TACTICA DEATHWING By Steve Rizor ( Soular NRG ) |
This article has been reproduced with kind permission from the author. It's use here is not intended as a challenge to the original authors copyright and is reproduced here for the sole purpose of enhancing the Dark Angel spirit and the warhammer 40,000 experience |
Master and Grandmaster of the Deathwing I generally use the Master of the Deathwing (MoD, MotD). I can't really see any point in using the Grandmaster (GMoD, GMotD) unless you want to use the Sword of Secrets (SoS) or Lion Helm. Unfortunately, the latest FAQ from GW has stated quite clearly that models in Terminator armor can take neither those wargear items, nor the Sacred Standards. I usually just equip the Master with a Power Sword and Storm Bolter simply because the Space Marine Captain in Terminator armor figure comes equipped this way, but recently I have been giving him a pair of Lightning Claws instead. This gives you an extra attack with rerolls to wound. Some player Master-craft the Claws, but I feel that this makes the Master too costly. My suggestion for the budding Deathwing (DW) Master is to use whatever you feel looks the coolest as that mini represents you on the battlefield, and the choice of wargear generally won't make a huge impact on the game. That said, I like the Thunder Hammer, but I hesitate to throw away my Master's I5, perhaps a Thunder Hammer backed up with a Power Weapon is a good compromise? Command Squads I usually take a Command Squad without a Sergeant or any character upgrades. There generally isn't any point to upgrading, as the cool stuff isn't Termie-compatible (no Servo-arm, Signum, Narthecium or Sacred Standards). I have, on occasion, fielded a Standard Bearer with a Chapter Banner though. Remember that a Command Squad has the same number of heavy weapons as the 'Tactical Squads,' but with one less Termie to buy, saving you 52pts. And don't bother with the Sergeant, as it's almost always better to have a Powerfist than a Power Sword unless, of course, you intend to give him wargear. You can field the Sergeant, Apothecary, Techmarine and Standard Bearer for fluff reasons, or even kit them out with Combi-weapons/Powerweapon combos, but that gets really expensive and I do not recommend it. Tactical Squads I tend to field only five men each in the Tactical Squads, with two heavy weapons. This way you buy as few of the expensive Terminators as possible while maximizing your firepower. I prefer the Cyclone, however a good argument can be made for any of them. Cyclones have excellent range and enough punch to reliably take out enemy transports, thereby allowing you time to concentrate on more immediate threats while your opponent's squads are left trudging up to you. With a Cyclone you also get to keep the Storm Bolter and fire it along with the Missile Launcher. The Assault Cannon is also a very good weapon when used against infantry, but lacks any real armor penetrating power against vehicles and Space Marines, and it suffers from a lack of range. However, the Assault Cannon allows you to keep the Powerfist or Chainfist, which are quite brutal when used against enemy armor. I have never used the Heavy Flamer to good effect and don't recommend it unless you either intend to Deepstrike against lightly armored, massed infantry or want to minimize the chances of succumbing to Intractable with your Command Squad or other CC Squad. Do not mix the heavy weapons! Two Cyclones together are almost always better than one Cyclone and another heavy weapon. By the same logic, two Heavy Flamers fielded together are more effective than one Flamer and another heavy weapon. I have experimented with close combat Termies achieving little or no success. I can't recommend fielding entire squads of them, but the jury's still out on whether or not to include them in regular squads. I personally feel that a squad of five Deathwing Terminators with two Cyclones and two Lightning Claws makes an awesome tactical type squad that can fulfill nearly any combat role. I would no longer recommend the T-Hammer and Storm Shield combo except that they still work superbly when assaulting dangerous units like Ork Warbosses, Avatars and Wraithlords, units that have multiple wounds and high toughness. I still believe in Chainfists, I feel that next to the Multimelta they are the best way to take out heavily armored vehicles in 40K. Dreadnoughts Dreadnoughts are the best way to increase the shootiness or close combat killiness available to your army. Three Dreads with TL Auto Cannons and DCCWs cost a mere 30pts more than a five man Termie Squad with two heavies. The Dreads will out shoot, out fight and generally out live the Termie Squad. Dreads, on the other hand, have a harder time using terrain as cover, and can be taken out by a single lucky hit. Dreads are also slow. They cannot be transported and when Drop Podded they may not hit the table for some time. For armament I give mine TL Lascannons and Missile Launchers and set them up as supporting fire for the Termies in large battles. I also have one with an Assault Cannon and DCCW for smaller games where I feel that there aren't enough Termies to support one another in an