Stealth, Cover and Speed Bumps.

[cdrwattz]

Preface; I'm only relatively new to 40k playing 15 or so games toward the end of 5th ed. Since 6th I've played around 25 low point games (500 to 750 points). I'm still learning and still making mistakes so I welcome constructive feed back and suggestions.

If anyone has read my army list post they'll know that I run a squad of Veterans with Harker, 2 to 3 grenade launchers (depending on points) and a missile launcher. The basic idea is they sit in cover (preferably ruins) and make for a fairly decent anti horde/light vehicle squad. I have also used them with moderate success for dumping a bunch of armour saves on termies and space marines. I make sure they are in a ruin (as best i can) with los to the enemy. This is where they shine, the ruin provides 4+ cover and the camo cloaks supplied by Harker gives them an awesome 3+ cover. Now of course I have to be careful of flamers, but you get at least one turn to deal with any flamers heading your way.
I suggest you give this squad a try... 3+ cover is amazing.

So for the most part I sit and shoot and let the enemy come to me. In one game I had a bunch of bikes get right up in my face and I was luckily able to take care of them with my melta/primaris psyker squad. But it got me thinking about how I can stall my enemy from reaching me too quickly. So I decided to try speed bumps.
The basic idea is by using a cheap squad to tempt my enemy into charging them instead of going for my nice juicy/important stuff. Thereby giving me (possibly) another turn of shooting against them. Because lets face it, that's what we do best. So far my best answer is a Veteran Squad with The Forward Sentries doctrine.
I've played this twice so far. One game went ok but the other one was perfect. To the enemy ten guards men is too good for all those first blooding/assault armies.
Now I thought as a speed bump that's nice but is there anyway I can
1. Pretty much guarantee that I'll get assaulted (I don't want the enemy to disregard the squad and focus on more vital things).
2. Cause some damage with the squad. (9 lasguns and a laspistol really isn't that threatening).
My answer, 3 flamers...

So now the squad is;
1.Vets- nice bs.
2.Forward sen- +1 to cover while in cover & snare mines (defensive grenades).
3.Armed with three flamers - not to be ignored by even space marine players.

I force the enemy to do one of three things. They can ignore them... but then I can run amuck as they jump from cover to cover into his table half. They can shoot them... taking away shooting from my other more vital assets. Or they can assault them... getting tied up possible, being diverted away from my army and assaulting into d3x3 automatic hits from the flamers.

I placed the squad in front of sanguinary guard with dante who shot at them, then assaulted then, not only failing their charge but loosing 2 to overwatch. Then the next turn my army shot the rest down leaving dante with two wounds.

It was awesome. Let me know what you think.
-CdrWattz-

[optimat]

1X5 points for 10 men in an imperial guard army is an expensive speed bump.

Can't criticise much else though. The tactics are viable, and the upgrades increase effectiveness. The +BS is somewhat negated by using flamers also. Given the new wall-of-flame-to-assault-through rules in 6th with flamers, Forward sentries isn't a must... so consider a basic Infantry Squad (assuming you have a platoon somewhere?) using a flamer instead? 5X points (as part of a platoon) seems like a much better deal if it turns out to be effective enough as a bump.

Or else, as others do (including my own tactics - nothing new) 5X points from a Chimera!

[cdrwattz]

Unfortunately no Platoon yet. But it's defiantly something I'll consider when I get one up and running.