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Mech or Foot?


old git

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I have around 2500 points(ish) of footslogging wolves - various packs but including the usual 4xgrey hunters, a bloodclaw pack, 2xlong fangs, some wolf guard and a few characters and TWC. Now I have the opportunity to build a 'raider (I have enough bits for any of the variants), and also a couple of rhinos. I would only have to buy one rhino/razorback to round things out.

 

My question brothers is what do the more experienced wolves consider the more effective? Recently I have been infantry heavy and have had mixed results, just about more wins than losses/draws. However I'm drawn to the ability to race up the field and unload a whole heap of angry wolves on or about turn 2.

 

In the current game mech seems to be dominant so I suppose my question is basically, join them or beat them (if beat them, I need to improve my infantry tactics).

 

Ale to all!

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Mech is definitely the favored method in 5th edition, but that doesn't mean you can't be successful with a footslogging army. With footslogging, you definitely need lots of troops. One of our mods, Grey Mage, is great for footslogging tactics; he's definitely the one to ask about that.

 

If you tell us what kind of setup you've been running, we could be of more assistance.

 

Cheers!

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Join 'em!!

 

I've been using Rhinos ever since my humble days of 2nd Ed. And now in 5th they are excellent mobile bunkers. My general tactics are to race up as fast as possible and stay mounted as long as possible. If you don't move your Rhino beforehand, you can then dismount, move 6" and assault. Then move your Rhino at least 1" so the enemy don't hit automatically in CC.

 

The key to this doctrine is to support your troops with some mobile firepower. I use a Redeemer full of GHs with 2 Vindicators for mobile firepower and general scaryness. Your vindicators may never shoot, but the fire they attract from the enemy protects your own transports.

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I've actually had some really good results lately just using a single Land Raider for my primary assault unit, and leaving everyone else on foot. I played four games last week with this setup and did very well in each. The Land Raider has consistently gotten me exactly where I have needed to go for the guaranteed (almost!) assault at the decisive point.

 

I'd say start with the Land Raider first, and play with just that for a while, leaving the rest on foot. See how those games go for you, and if you are happy with your results, stick with it - if something still appears to be missing, then you can continue the transformation of the rest of your force toward mechanization with Rhinos and Razorbacks.

 

Valerian

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I assume Storm Caller is mandatory.

 

Not really. I've been using Living Lightning and Tempests Wrath for my two Rune Priest powers. Generally, if the gaming table is setup "correctly" there is usually plenty of cover around for footslogging Long Fangs and Grey Hunters to take advantage of. Also, in my case, the lone Land Raider can provide some good cover for a unit trailing behind. I wouldn't say that Storm Caller is mandatory at all, unless you happen to be playing on a barren table.

 

V

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Depend on your style of play ...

 

I prefer my force slogging, with some elements in transports.

 

This gives my opponent something to think about. Namely which targets are more dangerous.

 

If they fire on my raider, I just Krak the crap out of a vehicle or an AP 2 squad. If they pop my melta-hunters, my slogging force just got a bit bigger. Pop my dread, and my speeder melts some faces ...

 

I prefer a mix when I play. Though I like tanks, I don't prefer squads in transports. Though I love the idea of wave after wave of packs, I also enjoy my cunning mobile tactics.

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I'm currently running an 1850 footslogging list with thunderwolves and Logan. I actually just wrote a blog post which will be the first in a serious talking about how I came to build this list. Here's an excerpt that you may find relevant:

 

"First, we can stop paying for rhinos and thus free up enough points for some nice goodies elsewhere in the list. Secondly, we can start getting the most out of the awesome basic troop we have in the form of the grey-hunter. They have a 3+ save (like any marine) but also counter-attack, uber-grit (close-combat weapon, pistol and bolter), the ability to take two special weapons and the ability to have a sergeant attached to them (raising their squad numbers to 11 if you're not confined to a rhino's 10 transport capacity). This set-up is a unique mix in troops that people simply don't anticipate."

