|
Back to the Basics I played a game of "40k in 40 minutes" this past Sunday. Not only did I have a good time, but I learned some lessons as well. A while back there was an article in White Dwarf Magazine called 40k in 40 minutes. The idea was to use a small patrol type of force and play a short game that you could get in quickly. These games would be ideal for introductory games or for trying out new armies, new units or new tactics. They can also be used quite effectively to gain familiarity with new rules. For a long time, I have used 500pt games (taking about an hour) for such purposes, but the rules put out for these games are more effective, I think, at keeping small numbers from becoming unbalanced. The rules for 40k in 40 minutes are pretty straightforward. You have 400pts and you must have at least one Troops choice and 0-1 HQ choices. Your force may not include models with better than a 3+ armor save or more than 2 Wounds or a vehicle with more than 33 total Armor Value (Front+Side+Rear, a Rhino=32.) These rules tend to balance the game well, as they avoid some of the toughest troops and vehicles and monstrous creatures, which would be much harder to deal with at lower point levels. With such a small point value, it is fairly easy to get a game in within 40 minutes or so, meaning you can generally play several games in a row, either against different opponents or with different tactics or units. In the Space Marine Corner, my friend Adrienne brought: In the Dark Eldar Corner, I brought: Setup. The Space Marine Tactical squads set up in the back of the corner behind a low wall, while the Chaplain was behind the nearby ruins. The Haemonculi each joined a Raider squad and the Raiders started behind some trees in their corner.
Turn 1. The Dark Eldar took the first turn and swiftly flitted up the board to get behind trees in the center of the board. The Tactical squads moved up for better positions, while the Chaplain moved into the ruins.
Turn 2. The Raiders continued to zip forward, each keeping a set of ruins between them and their Space Marine prey. The Chaplain jumped out of the ruins and fired at Raider squad Balgos, but the searing blast only melted some of the grisly trophies, not damaging it. Tac squad 1 moved into a better position and fired Bolters into Raider Squad Akara's transport. The emperor guided their weapons, detonating a fuel cell and the skimmer exploded in a shower of sparks. The survivors of the crash scrambled out of the burning wreckage right into the fire of Tac squad 2, and were then assaulted by Tac squad 1. After a fierce exchange, only 2 Dark Eldar remained, surrounded by 9 Space Marines.
Turn 3. Squad Balgos skimmed over the ruins and the pilot mentally triggered the Dark Lance right into the startled Chaplain. The pulse of dark energy proved too much for his Rosarius and he fell to the ground. Squad Balgos then fired into Tac squad 2, then charged into combat. The fight between Tac squad 1 and squad Akara continued, with the Blaster gunner falling, but the Sybarite slew the Sergeant in return, spitting his defiance at the Space Marines.
Turn 4. Tac Squad 1 dragged the Sybarite down, killing him, then consolidated around the ruins. The Sybarite Balgos went on a rampage, wiping out the rest of Tac squad 2. He then led his squad toward Tac squad 1. Tac squad 1, unfazed, fired into the remaining Raider, bringing it crashing to the ground, then assaulted squad Balgos.
Turn 5. The stalwart Space Marines slew all but Balgos himself, who had an outbreak of common sense and began sprinting for cover. The Space Marines then simply moved into good firing positions and shot him down like a dog.
After the game, I tried to look back and see what I had done wrong and what Adrienne had done right. Hindsight being 20/20, a few minutes of thought pointed out several things. Adrienne chose a very solid force that would fare well in both shooting and assault, with plenty of bodies (in Powered Armor, no less!) to absorb punishment. She then used them very effectively. Her tactics were classic supporting fire and maneuver, with one squad moving up to take better positions and contest the center or engage the enemy, while the other remained stationary to support them with firepower. I also chose a fairly solid force, though it had a bit less hand to hand punch than I initially thought. Unfortunately, I didn't use them effectively. I made several major mistakes. I'll discuss those mistakes in turn. The first mistake wasn't a game breaker, but it certainly cost me something. I set up way too far back, instead of following the standard deployment rules for cleanse. A closer deployment might have given me better first turn movement, which would have been helpful. As I say, not a game breaker, but it might have helped. My first big mistake was unloading Raider squad Akara (when it was destroyed) in view of Tac Squad 2. Not only that, but I thought that they were out of charge range of Tac squad 1, and so I didn't take casualties from the front of the squad, leaving them open to the charge. I've got to work a little more on judging distances, as well as keeping track of who has fired and who has line of sight. Compounding this, my next mistake was that I did not support squad Akara with squad Balgos. If squad Balgos had jumped into the melee against Tac squad 1, they would likely have turned the tide of that battle and probably have left Akara alive, making them more effective when they had to take on Tac Squad 2. Hmm, misjudging distances, not watching line of sight, not supporting units, it sounds like somebody needs to go back to the basics and read his own tactical articles again! Well, it's time for me to do some more homework (reading tactical articles that is) and prepare for the next showdown. Until next time, good luck and try to learn from my mistakes! If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know |
