Tank shocking - whats it all about???

[Denzark]

Wasn't sure if this was a tactics or a rules question but here goes - as a 'how to?' I edged for this.

What the hell is the point of tankshock? I've gon from the good old RT/2ed days of making infantry roll under their initiative to avoid being crushed, to this tank shocking malarkey.

I can honestly say I have never used it. What, I can make a squad move to one side? Wow. I can risk hit from the preponderance of melta weapons if they death or glory?

Could someone please tell me how it works and more importantly what to use it for?

Cheers Big Ears

[TheKingElessar]

It can be used to funnel troops into Flamer template-meat. Each individual model must move the shortest distance, not the whole unit, so they end up very clumped.

Low morale units tend to flee from you, and if that takes them off the board? Hooray!

Only models directly in your path can DoG, so avoid Melta guys, obvs. lol

[GreenMarines]

Tank shock could be good to contested or steal an objective.

For me it worked well with a Land Raider. A friend of mine was sitting on an objektive and I tank shocked the unit. He had to move and because the objective was in the middle under my LR he was no longer in range and lost this objective.

Furthermore to get more of your opponents troops under your templates.

[Nabterayl]

I've used it also to shorten a transport's path to a target. Tank shocking is the only way you can avoid driving around an enemy unit.

It's worth noting that the odds of Death or Glory succeeding, if the tank shocking unit has an Extra Armour equivalent, are actually pretty low unless the tank shocking unit is open-topped or the Death or Glorying model has an AP1 weapon. I find this particularly useful (or annoying)l when the Death or Glorying model is a high-value assault model, such as a monstrous creature or a power klaw nob. A carnifex could Death or Glory a Chimera with extra armour, but even at S10 it has a slightly less than 50% chance of succeeding, and failure means the whole model is removed ... you have to be fairly risk tolerant to take those odds.

[40kGamer]

I used it just last week. My orky opponent was ignoring my weaponless whirlwind as it was no longer a real threat. I blazed across the board with it and tankshocked his lootas right off of an objective to win the game. It worked like a charm! :p

[Aldramelech]

My Vanquisher ran out of armoured targets, the Hvy Stubber was missing everything, so I Tank shocked the nearest 30 Ork unit........ Off they went! Love Tank shock lol

[TSINI]

i agree that it can be a dodgy gamble for a tank to tank shock, but it is usefull if the unit has no effective anti-tank weapons, if they are close to the board edge, and if your tank is not very valuable - a rhino with no squad to transport, or a medusa with all its guns blown off.

in our last game a 6,000 point a side apoc game, the orks simply ran their tanks right into our frontlines, tank shocking squads and ramming vehicles, because we were so close to the board edge i lost 2 squads from runing off the edge of the board.

but the main reason for the rule, is just for that one day when you have a tank that can't shoot this turn, and an enemy squad causing havoc, and all you can do is run the tank into it, if the gamble pays off and they run off the board, or even just away from your other units, you'll thank the rule-gods they had the forethought to shove in the tank shock rules :D

[TheKingElessar]

My Vanquisher ran out of armoured targets, the Hvy Stubber was missing everything, so I Tank shocked the nearest 30 Ork unit........ Off they went! Love Tank shock lol

That's a bit strange, seeing as mobs of over 10 Orks are Fearless...

[Welshman1440]

It's great for getting those under half strength units to flee if they've already passed their Ld check from shooting last turn. A wall of rhinos could move a unit quite far. It's just a little trick you can do. I particualrly like doing it to Guard. Or grots, they're fun too!

[Aldramelech]

That's a bit strange, seeing as mobs of over 10 Orks are Fearless...

Oh well, more fool him for not knowing that.......... Not my job to know the rules for my opponents codex:rolleyes:

[Denzark]

Oh well, more fool him for not knowing that.......... Not my job to know the rules for my opponents codex:rolleyes:

ha ha as they say in Russia, 'Unlucky my sonski'

[mathhammer]

also don't let people quote 4th ed rules to you.

