Post by saniles on Jan 6, 2019 1:45:19 GMT
Deployment
Welcome to the Lustria-Online deployment tactica! Here you will find helpful tips on how to deploy. Deployment is crucial for setting up a winning game. You don’t want your hammer units facing an empty board after all!
We will be discussing:
1. Pre-deployment
2. Order of deployment
3. The plan
4. The aftermath
1. Pre-Deployment
Before you actually deploy, take a look at your opponents’ army list. If he is empire, does he have multiple cannons? Or is he going for an all-knight list. Just because you know the army you play against, doesn’t mean you know what type of army they bring. If you know your opponent does not have any cannons, that knowledge makes a world of difference when deploying your monsters. This also counts for any other army, cannons or no.
Things to look out for: How many war machines, how many ‘chaff’ units, how many hammers, is there a deathstar, are there monsters, how good is their infantry, can he vanguard, does he have lots of high movement units…
Now take a look at the battlefield. How many terrain pieces are there? Can I hide my Stegadon behind something? Is there a good lane of attack for my hammer unit? Ask yourself where you think your units would fit their role the best.
Also think where your opponent would like his best units to perform. Are there any obvious places for a war machine to go, is that flank easily defended vs a cavalry unit?
If your opponent has more chaff/support/deployment drops than you do, you will have to commit a hammer or, for instance, your Slann before your enemy has to deploy hís hammer. That’s naturally disadvantageous for you, so you might want to deploy a bit more conservative.
There are lots of questions you can ask yourself. But if you at least think about the list you are facing and the list you are bringing, and project that onto the battlefield with the terrain installed. You have a much higher chance of having a successful deployment phase.
2. Order of deployment
Whatever tactic you may have, whatever army list you might play: the best thing to do is simple. Place your skinks first!
Skink skirmishers are our support units, they are fast, mobile and have multiple roles during a battle. They can redirect, hunt monsters, assault war machines, hunt lone mages, charge fleeing units and probably more. Their placing decides what role they will take. I like placing my unit(s) of skirmishers off-centre. That way they can change roles during the first one or two turns of the game. If you need a redirector, you can rush them down the center. And if you need to take down a monster; you can move towards it easily too. Placing them off-centre also gives you enough space for Saurus blocks to take up the center. It gives you enough room to do whatever you want with your deployment.
After you have placed a couple of units of skink skirmishers, you can deploy your skink cohort (if you have any). Cohorts require a bit more thought, as they aren’t as mobile as their skirmishing counterparts.
Terradons and rippers can also be dropped early. They can vanguard and fly 20” to reposition if necessary. Rippers can be placed facing backwards, so they don’t go crazy on your first turn. The downside to placing rippers early is that your opponent can react better to them, so you might have to reposition them.
I also like placing salamanders about now. Off-centre, so they can always reach the enemy infantry blocks with 1 or 2 marches. Later deployment gives you a better lane of attack towards the enemy blocks, but it also means you have to place your infantry blocks earlier.
Likewise with the rippers: do what you prefer!
After all the skink units have been placed, it is time for the big guys. Saurus infantry blocks should now be placed. They are likely to be placed centrally, so they don’t have to slug halfway across the battlefield before even seeing an enemy. M4 simply doesn’t give you that flexibility. Make sure you still have enough room to place your big blocks, other units should not be in the way right now. Bastiladon’s work very well with Saurus blocks and can guard a Slann well. By this time you should know where your Slann will go (TG, cohort bunker or solo), so you can base your Bastiladon’s deployment off of that.
Next are your hammer units. Kroxigor, Stegadon, SCOR…whichever you happen to have. They should be placed only as last (or at least near the end of your deployment) so you know where your targets are placed and also know where the enemy counters to your hammer have been placed. Look out for war machines, enemy chaff (that your skinks cannot deal with), clear lanes of attack and tar-pit units (ethereals).
Finally, the characters. Put your Slann somewhere safe, but still remember his awesome Leadership bubble! Bunker him in some TG, or even a unit of cohorts. You need your slann somewhere in the center, so his sterning gaze covers more units. Make sure you don’t put multiple low Ld units close together and out of the leadership bubble! A flank consisting of skirmishers, salamander and a bastiladon is prone to being panicked of the board. Make sure you put enough space between them, or keep them closer to your slann wherever possible.
