Post by Fadril Adren on Jan 21, 2018 9:19:53 GMT -5
Battle for the Pass, on the surface, looks to be one of Warhammer Age of Sigmar’s simpler scenarios, but in practice, it’s anything but! Russ “The Face” Veal is back with a guide to stop you getting outflanked in your next game…
In this scenario, all you have to do is to capture the objectives and score more victory points to win. Simple, right? Maybe not so much… Your territory is hard to protect, being deep and narrow, and a strong combat force is hard to out-manoeuvre without the width of the table to help get around the flanks. Large units really help in this scenario, as they can steal an objective by having just one model within range if your opponent does not have large units to contest.
Key Points to Consider
* There are four objectives in this mission.
* You control an objective by having more models within 6″ of it at the end of your turn.
* A single unit of 20 or more models will trump a greater number of models across several units, unless your opponent also has a unit of 20+ models within range.
* Objectives are worth more points the further they are from your territory, with your starting objective being worth 1 victory point, the middle objectives 2 each, while your opponent’s is worth 4 points.
* Objectives remain under your control until your opponent can recapture them.
* Remember that while your home objective is worth 1 victory point to you, it’s worth 4 points to your opponent, so keeping it safe is important.
Setting a Plan for the Game:
During this mission, you want to try to keep hold of your home objective at all costs. Being worth only 1 victory point, there is a temptation to leave behind very little and push into enemy territory. This can be quite risky, and a canny opponent might get behind your troops and capture it, which can swing the whole game. If you hold your first objective and just worry about the central objectives, the game becomes a lot easier to manage. Enemy units of 20 or more models should be one of your top priorities; if you can get them below 20 with magic and shooting, they will lose a crucial advantage when securing objectives.
Plan 1 – Sweeping Advance
Armies such as Bloodbound and Ironjawz excel as this strategy, where the idea is to form a fighting line and sweep your opponent back and off the board. Be wary of special deployment units or flying units that could potentially retreat over your lines and then charge your home objective.
Aim to maintain the line across the width of the board. Having a sweeper unit to plug gaps, like a unit of Gore-gruntas or Mighty Skullcrushers, is very useful. Both of these units also make a great defensive front line, as they’re very big models and can be placed to cover a large portion of the table
Blood Warriors make an excellent first wave if applying this strategy, as they are still able to attack just after they’ve been killed in close combat.
Plan 2 – Bait and Counter
As you only need to focus on the two mid-table objectives if you can hold your own, this strategy can be very effective. The idea is to use a cheap unit to move onto each of the central objectives. This will force your opponent to come in and kill these units, giving you the opportunity to counter-attack.
As the opponent will need to commit enough troops to ensure they capture the objectives, they’ll likely need some of their larger units to do this successfully. This strategy is less likely to work if your opponent has large, cheap horde units of over 20 model, as they can use these to capture objectives without fighting.
Plan 3 – Draw and Quarter
If you have access to ranged units, and additional units which can deploy behind or inside your opponent’s territory mid-game, you can play a defensive game working on holding the central objectives. Pick off enemy units, deploying your reserves to attack where your opponent is weakest in order to capture an objective and overtake in points. The idea is to be mobile and flexible, using your range and speed to pick apart objectives one at a time, leaving behind your own small units to capture them.
Stormcast Eternals, Sylvaneth, Seraphon and Fyreslayers are all really good at this strategy, and many other allegiances have access to these sneaky units. The Celestant-Prime deserves a special mention, as he can come down late and clear an enemy unit from the table, or come down early and drop mortal wound comets on your opponent’s units from 24 inches away.
Plan 4 – Take and hold
In order to apply this strategy, you’ll need access to a couple large units of over 20 models which are quite hard to shift. If your opponent does not have many, or any, large units, then it’s perfectly acceptable to take a double turn early and allow them to secure the middle objectives. You should be able to then run or charge your horde units into range, capturing the objectives later on. You can also score big if you take the objective in the first of two rounds in a row.
Plaguebearers, Skeleton Warriors and Dryads are all really good examples of large units which can help you execute this strategy. Remember, if the opponent has any units which can reduce your hordes below 20, prioritise these with your combat units and/or shooting.
Putting it all together…
So keep your home objective safe, be aware of infiltrating or special deployment units your opponent has, and protect your territory using models to shut down the space they can deploy in. Use ranged attacks and magic to reduce enemy units below 20 models, and try to use your large units to secure objectives wherever possible. Play around the middle objectives, and look for opportunities to sneak a 4 point score if possible, such as retreat moves, special deployment and summoning. If you keep these points in mind and approach the game with a sound plan, you should be able to achieve victory in Battle for the Pass.