Helbrute Mayhem Pack

[Eberk]

Has anyone here already used a Helbrute Mayhem Pack in a battle ? Please tell me how it went, how they performed, etc...

Within a couple of weeks I will be fielding my first Mayhem Pack in battle and am very anxious to know what to expect (I am counting on total chaos for my enemy after they deep strike and hopefully take some armoured units down with their multi-meltas and power fists)

[DrBored]

Has anyone here already used a Helbrute Mayhem Pack in a battle ? Please tell me how it went, how they performed, etc...

Within a couple of weeks I will be fielding my first Mayhem Pack in battle and am very anxious to know what to expect (I am counting on total chaos for my enemy after they deep strike and hopefully take some armoured units down with their multi-meltas and power fists)

We finally have a Drop-Pod like method with our Dreads. If you like Drop Podding Dreads, you'll like this, since you get to do it with no points and without having an extra kill point on the field that someone can take down. The Helbrute, therefore, is a lot cheaper, and it's relatively easy to fit 3 base ones into your list.

I think the Multi-Melta Power Fist is the best in this kind of scenario, since you'll be able to shoot, and assault the next turn and do lots of damage. Multi-Melta lets you deep strike at a more comfortable range and still get that half-range melta boost to your rolls. If you didn't take that, I'd recommend taking the Autocannon as a nice way to get some wounds on things.

The Mayhem pack has worked for me quite well. They're great distractions, help protect my other units by putting a big hulking piece of cover right in my opponent's face, and if they're ignored, they end up slaughtering through vehicles and infantry alike. That there's three of them just sweetens the deal, and I've played games with three in a Mayhem pack and three more in their regular Elite slots. It may not seem like much on paper, but that many vehicles, even with armor 12 tend to give people some trouble if they're not prepared for it. By rushing up the board with a wall of armor that can actually carry a decent gun, and smack some things around (they tear through transports and basic infantry squads like a hot knife through butter), you can really cause a problem for your opponent. I even had a pair of them take down an Imperial Knight. That was entertaining. They were like little ankle-biters that rolled amazingly well.

[Captain Bubonicus]

They're "squadroned," right? Has that caused any problems for you?

[DrBored]

They're "squadroned," right? Has that caused any problems for you?

The deep-striking mayhem pack isn't squadroned, they're just in a formation that happens to all come onto the board at the same time. You can place the three models anywhere on the board. The only difficulty I've encountered is the Crazed result that happens as soon as you enter the board, but since it can't assault while deep-striking, it at least wont waste a turn doing nothing. In fact, if you're lucky, you'll get one or two of them that get to fire twice as soon as they drop onto the field!

[Captain Bubonicus]

I'm glad you told me that - I assumed they came in as a squadron. Dayum, that IS handy!

*edit*

Ah, I was thinking of the Murder Pack. They ARE squadroned.

[Eberk]

The Mayhem pack has worked for me quite well.
Great, can't wait to use my Mayhem Pack :)


The only difficulty I've encountered is the Crazed result that happens as soon as you enter the board, but since it can't assault while deep-striking, it at least wont waste a turn doing nothing. In fact, if you're lucky, you'll get one or two of them that get to fire twice as soon as they drop onto the field!
Please explain. I think you have a 1 in 3 chance that they are useless in their first turn (the run and assault option). And you have to roll once for all three, no ? So either they all fire twice or all have to run or...

[DrBored]

Great, can't wait to use my Mayhem Pack :)


Please explain. I think you have a 1 in 3 chance that they are useless in their first turn (the run and assault option). And you have to roll once for all three, no ? So either they all fire twice or all have to run or...

Ok, so here's how it goes... They start the game with Crazed, so their first turn they each will have to roll...

On 1, they get to fire twice, but it has to be at the nearest enemy. Since you're deep striking, you should be really close to what you would be firing at anyway.

On 2, it merely gains Rage and recovers from crew stunned and shaken results immediately. Obviously, it won't have suffered from the latter, and the former is useless, but it can at least act as normal and fire its weapons.

On 3, you gain fleet and rage and have to run towards an enemy unit, since you can't charge. However, the wording is peculiar. Here it is: "If, during this turn's Shooting phase, the Helbrute is not within maximum charge range of any enemy units, it must Run as far as possible towards an enemy unit. If this is not possible for any reason, it may fire its weapons as normal." - BRB.
-This means that if you deploy outside of the charge range of 12" from all enemies, then you have to run. If you Deep Strike WITHIN 12", then you don't have to run, and you don't have to charge. The ruling doesn't say anything about charging as mandatory, so you can fire your weapons as normal.