Skink priests can take residence among skirmisher units, or on their own. Scar-veteran cowboys can be attached to saurus blocks, SCOR-delivery systems or solo.
One exception to deploying all your support units first is: the hinge. Place a saurus block very early, so you can ‘hinge’ the rest of your deployment off of that unit. It gives you a visual marker, so nothing else will get in the way of the infantry blocks. It also means you can still bluff an entire flank, for a denied flank deployment. After you place 1 block, continue with your skink units. You now know where you will deploy, but your opponent is none the wiser. Your second infantry block can still go centrally, or be put more on the flank for said denied flank. The biggest upside to using the ‘hinge’ is simple: it becomes easier for you to see where other units can go. Helpful if you are having trouble deploying.
Great job! You have just finished deploying! What now?
3. The Plan
In general, you need a plan before you start deploying. But the order of deployment doesn’t change much whichever tactic you choose to employ.
Planning is critical for every game. You have looked at the army list you are facing, the terrain on the battlefield and you know your own army list and the things you want to do with that list.
So plan ahead. Use your skinks to lure out the targets you want to hit with your hammers, make sure you know where the enemy infantry will be heading so you can shoot ASAP with your salamander and try and point out targets for your Slann.
When you deploy, make sure you have enough space to fit everything. Measure it out! But don’t make this too obvious, so your opponent can basically see your deployment when you start measuring everything…There is nothing more annoying than having everything fall apart because your hammer unit was a turn too late, because they were held up by another friendly unit.
Speaking of holding up units. When deploying, also make sure your units can move freely. This accounts for both terrain and friendly units. Saurus blocks cannot afford to be stuck in terrain for a turn, or simply jog behind another Saurus block. At the moment you deploy them, angle them a bit so they can move 8” straight ahead (if that is your plan).
Skinks are usually on the frontline, deployed closer to the enemy than the Saurus. This is to give both units their maximum movement potential. You do not want your skinks slugging behind the Saurus blocks! The interplay between solely skirmishers and saurus blocks is pretty clear. But if you add in Salamanders and their shooting angles, Bastiladons and their field of view, Slanns and their line of sight and hammer units charging in…things can get complicated quickly. So, you should be already thinking about your first 1-2 movement phases when deploying.
In turns 3 and 4, the big battle will commence most likely. Make sure your saurus blocks (good anvils) get some help versus stronger opponents, your stegadon should be charging in to help them out! Don’t isolate your saurus by deploying them on their own. Saurus need help to really perform, while skinks are fast enough to still be usefull when deployed on their own. Think about the cohesion of your army: keep the leadership near the anvil units, use the skinks to redirect the enemies and poison them, use your hammer to come and close the deal. Perfect!
Planning ahead will greatly help your overall strategy. Whether that is a denied flank, or a balanced setup.
Finally, some lizardmen units are naturally good versus certain enemy units. Skirmishers with blowpipes love facing high T low AS monsters. SCOR love facing WS3, S3 infantry, while Kroxigor love facing enemy cavalry. So, if and when your opponent places one of these clear-cut matchups: react. Deploy your counter directly across from them, making sure your skirmishers can have at least 2 turns of shooting on that monster…or whatever the case may be. If you have a unit of blowpipe skirmishers and a unit of Jav/shield skirmishers, deploy the blowpipes last for this reason: enemy monsters.
Reacting to your opponent can be done with every single drop, but then the cohesion that makes lizardmen such a strong army can be lost. Make sure you have a basic plan to which you can fall back on. If both players react to eachother, you often get a bit of a messy deployment and thus, battle.
You can start thinking about these matchups when you compare both army lists. So, before actually deploying: think about certain matchups, your gameplan, freedom of movement and making sure the matchups turn in your favor (for instance: use skinks to make sure you kroxigor do not get charged by enemy cavalry, but can make a charge themselves).
4. The aftermath
During the battle, you will reap the benefits of your solid deployment. Or will face the consequences of a bad one. Though it might not be as clear cut as described here, you will know where (part of) your deployment could be better. Your movement might be a bit jammed, or the line of sight might be off. Make note of this and make sure you learn from these mistakes. This is probably the most important step! Learn from your mistakes, moves and errors. Maybe make a battle report out of it? Or at least make sure you remember what you could do better!
Welcome to the Lustria-Online deployment tactica! Here you will find helpful tips on how to deploy. Deployment is crucial for setting up a winning game. You don’t want your hammer units facing an empty board after all!
We will be discussing:
1. Pre-deployment
2. Order of deployment
3. The plan
4. The aftermath
1. Pre-Deployment
Before you actually deploy, take a look at your opponents’ army list. If he is empire, does he have multiple cannons? Or is he going for an all-knight list. Just because you know the army you play against, doesn’t mean you know what type of army they bring. If you know your opponent does not have any cannons, that knowledge makes a world of difference when deploying your monsters. This also counts for any other army, cannons or no.
Things to look out for: How many war machines, how many ‘chaff’ units, how many hammers, is there a deathstar, are there monsters, how good is their infantry, can he vanguard, does he have lots of high movement units…
Now take a look at the battlefield. How many terrain pieces are there? Can I hide my Stegadon behind something? Is there a good lane of attack for my hammer unit? Ask yourself where you think your units would fit their role the best.
Also think where your opponent would like his best units to perform. Are there any obvious places for a war machine to go, is that flank easily defended vs a cavalry unit?
If your opponent has more chaff/support/deployment drops than you do, you will have to commit a hammer or, for instance, your Slann before your enemy has to deploy hís hammer. That’s naturally disadvantageous for you, so you might want to deploy a bit more conservative.
There are lots of questions you can ask yourself. But if you at least think about the list you are facing and the list you are bringing, and project that onto the battlefield with the terrain installed. You have a much higher chance of having a successful deployment phase.
2. Order of deployment
Whatever tactic you may have, whatever army list you might play: the best thing to do is simple. Place your skinks first!
Skink skirmishers are our support units, they are fast, mobile and have multiple roles during a battle. They can redirect, hunt monsters, assault war machines, hunt lone mages, charge fleeing units and probably more. Their placing decides what role they will take. I like placing my unit(s) of skirmishers off-centre. That way they can change roles during the first one or two turns of the game. If you need a redirector, you can rush them down the center. And if you need to take down a monster; you can move towards it easily too. Placing them off-centre also gives you enough space for Saurus blocks to take up the center. It gives you enough room to do whatever you want with your deployment.
After you have placed a couple of units of skink skirmishers, you can deploy your skink cohort (if you have any). Cohorts require a bit more thought, as they aren’t as mobile as their skirmishing counterparts.
Terradons and rippers can also be dropped early. They can vanguard and fly 20” to reposition if necessary. Rippers can be placed facing backwards, so they don’t go crazy on your first turn. The downside to placing rippers early is that your opponent can react better to them, so you might have to reposition them.
I also like placing salamanders about now. Off-centre, so they can always reach the enemy infantry blocks with 1 or 2 marches. Later deployment gives you a better lane of attack towards the enemy blocks, but it also means you have to place your infantry blocks earlier.
Likewise with the rippers: do what you prefer!
After all the skink units have been placed, it is time for the big guys. Saurus infantry blocks should now be placed. They are likely to be placed centrally, so they don’t have to slug halfway across the battlefield before even seeing an enemy. M4 simply doesn’t give you that flexibility. Make sure you still have enough room to place your big blocks, other units should not be in the way right now. Bastiladon’s work very well with Saurus blocks and can guard a Slann well. By this time you should know where your Slann will go (TG, cohort bunker or solo), so you can base your Bastiladon’s deployment off of that.
Next are your hammer units. Kroxigor, Stegadon, SCOR…whichever you happen to have. They should be placed only as last (or at least near the end of your deployment) so you know where your targets are placed and also know where the enemy counters to your hammer have been placed. Look out for war machines, enemy chaff (that your skinks cannot deal with), clear lanes of attack and tar-pit units (ethereals).
Finally, the characters. Put your Slann somewhere safe, but still remember his awesome Leadership bubble! Bunker him in some TG, or even a unit of cohorts. You need your slann somewhere in the center, so his sterning gaze covers more units. Make sure you don’t put multiple low Ld units close together and out of the leadership bubble! A flank consisting of skirmishers, salamander and a bastiladon is prone to being panicked of the board. Make sure you put enough space between them, or keep them closer to your slann wherever possible.
