Fortifications do's, don'ts and what's out there

[Thanos33]

So as it's an often unused resource from my experience I would like to get a discussion of Fortifications going so I can bring some enlightenment to myself and others on the subject.

What's great to use and why and maybe some of the power scale of the Fortifications available to us. I'm looking to make use of a piece or two, maybe more for a Khorne list with Samus but generally I think we can gather some overall insight into what might be good out there.

Any insight on Fortifications would be great to hear. Thanks!

[pathatrick]

You can get void shields for bastions. makes them a little less easy to blow up. The building damage table is nasty. Even though you can't assault out of escape hatches you can kind of treat them as a scout move of sorts.

[Runefyre]

Well, certain special characters turn certain fortifications from decent, to almost good. I'm looking at you Kyre Vhalen. AV15 vengeance weapon batteries squadron (if you can call it that) are qutie tough to take down.

[Charlo]

Like Runefyre said some legions certainly do it better than others. But there are a lot of cool synergies to be had out there.

 

Promethium pipes and Deathguard/ Salamanders is nasty.

 

Kyr Valen in anything will turn it and the squad inside into a true fortress.

 

Simple Aegis and Quadgun can keep some marines safe.

 

Then there is always the Primus Redoubt.... 

[K3nn3rs]

Sky shield landing pad plus Deredeo with atomantic pavaise.

 

Gives infantry (heavy support sqds) 3++

[AfroCampbell]

Imperial Fists Heavy Support Squad sitting in Wall of Matyrs Bunker - protected Tank Hunter shots for days...

[Reyner]

Imperial Fists Heavy Support Squad sitting in Wall of Matyrs Bunker - protected Tank Hunter shots for days...

Iron Warriors Iron Havoc Squad in Wall of Martyrs Bunker that has been buffed by Kyr Vhalen! Is the bunker AV14?

Would a WoM Bunker or Bastion be a better strongpoint for Iron Warriors? Also looking at the WoM Firestorm Redoubt...

[Caillum]

As mentioned, Kyr Vhalen and a WoM Bunker is king. He makes it AV15 and gives the Iron Havocs a re-rollable 2+ to hit, with Tank Hunters. 8 of them can be inside it and shoot out at the same time, rather than being on top and relying on cover saves. Nothing comes close to this sort of awesome.

 

Bastion is a bit meh, as it has 4 fire-points on 4 different sides.

 

Firestorm Redoubt is nearly 4x the cost of a Bunker and only allows 6 to shoot out of it. Yes, it has 2 quad Icaraus lascannon, but not worth it comparably.

[Reyner]

As mentioned, Kyr Vhalen and a WoM Bunker is king. He makes it AV15 and gives the Iron Havocs a re-rollable 2+ to hit, with Tank Hunters. 8 of them can be inside it and shoot out at the same time, rather than being on top and relying on cover saves. Nothing comes close to this sort of awesome.

 

Bastion is a bit meh, as it has 4 fire-points on 4 different sides.

 

Firestorm Redoubt is nearly 4x the cost of a Bunker and only allows 6 to shoot out of it. Yes, it has 2 quad Icaraus lascannon, but not worth it comparably.

Thanks - WoM bunker it is then! I admit with the Redoubt I saw the lascannons and my mind went blank.

[Itsacon]

Dark Angels Azrael or Asmodai with basically any Fortification that has a decent emplaced weapon. 

 

A Macro cannon is nice. A Macro cannon with BS 5, Ignore Cover and Precision Shots is nicer.

 

If you want cheaper, try it on a Quad gun. BS 5 and Ignore cover against flyers? Yes please!

 

(Oh, and Azrael gives the entire building he's in a 4++ save. Because someone caries his helm for him).

[Runefyre]

Dark Angels Azrael or Asmodai with basically any Fortification that has a decent emplaced weapon.

A Macro cannon is nice. A Macro cannon with BS 5, Ignore Cover and Precision Shots is nicer.

If you want cheaper, try it on a Quad gun. BS 5 and Ignore cover against flyers? Yes please!

(Oh, and Azrael gives the entire building he's in a 4++ save. Because someone caries his helm for him).

Those are good points....for Dark Angel players. This is the Horus Heresy Tactica, so you've gotta stick to Horus Heresy Army lists

[Itsacon]

Oops. That's what I get for browsing through the `View new content' link...

[pathatrick]

The model for the bunker is a bit disappointing. It's way to small in my opinion.

[shandwen]

Milita and cults heavy weapons squad of buffed (by ap reduction) heavy bolters in a bunker. How would you like 6 ap3 heavy bolters?

[Runefyre]

Milita and cults heavy weapons squad of buffed (by ap reduction) heavy bolters in a bunker. How would you like 6 ap3 heavy bolters?

Albeit at BS3, but they're cheaper than most legion units anyway.

[defl0]

Yeah. The statue gives fearless, which is especially nice for loyalist Militia armies. 

[Tiger9gamer]

If you can make a bunker Av 15, use the firestorm for the lulz. It's weapons are automated, sure, but you can make an av 15 artillery piece shooting out 2 battle cannon shots at anything nearby while sitting inside sniping armor. 

