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Speed Combat
Assault is still very much alive in 4th edition. In fact, it is still the fastest way to munch through an enemy army. With that in mind, it would seem reasonable that I discuss some important factors involved in close combat and how to wield them properly.
Why do I say that close combat is still the fastest way to munch through an enemy army? First off, there are 2 Assault Phases for every shooting phase. In addition, when you win a combat, you have the possibility of running down the remainder of the enemy unit, without having to hit or Wound or let them make saves. This lets you quickly build on successes and wipe out large chunks of the enemy quickly. First I'd like to discuss how to tip the scales in your favor in close combat, then I'll talk about how to wipe out the enemy quickly without many casualties in return.
Set up the charge
In your movement phase, you need to maneuver to make the best charge for you. Typically this is just moving forward as far as possible, but there are some situations where different maneuvers are called for. If you have an inch or two of movement to spare, it definitely helps to bunch up your models as closely as possible to get the most attacks in the smallest area possible. Alternately, you may want to spread out just a little to attempt to wrap slightly around the enemy unit on your charge, which gets you closer to nearby enemy units, potentially allowing easier Consolidation into them after you win this assault. Finally, if you want to limit the number of models you have in the assault, either to limit the damage you receive or to make sure neither side has much in the way of attacks (either against specific models or in general, such as if you want to charge someone to take away their assault, but you know that you'll eventually lose that assault) then you want to move less than your full amount during the movement phase, since you must move the full amount during the assault phase.
Shooting them would be a good start, maybe.
First off, consider shooting the enemy squad to start whittling it down to a more manageable size so that you can charge it more effectively. Two considerations here would be Rapid Fire or Heavy Weapons, which won't let the firing squad assault, and taking out the closest models so that you are no longer in charge range. If you fire Rapid Fire or Heavy Weapons, you cannot assault, but you can always fire them from a supporting squad, while the Assault squad gets ready to charge in and smash the rest of the unit. On the other hand, if you are just at the edge of assault range, you may want to hold your fire, since a wily opponent will likely pull casualties from the front of the squad, leaving you out of range. The better you are at estimating distances and calculating average damage, the easier this will be. Once you have made your decision and resolved any fire, you can declare a charge and move into Base Contact.
Assault Movement
After moving into base contact, make sure that those which cannot make contact are within 2" of friendly models that can. If one Model is significantly closer than the rest of the unit, don't just pile in in a straight line, make sure you are closing with a friendly model in Base Contact. If model A is 1/4" away from an enemy model, but 2 1/4" away from a friendly model in Base Contact, model A won't get it's attacks.
Special Note: Independent Characters.
ICs are treated as separate units in combat, which means they can only participate if they are in Base Contact with an enemy model. Not only does this usually mean you'll be safe on the first turn of your charge (if you can avoid getting in Base Contact with the IC) but it means that you can sometimes prevent them from striking if they have a lower Initiative than the other models in their unit. Let's say you have 4 models in Base Contact with the enemy, including 1 in contact with a Powerfist-Wielding IC, plus an additional 3 models Engaged in Combat within 2" of the Base Contact ones. If the faster enemy models kill even a single casualty, you can remove the one in contact with the IC. Engaged models are refigured at each Initiative step, so when it becomes the IC's turn to strike, he is no longer in contact with anyone, so he cannot strike. While some characters are easily dealt with, it's probably safer and easier to not Contact them on the charge, then pull casualties from the models contacting them on the second or subsequent turns. If you break the unit they are attached to, the IC will run as well, and can be cut down by a Sweeping Advance or simply allowed to run off the board.
Now, how to wipe the enemy out quickly and ensure fewer casualties on your side. First, you want to decisively win the combat, preferably by having high Initiative models inflicting a lot of casualties on the enemy before they get to strike back. Even if you strike at the same time, causing lots of casualties helps you win the combat on the first turn, which limits your return casualties. Local Superiority helps out a great deal here. Why charge with one unit if you can hit with two of them? The more models you get Engaged in combat, the larger the pool of dice you can roll and the more dead enemy models will hit the ground.
