AM/IG Deployment late 8th Ed. Discussion Revisited

[Captain Caine 24th]

ASTRA MILITARUM DEPLOYMENT Revisited late 8th Ed.

Too often conversations stop at conclusory statements like 'that doesn't work' or 'that isn't a good comparison.' But, the "why" is a very important question, because we're all at different levels, and even a wrong answer can illuminate new ideas from a new perspective, and exclusion has a value of it's own. So, I'm not good at deployment, and I'm going to just think out loud for a bit... tell me why I'm wrong, right, or more should be added to the discussion.

 

GOING FIRST

• Enemy Counter-Deployment
  • opponent anticipates you will shoot them in the open and takes advantage of cover/reserves to minimize your damage output turn 1, with the expectation to move out and hit you hard at the bottom of turn 1.
  • List Building: Add or ally units capable of deploying outside deployment zone to push enemy (1) away from you and (2) away from objectives; and (3) limit their deployment options (back them into a corner so they can't move out as effectively)?
  • Is this a limitation on Cadia regiment--practically speaking will you need to expect to move out?
• Objectives
  • Get that first blood Rambo!
  • set units up within range to capture turn 2 objectives
    • don't just throw away units
  • plan redundancy for things that might not go as planned. 
  • List Building: the old white dwarf saying: "if you bring one Leman Russ, Bring two."
• Reduce Enemy Efficiency
  • Enemy ability to destroy you degrades as they take casualties
  • Ask about their list 
  • Determine target (& objective) priority
    • things might not be as they seem
    • going first might be your only chance to catch opponents before they use special rules, stratagems, or powers
    • List Building: do you have units that can target characters if they aren't the closest unit?
  • Problem Units; 'Death Stars'
    • If you face an unkillable unit, why are you planning to shoot at it? Aim those Russes where they will do some harm. Play to the mission instead
    • List Building: Did you include units to play to the mission objectives? Three shadowswords might be maximal damage output... but what if they can't target the problem? Is your list designed around one specific plan to kill everything?

GOING SECOND

• Cover, Line of sight (LOS) blocking terrain, Board dimensions, deployment map
  • Deploy behind or in cover
  • Did you talk to you opponent or did you assume, based on prior games what the term 'cover' means?
  • Is it necessary if you have an army wide stratagem for cover?
  • Can you use your own units as cover (insert Valhallan comment here)?
  • List Building:
    • Smoke on tanks can't pop till your turn.
    • A primaris psyker or inquisitor won't help until your turn.
    • Quantity has a quality of its own? Consider bringing more units and less upgrades... some aren't going to make it home (this got a bit dark already).
• General Army wide cover stratagem
  • List Building: Won't affect titanic units (take a superheavy Ace?
  • build CP cost into your list?
• LOS blocking (what's better than 2+ armor? Not getting shot).
  • Ask opponent about LOS. clarify your intention to fix the problem before it starts: prevent an argument turn 1.
  • Ask opponent about what ranges and movements are. "Oh, yes you were out of sight at deployment, but my paladin terminators with vulcan mega bolters can move 24" and shoot." Hmmm, Cool. 
  • Consider LOS at deployment, but also at turn 1 or 2. 
  • List Building: Will your shadowsword fit behind an ork hut? 
  • Deploy out of LOS: overly conservative deployment may save your troops, but will in turn reduce your capability to shoot, move, and get objectives
    • Maybe plan on putting your shadowsword out of line of sight if going second (and so you add a Trojan support unit to help it with BS when it moves out of LOS blocking cover; or maybe catachan maybe you say movement can't be avoided, so you go for better number of shots with a catachan or tallarn tank
       
