Upcoming apocalypse battle

[Wolf Guard Nostromo]

I have an upcoming apocalypse battle with my Space Wolves and was looking for some advice and tips from some more experienced players.

It will be 3000-4000 points, as yet undecided, against a World Eater player (i.e. alot of bezerkers, a few daemons alongside terminators, havocs and a land raider).

I have absolutely no experience of this size of battle having only ever played games of 2000 points or under and have never used the apocalypse rules before. I have perused the apocalypse forums but would appreciate any particular tactics, strategic asset suggestions or ideas specifcally for/from wolves of Russ.

I am intending to run, with some flexibility in troop selections, alot of rhinos and razorbacks filled with grey hunters and blood claws, 3 dreadnoughts, 2 vindicators, obligatory scouts and some pods containing a combo of dreads, terminators or grey hunters.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions much appreciated.

[whitewolfmxc]

bring large blast weapons lol lots of them if the berserkers cant touch you , you win XD id say bring 3 squads of long fangs lol 1 all armed with missle lunchers , 1 all armed with las cannons, 1 all armed with plas cannons XD

 

also bring a land raider or two plus a vindicator / whirwind

[Grey Mage]

Consider the drop pod formation from apocalypse reloaded... I hear its a blast.

[LPetersson]

The most important question is, What can you field?

I would recommend doing an Ancients Assault, but there's no point in suggesting that if you don't have enough Dreadnoughts...

2 or 3 redeemers would be groovy too if you have the models.

And obviously scouts OBELing....

 

Is it just the two of you or will there be more?

If it's just two of you playing 3000-4000 points, maybe just do a normal battle?

[Dark Bjoern]

Do you have access to the Apoc book from FW. It includes a formation called Ancients Assault Force. One Tech Marine and 3+ Dreads and gives your complete army the Flank March-asset. I had used this formation with great success in the past. Next Sa i´m off for an Apoc game, too. But with much more points. I´m alone will field 9200 points SW and 7000 points GK. Vindicators are a good plan to decimate the WE. Plasma weapons and Lascannons. Long Fangs and Predator tanks are my first choise for that. I´m using my three Preds all with the same armament: Lascannons all around and put them in a Predator Assassine Squadrone. They are excellent super heavy tank/titan/Stompa killers. One of my real favorite units are Sternhammer´s Wulfen Guard. Apocalypse is the playground for special Characters like Ragnar, Logan and of course Sternhammer, Wolf Priest of the 13th Company (GD model 2003). Sternhammer and 3x 10 Wulfen with Furious Assault and rending are amazing. If i got 5 more Wulfen i can field a fourth pack of 10. Believe me, they would scare even a WE and/or ork player to the bone.

One advice i have for you: In Apocalypse it´s not always clever to get the first turn. You bit for the first turn in form of time you will need to set your forces on the table. 30 minutes are tha max. Normally i bit 30 min and let my opponent the first turn. If you choose the Smoke Screen asset you can minimise the advance our opponent normally would have with the first turn.

If this is your first Apoc game you should take yourself the time to read all strategic assets in the Apoc book. The Apocalyptic Bombardments sounds good but i have learned in my 16 Apoc games that it is most the time of limited effect.

[kanaellars]

There is also the commonly accepted Space Wolf Great Company formation from Bell of Lost Souls.

 

Basically its the space wolf battle company.

 

Consists of:

 

1x Wolf Lord & Bodyguard (Land Raider optional)

 

6x Grey Hunter Packs (10 strong, Rhinos optional)

 

2x Long Fang Packs (5 strong, Razorback optional)

 

2x Blood Claw Packs (15 strong, on foot normally)

 

The list also notes that WGPL may be added to the packs (subbing out 1 GH for rhino space)

 

By paying the 250 extra points for the formation, you get

- Hold at all Costs

- Orbital Bombardment

- all units gain Furious Charge USR

 

This is the formation I base my 4000+ point games around (I havent managed to field it for under 3000 yet!!!)

 

It works really well as a core group, and charging into melee with Blood Claws with Furious charge certainly is satisfying.

[LPetersson]

There is also the commonly accepted Space Wolf Great Company formation from Bell of Lost Souls.

 

Wait, WHAT?

 

Do you have a link tothat?

Maybe my Search Fu is not strong enough, But I simply can't find such a thing...

[Dark Bjoern]

There is also the commonly accepted Space Wolf Great Company formation from Bell of Lost Souls.

 

Wait, WHAT?

