40K Tactics 101: How to Get a Hive Tyrant a Cover Save

So, the question came up on the podcast Life After the Cover Save (http://lifeafterthecoversave.wordpress.com/) on "how to give a Hive Tyrant a cover save". One of the guys over there was having an issue keeping his Flying Hive Tyrant alive because it is so hard to give it a cover save. And with the codex deciding to nerf this unit by not giving it an invulnerable save, the crucial Tyrant and the advantages he brings with him in Hive Commander or Old Adversary are dying before you ever get to use them.

In my years of playing Tyranids within the 5th Edition rule set I have found quite a few clever ways to get your Hive Tyrant that life saving cover save:

Method 1: Large Area Terrain (Flying or Walking)

I know that this is the most obvious way to do it, but do not be afraid to start of your Monstrous Creatures in cover, forests work just fine for me because pine trees come up to the guys chin, if you are afraid of that Alpha strike. Or, better yet, hide the big guy being a building and completely obscure him, and make it hard to even see this guy at all.

Method 2: the Tier system:

This one is a bit more complicated, but can easily protect a walking Tyrant. First, look at your army list and pull out the units of medium size, say your warriors, ravaners, hive guard and the like. Bump those models base-to-base together and right in front of your Tyrant. Then, take your smaller units, say the millions of gaunts that you have running around and throw them in front of your mid-range size bugs to give them a cover save as well. Now, you can be a real jerk (and I like being a real jerk) by then making sure that the small units are also 50% or more in area terrain or being cover themselves to provide the whole mess with at least 4+ cover saves all around!

Method 3: The Gargoyle Wall:

This one is a bit harder to pull off and could be considered modeling for advantage, or more correctly picking out the right models for your advantage, as you do not modify the standard GW model for this trick. First, remember that if running a winged Hive Tyrant, no matter how big the wings are, they can not be used for Line of Sight to the models. Read the line of sight rules!

I love the new plastic gargoyles, they are great looking models and a lot of fun to use. In each box of models comes two particular models where the gargoyle is almost completely head over tail with its wings spread out as far as possible. In this same box are two gargoyles who are flying as low as the model will permit them on the flying stand, where the very top of their wings come up tot he bottom of the wings of the previous gargoyle. If you were to line up three or four of the high flying, covering as much of the Hive Tyrants upper body as I can gargoyle right in front of the Hive Tyrant, and run about three or four of the low flying models, you can most certainly pull of a cover save with a large unit of gargoyles in front of the Hive Tyrant.

So guys over at Life After the Cover Save, there is my response, three solid, easy to use tactics to provide a Hive tyrant with a cover save. Sadly though, despite all of these tricks and tips, the Hive Tyrant with only 4 wounds and no invulnerable save it simply to fragile. It is still possible to gun down your Tyrant in one round of shoot from a strong Alpha Strike army like Leafblower IG for example.

I hope this helps, let me know!

40K Tactics 101: The Daisy Chain

So, you’ve been playing the game for awhile now, managed to win a game here and there, but the good players in your area still beating you down on a regular basis. You are beginning to look for that little edge that will help propel you into the next level of 40K domination. That is what 40K Tactics 101 is all about! These generic tactics will help you step up your game and make you a better 40K Player. A training course designed for new to mid-ranged 40K players.

This week we are going to review the Daisy Chain. This tactic was taught to me by the Great Scott Steva, formally of 40K Radio! The Daisy Chain is a simple tactic used to grant a unit a valuable cover save, all the while holding on to one or even two objectives that are out in the open. Another good used of this tactics is to give a heavy weapon a few extra inches of range and a clear line of sight, all the while holding on to that important cover save.

So, the basis for this tactics is the rule in the 40K Rulebook for how a multi-model unit receives a cover save, say a 10 man tactical squad or a 30 boy Ork mob for example. In order for that unit to receive a cover save from in-coming fire, the rule states that 50% or more of that unit must be in cover. Now, add this to the rule for cover saves provided by area terrain, which states that as long as the unit at least 50% in the terrain, then they will receive a cover save, regardless of line of sight.

So lets say that you are attempting to grab an objective that is seemingly out in the open, with a decent sized piece of area terrain about 7 inches away. In order to hold that objective, all you need is one model from that unit to be within 3 inches. The rest of the models can duck into the safety of cover. So, place one model on or near the objective. Stay in coherency and place your next model within 2 inches of that one. Continue this process until you have reached that precious area terrain. Then, place the remaining models from that unit into the area terrain. If more then 50% of the unit is in that area terrain, then the guys all the way out in the open will receive a cover save!

Take this one step further shall we. In the example above, let’s say you have a big unit of about 24 Gaunts sitting in that terrain and holding that one objective, deviously giving that little gaunt out there a cover save. Now let us say that about 8 inches away from that piece of area terrain, in another direction, there is a second, objective. As long as over 50% of the unit is still in the area terrain, you can swing that chain out to capture that second objective, in the same manner in which you grabbed the first. In a recent game, I managed to hold down three objectives with one unit of 30 gaunts, all of which were provided a cover save by a single piece of area terrain.

