Hey all, not really breaking our very, very long hiatus here, but I thought I might as well share this. I posted it as a quick-start advice guide to the Imperial Guard over on the IGMB, but thought I might as well add it here too.
DO's
-DO expect your troops to die. We are but men of flesh and blood, not Iron and Adamantium (some of our SCs being exceptions). Keeping this in mind, you can either try to combat this by taking more men, or by making your men more durable. Each has it's limits. For the first, remember that your Guardsmen still burn, and will still break and run if they don't have a Commissar looking over their shoulder. Remember to support your morale and space your men against those templates. For increasing durability, remember that there reaches a point when we'll still die. Upgrading a CCS with Carapace or a Medic is fine, but both is usually overkill for the points cost.
-DO expect your men to miss. Take note of this, and plan your list accordingly. Units with BS 3 should be given GLs, Flamers, and templates whenever possible, and be taken en emasse whenever not. Units with BS 4 should be given things like Meltas or Plasma if and when possible, although you should always remember that more is better here too, and pack your Vets full of SWs. The "Swamp it with fire" principle should apply to just about everything in your army as well. The only thing better then a lascannon is three of them, and the only thing better then that is when they're twin linked.
-DO support your army. Don't take one unit of ranged AT, and one unit of close AT, and call it good. Don't send one Chimera or Hellhound out on it's own. The Imperial Guard is built upon a militarized version of the Buddy System, and you should always try to have at least two units in an army that can accomplish the same goal. The cheapest way to do this is by taking multi role units. For instance, the Vendetta is good ranged AT, and provides you with mobility. Plasma Vets are great at killing tough targets and popping light tanks (or heavy if they get behind them), AND count as a troop choice.
DON'Ts
-DON'T hand out wargear like candy and expect to get a good return on your investment. 10-15pts should be your limit on wargear cost per trooper, ranging up to 20 on occasion. Taking 30pts of wargear on a single model is asking for trouble, unless it is a Commander of some kind, or said upgrade actually helps everyone, not just that one model (like a Medic or Standard). Also consider how often you will be using it. A Power Sword in a Plasma CCS might offer some peace of mind if you do get charged, but most of the time it will be a points sink.
-DON'T leave cover unless in a transport. Cover is the lifeblood of this game, especially for us. No matter how good your armour save is, you should be either in a metal box, or in cover if at all possible, and even those metal boxes should be in cover if you can swing that. Chimeras are cheap, and they have Smoke Launchers for a reason.
-DON'T be afraid to sacrifice men. This goes hand in hand with the first DO. Your men will die, that's a fact. The question is, at one point can they die and still have been worth it? For instance, I consider my Vets to be expendable, and use them aggressively, which will usually net me a few MCs, Tanks, HQs, etc before they die, which I consider worth the cost. Being that aggressive with them can actually cripple an army so effectively that they can't hit back at your Vets, meaning they essentially become a "Do or Die unit". Remember though, there is a fine line between aggressiveness and suicide. Tossing your units out where they will be slaughtered won't do you any good. So, while you should be prepared to have your men die, helping it happen faster is not productive.
-DON'T expect to win by the prowess of your men. We are not the best shots. We are not the best hand to hand fighters. We are not the bravest. Don't try and have your Captain fence with a Chapter Master or Chaos Lord. Have him call up 30 of his friends and beat the guy to death with numbers. Likewise, Commissars are a nice way to keep your men from running when the going gets tough. Always remember the situations in which your men are weak, and try to tweak the odds of success there more in your favor.
-DON'T mix roles in units. It may be tempting to give a PCS a pair of Meltas, a Flamer, and a Plasma Gun, and send them on their way, but please don't. It's much better to have that unit dedicated to a single roll (AT, AI, etc) and have them be good at it. We can afford to take multiple squads and kit them out for special roles, instead of having to have one unit do everything. This may seem at odds with what I said earlier in the "Support" part, but it's not. Consider the Vendetta. It has the ability to transport without harming it's AT ability. Those Plasma Vets can do all of those roles well, but I shouldn't expect them to deal with mobs or heavy armour, and I would be better served grabbing a unit of Melta Vets in addition to the Plasma Vets, as opposed to trying to make the Plasma Vets effective against Land Raiders. There are exceptions to this rule (like an HF and 3 Meltas in a PCS), but they are rare, and usually mutually support one another without hindering the effectiveness of the squad.
-DON'T judge the worth of a unit simply be the damage it puts out. My Hellhound usually doesn't make it's points back, but it draws absurd amounts of fire and generally causes Mayhem in the enemy ranks, essentially nailing down a portion of the enemy line while they cope with it. Similarly, my Vendetta, although it's kill record is impressive, has served me more as a transport and distraction then as a tank killer. Platoons usually won't make their points back either, but they're durable, can score, and will tie down CC squads like nothing else. All that said, though, do try to take a unit that can at least make a decent showing of itself on the table no matter what. Ogryn may have lots of wounds, but getting them rapid fired to death before they even fire a shot or take a punch is just a waste.
Lastly, remember to try things out for yourself, have fun, and don't be afraid to ask your opponent for advice. This is a game, after all, and the main purpose is to have fun.
Reds
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
What Shape's the Face of a Ten-sided Die?
Well, in my half-asleep state this morning, I was thinking about the nature of role playing. Or rather, the natures of role players themselves. What? Don't you think about nerdy stuff like that first thing in the morning? No? Then why are you here? This is a place for nerds to feel like they fit in.
Anyway, I think I'll write the first (sorta) DH and RT-themed article for Forward, March. I just wanted to give my thoughts on what RPing should be like, and what it should not be.
1. Attendance.
Seems fairly obvious. If you're a part of a group of people that have decided to set aside a set time during the week to get together, be it in person or online, then you're obligated to show up. This is probably the most important thing you can do, because if it's just the GM or the GM and one other player sitting there , it's not really a group activity. The people who do show are at a disadvantage, and it sucks the fun out of it. Sometimes I set an alarm to remind me if I know I'm doing something that will distract me.
Now, I don't suggest that you need to play a game rather than visit your dying parents in the hospital, or less severely, finish a paper you need to give to a professor the next day. But in emergency event situations, notify the group. I have no life, so this rarely happens to me.
2. Participate.
Again, somewhat obvious. While you're there, you may as well speak (or type). Don't let your character become a space filler that just sorta pokes around. Eventually, the GM will kill you. If your character is shy, or terse, or even mute, use other avenues to express his personality. Think of Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe. He didn't need to talk - he was bad-ass enough without it. Interact with the other characters, and with the NPCs.
