Footslogger Screening Units

[Adarul Greystalker]

I know most of us play mechanized or semi-mechanized these days (myself included), but I'm sure there are still some commanders out there who still prefer footslogging. I've been considering the merits of footslogging and to that end, come up with some conclusions of my own about how to keep our guys alive as they run across the board. As these conclusions are purely theoretical, I'd like to get some feedback from those of us who play footslogging armies fairly regularly, and what better place?

 

So here's my idea:

 

Wolf Priest (Wolf Tail Talisman, Saga of the Wolfkin)

 

Blood Claw Pack

Blood Claw (Flamer, Power Fist)

Blood Claw (Flamer)

13 Blood Claws

 

Fenrisian Wolf Pack

15 Fenrisian Wolves

 

I've always thought that fenrisian wolves were designed partially to act as a screen for footsloggers, but they wouldn't be a very good screen if they were to run away the first time they get shot at. It seems logical to me to pair them with a blood claw pack with a wolf priest, allowing us to join the wolf priest to the wolf pack to make them fearless as they run towards the enemy, then release the hounds as it were once they get into charge range, detaching the priest from them and joining him to the blood claws to ready them for a devastating charge.

 

You would probably need a nearby rune priest with stormcaller to make the most of this unit, but that's normally the case with footsloggers anyway, isn't it? What do you guys think?

[Requiem of the Wolf]

I know most of us play mechanized or semi-mechanized these days (myself included), but I'm sure there are still some commanders out there who still prefer footslogging. I've been considering the merits of footslogging and to that end, come up with some conclusions of my own about how to keep our guys alive as they run across the board. As these conclusions are purely theoretical, I'd like to get some feedback from those of us who play footslogging armies fairly regularly, and what better place?

 

So here's my idea:

 

Wolf Priest (Wolf Tail Talisman, Saga of the Wolfkin)

 

Blood Claw Pack

Blood Claw (Flamer, Power Fist)

Blood Claw (Flamer)

13 Blood Claws

 

Fenrisian Wolf Pack

15 Fenrisian Wolves

 

I've always thought that fenrisian wolves were designed partially to act as a screen for footsloggers, but they wouldn't be a very good screen if they were to run away the first time they get shot at. It seems logical to me to pair them with a blood claw pack with a wolf priest, allowing us to join the wolf priest to the wolf pack to make them fearless as they run towards the enemy, then release the hounds as it were once they get into charge range, detaching the priest from them and joining him to the blood claws to ready them for a devastating charge.

 

You would probably need a nearby rune priest with stormcaller to make the most of this unit, but that's normally the case with footsloggers anyway, isn't it? What do you guys think?

Definitely an interesting way to look at it,and it would probably make sense. Also a WGBL on TWM with Oath of wolfkin would do nicely to give them both a leadership of 10 and a reroll,plus a higher init.

[pucadubh]

Don't forget the overlapping squads tactic.

A lot of Nids players use this but it works for footslogging Marines too.

 

Take two ten man squads ( A and B ) and set them up in an advancing line like so

 

A A A A A B B B B B

B B B B B A A A A A

 

Target A or B is partially hidden by intervening models of the other unit according to P21 (small rulebook) which means they are in cover and 50% are in cover so that means 4+ cover save (P22 of small rulebook).

 

So keep them overlapped evenly and they each give 4+ cover to the other squad ;)

 

Cheesy but I have been a horde victim so often a little payback is nice :devil:

 

Doesn't matter what the units are! 10 Marines and 10 Fenrisian Wolves overlapped works just fine.

Don't forget Saga of the Wolfkin, nice and cheap and makes theWolves I5, almost as good as Furious Charge and in cc they hit like Assault Marines with 2x cc weapons :D

[Requiem of the Wolf]

Don't forget the overlapping squads tactic.

A lot of Nids players use this but it works for footslogging Marines too.

 

Take two ten man squads ( A and B ) and set them up in an advancing line like so

 

A A A A A B B B B B

B B B B B A A A A A

 

Target A or B is partially hidden by intervening models of the other unit according to P21 (small rulebook) which means they are in cover and 50% are in cover so that means 4+ cover save (P22 of small rulebook).

