Caitsidhe
04-29-2013, 06:37 AM
There are several dirty (only because no one else has been using them yet) tricks which can bring close combat back into the game. Some of them even come with an evil amount of shooting firepower. I'm not "that guy" who figures something out and then sits on it to spring it on people at tournaments. I'm the other weird kind of guy who is absolutely honest with you when he gives you advice and is surprised you dont' take it, since you are making the assumption that I'm just trying to get into your head. :) Here are some interesting things I realized:
1. Jump Infantry are still Infantry and not a different Unit Type in 6th Edition.
Some of you may have been way ahead of me on this one, but judging by the posts, many people didn't realize that Jump and Jetpack units are no longer a distinct unit type. This means that they be used with the Warlord trait to Infiltrate without joining a special character to them. This means, of course, that if you go second you could easily be making an assault on your first turn. I will come back to this one in a minute.
2. The Skyshield is actually the best forward assault vehicle you have ever seen.
The Skyshield can be placed anywhere on your half of the table. That means you can have it right up to the midway point. It also means that you can start people on it if you have the ability to Infiltrate. Since your opponent can't assault if he/she goes first, it isn't a bad place to be. It gives you a 4+ Invulnerable save. It gives you excellent range from this forward position for all sorts of firepower (even the mid-range and short-range stuff) and nothing prevents you from moving off it during your movement and then assaulting the troops most likely nearby. Perhaps your opponents will try to deploy further back away from it allowing you to disrupt their lines.
3. Noise Marines are the ultimate in Shooting and Assault.
While Plague Marines have great overall utility, there is something to be said for Noise Marines. The only issue with their Sonic Weapons (the basic Blaster) is that it is Salvo and has mid-range. Think about the Skyshield above. Think about a (20) Man unit of Sonic Weapons staring down at an opponent on Turn-1 with a guaranteed 24" range to nearly every point in said opponent's deployment zone. Think about how many shots which ignore cover can come off that thing. If you go first you can literally decimate nearly any unit. If you go second, you can easily go down and assault anything close by, still using the Doom Siren and Blastmasters since they are Assault.
4. Huron guarantees you a D3 Infiltrating Units.
What else needs to be said about that?
5. A Land Raider can be a dedicated vehicle to Terminators. Terminators are Infantry.
Now imagine a situation where you have parked an infiltrated forward Land Raider under your Skyshield with a pylon obscuring at least 25% of it. If you go second you are almost certainly going to be able to shove five Terminators down the throat of someone's gun line. If that Land Raider has Dirge Casters there will be no overwatch.
6. Nothing prevents you from starting a Land Raider on top of the Skyshield, although you will be stuck there.
Welcome to the worlds largest, assault Pill Box. What you really have is an expensive gun emplacement staring down into the opposing player's table half that has two twin-linked Lascannons, a Heavy Bolter, a 4+ Save against anything you throw at it, an AR-14, and four Hull Points. You can start there on the first Turn butted up to the edge toward your opponent and just shoot everything if you go first. If you go second they have to manage to destroy it (not as easy as it looks) because you are going to deploy out of the vehicle on the ground with five Terminators or four w/Huron to assault on your first turn if anyone was stupid enough to deploy close.
7. The Skyshield cannot be destroyed.
8. The Skyshield gives a 4+ Invulnerable not Cover so nobody can take that away (Helldrakes, Tau, etc.).
9. If your Skyshield is front and center forcing people to deploy away from it to the corners Outflank hits them harder.
10. Nobody expects this yet.
Close combat is a pain in 6th Edition. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get to all these gun lines in a reliable way by the first or second turn while also minimizing Overwatch. CSM has the tools to do this and when you start thinking of the Skyshield as a foward assault vehicle, it makes this option a reality again if you are willing to look at Huron.
1. Jump Infantry are still Infantry and not a different Unit Type in 6th Edition.
Some of you may have been way ahead of me on this one, but judging by the posts, many people didn't realize that Jump and Jetpack units are no longer a distinct unit type. This means that they be used with the Warlord trait to Infiltrate without joining a special character to them. This means, of course, that if you go second you could easily be making an assault on your first turn. I will come back to this one in a minute.
2. The Skyshield is actually the best forward assault vehicle you have ever seen.
The Skyshield can be placed anywhere on your half of the table. That means you can have it right up to the midway point. It also means that you can start people on it if you have the ability to Infiltrate. Since your opponent can't assault if he/she goes first, it isn't a bad place to be. It gives you a 4+ Invulnerable save. It gives you excellent range from this forward position for all sorts of firepower (even the mid-range and short-range stuff) and nothing prevents you from moving off it during your movement and then assaulting the troops most likely nearby. Perhaps your opponents will try to deploy further back away from it allowing you to disrupt their lines.
3. Noise Marines are the ultimate in Shooting and Assault.
While Plague Marines have great overall utility, there is something to be said for Noise Marines. The only issue with their Sonic Weapons (the basic Blaster) is that it is Salvo and has mid-range. Think about the Skyshield above. Think about a (20) Man unit of Sonic Weapons staring down at an opponent on Turn-1 with a guaranteed 24" range to nearly every point in said opponent's deployment zone. Think about how many shots which ignore cover can come off that thing. If you go first you can literally decimate nearly any unit. If you go second, you can easily go down and assault anything close by, still using the Doom Siren and Blastmasters since they are Assault.
4. Huron guarantees you a D3 Infiltrating Units.
What else needs to be said about that?
5. A Land Raider can be a dedicated vehicle to Terminators. Terminators are Infantry.
Now imagine a situation where you have parked an infiltrated forward Land Raider under your Skyshield with a pylon obscuring at least 25% of it. If you go second you are almost certainly going to be able to shove five Terminators down the throat of someone's gun line. If that Land Raider has Dirge Casters there will be no overwatch.
6. Nothing prevents you from starting a Land Raider on top of the Skyshield, although you will be stuck there.
Welcome to the worlds largest, assault Pill Box. What you really have is an expensive gun emplacement staring down into the opposing player's table half that has two twin-linked Lascannons, a Heavy Bolter, a 4+ Save against anything you throw at it, an AR-14, and four Hull Points. You can start there on the first Turn butted up to the edge toward your opponent and just shoot everything if you go first. If you go second they have to manage to destroy it (not as easy as it looks) because you are going to deploy out of the vehicle on the ground with five Terminators or four w/Huron to assault on your first turn if anyone was stupid enough to deploy close.
7. The Skyshield cannot be destroyed.
8. The Skyshield gives a 4+ Invulnerable not Cover so nobody can take that away (Helldrakes, Tau, etc.).
9. If your Skyshield is front and center forcing people to deploy away from it to the corners Outflank hits them harder.
10. Nobody expects this yet.
Close combat is a pain in 6th Edition. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get to all these gun lines in a reliable way by the first or second turn while also minimizing Overwatch. CSM has the tools to do this and when you start thinking of the Skyshield as a foward assault vehicle, it makes this option a reality again if you are willing to look at Huron.