On a different level, interact with the other players, and more importantly, with the GM. Out of context is a winner when you don't turn it into a distraction. At the very least, you let people know you're still alive. Also, talk to the GM outside of game time to clarify stuff like rules, house rulings, and how you want your character to evolve.
3. Don't Annoy the GM
This is the guy who controls the fate of the galaxy. He doesn't have to work too hard to kill you. Worse than that, he can mess with your character. Fairly straightforward.
4. Dialogue
I guess this is partially covered by participation, but it's slightly different. Use your brain when your character is speaking. The character is not you, and in an RP, you have a bit more time to think about how to respond. How would your character respond? It should all be in-character for him, and his knowledge of things is probably more limited than yours.
5. Side Sessions
If your GM has the time, play side sessions. It's a great way to grow your character. And I'm not talking xp, although that might be thrown in there. I'm talking about making him more than notes scribbled on a scrap of paper. Get to know some NPCs, explore the setting, go off on your own to work towards the mission's end.
6. Mah Lazors go 'Pewpew!'
Role playing is not about shooting every enemy in the face, and howling in victory. Well, I guess if your character is a Space Wolf... But the fighting is there to attract new people because making things go boom is cool. However, once players mature as role players, it becomes more about what happens outside of combat. That whole 'create a role, and play it' thing. It's an opportunity to be someone else for a few hours. Not only is it fun, but it's healthy to learn how to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Don't think combat isn't fun, or that I'm saying I don't like it, though.
'Open-ground, fair" combat is basically just rolling dice, and following the rule system. I have the first bit in quotes, because the ground is rarely open - there's usually cover, and combat is never fair - I just meant the kind where you shoot and stab stuff, rather than suddenly pop out from under your cameleoline cloak and bury your stiletto in the heretic's neck before he has a chance to make a sound. Then, drag his lifeless corpse underneath the magic cloak of invisibility before you scale the alley wall- your task complete.
Hey, doesn't that last bit there seem like it took more thought than, "Uh, I'll shoot the guy closest to the hover car. *rolls dice* Hit, left arm, 8 dmg, 2 pen?" The top one might require dice rolling as a concealment test, but other than that, is also a function of the rules in Dark Heresy. I've created a character for a Rogue Trader campaign that's starting soon, and he's going to avoid regular combat wherever he can. He does the concealment thing with a piece of piano wire. He's a bounty hunter/tracker who never kills. And just from that, you can tell several sentence's worth about his character.
If you want to go in guns blazing all the time, and roll dice until you have carpel tunnel, play 40K. That's roll playing, not role playing. There's a place for that in RPing, but it's not the central theme -- it's a storytelling device. Don't let it become a distraction.
So, to answer the question in the title (if you didn't cheat and go get your d10), some are shaped like four-sided diamonds, and some are teardrop-shaped.
Anyway, I think I'll write the first (sorta) DH and RT-themed article for Forward, March. I just wanted to give my thoughts on what RPing should be like, and what it should not be.
1. Attendance.
Seems fairly obvious. If you're a part of a group of people that have decided to set aside a set time during the week to get together, be it in person or online, then you're obligated to show up. This is probably the most important thing you can do, because if it's just the GM or the GM and one other player sitting there , it's not really a group activity. The people who do show are at a disadvantage, and it sucks the fun out of it. Sometimes I set an alarm to remind me if I know I'm doing something that will distract me.
Now, I don't suggest that you need to play a game rather than visit your dying parents in the hospital, or less severely, finish a paper you need to give to a professor the next day. But in emergency event situations, notify the group. I have no life, so this rarely happens to me.
2. Participate.
Again, somewhat obvious. While you're there, you may as well speak (or type). Don't let your character become a space filler that just sorta pokes around. Eventually, the GM will kill you. If your character is shy, or terse, or even mute, use other avenues to express his personality. Think of Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe. He didn't need to talk - he was bad-ass enough without it. Interact with the other characters, and with the NPCs.
On a different level, interact with the other players, and more importantly, with the GM. Out of context is a winner when you don't turn it into a distraction. At the very least, you let people know you're still alive. Also, talk to the GM outside of game time to clarify stuff like rules, house rulings, and how you want your character to evolve.
3. Don't Annoy the GM
This is the guy who controls the fate of the galaxy. He doesn't have to work too hard to kill you. Worse than that, he can mess with your character. Fairly straightforward.
4. Dialogue
I guess this is partially covered by participation, but it's slightly different. Use your brain when your character is speaking. The character is not you, and in an RP, you have a bit more time to think about how to respond. How would your character respond? It should all be in-character for him, and his knowledge of things is probably more limited than yours.
5. Side Sessions
If your GM has the time, play side sessions. It's a great way to grow your character. And I'm not talking xp, although that might be thrown in there. I'm talking about making him more than notes scribbled on a scrap of paper. Get to know some NPCs, explore the setting, go off on your own to work towards the mission's end.
6. Mah Lazors go 'Pewpew!'
Role playing is not about shooting every enemy in the face, and howling in victory. Well, I guess if your character is a Space Wolf... But the fighting is there to attract new people because making things go boom is cool. However, once players mature as role players, it becomes more about what happens outside of combat. That whole 'create a role, and play it' thing. It's an opportunity to be someone else for a few hours. Not only is it fun, but it's healthy to learn how to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Don't think combat isn't fun, or that I'm saying I don't like it, though.
'Open-ground, fair" combat is basically just rolling dice, and following the rule system. I have the first bit in quotes, because the ground is rarely open - there's usually cover, and combat is never fair - I just meant the kind where you shoot and stab stuff, rather than suddenly pop out from under your cameleoline cloak and bury your stiletto in the heretic's neck before he has a chance to make a sound. Then, drag his lifeless corpse underneath the magic cloak of invisibility before you scale the alley wall- your task complete.
Hey, doesn't that last bit there seem like it took more thought than, "Uh, I'll shoot the guy closest to the hover car. *rolls dice* Hit, left arm, 8 dmg, 2 pen?" The top one might require dice rolling as a concealment test, but other than that, is also a function of the rules in Dark Heresy. I've created a character for a Rogue Trader campaign that's starting soon, and he's going to avoid regular combat wherever he can. He does the concealment thing with a piece of piano wire. He's a bounty hunter/tracker who never kills. And just from that, you can tell several sentence's worth about his character.