Now, eventually, you will be shot at. You need to selectively remove your casualties to ensure that the 50% of the unit is still in cover. If you drop below 50% at any time, the unit immediately loses all cover saves. Fair Warning!

Another use for this tactics, which does not directly relate to objectives, is placing your heavy weapon guy way out there to get a better line of sight for his shot, but still get a full cover save.

Well, that’s it. A pretty simple tactic that I use in almost every game, as my opponents have figured out to place their objective out in the open! I hope this helps, and I look forward to next week’s article, Selective Casualties!

So I will toss up a video demonstrating this tactic tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheEvilEd209

Got and idea for a 40K Tactics 101 article? Let’s hear it. Post a comment here and if your tactic is selected for a weekly article you will be given full credit for the piece!

40K Tactics 101: Ring Arround the Transport

So, you’ve been playing the game for awhile now, managed to win a game here and there, but the good players in your area still beating you down on a regular basis. You are beginning to look for that little extra edge that will help propel you into the next level of 40K domination. That is what 40K Tactics 101 is all about! These generic tactics will help you step up your game and make you a better 40K Player. A training course designed for new to mid-ranged 40K players.

This week we are going to review the wrap around technique. This tactic is used to kill a transport vehicle and the entire crew within the transport in a single assault phase, and without a single attack back. Now, keep in mind some transports are big, really big, and this particular tactics may not work on all transports, like a Land Raider. However I have had good results when assaulting rhinos, wave serpents, and chimeras. So here goes...

This technique has two basic forms, one where your troops are in their own transport and can use it to help block off exit points, and one where they are without and must do so themselves. We will explore the later first.

Essentially these techniques uses two basic rules from the 40K Rulebook, the emergency disembark rules and the ‘no enemy model within 1 inch’ rule, to force the unit within the transport to have no legal place to go once the transport is wrecked, and hence are destroyed outright.

Method 1 – Surrounded by Troops:

Basically all you need to do to get this trick to work is to surround the transport completely in the assault phase, having every model base to base and in contact with the transport, and completely covering every exit point. It is easier to pull off with Fleeting units, as it gives those extra few inches to reach the furthest points on the vehicle. This trick is a little hard to pull of if you run low model count armies, but is still feasible. Once the vehicle is wrecked the rules kick in to your favor:

1) The unit inside must exit immediately from the vehicles exit points, up to two inches away. By surrounding the vehicle, each exit point is cut off and hence the models inside can not exit from these points.

2) If they can not exit the vehicle in this manner, they may emergency disembark from the vehicle, anywhere within 2 inches. Here is where the kicker is, even if the model could manage to get to 2 inches away from the transport, they would still be well within 1 inch of your models and could not legally be able to place them there. 3) with no other method of escape, the models inside die.

Method 2 – The Drive Around:

This is essentially the same tactics as method one with one minor exception, using your transport to block an exit point. Basically at the beginning of the movement phase you would disembark your unit from their transport. Once this is complete, your transport is free to move its full distance in the movement phase and hence could swing around to the back or side exits and sit 1 inch away, blocking and exit point. Your troops would do the same as above, and surround the vehicle, assault it, and with any luck, kill every model inside.

Heads Up: So, you did just a bit better then you were hoping, you exploded the vehicle and the troops inside as now located inside the difficult terrain that is left behind. Maybe they took a few wounds in the explosion, maybe not. But now you can’t assault them. Now, if you were lucky and had popped the transport in the shooting phase, and I recommend you at least try this before assaulting if you can (my god what are meltaguns for anyway, you would be able to assault the unit that spills out. So be warned, if your guys are a bit over zealous, they might rob you of the kills inside. (That being said, the unit inside is still probably screwed, lets face it.)

Okay, I want to take a moment to give full credit where full credit is due, I just learned method 2 last night as my buddy DJ schooled me with this tactic. I thought it was so great that I’d write about it today. Thanks DJ!

This tactic or technique rather, is so much easier to show someone then tell them. So I will toss up a video demonstrating this tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheEvilEd209

Got and idea for a 40K Tactics 101 article? Let’s hear it. Post a comment here and if your tactic is selected for a weekly article you will be given full credit for the piece!

40K Tactics 101: YouTube Videos to Release

Hey gang, I wanted to let you know about my latest YouTube project. Since I got bumped out of 'Ard Boyz early this year I decided to start a series of instructional videos on YouTube, targeted toward the new to mid-range 40K Player. These videos will demonstrate some of the basic tactics and techniques that have helped me become a better 40K Player, tactically speaking of course.

Got a suggestion for a video? Drop me an email or a comment and if your tactic is selected to be part of the series, I will give you full credit for the piece.

You will be able to find them all here real soon at my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheEvilEd209