Treadheads New Mech. Generation

[Deleted]

Ok people after thouroughly reviewing the 5th ed. rulebook their are some major issues to address concerning all us treadheads and other tank heavy armies. With the removal of tanks as scoring units mech. armies now have to rely on their mounted infantry. The result of the new weaponry rules (e.g secondary weapons S4 or below) and the cover rules among the new unit scoring rules is that Mech. forces are now far less mobile and much more relient on mounted infantry than battle tanks.

So I would like to discuss with other mech. players or to be frank, anyone who uses a battle tank to score objectives to together devise a new mech. strategy. Also feel free to suggest tactics for other mech. armies (the once feared but nerfed Mech. Elder ).

Cheers,

Karskin.

[Deleted]

the first thing that comes to mind is using mechanized elements of the army to deny objectives to enemy troops. Heavy Bolter and flamer equipped chimeras with russes and hellhounds to blast the enemy scoring troops to oblivion. I don't think I would take a completely mechanized list. I'd want to make sure that I still out number the enemy's objective-holding forces. I'd use chimeras as mobile terrain also to tie up enemies and block off choke points.

I never really played gunline-guard, so I'm used to running a more mobile force and denying objectives.

thats all I can think of off the top of my head.

[Deleted]

Honestly, I am not playing my tanks any different then before. Any cehicle with an ordnance weapon is the same in 5th. Defensive weapons did get tweaked, but the only vehicles to suffer this would be the Chimeras and Hellhounds in our current codex. Deffensive weapons have always been situational for me, and the only difference is that you may not move AND shoot the Heavy bolters on vehicle.

On the flip side, vehicles have a much nicer damage table, actually increasing their survivability. Except in HtH. They crumple, quickly. Its all about picking your targets still. With Mech or AC, the name of the game was picking your targets, and careful deployment. We do not have many scoring troops in either list, but with careful placement out of harms way, they may be delivered in a last minute rush to the objective (troops IN their transport CAN claim objectives!). Deployment in 5th is more important than in 4th. Cover gives too many benefits to be ignored by the player. Create mental roads to the objectives, put heavy armor in the front to keep fire off of troops, put the transports behind in the next line, some empty, some full depending on the squads role.Then use whatever your unit choices to do what they normally do in your army.

[newcomer]

if you stand still you can fire anything unless you fire the battlecannon, as it is ordanance and in 5th ed, you cant fire anything if you fire the ordanance weapon

[Deleted]

Yeah, especially with the new emphasis on true LOS you need to deny as many lanes of fire to your enemy as possible. Garden-variety Russes are really good at this. I like jarem's suggestion of not mech-ing everything...create a base of fire to attract enemy shots while your mech troops do more interesting and daring things.

[Deleted]

mobile artillery anyone? not in the literal sense but i mean, maxing out on basilisks and then spending the rest on armoured fists to capture objectives...doesnt that do a lot already? i mean, planting 3 bassies behind terrain and firing off 3 earthshaker rounds at enemy positions for 6 turns....plus the presence of chimera toting armoured fist squads at objectives? thats my run for the mill strategy =D

[Mabus]

Things haven't changed that much for me. I will use the same Leman Russ battle tank and Hellhound tactics I used in 4th ed. I didn't ever try and grab objectives with them before, I obviously can't do that now with the changes to scoring unit rules.

I usually sit back behind a largish piece of cover and try and to position my tanks so that I can just hit them with my battle and inferno cannons while benefiting from the cover the building/hill affords.

Another important change to the rules 5th Ed has heralded are the rules for transports. Being able to transport any squad with your Chimerae would make quite a difference to my battle plans. I use to rely heavily on my Chimerae back when you could contest and hold objectives with them. I'd usually dismount a storm trooper squad on the way to the objective before racing forward with my tank to hold it while my fire power heavy Stormtroopers squads could support and if necassary counter attack.

I've yet to find an effective substitute for this tactic in 5th.....