Quick Rules Question

[WarpSpawn]

Another negative would be that, depending on the number of models and the formation, you may only need to kill one or two before at least one of the units no longer has 50% in cover. Once this has been acocmplished, you can alternate fire between units in the formation, quite likely avoiding cover saves for all targets.

 

For example:

 

1212121212

2121212121

 

Kill one of unit 1

 

1212121212

212121212X

 

And you no longer have 50% of unit 1 in cover. If the owner opts to remove a model at the front (or else is forced to for some reason), unit 2 is exposed.

 

If the formation is so finely balanced as this, I doubt it would be useful for more than a turn of shooting, if that.

 

Maybe some other formations would be more robust but I'm still not convinced.

[Celestin]

Which is why people would use the 3-unit formation. Using an average Space Marine firing at a T4 model as an example, you are only going to inflict an unsaved wound once every 6 shots on average. Since it would take inflicting a -very- large number of wounds to expose a unit in a 3-unit formation, that's a LOT of shots to start getting an effect.

[WarpSpawn]

Then the requirement to have 3 units would in itself further reduce the utility of it.

 

You're still only really looking at static gunlines being able to gain any significant benefit, due to the problems with moving such a formation, whilst still keeping them in formation, and moving at any speed. I'm not sure there are many gunlines with enough models, and a poor enough armour save, for it to be of any real use.

 

Not that I can foresee all possible tactical applications of it but I still very much doubt we will see it much. 5th ed has already been out for a while now and plenty of games have been played. How many people have actually played against this tactic, and can honestly say it worked that well?

[Celestin]

It occurs to me that we have forgotten an option: jump-pack troops. They can pack in tightly and only be victim then to blast templates.

[WarpSpawn]

I'm sure you're right, though they still could not run effectively. It does occur to me though, how many armies have 3 units of jump troops to spare for such a tactic?

[Celestin]

Well, Blood Angels get them as troops, but as we've already covered, they don't really benefit from this. (Unless their opponent has a ton of AP3 weaponry to fire at them.) I could very much see a Warboss sending in 3 units of Stormboyz in a big mob though... especially if he has no deffkoptas or other fast vehicles to send in. Gargoyle broods might swarm 3 units at a time also.

[WarpSpawn]

Don't stormboyz have some kind of random movement, compulsory or otherwise?

 

Conversions aside, I doubt many people have the cash for that many gargoyles.

 

I think I'll leave it there now though. We've long since stopped talking about the rule itself and it's legality. True, it being hard to make practical use of does not really make it right that they have allowed such cheese. That said, I think most of this discussion is purely academic, and will continue to think this, until such a time as I see anecdotal evidence of it's use in battle