Maneuver Warfare in 40k

[MustertheCustards]

Oh absolutely, do you think you'd be better with other codex stuff and ignoring your ranged AT options all together would be viable?

[CrystalSeer]

I've run two lists that fit that description: One was the classic Supreme Command Detachment (two princes and Ahriman), the other was a Tzeentch daemon detachment. Both worked, but their methods were different.

 

The daemon princes were good to warp time towards the enemy lines, then use Diabolic Strength to tear armor apart. The only requirement was keeping them screened by troops until the appropriate time so that they could not be targeted. Once these guys are out in the open they will go down fast.

 

Tzeentch Daemons work on a completely different mechanic. They are cheap, very difficult to kill, and can screen your character support while you set up your position. They function as an anchor and zone control while your maneuver elements take the fight to the enemy.

 

 

A last note: 20 man rubric squads are surprisingly good at taking out armor on their own. In my last game a twenty man block took out (2) Pallas Grav-Attack without any strategem or external support while slowly marching up the right side of the table.

[MustertheCustards]

That's awesome

[Dolchiate Remembrancer]

@CrystalSeer, have you given any thought to how the new cults affect this stratagem?

[CrystalSeer]

@CrystalSeer, have you given any thought to how the new cults affect this stratagem?

 

The reason I have not posted an update is two-fold: one, I like to speak from experience rather than speculation, and I have not yet tried out most of the rules in games. I have only been able to play twice since the new rules have come out. Second, although PA has given us numerous new abilities, most of them do not truly change the way that the army functions.

 

Prior to PA's drop, I listed 3 conditions that I wanted to see addressed. First, I wanted spells to be more reliable to cast. Second, Increased anti-armor capability. And third, a way to make rubricae resilience comparable to their points cost. Out of these three, we received several boons.

 

 

Reliable casting - they added 9 spells that were relatively easy to get off, and decreased the casting value of several of them. More importantly, they added a strategem allowing us to ignore perils with 1cp. With CP re-roll, Gaze of Fate, ignore perils, and the proliferation of +1/2 to cast, I think we are in good shape on this front.

 

Anti-armor - this one has not changed appreciably. The Cult of Prophecy relic does allow our lascannons a bit more reliability, so I will take it to keep some anti-armor from the main codex, however we are vastly behind the power curve here. Cult of Magic has a good spell and WL Trait, but adding 1-2 mortal wounds does little when the target has 12-18 wounds on its profile.

 

Rubricae - between a strategem to increase invulnerable save, cost reduction, and the Cult of Time ability to bring rubricae back, the rubricae are in a great place. Additionally, giving them cult powers means that they are not as hampered by having the reduced smite.

 

 

My main thought is that strategically, the army operates the way it has in the past, just with greater efficiency. The Cult of Duplicity allows all of the strategies discussed previously in this article to be done with greater fluidity throughout multiple turns. It is essentially giving every unit the Dark Matter Crystal. This has incredible application and makes our combat style more viable across the board. For me this is the clear winner for the majority of our forces.

 

Although it is tempting to try and shoehorn multiple detachments, doing so decreases the overall efficiency of the list, so I will likely only do a double battalion. This gives a good balance of CP, cult rules, and available units.