• Scoring Objectives
  • Review the mission packet. Play missions beforehand if you can. I constantly read things backwards, and gloss over important points. Do i score at the end or beginning of my turn?? 
  • ask about the mission if misunderstood. Talking with the opponent might also flag their misunderstanding and prevent a fight later on. 
  • Deploy on or with a plan to move onto objectives
  • Be active in placing objectives before deployment. Account for your army capability and theirs.
    • List Building: fast units like squads in valkyries, hellhounds, infantry squads and leman russes with officers, can move up long areas of the board surprisingly quickly. Bullgryns are much slower generally, and placement in the middle of the board might reduce the chance they are stuck in no man's land during the game.
    • Medusa and earthshaker carriages might be my all time favorite models, but they do not move (yes I'm aware of Trojans, Atlas, and Centaurs, but be realistic). The problem is that missions may vary among tournaments greatly. You might be required to move units out of your deployment zone to get points. You might need every unit you have to move to capture a relic.   
    • Scions might be good at dropping into a good location turn 1, 2, or 3. It need not even be a command squad with 4 plasma guns. A small unit might make it hard for the opponent to justify diverting serious forces to eliminate. 
    • Keep in mind movement abilities: (1) officer orders; (2) equipment to help movement/orders like a vox caster or track guards; (3) regiment special rules: (4) stratagems. You might really catch an opponent off-guard with track guards, when a hellhound with 1 wound can suddenly move really fast even with 1 wound left.
• Enemy Range
  • Calculate Range (avoid a 'gotcha' moment... "so my gretchin can charge 47." What.)
    • read up on enemy armies prior to fight for basic sense of the rules
    • ask about range in list: movement; deepstrike; special targeting ability (snipers)
    • look at the list
    • measure range (practice if you need to, so you don't waste time in game)
  • Counter deploy
    • Leverage Rules: (1) craft a list to deploy some un-targetable units (maybe characters) (chaplain dreadnoughts were recently the boogeyman at tournaments, though hopefully they were FAQ'd); (2) deploy out of sight; (3) deploy out of range; (4) deploy requiring them to move (reducing BS on heavy weapons, etc)
    • Refused Flank - an old favorite. Deploy to one part of the board only. Let the enemy deploy across the whole board. You are concentrated, and hopefully half your enemy can't shoot you because you're out of range. This can put you in a bad spot for objectives though. List Building: consider basilisk and manticore- it's fun when you can shoot them but they can't shoot you. 
    • Deploy layered Defense. Screens, bubblewrap, chaff, speedbumps, Whatever you want to call the concept.
      • put Conscripts and infantry squads between your important stuff and the enemy
      • hopefully you slow down something like tyranids or white scars, which will, as sure as I'm typing now leap across the board and grab you by the throat (don't listen to the internet propaganda, these armies don't suck, they are murder machines).
      • this can be wasteful, and it can be ineffective
      • you may award kill points - look at the mission
      • putting a 'speed bump' in front of the enemy can result in the enemy getting to you faster and here's why: Some units get extraordinary charges (after advancing); consolidation or herioic intervention, like hormagaunts or space wolves, and a knight house i'm forgetting... (maybe 6" instead of the usual 3"); double fight phases like 'honor of the chapter' strat for space marines, (meaning they wipe out your first rank, consolidate into your second rank, wipe that out and consolidate again)
    • List building: did you bring more than 3 infantry squads? If you are going second, how many infantry squads will live? Maybe bring 6. Push that melta gun drop squad back so it can't drop in right on your leman russ. maybe scout sentinels will help you push up the table and keep them back a bit.
    • Utility is more than damage output. What about Bullgryns--maybe you need somebody to not die. One job, just do that and other stuff will do the rest. Maybe.
    • take some reserves to prevent getting shot off the table (tallarn?)
    • what's realistic based on the table map? If you've got a narrow table edge can you really deploy two squads in front of your basilisks each 4" apart?? Uh oh. 
    • Include non-LOS units (e.g. manticore, Wyvern, Basilisk, mortars) to mitigate loss of effectiveness in sub-optimal deployment 
• ​Optional: Deploy as if you were going first anyway
  • bold strategy
  • ignoring the problem is the best way to solve a problem. Do those imperial fist heavy weapons really get +1 damage on your vehicles turn 1??
  • Expect Heavy Casualties (insert another valhallan or krieg joke here). 
  • I suppose You'll have line of sight all set up and ready to go.
  • In a capture the relic type of mission, only the relic matters for victory points. So, you may consider deploying the entire army in one concentrated ball of murder to run directly at the objective immediately or all is lost. I’m not saying it’s a good idea, but maybe. Or, Maybe you plan your list with some durable, hard-hitting units (bullgryns) for just such an occasion. 
• If alternating deployment (based on mission or tournament) Deploy non-essential units first leaving space for units as you go to force decisions on your opponent
  • Playing IG/AM probably means you have a lot of units—it’s reasonable to think the opponent might run out before you, so you may not be hiding much. Maybe you’re hiding what matters.
• Prepare for Redeployment, Unusual deployment
  • Ask your opponent
  • Some units can redeploy
  • Some armies can redeploy multiple units after armies are set down (e.g. Ultramarines, Eldar, genestealer cults)
  • pay attention to range and LOS blocking terrain expecting a shakeup/change at the end of deployment)

Alright, that's all for now. Happy Hunting.

[WarriorFish]

I always assume I'm going second... as a Guard army the odds are not usually in your favour so better to be pleasantly surprised :P Plus practically speaking there's normally too many units to reliably get cover etc, so some of your units will be placed in good shooting spots if you get first turn. I always deploy as if the opponent has deployment or charging tricks up their sleeve too, worst that happens is the enemy is a bit further away from your valuable units right?