 

 

I heard that you could make a bastion into a long wall kind of thing, with all the bolters facing one direction, so that may be fun if you wanna hobby a bit. add some ammo stores, some barbed wire along the front, a void shield and suddenly you have a pretty cool wall that would be tough to kill while providing some LOS for quad batteries or other heavy support. combine that with the 2 bastion formation and you can have a cinematic siege scenario.

[Dono1979]

A lot of the larger fortifications are awesome models and fun to play with but due to the dynamic nature of 30K's missions, you will often find yourself leaving the fortifications in order to complete objectives.

The smaller fortifications are often quite versatile and it can then be the upgrades which make them interesting and useful as well;

 

Aegis Defense Line with Ammo Dumps gives the defending unit reroll of 1's

 

Aegis Defense Line with Tank Traps creates a line impassable defenses for vehicles protecting the defending unit from vehicles getting too close

 

Vengeance Weapon Battery with Tank Traps gives you some automated fire which the enemy often cant ignore for long, protected by a line of obstacles which vehicles cannot cross. 

 

 

Tank Traps are a very underrated/underused piece of terrain, especially with the rise in popularity of the Armored lists, a strategically placed line of tank traps can funnel your opponent and deny him access to certain areas of the board. Just be aware there is some contention as to whether Walkers can cross a line of tank traps; they are vehicles but they more like infantry, some people argue that the move like infantry allows them pass the Traps, others say that the walker is still a non skimmer vehicle and so it is classed as impassable.

[Tiger9gamer]

Don't forget the barbed wire! unless they are like ordo reductor you can make some 6 in long sections of barbed wire and lay it out in front of your aegis line or something to stop slow a charge and maybe kill some people. Would be better in 40k against orks and such, but in 30k I think it could be useful against units that charge up to your lines.

 

 

Also, just remembered that imperial fists would get +1 Bs for emplaced heavy bolters. If you make a bastion into a wall with all the bolters facing one way, a tactical squad could help fill the roll of a heavy support bolter squad (admittingly a 5 man one) while freeing up slots for more artillery and tanks.

 

Hell can you imagine sniper vets on those? 

[Dono1979]

...If you make a bastion into a wall with all the bolters facing one way....

 

that just makes me sad :-(

[Tiger9gamer]

 

...If you make a bastion into a wall with all the bolters facing one way....

 

that just makes me sad :-(

 

how so? It's thematic, and from your avatar should make you pretty happy!

[Gorgoff]

It's modelIng for advance nothing more. ;)

[Tiger9gamer]

I don't look at it that way as modeling for advantage it's better, yes, but it's still a bastion which will probably die pretty easily. it also makes much more sense to me than just a random tower with bolters facing every single direction instead of one fire lane that could be a choke point or something.

 

 

Anyways, I thought about this a lot the last day and thought of something nasty. 3 quad mortars with sunder shells, a master of signals in the squad or nearby to boost the BS, and have as many guys sitting around an ammo dump as possible. 12 BL5 shots re-rolling 1's to hit and re-rolling armor penetration should take down any armor other than a flare shielded spartan. You can use either the Aegis line for this, or the top of a bastion or something. or you can do the same inside the building, which makes everything inside shooting through the fire points re-roll ones. Add a master of signal or other BS boosting shenanigans and you get a murder machine.

[Dono1979]

I don't look at it that way as modeling for advantage it's better, yes, but it's still a bastion which will probably die pretty easily. it also makes much more sense to me than just a random tower with bolters facing every single direction instead of one fire lane that could be a choke point or something.

 

 

So using the same kit how do you create a building which is in the shape you have described? One of the primary purposes of the Bastion is that it is in an intact building with a transport capacity, if you just make it a wall, it is a wall, not a Bastion. sorry but what ever way you are looking at it, it is modeling for advantage.

[Tiger9gamer]

 

I don't look at it that way as modeling for advantage it's better, yes, but it's still a bastion which will probably die pretty easily. it also makes much more sense to me than just a random tower with bolters facing every single direction instead of one fire lane that could be a choke point or something.

 

 

So using the same kit how do you create a building which is in the shape you have described? One of the primary purposes of the Bastion is that it is in an intact building with a transport capacity, if you just make it a wall, it is a wall, not a Bastion. sorry but what ever way you are looking at it, it is modeling for advantage.

 

 

Get creative like I would have to, mate! Buy two boxes and combine them into a wall and only place the bolters on one side to make a complete structure that is a bastion still, using all GW parts

 

If you wanna scratch build half of it get some foam core for the rear wall that is unprotected and use the bastion kit for the front wall while you make the other sides out of foam core or plasticard or something to make it stand upright without buying two kits! 

 

Hell if you just wanna use pink foam paint it up and convert it as much as you like and use the rules

 

 

I say this and bring it up Because this: http://www.ifelix.co.uk/images999/IMG_2849.jpg

 

is way, way more impressive and cool than the plain old one.