Mid-End Game strategies

[terminatorAM]

Yesterday I played a 2000pnt game against Eldar with my hybrid Flesh Tearers list. It had 3 objectives spread out in a somewhat straight line down the center of the board with table quarters set up. I was doing really well up until turn 4 when I needed to choose whether to hunker down and hold objectives or keep moving on and killing the enemy. I hadnt lost much at this point and managed to keep my forces together to support each other and took down half his skimmers (I hate their end game objective contesting). The problem was keeping the objectives I had already cleared while still pushing forward with my assault oriented force. In the end the game ran 7 turns and I lost by 2 objectives which were mostly claimed in these last turns while I was hunkered down on the other end of the board.

 

So for the next game i need some advice: What do you do with an army that relies on speed and sticking together in the later turns of an objective game?

 

I know most people have suggested to stick together against eldar and stay in the opponents face with an assault army but I have been having trouble doing this while worrying about objectives, am I playing against my own strategy or was it just a bad game?

 

What do you guys do in the last few turns?

[Leardinal]

I have switched back to Tactical Squads, simply so they can advance on and take objectives like Assault Squads, while being able to hunker down with some decent long range weapons.

 

I have played with the idea of using 2 Assault with some form of hammer unit and 2 Tactical squads to help the Assault part early in the game and then hold objectives near the end.

[AbusePuppy]

With regards to his contesting: do you have tanks or vehicles? He can't Tank Shock through them, only try and Ram (which rarely works.) Do your squads have Meltaguns? Death or Glory with a Meltagun has a very good chance of stopping him (auto-hit, get a result on a 4+, 3/6 glances stop him, 5/6 pens do likewise). Similarly, this is a good reason to try going second on objective missions- although of course that isn't something you can always control.

 

You have the Combat Squads rule, use it. Make sure that you have at least one unit that can drop pack and hold a "home" objective in games- half of a Tactical squad, ASM in a LasPlas Razorback, whatever, but something that doesn't mind being back there. This is also a good way to use the second half of a DSing ASM squad- five guys drop in with Melta/Flamers and vaporize something important, the other five come down in your backfield and book it for an objective.

 

With an assault army, you are looking to push the enemy back and make it too dangerous for him to take your objectives. You said that there were three objectives and he had two of them, but you also mentioned you had pushed forward a lot. Did he push you off the "mid" objective? You say the game went to turn seven- normally this is an advantage against Eldar, as they're forced to fight on the objectives for two full turns (since they have to start trying for them at the end of T5.) What kind of assault list are you running? There's a lot of unknowns here that can greatly affect things.

[Mutters]

I play a conservative game up until turn 3, then I start dropping my guys on objectives and turns 4 and 5 involve me driving my BA fast rhinos all over the board and tank shocking like a crazy man. Worst it does is blow them up and force them to take difficult terrain tests or immobilize and they have to navigate my rhino maze.

 

I just blame it on Servitor Red Thirst.

[knife&fork]

So for the next game i need some advice: What do you do with an army that relies on speed and sticking together in the later turns of an objective game?

 

What do you guys do in the last few turns?

 

My hybrid list is lascannon rather than AC heavy, so mid to late game is usually when the big push comes. Hopefully by then the enemies mobility will be crippled although that might not be possible vs an opponent with lots of bikes or skimmers. You will always struggle to contest or claim enough vs lists like these, sometimes you just have to stick with your initial plan and do as much damage as possible in last few turns rather than trying to objective sit. Fast vehicles generally have low AV and fast units will run off the board faster if you break them.

[DextrousWombat]

If your going to hunker down then I'd suggest using one unit to run distractions and make a bloody nuisance of itself while you spread over the objectives. Those skimmers can't land on you so spread out with whatever you have left to make him be more than 3 inches away and if he tank shocks and you think you can kill it, blow it all to hell and back.

 

If while hunkering down you see a way to exploit a weakness then push at it and go for it and remember "Be Bloody, Bold and Resolute"

[terminatorAM]

i think part of the problem with objectives on the last few turns was that all my melta weapons missed for 2 solid turns and other important dice rolls were horrible as well but as for other questions heres my list, and thanks for all the replies so far.

 

 

HQ

 

Chapter Master Seth – (160)

 

Honor Guard (180)

Blood champion

Chapter banner

Power weapon

 

Razorback (55)

Twin-linked heavy flamer

 

Elites

 

Chaplain (100)

 

Sanguinary Priest (75)

Jump pack

 

Troops

 

Tactical Squad (205)

+5 marines

Plasma gun

Missile launcher

Power fist

 

Rhino (50)

 

Assault Squad (240)

+5 marines

x2 meltaguns

lightning claws

 

Assault Squad (240)

+5 marines

x2 meltaguns

thunder hammer

 

Death Company (165)

+ 4 death company

Power fist

 

Rhino (50)

 

Fast Attack

 

Land Speeder (90)

typhoon missile launcher

 

Land Speeder (90)

typhoon missile launcher

 

Heavy Support

 

Vindicator (150)

Dozer blade

 

Vindicator (150)

Dozer blade

 

Total: 2000