 

So keep them overlapped evenly and they each give 4+ cover to the other squad ;)

 

Cheesy but I have been a horde victim so often a little payback is nice :devil:

 

Doesn't matter what the units are! 10 Marines and 10 Fenrisian Wolves overlapped works just fine.

Don't forget Saga of the Wolfkin, nice and cheap and makes theWolves I5, almost as good as Furious Charge and in cc they hit like Assault Marines with 2x cc weapons :D

Yes but that is not only cheesy,but impossible to move according to the way movement works. so I suppose if you were to use it for say,Two Long Fang Squads that were never going to move that would work,but other then that not so much.

[pucadubh]

Don't forget the overlapping squads tactic.

A lot of Nids players use this but it works for footslogging Marines too.

 

Take two ten man squads ( A and B ) and set them up in an advancing line like so

 

A A A A A B B B B B

B B B B B A A A A A

 

Target A or B is partially hidden by intervening models of the other unit according to P21 (small rulebook) which means they are in cover and 50% are in cover so that means 4+ cover save (P22 of small rulebook).

 

So keep them overlapped evenly and they each give 4+ cover to the other squad ;)

 

Cheesy but I have been a horde victim so often a little payback is nice ^_^

 

Doesn't matter what the units are! 10 Marines and 10 Fenrisian Wolves overlapped works just fine.

Don't forget Saga of the Wolfkin, nice and cheap and makes theWolves I5, almost as good as Furious Charge and in cc they hit like Assault Marines with 2x cc weapons :P

Yes but that is not only cheesy,but impossible to move according to the way movement works. so I suppose if you were to use it for say,Two Long Fang Squads that were never going to move that would work,but other then that not so much.

 

Can you explain why it is impossible? 2" coherency rules leave a nice gap for the lines to move through each other and still preserve the formation or have I missed something? Need to know as I do see this often with horde opponents!

[Requiem of the Wolf]

Don't forget the overlapping squads tactic.

A lot of Nids players use this but it works for footslogging Marines too.

 

Take two ten man squads ( A and B ) and set them up in an advancing line like so

 

A A A A A B B B B B

B B B B B A A A A A

 

Target A or B is partially hidden by intervening models of the other unit according to P21 (small rulebook) which means they are in cover and 50% are in cover so that means 4+ cover save (P22 of small rulebook).

 

So keep them overlapped evenly and they each give 4+ cover to the other squad ;)

 

Cheesy but I have been a horde victim so often a little payback is nice :devil:

 

Doesn't matter what the units are! 10 Marines and 10 Fenrisian Wolves overlapped works just fine.

Don't forget Saga of the Wolfkin, nice and cheap and makes theWolves I5, almost as good as Furious Charge and in cc they hit like Assault Marines with 2x cc weapons :D

Yes but that is not only cheesy,but impossible to move according to the way movement works. so I suppose if you were to use it for say,Two Long Fang Squads that were never going to move that would work,but other then that not so much.

 

Can you explain why it is impossible? 2" coherency rules leave a nice gap for the lines to move through each other and still preserve the formation or have I missed something? Need to know as I do see this often with horde opponents!

Not impossible...Just difficult. And if a opponent ever did it to me I would make him measure each and every movement between his units. Especially as I believe they are supposed to have to maintain a inch seperation from their own units but i could be misremembering that. Also...the very simple solution to that is tank shock that line and make them move. Especially since it would be hell to try and set it back up once they had moved.

[Stormshrug]

I'm against squad-weaving. Let's not proliferate this particular form of irritating shenanigans. The less IG players who realize how b0rken it is with multiple Psyker Battle Squads, the better.

 

Edit: This is not to say there's anything wrong with screening on its own; it's a perfectly valid tactic with upsides and downsides. Having two squads screening each other simultaneously is the practice I find objectionable.

 

-Stormshrug

[Adarul Greystalker]

I agree. Weaving is cheesy in the extreme and my group has a house rule against it (one of the few house rules we use).

 

Just to be clear, my initial suggestion was that the fenrisian wolves be used as a screen to run in front of the blood claws and other units in the army in order to take hits for them and provide cover saves. I wasn't advocating squad weaving.