TACTICA DARK ANGELS By Marcos Fernandez ( Smoking Frog ) |
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 |
EFFECTIVE FORCE DISPOSITION AND TACTICS So you've played a few games with your Angels and want some more advice. Or you simply have no clue with what you are doing. Or may be you're an experienced veteran who just wishes to review some tactics, orthodox or otherwise. Whoever you are, I have included some conventional and unusual tactics for your person to peruse. Keep in mind that none of the articles mentioned here are made for every situation, instead I have provided the best options for certain tactics and given you the concepts to formulate tactics with. I actually don't discuss tactics on a practical level, simply because to do so wouldn't really aid you. Battle lines change so quickly that if I was to write for every contingency I would be dead and still typing. So I have provided concepts to live by while you attempt a certain style of play. Reaching from afar This is a guide for shooty Dark Angels. Every Angel player knows that the Intractable rules are great for shooty units, since they don't fall back but can't do much else but shoot. Also, many Dark Angels players have the tendency to develop shooty armies, so I hope my guide here helps on some basic thoughts. Firstly, how will you select your forces and deploy them? You want maximum shooty effect, while maintaining the ability to take a fair amount of damage, and cripple the enemy before they can reach you for assault. This type of army is perfect for your devastator squads. Load up on as much of the same heavy weapon as possible to optimise the squad for one role. Lets say you take 2 Devastator squads, you fill up one with Missile Launchers and the other with Lascannons. I don't know about you, but if I was opposing those two squads, I'd keep my armour well away from them, but even so, I would still suffer damage to infantry from frag missiles, and the effective range of those two weapons is most battlefields. So you already have two units that'll make your opponent dirty his power-armoured underpants (another point, most players you will verse will have power armour, sad but true, unless you're lucky enough to live in a place where the popular army is an alien one). A vehicle like a Whirlwind is a useful addition to the shooty army, in that it can bombard the enemy indirectly, and cause some havoc amongst enemy infantry. Consider Predators as well, most of the weapons on one reach as far as the Devastators above do. Another very useful addition to the shooty army is the Dreadnought. Take as many as you wish (keep in mind your points) and for maximum long range effect, consider equipping it with a lascannon and missile launcher. This way, you maximise your chances of destroying whatever you shoot at. If you are lucky enough to know you are going to oppose a close combat army, consider keep the Dreadnought close combat weapon, so you have something that can meet them in battle. Consider also Deathwing Terminators. They are stubborn, so can be relied on to stand where they are, they are equipped with dangerous close combat weapons, so they can chew up most enemies if the battle lines meet, and they have effective long range weaponry. Load one squad up with either Cyclone Missile Launchers or Assault Cannons, sit alongside your tactical squads and let forth with fiery death. Those Tactical Squads I mentioned, they are your main troops. They are there to protect your Devastators and other long range equipment, to meet the enemy, and to form a "meat shield" to your terminators. While the Deathwing are powerful, they will be overwhelmed if forced to deal with an entire army on their own. Arm your tactical squads with heavy bolters and plasma guns, missile launchers and plasma guns, or a bit of both. They are the anti-infantry units here, use them wisely. Your HQ should be a Librarian. This way you can use his default psychic power when the enemy closes in, and you already have a close combat monster. Or maybe even a Commander, his "Rites of Battle" ability will ensure that your troops wont need to suffer from using their own already high morale and can use the even higher Commander Leadership value for tests (pinning, morale, etc.). A useful ability when you want everyone to be on their best behaviour. You may also consider the usage of Scout squads with nothing but sniper rifles and a heavy weapon to knock off any enemy units and characters that could cause problems for you. A very useful addition to a shooty army indeed. When battle is met, you must consider very carefully how you will overcome your opponent. Shooting requires a fair amount of nerve, because many times you will be tempted to run to better locations, or can't make the decision between vital enemy targets, or enemy close combat troops threatening your lines. As you can see, very tricky. So, deployment is a very important phase. When you are deploying, consider some thoughts. Does the enemy have dangerous ordinance/blast weapons? If they do spread your troops