 

Do you have a link tothat?

Maybe my Search Fu is not strong enough, But I simply can't find such a thing...

It´s in here: BoLS W30K Rules

Just download it.

[kanaellars]

beat me to it.

 

Yea, it was written for BOLS 30k campaign, but most shop tournies and such at least accept it.

[LPetersson]

Cheers guys :-)

[dragon950]

Shoot the big things first, works for tyrainds and works for demons.

[Wolf Guard Nostromo]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I do have 3 dreads but no Iron Priest and hence cannot do an ancient assault force... yet. I have also heard that flank march asset that this gains you greatly unbalances small apocalypse games so I will avoid that anyway (now agreed with my opponent who won't use it either btw)

 

I am a few models shy of the battle company (10 Grey Hunters and 1 Long Fang pack) but will look to change that in the future. Im loving the fact the lot get furious charge :lol:

[pmodonnell]

Here are a couple of suggestions from a fellow Space Wolf player who has been doing Apocalypse type game since 2004.

 

1. Depending on how much armor you might face, kit all the blood claws with melta bombs.

 

2. Be careful bringing on infantry types wiht out transports (when played the "Ambush" Strategic Asset hits all models coming on the table from reserves wiht the equivelant of AP3 sniper shots... EVERY model)

 

3. If you ahve Blood Claws with Jump Packs, add the Wolf Guard Pack Leader and give him a Vortex Gernade Strategic Asset. Gives him alot of mobility and he can deliver one heck of a punch.

 

4. If you have them, Land Raiders and lots of them. For Blood Claws Crusaders are best.

 

Have fun and let us know how it goes!

[LPetersson]

Here are a couple of suggestions from a fellow Space Wolf player who has been doing Apocalypse type game since 2004.

 

1. Depending on how much armor you might face, kit all the blood claws with melta bombs.

 

2. Be careful bringing on infantry types wiht out transports (when played the "Ambush" Strategic Asset hits all models coming on the table from reserves wiht the equivelant of AP3 sniper shots... EVERY model)

 

3. If you ahve Blood Claws with Jump Packs, add the Wolf Guard Pack Leader and give him a Vortex Gernade Strategic Asset. Gives him alot of mobility and he can deliver one heck of a punch.

 

4. If you have them, Land Raiders and lots of them. For Blood Claws Crusaders are best.

 

Have fun and let us know how it goes!

 

1) Waste of points IMO. Give a few units (OPELing scouts) Meltabombs, but other than that, leave the tankhunting to dedicated tankhumters.

 

2) I don't have the rules in front of me, but I'm pretty sure it's only individual models, not units. My team used it in a recentish Apoc game and it was good, but not that good...

[OnlyInDeath]

Here are a couple of suggestions from a fellow Space Wolf player who has been doing Apocalypse type game since 2004.

 

1. Depending on how much armor you might face, kit all the blood claws with melta bombs.

 

2. Be careful bringing on infantry types wiht out transports (when played the "Ambush" Strategic Asset hits all models coming on the table from reserves wiht the equivelant of AP3 sniper shots... EVERY model)

 

3. If you ahve Blood Claws with Jump Packs, add the Wolf Guard Pack Leader and give him a Vortex Gernade Strategic Asset. Gives him alot of mobility and he can deliver one heck of a punch.

 

4. If you have them, Land Raiders and lots of them. For Blood Claws Crusaders are best.

 

Have fun and let us know how it goes!

 

1. Agree with peterson, waste of points. If you really wanna make your BC's brutal, give them 3 powerfists and throw them in a LRC. Now THAT's an apoc unit that just decimates

 

2. That's not true for ambush. The turn that ambush is played, you can select one unit on the board, and it also hits all units that use FLANK MARCH, not units brought in from reserve. So if your reserves show up on your side of the board, u are fine.

 

3. Why take jump pack BC's when you can field bikers which are T5? throw in some power fists, you have a unit that can wreck anything, big or small

 

4. And yes, LR's are a special kind of good in Apoc. Transports in general, even rhinos, will greatly increase the survivability of your troops (typically, you will be facing lots and lots of blast weapons, which are very hit or miss against vehicles, and the units inside are protected). That said, take plent of blast weaponry yourself. Vindis and WW's work wonders, i've found, and field 4 vindis typically in Apoc games (and a hellhammer baneblade, but yeah).