If you want to go in guns blazing all the time, and roll dice until you have carpel tunnel, play 40K. That's roll playing, not role playing. There's a place for that in RPing, but it's not the central theme -- it's a storytelling device. Don't let it become a distraction.
So, to answer the question in the title (if you didn't cheat and go get your d10), some are shaped like four-sided diamonds, and some are teardrop-shaped.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Death From Above
An Imperial Guard Commander's Guide to Fielding Air Cavalry
by: Julian Sharps
The 5th edition Imperial Guard codex is a remarkably versatile army list. Unlike, say, Space Marines, we can field about 9 different, viable army list builds; Gunline (lots of static troops and heavy weapons), Armored Gunline (like gunline but with more tanks), Siege Gunline (like gunline but with more artillery), Platoon Mechanized, Veteran Mechanized, Light Infantry (lots of outflankers), Assault, Platoon Air Cavalry and (my personal favorite) Veteran Air Cavalry. It is these last two that this article is about.
An Air Cavalry list has many advantages:
Mobile: An Air Cavalry force is one of the fastest in the game. We have a fast skimmer transport that makes Eldar and Dark Eldar players weep since the Valkyrie is faster than a Falcon, is better armed than a Raider and is better armored than either of them. Combine this with the fact that a Valkyrie can Deep Strike, Outflank or Scout move, and you have a vehicle that can hit from just about anywhere on the table and deliver its passengers to take and hold objectives or merely support them as they begin their assault. In addition, a Valkyrie's passengers can disembark at any time, even if it moved flat out due to its special disembarkation rules (however, troops can disembark normally as well. Don't forget that).
Aggressive: An Air Cavalry force is not for the cautious, calculating field commander (I would advise you stick to gunlines if you are). You have to be prepared to lose a large chunk of your points to take advantage of the full tactical flexibility an Air Cavalry list offers. If you play aggressively but without taking unnecessary risks (mechanized and light infantry players share those traits), with a little practice you'll find Air Cavalry to be a rewarding build to play.
Unpredictable: An Air Cavalry list has an element of unpredictability to it due to the nature of Reserves, Outflank and Deep Strike. This unpredictability can be a great asset, however, as it keeps your opponent on his toes and makes him think about how to react to your moves. Remember, the more your opponent needs to think, the more likely he will be making mistakes.
Hard-hitting: When you consider that you can fit 4 large blast templates, six S6 shooting attacks and anywhere from two to eight special weapons on a wing pair of Valkyries carrying a squad each, an Air Cavalry list can pack quite a punch. Combine this with the mobility inherent to the list, and Air Cavalry suddenly becomes quite potent in the right hands.
Lack of ordnance: An Air Cavalry list does not have any artillery or main battle tanks (although there is realistically nothing to stop a player from including them). Doing so makes that list a combined arms list, which may or may not be effective depending on one's playing style and local metagame.
Low armor: Unless you include Leman Russes (of any flavor) in your list, the highest armor rating an Air Cavalry list will have is 12. However, since Valkyries will be moving fast most of the time, this disadvantage is largely compensated for by the cover saves your Valkyries will most likely be getting.
Units must be independent: When you take Outflanking and Deep Striking into account, the chance that your troops will be in orders range is unlikely. As a result, any given Valkyrie/squad pair will need to be able to operate independently until reinforcements can arrive.
High risk factor: Deep Strike mishaps, delayed reserves, low armor values, skimmer damage rules... These are but a few of the potential hazards an Air Cavalry list faces not because of the opponent, but because of the list's inherent strengths and weaknesses. In larger games a single Deep Strike mishap may cost you close to a quarter of your points. When disembarking at high speed, enough failed Dangerous Terrain tests could cripple a squad and leave it vulnerable to enemy fire. You simply cannot expect everything to go smoothly when running a list like this.
Okay, you've read this far, so I'm going to assume that you consider the weaknesses of an Air Cavalry list to be a fair price for the advantages such a list brings. There is one other disadvantage to Air Cavalry that has nothing to do with the game itself, and that is money. To buy all the Valkyries you are going to require (usually in the neighborhood of 6-9), you will need a lot of it. The Valkyrie is a complicated kit, but the end result is one of the best-looking models Games Workshop has put out since the Baneblade. However, since Air Cavalry is such a new list type for Imperial Guard (the previous codex only had the Chimera, Hellhound, Sentinel (what the current codex calls the "scout sentinel"), Leman Russ, Demolisher and the Basilisk), this is one of those lists that is best built up over time.
Ideally, your list should contain an Astropath and enough Valkyries for each of your squads to have one. In the case of platoons, I would suggest taking the minimum number of infantry squads (2) and give each platoon a full squadron of Valkyries. The Astropath exists to make sure that your Valkyries come onto the table in a timely manner, so the command squad he is with should reflect that with minimal upgrades and a Chimera to give them enough protection for them to do that. Personally, I also take a second Company Command Section to use as an anti-tank weapon spam platform (4x meltagun lovin').
The Valkyrie itself is pretty versatile in the number of outfit options available to you. In my list, I always buy every Valkyrie the Multiple Rocket Pods upgrade because the Hellstrike missiles it carries as standard do not meet my list's needs. The Multiple Rocket Pods are terrific anti-infantry weapons, while the Hellstrikes are a one-shot Hunter-Killer missile with improved vehicle armor penetration. Since the Hellstrike is an Ordnance weapon without a blast template (this is important), a Valkyrie firing one must be moving less than 6" to fire it, which only slows it down and prevents it from firing another weapon. The Multiple Rocket Pods, on the other hand, do not run out of ammunition and count as defensive weapons (meaning you can move up to 12" and still fire them). Since the Valkyrie is primarily a transport, this is an advantageous weapon for an Air Cavalry list (in fact, I have scored more Space Marine kills per shooting phase with my MRPs than any other weapon). The Valkyrie can also be fitted with heavy bolter sponsons, but I find that in order to use them the Valkyrie must be moving no more than 6". While a weapon that slows a Valkyrie down is not a good match for it, the Vendetta, already slowed down by its three twin-linked lascannons would only benefit from the addition of sponson gunners (for one thing it gives the Vendetta a secondary role once it runs out of tanks to slag). As a result, I normally do without them. With the nose weapon, only the standard Multilaser makes sense because if you want to mount a lascannon on a Valkyrie you would be better off buying a Vendetta instead.
