Aegis Defense Line Uses & Strategy

[Captain Caine 24th]

1. What is it supposed to do?  
   1. Hold a position or deny a flank, or zone out an area?
   2. Any Line of sight (LOS) blocking?
2. What does it actually do?
   1. Defense Line (INFANTRY, BEASTS, SWARM)
   2. Light Cover (+1 to saves, ranged)
   3. Heavy Cover (add 1 to saves, melee)
   4. Defensible (overwatch on 5+ or add 1 to hit rolls in fight phase)
   5. special rules: 'reinforced construction' - mitigate/worsen AP by 1
3. What concerns do you have?
   1. fitting it in deployment zone (pos/negatives of removing a terrain piece to fit it)? 
   2. points - is it polishing a pig, a points sink, or is there more going on here? 
   3. opportunity cost - why am I taking a heavy weapon squad in my crowded Heavy support? 
4. If you did take it - How would you use it? (straight forward or special tricks?)
   1. Up front, in back, to one side? 
   2. Heavy weapon squad?
   3. One squad kasrkin by Taurox/chimera; One by Barbicant's key; One by the Aegis wall? 
   4. Ogryns? Get a Commissar or Tank Ace steel Commissar to order said ABHUMANs to "remain vigilant" and zone out a big 12" bubble?

[Harrowmaster]

It's a nice add on to a force if you have the points to spare. I'd likely only take it if I had the 40 points left and couldn't fit anything in. I'd either use it to protect heavy weapons and ordnance batteries or ideally slap it in front of an objective in my deployment zone so the squad holding it is hard to shift. 

[sairence]

Early protection for a Kasrkin/Scion firebase. Slap them behind the line, order take cover for a 3+ and dense, and no opponent is going to waste much fire on them. 

 

And at 40p it really doesn't matter if you get much use out of it. If it keeps some important stuff save for even a turn it'll have been worth it 

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

This stuff should not be units that cost points in the codex.

 

make it a free pdf or something but there should just be a fortifications or advanced terrain book.

[greatcrusade08]

13 hours ago, sairence said:

Early protection for a Kasrkin/Scion firebase. Slap them behind the line, order take cover for a 3+ and dense, and no opponent is going to waste much fire on them. 

 

And at 40p it really doesn't matter if you get much use out of it. If it keeps some important stuff save for even a turn it'll have been worth it 

 

I really like the idea of karskins behind this, maybe with super snipers, 3+ save that reduces ap by 1

[Subtleknife]

Personally this should cost points. I think it should be a pre game stratagem. 

 

I have a big gripe with stratagems. They should create a strategic not tactical effect. A defence line is more along the lines of something I think strats should do. 

 

Call it "dig in" or something and make it cost 3ish cp.

[Emperor Ming]

Giving enemy units a 2-engagement range sort of kills it

 

Remember the whole ruins fiasco, gw changed ruins to have a 2-engagement range, it created such a power shift that they had to backtrack and reverse it

 

 

 

 

[sairence]

I wouldn't go that far.

 

This isn't something I would deploy right on the front line for my first wave anyway, it's something I would use to keep my second wave of more expensive specialists save until the first line has drawn the enemy in and I want them to move out and engage.

[Minsc]

Bullgryns with Slabshields and Gauntlets*.
Have fun shifting 6 of these guys who you have to deal with before you can reach the infantry/tanks behind them.
Also allows you to play the Shield of Flesh stratagem with ease if you have any infantry near/behind them.

(*Who I consider a vastly superior choice over Mauls in the new codex.)