5th ed. The only models that actually move are the models that will be under the tank when it stops or those that fail their moral check and fall back.

And You must declare the distance of the tank shock before you start the move.

[EmperorEternalXIX]

I use it to make enemy models step slightly away from the 3" ring around the objective.

[Scoota]

Another thing to remember with 'Tank Shocking' is that you are able to ram your opponent's vehicles, and cause damage/destroy them. Not many people remember this rule, and I once used this to destroy my opponent's Leman Russ with my Land Raider. The look on his face was priceless.

There are several things that tally up to give you the strength of the hit.
For every point of armour over 10, you add +1.
For every full 3 inches your vehicle moves, you add +1.
If you are using a tank (as opposed to a walker), you add +1.
You then add the roll of a d6, and that is the total strength of the armour penetration roll.

The enemy tank adds up their strength as well, but since they don't get anything for not moving, their armour penetration roll back is often pretty weak.

A great one to pull out on the unsuspecting.

[BlueGiant]

Tank Shock is also great for forcing those leadership tests and forcing Marines off the table. Especially if you keep chasing them so they can't regroup.

[Boys in Blue]

The strength modifier for distance moved applies for both the ramminng vehicle and the target vehicle (P69 example left column next to last paragraph).
I have seen rammings where both the ram and the target vehicles had the same strength, although usually somebody only rams if they are at an advantage.

[Zijan]

If you are using a tank (as opposed to a walker), you add +1.

don't forget about Vypers, Land Speeders, Trukks (w/o ram) and all other vehicles without the tank rule.

on a "Tank Shock Rocks" note, a buddy of mine had his Fire Prism tank shock 3 broadsides off the table in retaliation for blowing off the Prism Cannon. Rawr! Revenge!

[terricon4]

It was added to give weaponless rhinos something to do. Also realize that orks came out coexisting with 5th ed and they use this rule heavily with reinforced ram and especially deff rolla. For other armies its just another option, say you have a chimera with multi-laser or other low strength weapon. You need to destroy a tank so now you tank shock. You may take damage to a low value apc but you might also destroy a high priority target. And against small ork squads it is devastating. I once lost two squads of 6 and 8 lootas when they where camping at the back to fire long range and a chimera drives up and they fail tests. Two squads at about 220pts both run off the table.

[Axel]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned being able to reach units hiding behind other units yet. Say, for example, your opponent is playing Guard and hiding his command squad with 4 Plasma guns behind a squad of infantry amigos. You have a Tactical Squad of marines in a Rhino. Rather than smash the infantry in assault and get rapid fire plasma'd to death in your opponent's shooting phase, tank-shock the infantry and assault the command squad. With luck and intelligent use you may be able to combined assault both units.

[sorienor]

Great use for empty trukks (w/reinforced ram), especially against low-ld armies like guard or Tau. I'll tank shock anything and everything just to have something to do.

Tank shocking deamon units with the deffroller is probably one of the most fun things I've done in a long time.

[Rafen]

That's a bit strange, seeing as mobs of over 10 Orks are Fearless...

your close its 11 plus orks and the unit is fearless and this would just mean they would automatically pass their morale test for death or glory. So dont be tank shockin any tank bustas that would =:eek:

[MetalStorm4786]

Tank Shock is handy when all of the weapons on a Tank have been destroyed and it's got nothing else to do. I've seen alot of times, once a vehicle loses its weapons it gets ignored. Instead of spending the points destroying a tank that can't shoot them, alot of players point thier guns at a more immediate threat. If they do that to you, remind them you can still slam your foot down on the pedal!

[TheKingElessar]

your close its 11 plus orks and the unit is fearless and this would just mean they would automatically pass their morale test for death or glory. So dont be tank shockin any tank bustas that would =:eek:

And what did I say? lol


mobs of over 10 Orks

*Ahem*

[Bloodiedknight]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned being able to reach units hiding behind other units yet. Say, for example, your opponent is playing Guard and hiding his command squad with 4 Plasma guns behind a squad of infantry amigos. You have a Tactical Squad of marines in a Rhino. Rather than smash the infantry in assault and get rapid fire plasma'd to death in your opponent's shooting phase, tank-shock the infantry and assault the command squad. With luck and intelligent use you may be able to combined assault both units.

If the marines are in the rhino, they won't be assaulting anyone until next turn unless they get out before the rhino moves.

[Excalibur]

I primarily use tank shock to force units off of objectives
it can also be high distracting as your opponent quickly get annoyed with you running your tank into his men and may decide to destroy said tank, drawing fire to an otherwise ignorable target

[Saint Omerville]

I do not think anyone has mentioned that ONLY vehicles with the "Tank" special rule may perform a Tank Shock, and by extension, a Ram.

Land Speeders, Vypers, etc... may not Tank Shock, or Ram.

-Mike

[RedRat]

Tank shock is good for:
- forcing opponent units off of objectives
- anoying ur opponent so he does mistakes
- even marines can run once in a while and will ran off the table when chased
- Death or Glory will result more often in DEATH than in glory
- u can move an opponent unit a good distance if u use 3-4 empty rhinos, one after another


I have one question on tankshocking:
What will happen if the shortest distance to move is off the table?
If I Tankshock a Unit sitting in a corner and there is another tank right there so the unit could not move the other direction but off the table? Will it be destroyed? Comming back next turn?

[sorienor]

A unit can not be forced off the table unless a rule specifically says they can leave the table.

[Xar]

If you can move all the way into or through a unit, right down the middle, pay close attention to "shortest distance". You should be able to split them out of coherency. A split unit will have to move back together in their move phase, and that would prevent them from firing heavy weapons. You can prevent snipers from shooting, or marines from using rockets.

Edit: I am wrong. Models are moved shortest distance while maintaining coherency.

[Xar]

A unit can not be forced off the table unless a rule specifically says they can leave the table.

uhhhh p45 Fall Back!
If any model from a unit that is falling back moves into
contact with a table edge, the entire unit is removed
from the game and counts as destroyed, as it scatters
and deserts the battle.

[TheKingElessar]

Isn't Fall Back a rule anymore? :O

[Fowlplaychiken]

Ive actually seen an interesting use. Mechanized eldar army used 5 grav tanks to kill a winged demon prince with tank shock. All movement is simultanious. He tank shocked it with all 5, completely surrounding the DP. Unable to jump away and with no chance of a successful death or glory vs 5 tanks, we could not decide if he would just jump over all the tanks or die. We rolled for it, and decided that he would indeed be crushed.

[sorienor]

uhhhh p45 Fall Back!
If any model from a unit that is falling back moves into
contact with a table edge, the entire unit is removed
from the game and counts as destroyed, as it scatters
and deserts the battle.

Good example of what I said. Fall back is a specific rule that says a unit can leave the table.

Another example is the faq for ork trukks that says a kareen! result stops at the table edge.

[Timbo]

Ive actually seen an interesting use. Mechanized eldar army used 5 grav tanks to kill a winged demon prince with tank shock. All movement is simultanious. He tank shocked it with all 5, completely surrounding the DP. Unable to jump away and with no chance of a successful death or glory vs 5 tanks, we could not decide if he would just jump over all the tanks or die. We rolled for it, and decided that he would indeed be crushed.

From the rulebook page 11, "Once a unit has completed all of its movement, the player selects another unit and moves that one, and so on, until the player has moved all of the units he wishes to move."

Fowlplay indeed.

[Squee]

Oh well, more fool him for not knowing that.......... Not my job to know the rules for my opponents codex:rolleyes:
Not your job, True.
But in the spirit of good sportsmanship...