirety), whatever for Outflankers and Infiltrators.
The idea of this formation is to setup against split formations using a partial forward force utilizing backfield outflanking or deepstriking force. These Hammer and Anvil forces will bypass a lack in backfield defense and hurt your heavy-hitters, or your mobile vehicles. I'm thinking of Drop Pod meltas or Wolf Scouts with the same.
Your deployment will look something like this:
Here, the deployment is mostly like the former one, yet instead of infiltrating the second Kroot line they are folded up in the back of your formation. This offers no extra defense against first turn deep-strikers, but will help protect your rear units as you move out.
As the rest of your force moves forward, the Kroot unfurl. Not including running, the Kroot can reach the positions below. 'Sides assumed 4", Pathfinders obviously scouted, Fire Warriors in tank.
Whilst this is not a perfect formation of the bat, it can help deter backfield outflankers and some deepstrikers. The seemingly empty space and "undefended" Hammerhead are some tricks I often use to try to cause deepstrikers to come down in that area, only to have them at best get the Hammerhead, and get killed, or at best scatter into oblivion. Whilst the Hammerhead would normally be used for mobile contesting later game, most deepstriking armies lack the continuing mobility for this to be much of a threat.
On the next turn, the position closes up fully, allowing a fully reactive defense of your firebase:
I show Piranhas moving out in this, but they don't have to at all.
Note how the Kroot are spaced out... Backfield Outflankers can't hit anything with melta besides Kroot. Furthermore, there is little Deepstrike room either; Fire Warriors can be redeployed to fill space if needed, but the safety of the Devilfish is useful here. The list than plays as normal.
Note that this is not made to stop a mass of deepstrikers or Backfielders, but it is a useful trick for delaying those disruption units and keeping hold of the game.
Thoughts?/Questions?/Responses?/Critiques?
Also, if you want me to respond to a particular deployment setup (such as a Battle Mission, a tournament mission, or any of the above where terrain bothered you, give me an example of what you mean, and I'll queue it up.
7 comments:
Nice diagrams. This should be added as some tau basics. Makes you pretty much immune to outflank, deepstrike and behind enemy lines.
Where did you get that program? Is that Vassal? Where do I get it?
It is Vassal, but it is sadly not around anymore. GW shut it down as its main purpose was gaming, and those rights have already been bought. The site no longer runs the 40k module.
I've had it since before then, and I only use it for diagrams, which, so far as I've seen, GW doesn't care much about.
People really need to read these posts. I'm gonna link to you.
Thank you very much!
By the by, have you been over to ATT lately? Some of the newer stuff there is pretty cool.
Like what exactly? I love the site for its modelling and painting stuff but the tactics discussed there don't work. Plus the site doesn't allow army list posts or discussions of them, which is a huge part of 40k.
The modelling contest was big, but yeah, the tactics there don't work. You should check back, sign in, stay a while.
The Crystal forest in particular looked very nice.
Hey, thanks for doing this series, it's exactly what I've been trying to find for ages - the internets is full of army lists and conceptual tactics, but seems to be desperately lacking deployment advice, which is probably why as a relative noob I've been finding effective deployment the hardest part of the game. This deployment in particular looks perfect for the enemy I face most often. Note to self: buy more kroot!
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