Now, we can get to the fun part: Tactics. As mentioned above, an Air Cavalry list is very flexible. There are a few things to keep in mind regarding Air Cavalry and how they behave on the table:
Anyways, there are three basic ways to deploy a Valkyrie: normally, Outflanking and Deep Striking. The last two are pretty much self-explanatory; I'm sure that the tactics for both of them are well-explained elsewhere, and there is no real change when using Valkyries is this manner. When deploying normally, however, you can choose to take advantage of the Valkyrie's Scout move before the game begins. This, combined with the recommended armament of the Valkyrie, has led to some rather creative uses of their abilities.
The Rolling Thunder Gambit (named after its creator, Rolling Thunder, a moderator and contributing member of the IGMB) is one such strategy. The idea is to take a Valkyrie or two and deploy it normally on the edge of your deployment zone with a Veteran squad equipped with Meltaguns or Plasma Guns in each one. Then, taking advantage of the Scout move you rush them forward as fast as they will go. Then, on your turn, you rush them towards the enemy's firebase (preferably where they have heavy weapons, artillery, armor or special characters), disembark and unleash hell on them (this would benefit greatly from the melta command section detailed above). With any luck, you'll have taken out a key element in your enemy's forces before they could do a thing with it, plus they'll have to divide their remaining firepower between the bulk of your forces and the strike force already behind their lines. However, the Rolling Thunder Gambit's success is largely dependent on you having the first turn. That is something that does not come easily to the Imperial Guard.
The Sharps Sucker Punch is a technique I have developed for dealing with lightly armored enemy transport vehicles and their occupants. Using the nose-mounted Multilaser, a Valkyrie targets a light enemy transport (like a Rhino, Trukk or Dark Eldar Raider) and scores a penetrating hit (but the vehicle can't be destroyed, otherwise the maneuver is ruined). Usually, a penetrating hit will force an emergency disembark on any passengers aboard; as a result, they will be crowded around the vehicle, which is when the Multiple Rocket Pods are fired. Now normally, if a unit fires at another unit, all of its weapons must fire at that same target. However, if a targeted shot scatters it still inflicts damage on any unit underneath its area of effect. The plan is to take advantage of the fact that the Multiple Rocket Pods will scatter (and that they'll most likely have no effect on the vehicle they're being fired at) to hit the unit it was carrying. The most glaring weakness of this strategy is that it depends on the vehicle not being destroyed by the initial burst of Multilaser fire, but the effect it has on lightly armored targets like Kroot, Wyches and Orks can be devastating if it works (it should also work wonders against Land Speeder Storms and their Scout Marine passengers, but I have yet to test it against them). A variant of this technique is to deploy an infantry squad with anti-tank weapons like Meltaguns and use them to pop the transport, then use the Valkyrie to shred the passengers.
I hope you found this article on Air Cavalry useful. It's a fun build to play with, and it's rewarding if used correctly. At some point I'll write up some example lists and post more detailed tactics regarding them. Until next time, keep 'em flying!
by: Julian Sharps
The 5th edition Imperial Guard codex is a remarkably versatile army list. Unlike, say, Space Marines, we can field about 9 different, viable army list builds; Gunline (lots of static troops and heavy weapons), Armored Gunline (like gunline but with more tanks), Siege Gunline (like gunline but with more artillery), Platoon Mechanized, Veteran Mechanized, Light Infantry (lots of outflankers), Assault, Platoon Air Cavalry and (my personal favorite) Veteran Air Cavalry. It is these last two that this article is about.
An Air Cavalry list has many advantages:
- Mobile
- Aggressive
- Unpredictable
- Hard-hitting,
- Lack of ordnance
- Low armor
- Units must be independent
- High risk factor
Mobile: An Air Cavalry force is one of the fastest in the game. We have a fast skimmer transport that makes Eldar and Dark Eldar players weep since the Valkyrie is faster than a Falcon, is better armed than a Raider and is better armored than either of them. Combine this with the fact that a Valkyrie can Deep Strike, Outflank or Scout move, and you have a vehicle that can hit from just about anywhere on the table and deliver its passengers to take and hold objectives or merely support them as they begin their assault. In addition, a Valkyrie's passengers can disembark at any time, even if it moved flat out due to its special disembarkation rules (however, troops can disembark normally as well. Don't forget that).
Aggressive: An Air Cavalry force is not for the cautious, calculating field commander (I would advise you stick to gunlines if you are). You have to be prepared to lose a large chunk of your points to take advantage of the full tactical flexibility an Air Cavalry list offers. If you play aggressively but without taking unnecessary risks (mechanized and light infantry players share those traits), with a little practice you'll find Air Cavalry to be a rewarding build to play.
Unpredictable: An Air Cavalry list has an element of unpredictability to it due to the nature of Reserves, Outflank and Deep Strike. This unpredictability can be a great asset, however, as it keeps your opponent on his toes and makes him think about how to react to your moves. Remember, the more your opponent needs to think, the more likely he will be making mistakes.
Hard-hitting: When you consider that you can fit 4 large blast templates, six S6 shooting attacks and anywhere from two to eight special weapons on a wing pair of Valkyries carrying a squad each, an Air Cavalry list can pack quite a punch. Combine this with the mobility inherent to the list, and Air Cavalry suddenly becomes quite potent in the right hands.
Lack of ordnance: An Air Cavalry list does not have any artillery or main battle tanks (although there is realistically nothing to stop a player from including them). Doing so makes that list a combined arms list, which may or may not be effective depending on one's playing style and local metagame.
Low armor: Unless you include Leman Russes (of any flavor) in your list, the highest armor rating an Air Cavalry list will have is 12. However, since Valkyries will be moving fast most of the time, this disadvantage is largely compensated for by the cover saves your Valkyries will most likely be getting.
Units must be independent: When you take Outflanking and Deep Striking into account, the chance that your troops will be in orders range is unlikely. As a result, any given Valkyrie/squad pair will need to be able to operate independently until reinforcements can arrive.
High risk factor: Deep Strike mishaps, delayed reserves, low armor values, skimmer damage rules... These are but a few of the potential hazards an Air Cavalry list faces not because of the opponent, but because of the list's inherent strengths and weaknesses. In larger games a single Deep Strike mishap may cost you close to a quarter of your points. When disembarking at high speed, enough failed Dangerous Terrain tests could cripple a squad and leave it vulnerable to enemy fire. You simply cannot expect everything to go smoothly when running a list like this.
