Denzark
02-03-2011, 12:55 PM
OK, this post will contain a bit of rules, but within the actual main game existing rules - so not homebrew. Also tactics, and some discussion. Wasn't sure where to put it so Mods feel free to move elsewhere.
Last weekend, we wanted to fight a bit defensively - I am lucky to have ebayed the best part of 2 x Warhammer Mighty Fortresses, so these naturally lent themselves to the game. Rather than cityfight or whatever, we decided to use them as Imperial fortress from IA: Apocalypse. Me in defence, had to pay the points cost for them out of my army (2k).
So we set up; in the courtyard was the power gen for a planetary shield - the attackers needed to roll a successful leadership test with an unengaged unit in base contact with it. This would secure victory for the attackers (BA) unless the defenders managed to subsequently table them allowing them space to reset the shield (CSM).
Special rules: We had a debate about how to get up to the walls, and how to fight into them and towers. Eventually, we settled on the following. Each section could be entered as a vehicle, with an access point dead central - get within 2" with the whole squad and you would appear dead centre of that section but upstairs, and continue your move.
Should you be unable to get upstairs in either a tower or a section due to the opposition in the way, you could wait and fight them in the assault turn. I stated a fortress should be designed to prevent easy attacks upstairs and should favour the defenders, thus making all attackers going upstairs hit last - spiral stair cases etc. My opponent thought this would excessively weigh against the attackers so we agreed that they would not get an extra dice for attacking upstairs.
The break in aka Siege entry tactics:
The Mighty fortress gate is only big enough for a dreadnought at a push - no vehicle bigger than a bike can really get through. Therefore you need to get through the walls if you want your tanks in. At AV14, the wall sections have 4 hit/structure points which are only lost by penetrating hits. Therefore, the only thing that can achieve this is S9+ or 2d6 pen. My opponent had melta up close and 10 of 20 terminators with Chain fists - he only knocked down 2 sections in 2 games - if you want it down, remember concentration of fire principles.
Although I had a conga line of 16 Berzerkers, + Abbadon and some Slaanesh champion terminators in the courtyard, my opponent could have been brave with drop pods to get straight in. I recommend anyone assaulting the castle should be brave deepstriking - the battlements provide 3+ cover so you need to be inside the walls. Also, the defenders should remember that TLOS makes it hard for what is in the towers, to shoot down at the attackers who are btb with the wall. If a wall falls to terminators, remember the rubble is difficult ground - they will hit last most of the time so get to the breach quickly.
Game 1 - the owners of the castle had been slack in clearing their fields of fire. As such, infiltrating scouts with teleport homing nasties were in cover quite close called in Dreadnought Drop pods allowing 1st turn melta shots against walls. Due to some poor fire selection this attack petered out. In 5 turns the only casualties were 2 drop pods (trying to kil kil kil the homing beacons), the melta arm of a death company dread, and a CSM whose plasma got hot.
Game 2 - lesson learnt. My opponent went straight up the middle with bags of smoke. Destroyed the gate house and poured Blood Angels into the breach, cue mahoosive punch up and quotes from Henry V. He was close on the objective, but some cunning multi assaults prevented this. Also the fact that a bolder deep strike was rewarded by morphing inside the walls of the castle - the resulting mishap roll was not kind (to 6+ terminators and a bast*rd sang priest)...
I hope this is of interest to somebody, and I would love to hear if you have other rules used for siege fighting - all I would say is remember to be bold in the assault because the walls take some killing.
Cheers all,
Last weekend, we wanted to fight a bit defensively - I am lucky to have ebayed the best part of 2 x Warhammer Mighty Fortresses, so these naturally lent themselves to the game. Rather than cityfight or whatever, we decided to use them as Imperial fortress from IA: Apocalypse. Me in defence, had to pay the points cost for them out of my army (2k).
So we set up; in the courtyard was the power gen for a planetary shield - the attackers needed to roll a successful leadership test with an unengaged unit in base contact with it. This would secure victory for the attackers (BA) unless the defenders managed to subsequently table them allowing them space to reset the shield (CSM).
Special rules: We had a debate about how to get up to the walls, and how to fight into them and towers. Eventually, we settled on the following. Each section could be entered as a vehicle, with an access point dead central - get within 2" with the whole squad and you would appear dead centre of that section but upstairs, and continue your move.
Should you be unable to get upstairs in either a tower or a section due to the opposition in the way, you could wait and fight them in the assault turn. I stated a fortress should be designed to prevent easy attacks upstairs and should favour the defenders, thus making all attackers going upstairs hit last - spiral stair cases etc. My opponent thought this would excessively weigh against the attackers so we agreed that they would not get an extra dice for attacking upstairs.
The break in aka Siege entry tactics:
The Mighty fortress gate is only big enough for a dreadnought at a push - no vehicle bigger than a bike can really get through. Therefore you need to get through the walls if you want your tanks in. At AV14, the wall sections have 4 hit/structure points which are only lost by penetrating hits. Therefore, the only thing that can achieve this is S9+ or 2d6 pen. My opponent had melta up close and 10 of 20 terminators with Chain fists - he only knocked down 2 sections in 2 games - if you want it down, remember concentration of fire principles.
Although I had a conga line of 16 Berzerkers, + Abbadon and some Slaanesh champion terminators in the courtyard, my opponent could have been brave with drop pods to get straight in. I recommend anyone assaulting the castle should be brave deepstriking - the battlements provide 3+ cover so you need to be inside the walls. Also, the defenders should remember that TLOS makes it hard for what is in the towers, to shoot down at the attackers who are btb with the wall. If a wall falls to terminators, remember the rubble is difficult ground - they will hit last most of the time so get to the breach quickly.
Game 1 - the owners of the castle had been slack in clearing their fields of fire. As such, infiltrating scouts with teleport homing nasties were in cover quite close called in Dreadnought Drop pods allowing 1st turn melta shots against walls. Due to some poor fire selection this attack petered out. In 5 turns the only casualties were 2 drop pods (trying to kil kil kil the homing beacons), the melta arm of a death company dread, and a CSM whose plasma got hot.
Game 2 - lesson learnt. My opponent went straight up the middle with bags of smoke. Destroyed the gate house and poured Blood Angels into the breach, cue mahoosive punch up and quotes from Henry V. He was close on the objective, but some cunning multi assaults prevented this. Also the fact that a bolder deep strike was rewarded by morphing inside the walls of the castle - the resulting mishap roll was not kind (to 6+ terminators and a bast*rd sang priest)...
I hope this is of interest to somebody, and I would love to hear if you have other rules used for siege fighting - all I would say is remember to be bold in the assault because the walls take some killing.
Cheers all,