 

In the end, Apoc is really where i've found wolves shine. With acess to more goodies than you typically see out of marines, you can really deck out all of your units and make them all, even simple troops, have the hitting power of vanilla marine elites. You can also have a monster sized termie pack (I've had to field a 15 man pack in one game lol), swarms of blood claws, lots of long fangs (i actually have 3, 1 all plasma, 1 half ML/half LC, 1 all heavy bolters) and masses of vehicles. As someone above also posted, the advent of drop pods really gives a mech wolf the ability to have the ol hammer & anvil tactic, by placing dreads and termies into pods, and having the enemy smashed between that and a mech assault wave of BC's and GH's.

[pmodonnell]

1. Depending on how much armor you might face, kit all the blood claws with melta bombs.

1. Agree with peterson, waste of points. If you really wanna make your BC's brutal, give them 3 powerfists and throw them in a LRC. Now THAT's an apoc unit that just decimates

 

I use this mainly for taking down super heavies. It is quite effective when a wave of 30 to 50 Blood Claws all armed with Melta Bombs surge forward to take down a line of Baneblades or a Titan. You are correct however in smaller Apocalypse games it may be a little excessive point wise; however the Apocalypse Games I typically play I end up fielding 15,000 to 20,000 points, in which case the cost of the extra Melta Bombs are incidental. Also I field them as both Jump Packers and Loaded out in 3 Land Raider Crusaders with 4 Ppower Fists in each pack.

 

 

3. If you ahve Blood Claws with Jump Packs, add the Wolf Guard Pack Leader and give him a Vortex Gernade Strategic Asset. Gives him alot of mobility and he can deliver one heck of a punch.

3. Why take jump pack BC's when you can field bikers which are T5? throw in some power fists, you have a unit that can wreck anything, big or small

 

Point taken, Bikes are better. My advice was a bit biased towards what I have. And since I am a relic of 2nd edition I have over 30 Blood Claws with Jump Packs (which I find my self only using in Apocalypse Games).

 

 

In the end, Apoc is really where i've found wolves shine. With acess to more goodies than you typically see out of marines, you can really deck out all of your units and make them all, even simple troops, have the hitting power of vanilla marine elites. You can also have a monster sized termie pack (I've had to field a 15 man pack in one game lol), swarms of blood claws, lots of long fangs (i actually have 3, 1 all plasma, 1 half ML/half LC, 1 all heavy bolters) and masses of vehicles. As someone above also posted, the advent of drop pods really gives a mech wolf the ability to have the ol hammer & anvil tactic, by placing dreads and termies into pods, and having the enemy smashed between that and a mech assault wave of BC's and GH's.

 

I completly agree, Space Wolves truly shine in Apocalypse Games when force org requirements and total army points (sometime) is not an issue.

[Ullr Direfang]

Consider the drop pod formation from apocalypse reloaded... I hear its a blast.

 

yeah i saw a guy use this and it was amazing! i am a fan of a WL, WP (or WGBL), and RP (or WGBL) with a 9 WGBG unit attacked to the WL in a pod in apoc games. it is a pricey unit with a lot of eggs in one basket, but with all the different weapon options and cc nastyness it is too much fun to leave out to often, i have ripped through baneblades, titans (luck is the only real reason for this), and massive squads with these guys. but like i said price when all kited out.

[Grey Mage]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I do have 3 dreads but no Iron Priest and hence cannot do an ancient assault force... yet. I have also heard that flank march asset that this gains you greatly unbalances small apocalypse games so I will avoid that anyway (now agreed with my opponent who won't use it either btw)

 

I am a few models shy of the battle company (10 Grey Hunters and 1 Long Fang pack) but will look to change that in the future. Im loving the fact the lot get furious charge ;)

I disagree on flank march. Its a powerful one, but they all are. You cant shoot or assault OR move your units within 12" of an enemy during the move. You have to move them all on the board for that matter. Theres alot of ways to cramp its style and its effects arent usually felt until the last turn. The major issue for many is that it allows you to move your forces last turn to try to seize/deny objectives. Except if your opposition has done its job you wont be able to get close enough to deny, and anything you can seize is most likely already taken by your forces anyways.

[JEFF4i]

Having a 3v3 Apoc battle a week from Sunday, 3000 points a person.

 

Probably will be going Drop Pod Formation, but I'll let you guys know.

[Wolf Guard Nostromo]

Battle has been confirmed as 4000 points. I will write my list tonight based largely on the various points/ ideas of yourselves... much obliged.

 

When the traitors lay slain at my feet (erm, Sunday evening!), I will report back of glorious victory... For Russ!