 

Of course you can read the rest at http://plasticspaceguys.com :angry:

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Thanks for the replies. I have been gaming quite a few years so yeah, I know the principles of mech, I was wandering how it affected the way wolves played is all. I suppose the thing to do is to give it a go. If nothing else it will surprise my gaming group as they haven't seen any vehicles at all in my wolves so far.
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You get two powers per priest and aren't limited to just 1 Priest per army...

 

You can't convince me you'll literally always have cover either. I see no reason to not have Storm Caller as backup.

 

 

Why the over-reaction to my response? You asked if Storm Caller was mandatory for a footslogging force, and I responded that it wasn't. I haven't used Storm Caller once for my primarily footslogging army, and I haven't lost a game this edition, so it obviously is not mandatory. The fact that you can take four Rune Priests, with 8 total powers (or more if one of them is Njal) is irrelevant to that statement.

 

No, I don't always have cover for every unit at all times, I never claimed that I did. But in 5th Edition, the simple fact is that 4+ Cover saves abound, and it is not uncommon for a largely footslogging force to get to take advantage of that.

 

Storm Caller is certainly a respectable psychic power, and one that I am sure you can make use of in your games. If you want to have it, by all means take it. I am not trying to convince anyone that it is a useless power. I was just answering your initial inquiry with the response that it certainly isn't mandatory. No need to get all defensive about it.

 

V

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I played always MECH in 5ed but it was boring after a while. If you are joining tournements you always see the same from builds.

 

Space marines and other chapters : rhino spam and hammer unit

Chaos marines : the same as space marines

Eldar and tau : skimmer spam with troops

Dark eldar : fragile skimmers ( but they need those, its their playstyle so no problem for me )

Orks: trukks and battle wagon

Imperial guard : crazy chimera spam with a lot of weapons for a cheap price, leman russ , arty

deamonhunters and sisters : transport spam, land raiders

 

The other races like tyranids, chaos deamons and necrons have other good rules for the price of no transports. Deepstrike, infiltrate ( tunnels ) and revive with crons.

 

But since 5ed I always played against the same kind of army builds cause of the fact that vehicles ( tanks , skimmer etc ) are hard as nails now if you spam those. For me it was time to change my playstyle and start something else and different. I play my wolves now as a footslogging list. We have a lot of options to create a balanced footslogging list. You will have something different and will earn respect from your opponent. My best friend started also a chaos army ( night lords theme ) without tanks with raptors and bikes for harasment.

 

The good thing is that everybody got anti tank weapons with him and now those weapons are just 1 dead marine for me ( without any cover saves etc ) Their is a lot of cover saves in 5ed so you can always claim those on a easy way.

 

I use 2 long fang squads with 2 missile/2 lascannon/1 plasmacannon as fire support ( blow up tanks ) 2 rune priests with living litchning and something else ( also to blow up transports ) 1 thunderlord with 15 fenrisian wolves for harasment it also is my only fast attack unit. 2 big packs of greyhunters with wolf guard in tda with thunder hammer storm shield, rune priest, meltaguns, standard etc. One smaller greyhunter pack with plasmagun and wolf guard with assault cannnon for home objective. One lone wolf in tda with dual wolf claws for the fluff. A unit of wolf scouts with meltagun/powerweapon and wolfguard with powerfist/combimelta.

 

So I have everything to counter things ( outflank , fast unit etc ) I use what I wonna use. ( models , fluff )

I hate that gamesworkshop push our armies into directions wich I don't like ( mech lists )

 

Just my tought

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The main drawback to foot armies are dealing with highly mobile armies like eldar or if your caught under a lot of pie plates from guard or fast ba vindies. Stormcaller is nice and if you go to ground I believe you'd get a 4+ cover.

Wich is why two of the key ingredients in a footslogging list are long range firepower and speedy support units.

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