Grey Knight fire support --- Fortifications

[L30n1d4s]

With the new expansion Stronghold Assault now out and legal for regular 40K, what do you think (or have you experienced in games already) is the best fortification types to mesh with the GK play style?

 

Given that GKs have plenty of mid-short range firepower and ways to combat hordes, I think that the Fortifications which provide long range, low AP shooting and/or anti-flyer defense are the most useful ones.

 

In this category, I would rate the Vengeance Weapons Battery, upgraded to have two Battlecannons, as one of the most useful fortifications for Grey Knights. For only a power weapon and meltabomb points cost more than a GK Librarian, you get two S8 AP3 blasts with the range to cover almost the entire board and provide very strong anti-MEQ shooting.

 

Another option which would work well for GKs is the Firestorm redoubt with two Quad Icarus Lascannons, a Quad gun, and the Magos Machine Spirit upgrade which makes the turrets shoot at BS3. This provides very solid anti-flyer/flying MC (4 x S9 AP2 TLed shots and 4 x S7 AP4 TLed shots, all with BS3 and Skyfire/Interceptor). Even without flyers, these can provide some great support against light-heavy enemy vehicles, another category which GKs are not naturally strong at in their codex. Finally, the Firestorm bunker is a great place to put a Strike Squad, a Henchman Warband, or even the Vindicare assassin.

 

Finally, I think the Skyshield can be used effectively, particularly when combined with long range units like Psyflemen Dreads (to maximize the 4++ save) and with Stormravens and embarked Purgation squad with 4 Incinerators (Stormraven starts game on Skyshield pad, then uses flat out move and Skies of Fury to drop Purgation squad turn one and burninate a vulnerable enemy squad).

[Grand Master Caloth]

The Firestorm Redoubt is good, but unless the book changed it, you cannot control the guns on it, it has a specific target priority list and that's that. The only thing you control is if it fires interceptor or regular

[TheDarkOne]

This is something I've put a lot of thought into. before the release of the new fortifications, this is what I had done with my GK:

 

Aegis, Icarus, Coteaz manning the Icarus, standing behind the Aegis with 3 plasma cannon servitors and 6-9 ablative wound 4 point henchmen, typically on an objective.

 

This has done wonders for me, coteaz will typically be prescience-ing his squad, and giving him a re-roll for the interceptor shot with the icarus. if an enemy flyer happens to enter play within 12" of him, then they get shot twice, once for interceptor, once for 'I've been expecting you'. and the three plasma servitors make a great deepstrike deterrent as well. The issue with this setup now, is that there's so much 'ignores cover' that those henchmen just die too quickly.

 

Bastion, Quad gun, Purgation squad standing behind it, out of LOS, using their Psychic power to shoot whatever's in range. i have put henchmen inside but will just as often let it be totally automated. not a bad setup.

 

Never used a skyshield.

 

Now, you raise a few interesting points about the newly available fortifications. I've thought of using the firestorm redoubt as a kind of combination of my above ideas, coteaz with plasma cannons inside, purgatrion squad behind. the fortification itself I feel is almost prohibitively expensive though.

 

I would use the same strategy with the battle cannon emplacement.

 

The skyshied strategy you mention would be good for the dreadnoughts, but I don't think you can start a stormraven on the board, it would need to start in reserve, and fly onto the shield.

 

Could be an interesting shift for GK if tournaments start adopting the new fortifications, which I don't see a problem with.

[Gentlemanloser]

There's an upgrade for the Landing Pad that lets lfiers with Hover modes start on board on the Pad in Hover mode.

 

They can't Zoom first turn.

[TheDarkOne]

OMG! That's awesome! granted if your raven starts on the board it will be a skimmer and easy to hit, just have a 4++ to save it... could be neat!

[Gentlemanloser]

Nothing really matters anymore.

 

40k is all about bringing D Weapons and Void Shields.

 

:'(

[TheDarkOne]

I doubt that tournaments will allow super heavies. I hope that I'm right.

[Pyro X]

The fort that let's you start with a flier on the board, is that the one in the brb? Or is that one from the new book that came out.

[Gentlemanloser]

Both.

[Pyro X]

o_O does the new one have weapons?

[Gentlemanloser]

No, it's the Landing Pad.

 

It can purchase some obstacles like Tank traps, but no weapons.

[Pyro X]

it can only hover the 1st turn, but it would still be able to move 18" and still assault 1st turn right? granted in they are in range.

[Gentlemanloser]

It's an Assault Vehicle, so don't see why not.

 

As long as you're not using Skies of Fury to disembark.

 

I can't remember if there's a limit on movement for Transports before you stop being able to disembark normally. :/

[Grand Master Caloth]

Yes, you cannot disembark if the vehicle moves more than 6 inches

[number6]

Just FYI: I don't know how many of you design your armies for tournament play, but at least two tournaments that I know of are either outright banning both Escalation and Stronghold Assault (Con of the North 40K RTT) or instituting considerable "composition" restrictions into their format (Feast of Blades).

Just a friendly neighborhood PSA. Now back to your regularly scheduled construction of massive Strongholds.

[Pyro X]

I thought you could move more than 6" and still disembark only you had to make a dangerous terrain test. I could be way off though and thinking of something else. Why are they banning a legal book GW put out? if they want to ban something that SHOULD be banned its farsight enclave allying with normal Tau.

[Gentlemanloser]

That is using the Skies of Fury special rule.

 

Which disallows you to assault after using it.

[Grand Master Caloth]

Because expansions like escalation and apocalypse favour he who has the biggest wallet. They are done up to drive people to buy the biggest and most expensive kits, which leads to greater profits

[librisrouge]

I've never entirely bought the party line about Escalation being about wallet power. Once you compare dollars to points, most super heavies are actually cheaper to add to your army than equivalent points in other stuff. The problem with Escalation is D-Weapons, which are too good.

[Gentlemanloser]

And the Thunderhawk.

 

Can't afford one of those...

 

(It's also the only Marine Superheavy at the moment)

[Grey Mage]

I've never entirely bought the party line about Escalation being about wallet power. Once you compare dollars to points, most super heavies are actually cheaper to add to your army than equivalent points in other stuff. The problem with Escalation is D-Weapons, which are too good.

Yeah, but theyre something most people can still add to their army, even when its been fleshed out to 4000pts with options.