Deathwatch Army Tactics

[Marshal van Trapp]

I'm at work and don't have my books, but doesn't your warlord have to be out of the codex to access the relics contained therein?

I believe the relic stratagem allows you to bypass that limit

[Brother Captain Ed]

 

I'm at work and don't have my books, but doesn't your warlord have to be out of the codex to access the relics contained therein?

I believe the relic stratagem allows you to bypass that limit

...that can't possibly be intended.

[Finkmilkana]

...that can't possibly be intended.

Well, it’s like this since the beginning of 8th (for every army). If it wasn’t intended I would think they would have changed it in the big FAQ at the latest. So it’s probably here to stay.

[Qui-Gon]

Check the Death Guard FAQ folks. The answer to this question is in there.

[Brother Captain Ed]

Another terrible rule from GW. Imagine my surprise.

[Vel'Cona]

I'm confused about what happened here . . . are we saying that a Warlord can take relics from another codex, even if said Warlord is not listed in that codex?

[TheUbikator]

I'm confused about what happened here . . . are we saying that a Warlord can take relics from another codex, even if said Warlord is not listed in that codex?

No, you can take a relic for a character who isn't in the same faction your warlord is. For example, you've got company commander as a warlord (grand strategist), you can take one relic for a guard character in your army for free. But also, you spend 1 CP for Armoury of The Watch Fortress to give your Watch Captain Tome of Ectoclades. 

 

Also, as for intended use of our Codex. Just look at our tactical objectives. None specifies that any of them must be accomplished by a Deathwatch unit. Sure they reward you for using Kill Teams, but none specifies that anything must be accomplished by a unit with Deathwatch keyword. Just like Custodes. It's basically the giant neon sign made by rule writers on how this army would work.

[Sea Reaper]

I'm finding one great difficulty as I try to build hypothetical lists for my almost-pure Primaris force. We have so many great deep strike options that I'm not sure what to take that won't deep strike as a balance to make everything legal. Part of that I chalk up to how new I am to this edition. I just flat out don't know what to footslog or stick in Repulsors and how to arm those things.

[Kallas]

For a Primaris DW army, basic Intercessors should be a solid non-Deep Strike anchor, particularly with stock Bolt Rifles SIA makes them very credible threats against all non-vehicle units.

[RogueApiary]

Edit: it's been answered by others already very thoroughly.

[shanewatts]

A few things I have found from games:

 

- Adding aggressors to ignore the advance and shoot penalty for assault weapons is not as good as adding more intercessors.

- Intercessors that are going to start on the table are better with auto rifles that regular rifles, they take twice as many shots at long range.

- Intercessors you deepstrike are fine with rifles, due to starting in rapid fire range.

[Kallas]

- Intercessors that are going to start on the table are better with auto rifles that regular rifles, they take twice as many shots at long range.

Yeah, it's a weird corner GW painted themselves into with a lot of their Assault-variety weaponry (particularly notably on Primaris with both Intercessors and Hellblasters). The 'short range, get up in your face' gun is actually better as a stand-off weapon because of the flatness in performance of Assault weapons.

[shandwen]

Since seeing the first primaris weapon profiles, I've always imagined the assault versions being used while running away from the enemy. It really doesn't line up with the name.

[Paulinus]

I use aggressors for the firepower.  I field three of them in my fortis squad with auto bolt rifles on the Intercessors.  I bounce them up with the Beacon to get in range.  But after it is nice to be able to increase the bolt gauntlets range by advancing and allowing the intercessors to keep up and shoot while advancing without penalty.

[Macabre Slanneshi Prince]

If you're using the beacon, you should be using the extra power of regular Bolt Rifles. Auto bolt rifles are only useful in the 15 to 25 inch range.

[Paulinus]

Your premise isn’t faulty but I find after, that I need the mobility to either get into range to shoot again or move away to get out of danger. I need that unit to be as mobile as possible.

[KGatch113]

Just my thoughts.

 

I've been running several lists that rely on deepstriking....stormstroopers, elysians, and sternguard.

 

I'm generally seeing armies using screens and bubble wraps to push back deep strikers, so rounds 1 and 2 I use either throwaway deep strikers ( cheap elysian squads) or indirect fire to clear areas for my hammer units to come down into.  You can, of course, just use long range direct fire to do this.

 

I've used infiltrators like ratlings and scouts to counter enemy deep strikers by creating a larger bubble. 

 

Because the idea is for hammer units to come down and wipe out whole enemy units that are dangerous. Cut out the fangs of the snake if you will. 

 

Now, after the initial drops, if the enemy has units in the region, they then try to wipe out the deep strikers. So the key is either outnumber the enemy in terms of units deep striking, place them out of LOS or out of range of enemy counter attackers.

 

What I have found on the drop is that a unit of storm troopers with 4 plasma or a unit of Elysian vets with 3 plasma, a plasma pistol and a missile launcher with rerolls of 1 are excellent at unit elimination. Stormtroopers also get exploding 6's with plasma. Sternguard on the other hand, even with str 4 and -2 boltguns, do very little unless you are shooting low T. I threw in 2 plasma guns, and without rerolls the units don't do much. So the key is to get as much high Str, high AP shooting in the drop, and ensure they have rerolls to increase their effectiveness. 

Something I am seeing a lot of now are tanks in the backfield, because they are immune to small arms fire and have high damage output. So again for a deep striking force you need to clear the screeners, and then be able to take off wounds of T8 opponents, with the knowledge that the unit you drop in will most likely get wiped out unless the area is secured, and you can ensure no LOS or fast enemy units or indirect fire can read them. 

So that covers my experiences with deep strikers. I think DW can easily make great hammer units, the question I have is, is there a way to harden them up? A couple terminators and/or stormshields would be great, but weight of fire can negate them. 

IMHO a mixed force of say, Elysians as cheap screen killers with another AM detachment filled with say, manticores or basilisks and would be great, and then you kit up your drop teams to be able to take out tanks and high T enemies. If I dropped my veteran squads and vendetta in my current Guard army, I'd get maybe 700 some points for DW. That's not a lot.....

The game seems to have evolved into one with the goal of hold the objective every turn until the end of the game, so tough units that can stay on an objective should also be a goal, although soft units can hold an objective while other units upfront run interference. 

[KGatch113]

 

one kill team split into combat squads (Vets with stalker pattern boltguns in razorback and bikers with vanguard vet running ahead)

 

The Combat Squading, which I have rarely ever done before, seems to be the standout DW strategy for me at this time.  That's just personal, though.

 

My reasoning was, what does DW do that others don't.  I absolutely agree with what this subforum has mentioned so far, the Chainsword becoming the standard sidearm instead of a bolt pistol, and I'll probably take different patterns of bolters than normal just to more fully utilise Special Issue Ammo.  However, if I wanted to deep strike a Dreadnought, for example, I might turn to Raven Guard instead for their Strike From the Shadows, etc.

 

A Troops-based 5-man team of Bikers + 1 Vanguard, however, is something unique to DW this edition I believe.  I think it's still eligible for Objective Secured, plus they combine the White Scars Chapter Tactic with the ability to fire after Falling Back thanks to the Vanguard.  That utilises their double bolters with Special Issue Ammo.  This is an example of what DO does that others can't.  There are limitations to this though as they have to Combat Squad to do it, so maybe only for smaller games up to 1000 pts?

 

Really liking this thread, btw.

 

 

Strike from the Shadows does not work with dreads, just infantry.

[leth]

Also the point of deep strike is that you survive the alpha strike. The raven guard one doesn’t help if they go first/with placement

[N1SB]

Thanks for correcting me, this definitely changes the dynamics for what I was planning, good stuff.