Post by Fadril Adren on Mar 29, 2017 15:26:30 GMT -5
Tactical Toolbox – Deployment
Today we are going to be looking at how to get the most out of deployment in Warhammer Age of Sigmar. A good set-up in Warhammer Age of Sigmar allows a player to execute their plans while still adapting to their opponent. A great set-up forces your opponent to change their plans, pulling apart their strategies.
Your deployment can win you the game and it starts with your army list. In the following article, I will cover the most important aspects of the deployment. I hope this will help you deploy more tactically and build armies better at taking advantages of the strategies available during this crucial part of the game.
We will cover the following subjects:
* Rules of Deployment
* First turn or not?
* Threat range
* Adapting to your opponent’s deployment
* Synergies & Key targets
* Scenarios & Objectives
* Single drop armies
* ‘Teleport’ armies
* Summary
Rules of Deployment
Every game starts with an initiative roll. The player that rolls the highest decides which side of the table they want to deploy on. Players then alternate setting up their units in turns, starting with the player who won the initiative roll. All units must be set up at least 12″ from enemy territory. The player who finishes deploying first may decide who takes the first turn.
Note that some, or all, units in a battalion can be set up as one unit. This is stated in each Battletome at the introduction of Warscroll Battalions.
Before a battle, ask for your opponent’s army list and take stock of the number of drops (aka – turns of deployment) your opponent has.
If you have fewer drops than your opponent, you will always be able to decide who takes the first turn.
Taking the First Turn… or Not?
With most games, the first turn is an obvious blessing, but this is not so straightforward in Warhammer Age of Sigmar. In this game, there are benefits to getting the first or the second turn, depending on what you can do with it. Before you decide if you want the first turn, there are three things you need to consider.
* The player who takes the second turn will have a chance to get a double turn.
* There is always at least 24″ between your models and those of your opponent.
* The scenarios “Border War” and “Three Places of Power” have important objectives in the middle of the board, 12″ from both territories.
This means that, in a lot of games, both players will have very little to do in the first turn while still giving up the opportunity for a double turn. Having the first turn is usually only beneficial in these three scenarios:
1. If you can capture an objective without overextending yourself.
2. If you can do significant damage to key targets without overextending yourself.
3. If you need to use abilities to survive your opponent’s next turn(s).
If it is not up to you to decide who takes the first turn, you can try to force the hand of your opponent with your deployment. Do this by deploying aggressively, forcing them to either take the first turn or suffer heavy casualties and/or lose objectives. Try to do this without putting your units into too much danger.
Threat Range
One of the most important things to consider when deploying is how far units can charge and shoot after one movement phase. This is called their ‘threat range’.
Units that deal damage in D6’s have a huge damage potential, but a low output on average. A Wierdnob Shaman on a Balewind Vortex, for example, can have the potential to wipe out any unit within 38″, but on average, he only does about 3 mortal wounds per turn. Thus, trying to deploy outside the reach of the Wierdnob will often set you back more than if you suffered one or two rounds of his spells.
These types of units inspire fear in their opponents. Use this to your advantage!
Being aware of the threat range and damage output of your opponent’s units will allow you to get rid of your fears and deploy your units most efficiently.
The first unit my opponent sets up is a Wierdnob Shaman. I know the Shaman has a potential 38″ threat range (red circle) since he has 100 points in reserve to summon a Balewind Vortex. My first instinct is to set up my Celestial Hurricanum out of its reach, but this way I will only be able to support my units at one objective, as you can see with its (blue) threat range. After some quick calculations, I come to the conclusion that the average output of the Shaman is only 3 wounds per hero phase. I decide I am willing to take the 3 wounds (give or take) in order to be able to support my units at two objectives.
Adapting to your Opponent
With every deployed unit, the options for each player become more limited. Try to understand the role of each unit that has been set up. This will allow you to respond effectively with your next unit.
Likewise, the order in which you set up your units determines how well your opponent can respond to your deployment. In general, setting up your most influential units last will make them harder to counter.
Since I set up my Celestial Hurricanum as my first unit, my opponent suspects I will deploy the bulk of my army around it. By deploying their Gore-gruntas near the bottom objectives, I am forced to respond or lose it. Placing my Skinks in a line, I leave room to place my Dragon Blades behind them later on (see below) without giving away which objectives I plan to focus on. Knowing this, my opponent needs to deploy on the top side, spreading out their units or risk losing pressure on the objectives.
Synergies and Key targets
Loads of armies focus on synergies to optimise their units. Even though this can lead to potent units, their dependency on each other limits their deployment.
