DOCTRINAE RAVENWING By ( Centurian99 ) |
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 |
Shooting or Assaulting? Ravenwing are, in general, equally suited to both assaulting and to shooting. The question, of course, is when and how to utilize each. More Dakka? In the early turns of the battle, it is usually (though not always) to your advantage to avoid HTH in favor of shooting. Remember, we must be many where they are few. Standing off for the first few turns and allowing the enemy to come to you can play a significant role in luring your opponent into splitting up their forces. To aid them in splitting their forces, your primary targets in the first few turns should be those units that can move 12" or more in a turn. For your bikes, the ideal range you should try and maintain is between 21" and 24". This puts you safely outside of most units assault range, while allowing you to fire your bolters at any targets that present themselves. Your multimeltas can also fire at this range, and should direct the majority of their fire at transports and the like. Most transports have fairly weak armor, and the even at maximum range a multi-melta or two can usually penetrate their armor. Your landspeeders are great for taking out troops with a 4+ save from a distance, and at 24" are a credible threat to light vehicles as well. Combined on key targets, the Ravenwing can destroy or seriously damage units from 21"-24" away, while the enemy is faced with the dilemma of either standing and firing at that range, or closing the distance and therefore reducing their shooting effectiveness because they moved. More Choppa? Around turns 2 or 3, you should have hopefully managed to separate your opponents' leading elements from their slower elements. Now is the time to charge in. If you constructed your army according to my guidelines, you should have at least one squadron armed with flamers and having a power-weapon armed veteran sergeant. If you're really paying attention, this squadron has an interrogator-chaplain or a librarian attached as well. This squadron should pick the biggest, nastiest enemy within range, maneuver, and then charge in. Usually, you'll want to have this squadron shoot a different enemy squad than the one they're planning to assault, because you do not want this squadron stuck out in the middle of nowhere in a position where they will receive a charge instead of giving one. Remember: 'tis better to give then to receive. Your other squadrons (the shooty squadrons) should also consider charging in, either to support the main assault squadron, or to tie up other units. The key here is to avoid power weapons, if at all possible. Its amazing how fast a bike squadron will disappear when facing a unit containing a single individual armed with a power weapon or power fist. Do not let this fate befall you. The best ways to take care of power-weapon wielding enemies are: A) To annihilate said enemies and their squads with shooting. B) To attack said enemies with a power-weapon wielding model of your own, who has a higher initiative. C) To perform a "fly-by-beheading" with the Master of the Ravenwing and the Raven Sword. Just make sure that when you do this, your target is either a 1-wound T4+ model, or any T3 model (as S6 is sufficient to auto-kill a T3 model.) The Application of Terror, Part I As I stated before, Weaken Resolve is a favorite of mine. Judicious use of this power can go a long way towards evening out the numbers gap between a Ravenwing force and its opponent. Any time your opponent has to make a morale check, you can, once per turn, force him or her to take that morale check on a 3d6. This greatly increases the chances of failure, with all attendant consequences. Firstly, there are some situations in which you do not want to utilize weaken resolve. Namely, if the target unit falling back leaves you vulnerable to enemy fire, you are better off hoping that the enemy passes their morale check. At any other time, it's time to inspire terror. Combined with strategically placed land speeders, weaken resolve plus crossfire can cause an enemy flank to utterly collapse. The Application of Terror, Part II There are several units in the various codicii that require a healthy amount of respect from a Ravenwing force. Target and destroy these units BEFORE you charge in, or else your lightning-fast Ravenwing assault will become a lightning-fast Ravenwing funeral. 1) Dreadnoughts and wraithlords (including carnifi) 2) S4 or better squads armed extensively with power weapons (i.e. Possessed Marines /w Vorpal claws). 3) Tyranid hive tyrants and genestealers. Note that this is by no means an exhaustive list. It is imperative to remember that though your units have good armor and high toughness, you cannot expose your units unnecessarily to danger. Of Objectives and Missions One of the advantages of the Ravenwing is their great speed. In essence, this allows you to seize objectives and mission goals in the last turns, and so can concentrate on destroying the enemy's ability to achieve objectives in the earlier turns. Conclusions: Well, that concludes this edition of Doctrinae Ravenwing. Properly executed, a Ravenwing force provides an entertaining and satisfying game of 40K, as a numerically inferior force surgically takes apart and destroys a much more numerous conventional force. May the Emperor's luck shine on your hunt for the Fallen, and may you bring glory and honor to the Lion. |
TACTICA RAVENWING |