Okay, you've read this far, so I'm going to assume that you consider the weaknesses of an Air Cavalry list to be a fair price for the advantages such a list brings. There is one other disadvantage to Air Cavalry that has nothing to do with the game itself, and that is money. To buy all the Valkyries you are going to require (usually in the neighborhood of 6-9), you will need a lot of it. The Valkyrie is a complicated kit, but the end result is one of the best-looking models Games Workshop has put out since the Baneblade. However, since Air Cavalry is such a new list type for Imperial Guard (the previous codex only had the Chimera, Hellhound, Sentinel (what the current codex calls the "scout sentinel"), Leman Russ, Demolisher and the Basilisk), this is one of those lists that is best built up over time.
Ideally, your list should contain an Astropath and enough Valkyries for each of your squads to have one. In the case of platoons, I would suggest taking the minimum number of infantry squads (2) and give each platoon a full squadron of Valkyries. The Astropath exists to make sure that your Valkyries come onto the table in a timely manner, so the command squad he is with should reflect that with minimal upgrades and a Chimera to give them enough protection for them to do that. Personally, I also take a second Company Command Section to use as an anti-tank weapon spam platform (4x meltagun lovin').
The Valkyrie itself is pretty versatile in the number of outfit options available to you. In my list, I always buy every Valkyrie the Multiple Rocket Pods upgrade because the Hellstrike missiles it carries as standard do not meet my list's needs. The Multiple Rocket Pods are terrific anti-infantry weapons, while the Hellstrikes are a one-shot Hunter-Killer missile with improved vehicle armor penetration. Since the Hellstrike is an Ordnance weapon without a blast template (this is important), a Valkyrie firing one must be moving less than 6" to fire it, which only slows it down and prevents it from firing another weapon. The Multiple Rocket Pods, on the other hand, do not run out of ammunition and count as defensive weapons (meaning you can move up to 12" and still fire them). Since the Valkyrie is primarily a transport, this is an advantageous weapon for an Air Cavalry list (in fact, I have scored more Space Marine kills per shooting phase with my MRPs than any other weapon). The Valkyrie can also be fitted with heavy bolter sponsons, but I find that in order to use them the Valkyrie must be moving no more than 6". While a weapon that slows a Valkyrie down is not a good match for it, the Vendetta, already slowed down by its three twin-linked lascannons would only benefit from the addition of sponson gunners (for one thing it gives the Vendetta a secondary role once it runs out of tanks to slag). As a result, I normally do without them. With the nose weapon, only the standard Multilaser makes sense because if you want to mount a lascannon on a Valkyrie you would be better off buying a Vendetta instead.
Now, we can get to the fun part: Tactics. As mentioned above, an Air Cavalry list is very flexible. There are a few things to keep in mind regarding Air Cavalry and how they behave on the table:
- A unit mounted in a Deep Striking or Outflanking Valkyrie Deep-Strikes or outflanks with it.
- A Deep-Striking skimmer gets its cover save for moving fast on the turn it drops in because it counts as moving at combat speed (6").
- Valkyries and Vendettas come with Searchlights and Extra Armor as standard. This means that they can't be Stunned (all Crew Stunned results are reduced to Crew Shaken instead) and they don't have to follow Night-Fighting rules when shooting (although enemy units don't have to when targeting them, either, if you decide to take advantage of that upgrade).
- When disembarking normally from a Valkyrie, you measure from the base, not from the hull of the transport. When using the special disembarking rules, there is no need to measure as you can place the squad anywhere along the Valkyrie's flight path.
Anyways, there are three basic ways to deploy a Valkyrie: normally, Outflanking and Deep Striking. The last two are pretty much self-explanatory; I'm sure that the tactics for both of them are well-explained elsewhere, and there is no real change when using Valkyries is this manner. When deploying normally, however, you can choose to take advantage of the Valkyrie's Scout move before the game begins. This, combined with the recommended armament of the Valkyrie, has led to some rather creative uses of their abilities.
The Rolling Thunder Gambit (named after its creator, Rolling Thunder, a moderator and contributing member of the IGMB) is one such strategy. The idea is to take a Valkyrie or two and deploy it normally on the edge of your deployment zone with a Veteran squad equipped with Meltaguns or Plasma Guns in each one. Then, taking advantage of the Scout move you rush them forward as fast as they will go. Then, on your turn, you rush them towards the enemy's firebase (preferably where they have heavy weapons, artillery, armor or special characters), disembark and unleash hell on them (this would benefit greatly from the melta command section detailed above). With any luck, you'll have taken out a key element in your enemy's forces before they could do a thing with it, plus they'll have to divide their remaining firepower between the bulk of your forces and the strike force already behind their lines. However, the Rolling Thunder Gambit's success is largely dependent on you having the first turn. That is something that does not come easily to the Imperial Guard.
The Sharps Sucker Punch is a technique I have developed for dealing with lightly armored enemy transport vehicles and their occupants. Using the nose-mounted Multilaser, a Valkyrie targets a light enemy transport (like a Rhino, Trukk or Dark Eldar Raider) and scores a penetrating hit (but the vehicle can't be destroyed, otherwise the maneuver is ruined). Usually, a penetrating hit will force an emergency disembark on any passengers aboard; as a result, they will be crowded around the vehicle, which is when the Multiple Rocket Pods are fired. Now normally, if a unit fires at another unit, all of its weapons must fire at that same target. However, if a targeted shot scatters it still inflicts damage on any unit underneath its area of effect. The plan is to take advantage of the fact that the Multiple Rocket Pods will scatter (and that they'll most likely have no effect on the vehicle they're being fired at) to hit the unit it was carrying. The most glaring weakness of this strategy is that it depends on the vehicle not being destroyed by the initial burst of Multilaser fire, but the effect it has on lightly armored targets like Kroot, Wyches and Orks can be devastating if it works (it should also work wonders against Land Speeder Storms and their Scout Marine passengers, but I have yet to test it against them). A variant of this technique is to deploy an infantry squad with anti-tank weapons like Meltaguns and use them to pop the transport, then use the Valkyrie to shred the passengers.
[Editor's note: This tactic may not work in 5th edition.]
I hope you found this article on Air Cavalry useful. It's a fun build to play with, and it's rewarding if used correctly. At some point I'll write up some example lists and post more detailed tactics regarding them. Until next time, keep 'em flying!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Because Bullets and Laserbeams don't Explode
Imperial Guard infantry. The image brought to mind is lots of squishy guys with lasguns. That’s not far off, but among the choices we’re given to replace those rifle-sized laser pointers is the noble grenade launcher. Not that lasguns are bad, mind you – but are you really gonna argue against the upgrade to a GL for as cheap as it is?
Let’s take a look at this fine device: same range as a lasgun, and it’s assault 1, so moving and firing actually gets a range boost, but standing still lowers the rate of fire (at under 12”). Two firing modes – just like its older brother the missile launcher, but with slightly weaker stats – the frag deals a blast at S3 AP6, and the krak a roll-to-hit S6 AP4. This versatility is the weapon’s greatest strength – a group of lightly armored enemies will feel slightly more sting than a lasgun, and medium armor and even light vehicle armor is at risk from a krak grenade. Most things with an armor save of 4 will be wounded on a 2+, and there’s a lot of SA 10 and 11 that can be penetrated by this simple and effective weapon.
So let’s take a quick look at how one might employ them.
In a mobbed-up gunline platoon, you can have five of these waiting to unleash pain upon the over-confident foe. You can also put four of them in the PCS, for a total of nine per troops choice. Strength six adds up quickly – even if you’re firing that against MEQs, that and the lasguns will likely overwhelm a squad. Against a horde, the potential for nine blasts to land and also deny armor saves to stuff with 6+ can put a nice dent in the advancing enemy.
For an outflanking assault, giving El’Rahemo’s PCS some GLs will cause some consternation with enemy vehicles and the soft rear armor. The astropath helps, there.
Veteran drive-by with GLs won’t deliver quite the same punch as if they were plasma, but it’s a third the cost for the weapons, and you won’t melt your guys.
Now the part about honesty… I don’t really use GLs anymore. I pay-up, and buy some sweet plasma goodness. I find that when used judiciously, I only get on average one casualty from overheats per game, and the medic in the CCS really helps with that. Plasma has higher strength and lower AP than the krak grenade, and the only real drawback is a ~8% chance of melting a guy in carapace armor per shot fired. Half that, with a medic. And I roll all my ones when I roll to wound… Anyway, I just thought I’d tack that in here as a second opinion. Can you give a second opinion yourself? Well, I just did. I’m special, that’s what my mom always said.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Considerations
I've often visited this blog in the past few months wondering if I should bother to make a post. I've had a few ideas pop into my head now and then, but I've never mustered the motivation to write something productive. So, if anyone who's reading this wants me to write something, let me know. I think the last tactica requested of me was for GL usage, but I stopped using those in favor of plasma. If you want, I can still do that.
Third Time Lucky and Dealing With the Bug Problem
I figured it might be time to give this whole "Blog" thing another shot.
I've written a series of articles over at the IGMB about the Meta Hobby that I'm plan on adding here, too, and I want to share tips for cracking some of those hard-arse units we fight, and a few other things, but right now, I want to talk Nids.
I've had a brief (and, I'll admit, by no means thorough) look through their new codex, and talked to some of the local players, and here are my thoughts on what we're facing with the new bugs, and what the IG might want to use against them
Vets- While I'm a longstanding supporter of the classic Gunline IG, I don't think having big squads is the way to go here. For all their size and the Stubborn they get from a Commissar, a combined squad can, and probably will, get rolled by the swarms of Gaunts charging into them or the Genestealer broods that will undoubtedly outflank and munch on them, thus flushing more then a few points down the drain. Vets are still pretty cheap, and can pack a lot of punch. Tossing them in a Chimera for a bit of protecting and mobility means you can mash through the smaller bugs, roll up to a Warrior brood or Fex and unload Melta or Plasma rounds into them. Also, a Vets squad with 3 GLs, an ML, and "Fire on my target!" will do nasty things to Warriors hiding behind the Gaunt swarms
Hellhounds- Oh, how we Guardsman do love our fire, and the Hellhound really comes into it's own against the Nids. Being able to toss out a template that will pulp things like Rippers and ignore both cover AND armour on most of the small and mid-sized bugs will hurt a lot. Factor in that it's fast, so it can move 12in and still fire (thus meaning it only get hits on a 6 if it gets charged), and the fact that it can toss it's template, even into the enemy deployment zone on the first turn, makes this one very, very nasty tank. It also comes in handy for dealing with flanking Genestealers, since there's no danger of the shot scattering into your own men, like with a Russ.
Plasma CCS- The Triple Plasma Gun, Medic, Plasma Pistol combo has been serving me tried and true since the week the new Codex came out, and it works even better against Nids now. Having a Fex roll up to your lines, only to die in a single volley of Plasma is something very nice to see. Also, the fact that you can put the CCS in a Valk and flank it next to something big and nasty lurking in the back, and rapid fire it to death is a nice little bonus.
Fleet Officers- Some people are saying that the Fex will fall out of fashion now, more or less, due to the fact it's easier to kill (slightly), and the Trygon will be taking it's place, and I think they're right. Thus, I think it might be time to dust off my Fleet Officer model and try to delay that big worm until I've managed to deal with most of the enemy army that's already on the table. I also plan on keeping something like a Plasma Vet squad in reserve to deal with it when it does show up. There's also the fact that Nids get their own snazzy new version of the Drop Pod to consider, meaning it's probably a good idea to have a few Flamers lurking i the back of your lines for when those spores do arrive.
Russes- While the Russ is always a good, solid choice no matter who you face, it works wonders against the mass of bugs we'll be seeing on the table. It's AP 3 punches through the armour save of a lot of the larger bugs like the Tyrants, Fexes, etc, and woe betide any Nid player who groups their Warriors too closely together. The Eradicator is another solid choice, since it gives us the two things we want most when facing Nids. Ignoring cover and a High Strength Shot. Granted, it's only AP 4, but it'll work wonders on the Bug swarms. Finally, the Executioner will be quite a bit of fun against Fex squadrons, Tyrant Guards, and the like, given that it can actually spam lots of AP 2 wounds. If you can afford to drop the points for it, use it.
Vendettas: While the Valk can work well against the smaller bugs, there's more then enough things in the IG army list that can do that job much better, so take a Ven instead. Use it to flank around and snipe Zoanthropes, Tyrants, Fexes, and anything else lurking behind the Gaunt Screen that's giving you a hard time. Packing it full of Vets or the Plasma CCS is a winning combination, just be sure to avoid some of the higher strength weapons the Nids are packing now.
There you go guys, I hope to be posting a bit more in the future.
Reds
I've written a series of articles over at the IGMB about the Meta Hobby that I'm plan on adding here, too, and I want to share tips for cracking some of those hard-arse units we fight, and a few other things, but right now, I want to talk Nids.
I've had a brief (and, I'll admit, by no means thorough) look through their new codex, and talked to some of the local players, and here are my thoughts on what we're facing with the new bugs, and what the IG might want to use against them
Vets- While I'm a longstanding supporter of the classic Gunline IG, I don't think having big squads is the way to go here. For all their size and the Stubborn they get from a Commissar, a combined squad can, and probably will, get rolled by the swarms of Gaunts charging into them or the Genestealer broods that will undoubtedly outflank and munch on them, thus flushing more then a few points down the drain. Vets are still pretty cheap, and can pack a lot of punch. Tossing them in a Chimera for a bit of protecting and mobility means you can mash through the smaller bugs, roll up to a Warrior brood or Fex and unload Melta or Plasma rounds into them. Also, a Vets squad with 3 GLs, an ML, and "Fire on my target!" will do nasty things to Warriors hiding behind the Gaunt swarms
Hellhounds- Oh, how we Guardsman do love our fire, and the Hellhound really comes into it's own against the Nids. Being able to toss out a template that will pulp things like Rippers and ignore both cover AND armour on most of the small and mid-sized bugs will hurt a lot. Factor in that it's fast, so it can move 12in and still fire (thus meaning it only get hits on a 6 if it gets charged), and the fact that it can toss it's template, even into the enemy deployment zone on the first turn, makes this one very, very nasty tank. It also comes in handy for dealing with flanking Genestealers, since there's no danger of the shot scattering into your own men, like with a Russ.
Plasma CCS- The Triple Plasma Gun, Medic, Plasma Pistol combo has been serving me tried and true since the week the new Codex came out, and it works even better against Nids now. Having a Fex roll up to your lines, only to die in a single volley of Plasma is something very nice to see. Also, the fact that you can put the CCS in a Valk and flank it next to something big and nasty lurking in the back, and rapid fire it to death is a nice little bonus.
Fleet Officers- Some people are saying that the Fex will fall out of fashion now, more or less, due to the fact it's easier to kill (slightly), and the Trygon will be taking it's place, and I think they're right. Thus, I think it might be time to dust off my Fleet Officer model and try to delay that big worm until I've managed to deal with most of the enemy army that's already on the table. I also plan on keeping something like a Plasma Vet squad in reserve to deal with it when it does show up. There's also the fact that Nids get their own snazzy new version of the Drop Pod to consider, meaning it's probably a good idea to have a few Flamers lurking i the back of your lines for when those spores do arrive.
Russes- While the Russ is always a good, solid choice no matter who you face, it works wonders against the mass of bugs we'll be seeing on the table. It's AP 3 punches through the armour save of a lot of the larger bugs like the Tyrants, Fexes, etc, and woe betide any Nid player who groups their Warriors too closely together. The Eradicator is another solid choice, since it gives us the two things we want most when facing Nids. Ignoring cover and a High Strength Shot. Granted, it's only AP 4, but it'll work wonders on the Bug swarms. Finally, the Executioner will be quite a bit of fun against Fex squadrons, Tyrant Guards, and the like, given that it can actually spam lots of AP 2 wounds. If you can afford to drop the points for it, use it.
Vendettas: While the Valk can work well against the smaller bugs, there's more then enough things in the IG army list that can do that job much better, so take a Ven instead. Use it to flank around and snipe Zoanthropes, Tyrants, Fexes, and anything else lurking behind the Gaunt Screen that's giving you a hard time. Packing it full of Vets or the Plasma CCS is a winning combination, just be sure to avoid some of the higher strength weapons the Nids are packing now.
There you go guys, I hope to be posting a bit more in the future.
Reds
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Guard vs. Daemons
Have you ever fought Chaos Daemons? I have. Twice. One game I won, and the other I lost. Tremendously! But even in just two games, there are some things that I learned. Follow these and they'll help you beat the All-Deep-Striking army of Chaos!
Tip 1.) Do NOT use Combined Squads:
In the second game, I combined 30 guardsmen into one squad, thinking that it would help me kill the Greater Daemon, the Bloodthirster, in hand to hand. It didn't. All it did was allow him to sweeping advance over 200 points of guardsmen in 3 rounds of Assault (which is more than I expected, but it could have been sooner).
Tip 2.) Use Allied Grey Knight Terminators, NOT normal GK:
I used a squad of normal Grey Knights, and, needless to say, they were overwhelmed pretty quickly. A -1 to Daemon's leadership value does little to help you, and even if the GK deep strike, their incinerator won't be enough to kill enough daemons. I hit 6. Killed 1. then I was overwhelmed by 20 Hellblade attacks before I could retaliate. Grey Knights are NOT skilled in close combat against such units as Daemon Princes, because the Daemon Prince ignores their power armour, and GK get no invulnerable save.
I have used both termies and GK, and I will vouch for the termies every time. They get more attacks, they get a better save, AND an invulnerable save to fend off those hellblade attacks, and they can also deep strike just like fast attack GK.
Drop the termies next to something nasty like a horde of Bloodletters, or a Greater Daemon, then light them up with storm bolters and psycannons. You will be charged, unless of course you face Pink Horrors. When you are charged, you will often still overwhelm your enemy with superior skill and S6 attacks.
Tip 3.) There are Certain vehicles that you DO NOT use:
First off, do not use chimera's. There's no need for them, and they will just get destroyed. I do recommend, however, the Leman Russ Exterminator, as nothing can penetrate Deamon invulnerable saves anyway, so why not pump them full of lead? Give it as many heavy bolters and stubbers as you can. Hydra flak tanks will also work. Take cheap things over expensive things - you want to outnumber the daemons.
Sentinels are also mostly useless. They get destroyed very quickly. A Valkyrie, however, or a hellhound held in reserve until you need it, will work wonders! Put as many wounds on them as possible!
Tip 4.) Wounds! Buckets and Buckets of Wounds!:
As I said above, your goal here is to wound the damn beasts as many times as possible, not to try to beat their armour (because...you can't!). But to inflict wounds more easily, there are some special tools, and at the top of the list for infantry, is:
The Plasma gun
Believe it or not, this is the best gun available as a special weapon against Daemons, and here's why:
- S7 will wound most of your targets on a 2 or 3 up on a d6, invaluable against such tough targets
- Ap2 will punch through any regualar saves, AND deny any Nurgle daemons their Feel No Pain roll. Tasty!