When deploying a synergy-heavy army, do your best to keep track of the threat range of enemy units and their damage output.
If you fear your opponent’s damage potential, try to calculate what their average damage output is before deciding if you can, or cannot, afford to be in their threat range.
I now must place my Skinks next to my Celestial Hurricanum to protect it from the Gore-gruntas. The +1 to hit ability of my Hurricanum only reaches 10″ around it (the dotted line). Due to the placement of my Skinks, I have limited options for where to place my other units within the reach of the ability. My opponent knows this, and sets up a third unit of Gore-gruntas in the middle. This way they can still cover each objective with at least two units and the Wierdnob Shaman.
After my opponent sets up their last unit, the almighty Maw-krusha, I set up the rest of my army. After they give me the first turn, I try to claim a position in which I can absorb most of the inevitable charges with my Skinks. This way I can set up counter-charges with my Dragon Lord and Dragon Blades. Let’s hope my opponent does not get a double turn!
Scenarios & Objectives
Out of the six scenarios, only “Border War” and “Three Places of Power” have objectives that are relevant in the first battle round. When you play either scenario, pay close attention to the objectives when deploying.
You can pressure your opponent by having a large or sturdy unit on the objectives and having it in your threat range.
Do not deploy your army by only focusing on the objectives, though. While it is one of the most important elements in the game, there is no use in capturing an objective just so your opponent can take it from you the next turn. If you plan on taking an objective, do it in a sustainable way.
Deployment and Single Drop Armies
All Grand Alliances have battalions that can contain an entire army. In these cases, a player can choose to deploy all the units in that battalion at once, usually ensuring them the choice of the first or second turn. As strong as it seems, this also forces the player to deploy blind, taking away all their ability to adapt to their opponent’s deployment.
If your army deploys in one drop, it is important that you have a clear deployment plan that works against your opponent’s army. Because everyone’s army is different, there is no substitute for practice here: test it at home using different scenarios and types of opposition. Try to learn how much of the board your army can cover without overexposing itself. It is also good to calculate roughly how strong a unit must be to present a threat to you.
On the other hand, if you are deploying against a single-drop army, try to take advantage of the fact that they cannot adapt. Put your most disposable units down first and see what your opponent does, then adapt accordingly.
Deployment and “teleport” armies
Some armies, such as Sylvaneth and Stormcast Eternals, can put some (or all) of their units in reserve, bringing them into the game at a later point. This allows them to disregard the hardship of deployment and set up their units (almost) anywhere they choose.
Even though this seems hard to prepare for, it has three glaring weaknesses:
1. Units in reserve usually come in during the movement phase, meaning they can’t do anything during the hero phase.
2. All units that get deployed from reserve have a minimum distance they need to keep from the enemy. Usually, this is 9″.
3. Units that come from reserve can’t move any further in the movement phase they are set up.
If a teleport army takes the first turn, they are giving their opponent a chance to get a double turn without having any buffs from their hero phase. This allows the other player to do some heavy damage with magic, shooting, charges and battle shock before the teleporting army gets to chance to have a full turn of normal actions.
If a teleport army decides to take the second turn, the opposing player can try to limit their deployment options by taking advantage of their minimum distance. This is best done by spreading models around key locations as you would with a meat shield. Using big or beefy units that can survive at least one shooting phase and combat phase only makes this more effective.
If you are playing against a teleport army, make sure you put enough pressure on the places where you think they might pop up. This way, they cannot deploy without suffering heavy casualties in your next turn(s). Make sure your most important units are protected against a charge, though, as even though a 9″ charge is hard to make, it is not impossible.
With my deployment, it will be impossible for my opponent to get to my key units without suffering heavy casualties. After receiving the first turn, I try to keep everything as protected as possible while still pressuring all objectives. My opponent spots a few weak points in my defence and prepares for the charge. If the Retributors fail their 9″ charge, they will be in quite some trouble!
Summary
* Try to know who will decide on the first turn.
* Try to know the threat range and average damage output of as many units in the game as you can
* Adapt to your opponent’s deployment.
– Put pressure on enemy key targets.
– Pull apart enemy synergies.
– Deploy your key units last.
* Put pressure on objectives.
– Focussing on objectives that are the least covered by your opponent will force them to spread out.
– Focussing on objectives that are already covered by your opponent will push them into invest more units.
* Deny ‘teleporting’ by using their 9″ minimum distance against them.
* Look for your opponent’s teleportation opportunities and be prepared to take advantage when they fail those long charges.