assault. Most players prefer to keep DCCWs on their Dreads, that way they can pull double duty as a support and an assault element in their army. While I can appreciate the increased versatility, I have rarely gotten my Dreads in fast enough to engage the enemy in close combat. Even if they do manage to make it, a Dread at 105 points (minimum) can only kill one or two enemy figures per turn, the same number as any 52 point Deathwing Terminator. The Dreads should be used to add that which the DW suffers most from a lack of, adaptability. Optimize their weapons for the opponent, with Plasma Cannons, Heavy Bolters and Lascannons. These are weapons that the squads are incapable of taking. Don't cut corners by not giving your Dreads Extra Armor because if your Dread's ass is hanging out when he gets nailed and stunned, you can move him back out of LOS the next turn. Then when he's all better he can rejoin the fray. Also, while a Heavy Flamer may not be the best choice for your Termies, it can be a useful upgrade for a close combat able Dread, or one that you intend to Deepstrike. Remember to keep your Missile Launcher equipped Dreads out of H2H combat. While a Land Raider may bail out of combat at any time (it's considered a vehicle), a Dread is considered to be a participant in combat and so may not. That means if a lucky opponent assaults your non-DCCW Dread with some scouts or guardians, you're screwed. Even if they are incapable of dropping him, he will only be fighting with two, non-powered strikes per turn. If he cannot kill off his attackers, he will be incapable of firing for the rest of the game. It took just one instance of a tiny squad of Guardians holding up one of my Lascannon/ML Dreads for me to learn to either keep him away from combat, or back him up with a TL LC/Heavy Flamer Dread. Two TL Las/ML Dreads with a TL Las/DCCW Dread nearby is my current favorite Dread 'combo.' Land Raiders Of the three Land Raider variants available, the Crusader is by far the most specialized. However, I don't feel that its armaments do a good job of complementing those of the DW. The DW already has an abundance of anti-infantry firepower in the form of Storm Bolters, Assault Cannons and even Heavy Flamers. I feel that the twin TL Lascannons and Heavy Bolter of the standard 'Raider have both the range and power that the DW need to take out enemy armor and infantry. That said, using the LR as fire support is very expensive, and it's supposed to be a transport after all. Don't dismiss the Crusader as it still does an exemplary job as a transport for your Termies while backing that ability up with an arsenal of close range dakka. If you want to field a pair of vicious H2H squads, the Crusader can be used to transport a Chaplain (or Librarian) and seven Terminators alongside the Master and his Command LR. I don't have a Prometheus yet, if ever. I have heard negative reports of its battlefield prowess, but I feel that if used against the right army (Eldar?) it will come into its own. Its ability to allow a reroll for Deepstriking units is provocative enough, but I would never field it as my sole LR. I will say that though I am not a proponent of Deepstriking, this tank makes it both safer and more viable. Tactics Tactics-wise I can tell you that the army is not easy to play. You have to be good enough to capitalize on all of the DW's strengths, while denying your opponent the opportunity to exploit their weaknesses. Termies can move and shoot their heavies, as can the Dreads. Always use that to your advantage. Stay out of sight during the enemy's turn (behind building, rocks, trees, even Land Raiders), then pop all your guys out at once and concentrate your fire on a single enemy unit to destroy it utterly while exposing yourself to as little of his army as possible. Use Deepstriking to eliminate those enemy units that can cause you a great deal of trouble at a distance. Eldar Starcannons spring to mind. But be careful not to throw the unit away as losing 300pts of Deathwing to the enemy after eliminating a single Guardian Squad is a loss that you will most likely not recover from. Keep your army close together, if you spread out too far more mobile forces can isolate a squad or Dread and easily destroy it. Pay attention to how you place your figures in an assault. How many of us field a Command Squad with a pair of Heavy Flamers so that we can have some dakka while still minimizing our chances of failing Intractable? Let's say you have a Master, two Heavy Flamer Terminators and a pair of Lightning Claw Termies. The next time you jump out of a Land Raider and assault, think about how you place your troops. Set the Master in base to base with the same one or two guys that you set your Powerfist wielding Terminators against (preferably enemies with Powerweapons). While normally you would worry about whether or not the P-fists will survive to strike back, now you can use the Master's I5 and 5-6 attacks to eliminate those pesky Powerweapon wielding enemies (those in base to base contact die first). Since your Powerfist Terminators were in base to base at the beginning of combat, they will still get to strike with 3 Powerfist attacks each. |
TACTICA DEATHWING |