- Rapid fire. Get close, and just rapid fire the hell out of them! I took down a daemon prince with 2 regular squads of plasma gun armed guardsmen. 4 shots took 2 wounds off in one round.
Orders:
What are the best orders to use? There are really only four, but three if you're playing Annihilation.
First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire:
Or as I call it - Fire in ranks! - is invaluable as a "bucket of wounds" dealer. This order, as you know, turns 10 lasguns into 20 shots, or at close range, 30 shots. Now I know you have to take into consideration the sergeant's pistol and the special weapon, but that's still a lot of shots. This order is perfect for combating an all invulnerable save army.
Take it Down:
the Daemons army list has several monstrous creatures, and even one very nasty vehicle. Twin linking your weapons, especially heavy weapons like heavy bolters and autocannons, can win you a shooting phase. I'd use it on veteran squads armed with all plasma guns to wipe out Daemon Princes.
Fire on my Target:
Daemons have poor saves, and a Daemon player knows this. This is why a Daemon player will often DS his daemons behind cover, and then move into it in order to close the gap with your guardsmen. Deny him this advantage. Utterly snatch it from him. Issue this order on a line of heavy bolters and laugh as your opponent fails his cover saves, too!
Run! Run! Run!:
This is only useful if you're trying to get to an objective before the enemy has Deep Struck. If you're attempting to take objectives rather than kill your foe, this order can help you get there faster.
Take the first turn!
If you get the first turn, and the Daemon player fails his "Seize the Initiative" test, then take it! Do not let the Daemon player go first! Why? Because if you go first, you get a chance to move your units forward before he is even on the table! Get those objectives, reposition your men into locations you couldn't reach during deployment.
Well, that's all. My friend's daemon army is expanding, and as I fight him more and more, I'll give you tips on what weapons and units to use against certain types of daemons.
Tip 1.) Do NOT use Combined Squads:
In the second game, I combined 30 guardsmen into one squad, thinking that it would help me kill the Greater Daemon, the Bloodthirster, in hand to hand. It didn't. All it did was allow him to sweeping advance over 200 points of guardsmen in 3 rounds of Assault (which is more than I expected, but it could have been sooner).
Tip 2.) Use Allied Grey Knight Terminators, NOT normal GK:
I used a squad of normal Grey Knights, and, needless to say, they were overwhelmed pretty quickly. A -1 to Daemon's leadership value does little to help you, and even if the GK deep strike, their incinerator won't be enough to kill enough daemons. I hit 6. Killed 1. then I was overwhelmed by 20 Hellblade attacks before I could retaliate. Grey Knights are NOT skilled in close combat against such units as Daemon Princes, because the Daemon Prince ignores their power armour, and GK get no invulnerable save.
I have used both termies and GK, and I will vouch for the termies every time. They get more attacks, they get a better save, AND an invulnerable save to fend off those hellblade attacks, and they can also deep strike just like fast attack GK.
Drop the termies next to something nasty like a horde of Bloodletters, or a Greater Daemon, then light them up with storm bolters and psycannons. You will be charged, unless of course you face Pink Horrors. When you are charged, you will often still overwhelm your enemy with superior skill and S6 attacks.
Tip 3.) There are Certain vehicles that you DO NOT use:
First off, do not use chimera's. There's no need for them, and they will just get destroyed. I do recommend, however, the Leman Russ Exterminator, as nothing can penetrate Deamon invulnerable saves anyway, so why not pump them full of lead? Give it as many heavy bolters and stubbers as you can. Hydra flak tanks will also work. Take cheap things over expensive things - you want to outnumber the daemons.
Sentinels are also mostly useless. They get destroyed very quickly. A Valkyrie, however, or a hellhound held in reserve until you need it, will work wonders! Put as many wounds on them as possible!
Tip 4.) Wounds! Buckets and Buckets of Wounds!:
As I said above, your goal here is to wound the damn beasts as many times as possible, not to try to beat their armour (because...you can't!). But to inflict wounds more easily, there are some special tools, and at the top of the list for infantry, is:
The Plasma gun
Believe it or not, this is the best gun available as a special weapon against Daemons, and here's why:
- S7 will wound most of your targets on a 2 or 3 up on a d6, invaluable against such tough targets
- Ap2 will punch through any regualar saves, AND deny any Nurgle daemons their Feel No Pain roll. Tasty!
- Rapid fire. Get close, and just rapid fire the hell out of them! I took down a daemon prince with 2 regular squads of plasma gun armed guardsmen. 4 shots took 2 wounds off in one round.
Orders:
What are the best orders to use? There are really only four, but three if you're playing Annihilation.
First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire:
Or as I call it - Fire in ranks! - is invaluable as a "bucket of wounds" dealer. This order, as you know, turns 10 lasguns into 20 shots, or at close range, 30 shots. Now I know you have to take into consideration the sergeant's pistol and the special weapon, but that's still a lot of shots. This order is perfect for combating an all invulnerable save army.
Take it Down:
the Daemons army list has several monstrous creatures, and even one very nasty vehicle. Twin linking your weapons, especially heavy weapons like heavy bolters and autocannons, can win you a shooting phase. I'd use it on veteran squads armed with all plasma guns to wipe out Daemon Princes.
Fire on my Target:
Daemons have poor saves, and a Daemon player knows this. This is why a Daemon player will often DS his daemons behind cover, and then move into it in order to close the gap with your guardsmen. Deny him this advantage. Utterly snatch it from him. Issue this order on a line of heavy bolters and laugh as your opponent fails his cover saves, too!
Run! Run! Run!:
This is only useful if you're trying to get to an objective before the enemy has Deep Struck. If you're attempting to take objectives rather than kill your foe, this order can help you get there faster.
Take the first turn!
If you get the first turn, and the Daemon player fails his "Seize the Initiative" test, then take it! Do not let the Daemon player go first! Why? Because if you go first, you get a chance to move your units forward before he is even on the table! Get those objectives, reposition your men into locations you couldn't reach during deployment.
Well, that's all. My friend's daemon army is expanding, and as I fight him more and more, I'll give you tips on what weapons and units to use against certain types of daemons.
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