Newbs Rule(s): Last Minute Preparations for 'Ard Boyz

Newbs Rule(s) will be a regular feature of my blog as I write about specific rules I need to better understand. Your input and feedback is not only welcome, it's probably needed. 

"...and knowing is half the battle..." -attributed to Cadre Commander Jee'i'joh

In Warhammer 40,000, more so than any other game I have played, you cannot hope to win without mastering the rules. Dice rolls and the relative strength of specific units will only take you a minimal distance towards victory. A stalwart tank will be rendered into slag by the lowliest melta-gun if it gets close enough. Your mightiest close-combat mob will be useless if your enemy is adroitly moving out of assault range. Timing, movement, and position are game winners. I quickly learned this in my first few games as enemy units wiped out my Tau in assaults (I understood they were weak melee units, but that weak ?), maneuvered away from me, and brought the pain to bear like I couldn't imagine with just a cursory reading of the rulebook. And those dogged beatings were often from pleasant opponents and friends amiably holding back some. 

Mastering the rules allows you to better understand the abilities of your enemies and assists you in confidently using your own army. Even a newb should not be completely sure that his opponent knows more than he does about every rule situation. For example, Tau Crisis suits can use their rapid fire plasma rifles after moving. I have had friendly players, far more experienced than myself, politely tell me they cannot rapid fire after moving because of the definition of rapid fire weapons on page 28 of the rulebook. However, Crisis Suits are a subgroup of jump infantry called jet packs and as such have the relentless special rule as detailed on page 53. Go to page 76 to discover that relentless allows you to fire heavy and rapid fire weapons as if you were stationary. Being initially unsure about this, and unable to remember where I had read why Crisis Suits could rapid fire after moving, I agreed and moved on with the game. Those extra shots would have come in handy. Knowing why is as important as knowing what.

Kroot: Primed and ready to go.

In order to become a more successful player I often review specific rules I will be relying on before my games. Also, I work to familiarize myself with rules my opponent may rely on. For 'Ard Boyz tomorrow I will be relying on some unfamiliar units (filling out 2500 points took me well out of my normal comfort zone) and preparing to go against some heavy hitters. (See my 'Ard Boyz briefing here.) For this installment of Newbs Rule(s) I will be reviewing stealth, feel no pain, night fighting, and infiltrate.

Stealth: (page 76) Tau Stealthsuits, coincidentally, also have the stealth universal rule. I must remember that any unit shooting against this team counts as nightfighting and my opponent must roll 2d6x3 to spot them. Question: Since this is 'Ard Boyz, and being a 'ard azz is expected, should I remind my opponent only after their shooting has been declared that this is the case ? They have a nicely printed Army Builder copy of my list so they should be aware that these units have stealth. I also want these units to draw fire that could very well be rendered null, thus better using this universal special rule in my favor. I generally prefer to ere on the side of sportsmanship, but I also don't want to hand over too much at the tournament level.(I tend to ask questions of my opponent before acting to prevent misunderstandings.)

Feel No Pain: (page 75) This ability is so good that for the first time I spent points on a stimulant injector so my Shas'o could benefit from it. I often go up against those dreaded storm-shields and have found myself unable to slow them down one iota. However, careful reading of this rule demonstrates that it is not completely unbeatable. The armor save reroll may not be taken against weapons that double out against toughness, it may not be taken against AP1 and AP2 weapons, and it may not be taken against power weapons and rending weapons. Tactically, this leaves me my fusion blasters and railguns. In a bind, my Shas'o's cyclic ion blaster is a rending weapon, but it's low strength may count heavily against it's effectiveness. Seeker missiles, at S8, double out terminators and thus can also render feel no pain mute in a pinch. I just have to hope they roll plenty of 1's....

Nightfighting: (page 95) All three scenarios for 'Ard Boyz make use of nightfighting rules at some point. Rolling 2d6x3 means that a unit will only be able to fire 6-36 inches, with the most likely roll in the 18-24 inch range. This puts a hamper on a shooting army such as my Tau, however I can compensate in a number of ways. First of all, I will rely heavily on deep-striking to get in nice and friendly with the enemy and jump away to get some much-needed space. Secondly, my biggest guns (the Hammerhead and Broadside) have blacksun filters which allow them to double that nightfighting roll, making my range between 12-72 inches. Most likely they will be striking around a 36-48 inch range, far enough to target across the table. Lastly, and most importantly, Crisis Suits, Broadsides and Stealthsuits all have Acute Senses (page 75), allowing them to reroll nightfighting tests.

Stealthsuits: Primed and ready to go.

Infiltrate: (page 75) Kroot and Stealthsuits can both utilize this special ability. Key to this universal special rule is its flexibility. They deploy last, leaving the enemy guessing. If I gain initiative, I will attempt to position my Stealthsuits within 12" from the enemy if there is LOS blocking terrain or 18" if they can draw LOS. Either way, I can leap forward 6" and be within burst cannon and fusion blaster range. Burst cannons have a range of 18" so I can infiltrate as far away as 24" away and still be able to strike. My Kroot teams are fairly large, and as troops I plan on using them to capture objectives. I will most likely use infiltrate to enter into the enemy backfield from the flank. Much of this depends heavily on the terrain and the initiative. No plan remains intact once the enemy is engaged.


Or something like that.

After Saturday I will report back with a full debriefing of 'Ard Boyz.