So, the trick here is to deep strike nice and close to your chosen target. If you're taking Multi-Meltas, then it's going to be that big vehicle on the table, the Land Raider or Imperial Knight or what have you. As long as you're within 12", you won't have to run or charge or anything, and you might get a double-shot if you're lucky.

The subsequent turns, the Crazed rules get a little more useful, as you'll typically at least get rage, and even if you're denied from charging by rolling the 1 on the Crazed table, you should be able to do some damage by firing twice. That's why I personally prefer the Plasma Cannon. Getting two shots out of that thing in one turn will typically make the points back that I spent on one Helbrute.

[daboarder]

you need to be careful with mayhem packs.

I went back to my termicide units after contiuously getting ganked by interceptor fire, or blown up after a single melta shot.

they really depend on what type of army your facing.

If you are going to run it though multi-melta/Power fist Heavy flamer is the best combo

[Eberk]

They start the game with Crazed, so their first turn they each will have to roll...
You only have to roll once for all three and they all suffer the same result.

I'm going to run a 'Multi-melta/Power Fist', a 'Multi-melta/PowerScourge' and an 'Autocannon/Power Fist w Hvy Flamer' Pack (don't want three identical ones)

Will have to take positioning very seriously... I don't want to have to fire my Multi-melta twice on a squad of Guardsmen because they are closer to the Helbrute than a big juicy Baneblade.


I will be facing Imperial Guard (or AM these days :) ) with a lot of tanks... So I'm also taking a small Terminator unit (triple combi-melta), a small Raptor unit (double melta) and a Maulerfiend to hunt tanks.

[DrBored]

You only have to roll once for all three and they all suffer the same result.



Good catch. And the next turn, if they don't suffer damage, they don't have to roll at all :D

[Eberk]

Good catch. And the next turn, if they don't suffer damage, they don't have to roll at all :D
The Dataslate says every turn "even if they didn't suffer a glancing or penetrating hit" So Crazed every single turn I'm afraid

[DrBored]

The Dataslate says every turn "even if they didn't suffer a glancing or penetrating hit" So Crazed every single turn I'm afraid

Dang, I clearly need to re-read that >.>

Ah well. Keep applying the pressure. Worst case scenario is you don't assault when you want to and end up shooting twice at something. Best case scenario, you get Rage when you want to assault and really chew something up.

[Eberk]

Dang, I clearly need to re-read that >.>
Yeah, how did you play your Mayhem Pack :p :p

I have a feeling he will field an Imperial Knight (the very first time for us) and I really look forward to turn it to a pile of junk. :D I think the sheer horror on his face when 3 'dreadnoughts' deep strike behind his lines will be worth the point spend on the detachment. And when they kill some armour units that's a bonus.

[Eberk]

The "Mayhem Pack" was a bit disappointing in my battle.

There were a lot of targets to choose from (3 Leman Russ, 3 Chimeras and a Hydra - sadly no super-heavy as I had anticipated) but...

They only entered play on turn 4 and by then the only vehicles still on the board (chimera and hydra) both had a single hull point left and were surrounded by several of my tank hunting troops (both were shot to pieces during that turn).

So I had to deep strike them near the only objective I didn't control. 1 Company Command Squad, 1 Platoon Command Squad, 2 Infantry squads and a Penal Legion squad were the targets... A little bit sad when you're packing Multi-meltas and power fists (luckily one had the heavy flamer option)

But OK... maybe next time they will arrive sooner and cause more mayhem ;)

[Lord Krungharr]

I can't wait to try out the Mayhem Pack, and the other Helbrute Formations too. I like the idea of having all 3 differently equipped. Multi-melta/Fist is certainly cheap, but a plasma cannon/heavy flamer sounds like a nice anti-infantry option (I have a nice thunderhammer on that model too).

That new Malefic Daemonology power called Cursed Ground may really help out this Formation and Obliterators; IIRC it prevents Deepstrike scatter for friendly units within 12" of the psyker. So put that Sorcerer on a bike, zip him up the field with some Spawn maybe, make sure some Cultists (perhaps Fearless ones with the other Helbrute Formation) are on a Comms Relay, and then the Reserves hopefully won't be a problem.