Skink priests can take residence among skirmisher units, or on their own. Scar-veteran cowboys can be attached to saurus blocks, SCOR-delivery systems or solo.
One exception to deploying all your support units first is: the hinge. Place a saurus block very early, so you can ‘hinge’ the rest of your deployment off of that unit. It gives you a visual marker, so nothing else will get in the way of the infantry blocks. It also means you can still bluff an entire flank, for a denied flank deployment. After you place 1 block, continue with your skink units. You now know where you will deploy, but your opponent is none the wiser. Your second infantry block can still go centrally, or be put more on the flank for said denied flank. The biggest upside to using the ‘hinge’ is simple: it becomes easier for you to see where other units can go. Helpful if you are having trouble deploying.
Great job! You have just finished deploying! What now?
3. The Plan
In general, you need a plan before you start deploying. But the order of deployment doesn’t change much whichever tactic you choose to employ.
Planning is critical for every game. You have looked at the army list you are facing, the terrain on the battlefield and you know your own army list and the things you want to do with that list.
So plan ahead. Use your skinks to lure out the targets you want to hit with your hammers, make sure you know where the enemy infantry will be heading so you can shoot ASAP with your salamander and try and point out targets for your Slann.
When you deploy, make sure you have enough space to fit everything. Measure it out! But don’t make this too obvious, so your opponent can basically see your deployment when you start measuring everything…There is nothing more annoying than having everything fall apart because your hammer unit was a turn too late, because they were held up by another friendly unit.
Speaking of holding up units. When deploying, also make sure your units can move freely. This accounts for both terrain and friendly units. Saurus blocks cannot afford to be stuck in terrain for a turn, or simply jog behind another Saurus block. At the moment you deploy them, angle them a bit so they can move 8” straight ahead (if that is your plan).
Skinks are usually on the frontline, deployed closer to the enemy than the Saurus. This is to give both units their maximum movement potential. You do not want your skinks slugging behind the Saurus blocks! The interplay between solely skirmishers and saurus blocks is pretty clear. But if you add in Salamanders and their shooting angles, Bastiladons and their field of view, Slanns and their line of sight and hammer units charging in…things can get complicated quickly. So, you should be already thinking about your first 1-2 movement phases when deploying.
In turns 3 and 4, the big battle will commence most likely. Make sure your saurus blocks (good anvils) get some help versus stronger opponents, your stegadon should be charging in to help them out! Don’t isolate your saurus by deploying them on their own. Saurus need help to really perform, while skinks are fast enough to still be usefull when deployed on their own. Think about the cohesion of your army: keep the leadership near the anvil units, use the skinks to redirect the enemies and poison them, use your hammer to come and close the deal. Perfect!
Planning ahead will greatly help your overall strategy. Whether that is a denied flank, or a balanced setup.
Finally, some lizardmen units are naturally good versus certain enemy units. Skirmishers with blowpipes love facing high T low AS monsters. SCOR love facing WS3, S3 infantry, while Kroxigor love facing enemy cavalry. So, if and when your opponent places one of these clear-cut matchups: react. Deploy your counter directly across from them, making sure your skirmishers can have at least 2 turns of shooting on that monster…or whatever the case may be. If you have a unit of blowpipe skirmishers and a unit of Jav/shield skirmishers, deploy the blowpipes last for this reason: enemy monsters.
Reacting to your opponent can be done with every single drop, but then the cohesion that makes lizardmen such a strong army can be lost. Make sure you have a basic plan to which you can fall back on. If both players react to eachother, you often get a bit of a messy deployment and thus, battle.
You can start thinking about these matchups when you compare both army lists. So, before actually deploying: think about certain matchups, your gameplan, freedom of movement and making sure the matchups turn in your favor (for instance: use skinks to make sure you kroxigor do not get charged by enemy cavalry, but can make a charge themselves).
4. The aftermath
During the battle, you will reap the benefits of your solid deployment. Or will face the consequences of a bad one. Though it might not be as clear cut as described here, you will know where (part of) your deployment could be better. Your movement might be a bit jammed, or the line of sight might be off. Make note of this and make sure you learn from these mistakes. This is probably the most important step! Learn from your mistakes, moves and errors. Maybe make a battle report out of it? Or at least make sure you remember what you could do better!