wide apart. Does the enemy have dangerous close combat troops in vehicles? Is the enemy a shooty army like you, or are they reliant on other methods (close combat, movement, stealth)? Whatever the situation, you must divide the enemy into priority targets. The most immediate threats (ie; transports, specialist assault troops, ordinance/blast weapons, batteries of heavy weapons) should be targeted first and foremost. Then and only then do you have the freedom to demolish your opponent piecemeal. Under no circumstances respond to enemy movements. The moment you lose track of priority targets and instead damage other units, you will begin to lose the battle. Your lines will mostly remain static, but make sure you have at least one or more tactical squad(s) moving towards the objective if objectives are a key to winning. This is where Dreadnoughts can come in handy for either situation. If they are carrying only heavy weapons, they make an effective walking fire platform, otherwise they make a close combat nightmare for any foolish enemies willing to close in on them. A Predator to support the advance to an objective can help as well. The best support Predator option is the Predator Annihilator with heavy bolter sponsons. Under 4th edition, it can move 6", like the tactical squad, and open fire with all it's weapons. A Vindicator can do the same thing too, under 4th edition rules. With your own battery behind your advance to support you on the move, these options can make the enemy recoil under your advance. Summarily, these options should fit most situations should you decide to undertake any mission with a shooty Dark Angels army. Remember that these are open for you to rip apart and reorganise and theorise yourself. If certain tactics work effectively, refine them. Then try to develop new ones which may be surprisingly effective. It's all inevitably up to you to use my advice any way you deem necessary. Ripping out throats for the Lion Not many people will use the Dark Angels as a close combat army, but it is possible. If you love close combat, here are some concepts for your digestion to create an army dangerous to the health of even the specialist close combat armies out there. First of all, you need to optimise most of your army to close combat. That means sergeants with bolt pistols and close combat weapons, that means Dreadnoughts with Assault Cannons and Dreadnought Close Combat Weapons with either storm bolters or heavy flamers. It also means squads fitted with short ranged weapons like flamers and meltaguns. If you want to be dedicated to taking the enemy up close, don't even think about plasma guns. Take plasma pistols for your assault squads, of which you will have at least two of with maximum numbers. For the units without jump packs, opt for either a transport or drop pod. A Drop Pod is another new feature in 4th edition for all Space Marines. A Drop Pod is a vehicles you must purchase (or make yourself) for your squad, and it allows you to deep strike at any time in any Standard Mission. Effectively, what this allows you to do is deep strike a unit anywhere you want. For a close combat based army, you can of course see the value in this ability. The transport option is always there for the foot sloggers. Whether you pick a Rhino or Razorback, always give them extra armour and smoke launchers. After all, the last thing you need is your army grind to a halt right in front of the enemy's guns. Consider also Deathwing Assault Terminators. Teleport them or give them Drop Pods, but get them stuck in either way, in a quick fashion. They have lightning claws which are dangerous weapons in their own right, and thunderhammers which can stun multi-wound high toughness targets. You HQ should be a Jump-pack Chaplain to accompany your assault marines, so his special rules allows them to re-roll failed hits in the first round of combat when they charge. Also, his fearless rule will ensure that no matter what happens, you will overcome. Arm him with a bolt pistol as well. That many attacks on the charge will hurt many any enemy. All you need to know is MOVE FORWARD! FAST!!! Get within assault range as early as possible. Send your specialist assault troops towards the enemy's non-specialist units or heavy weapons, and shoot down any enemy assault troops with your tactical squads when they hop out of their transports. With that many shots from their bolters, plus the meltagun/flamer you packed, you should be amazed if anything lives! All in all, just move forward and keep your eyes on the ball. If you opt to deep strike any units, try to time their arrival with precisely planned assaults. That way, they wont be vulnerable on the turn they arrive, and they can wreak havoc amongst the lines next turn. I hope you get the idea of what I am trying to tell you. It is possible for Dark Angels to be a close combat army, but watch out for the Intractable rule. Essentially, you can have an assault squad park right in front of an enemy by becoming intractable, and that's a problem... |
TACTICA BATTLE FORCE |