Breaking the enemy and running them down like dogs.
If you win the combat and the enemy fails it's Morale test, you have the chance to kill off the rest of the unit without suffering any injuries at all! This is the biggest key to doing massive amounts of damage without taking them. Outnumbering helps here, as it makes it more difficult to pass their Morale test. If you've gotten them under 50% of their starting strength, that's an additional -1 penalty. Some armies also have access to models or wargear that give additional penalties to the dice. (Psychic Scream for Tyranids, Warp Amps (I think) for Chaos Slaanesh armies and Trophy Racks for Dark Eldar come to mind. For that matter, the Dark Eldar also have Grotesques which will make the enemy Automatically Fall Back if you win the combat.) The further you hinder their Morale, the higher chance they have of failing, and the higher chance you have of wiping them out. Once they do break, it's a contest of Initiative + 1d6. If you equal or beat their number, you've caught them and killed them. Sweet! Then you make a 1d6 Consolidation movement and try to do it to another unit. Here's where having multiple units really helps. First off, it allows you to make multiple rolls to beat their run away. Having even a small unit of high Initiative models can really pay off here, even if they aren't the ones that did the most damage in the combat. In addition, having more than one unit allows you to make multiple rolls for Consolidation movement, increasing the chance of Locking nearby enemy units in combat, meaning that they cannot shoot at you during their turn.
Fearless units and ATSKNF
There are some units that this will not apply to, and so you'll have to deal with them the hard way. Fearless units (Khorne Berzerkers, for example) automatically pass their Morale Check, so they won't Fall Back. Space Marines, with their And They Shall Know No Fear rule, will still Fall Back if they fail the Morale Check, but if you catch them, they simply continue fighting as opposed to breaking. This is another place where outnumbering really comes in handy. Thanks to the new rules, enemy units in these situations take extra wounds based on how much you outnumber them by. That may not seem like much, but against Armor Save 3+, it's an additional 0.33 dead enemies per outnumbering amount for free. Against Space Marines, there are two further options, however.
Run Away!
Due to their ATSKNF rule, Space Marines automatically pass tests to Regroup, unless they are out of squad coherency or are within 6" of an enemy model. If you can make sure that one of your models is within 6" of them once they've Fallen Back, then they will remain broken and continue Falling Back on their turn. If they are near the table edge, this should see them off. (Note that they can still fire while Falling Back in their turn, but they do count as moving.)
Trapped like Rats!
If a unit is Falling Back and finds it's way interrupted by impassible terrain or enemy models, it must attempt to Fall Back around them. If it cannot do so without doubling back on itself, it is removed from the game. This is considerably harder to accomplish than simply having a unit nearby, but with impassable terrain or with careful planning regarding the formation or shape of your unit, you can get them this way as well.
Taking all this into account, I am modifying my current army lists to better take advantage of these rules.
Regular PsyScream List
212 Hive Tyrant (Wings, Implant Attack, Warp Blast WS6 BS4 S6 I5 A3+2 Sv2+) Plus Psychic Scream
240 3x Lictor
544 34xGenestealer
174 Double VFex
174 Double VFex
147 3x Zoanthrope with Psychic Scream
1497pts
The three Zoanthropes mostly follow the Genestealers up one side of the board, helping them to quickly overwhelm enemy forces. The Tyrant attempts to join in with a Lictor or two until a Venomfex arrives.
Extra Crunchy List
212 Hive Tyrant Plus Psychic Scream
212 Hive Tyrant Plus Psychic Scream
240 3x Lictor
512 32x Genestealer
174 Double VFex
147 3x Zoanthrope with Psychic Scream
1497
Tyrants work together when hitting units. This gives them a fair amount of Outnumbering and an additional -2 to Leadership as well.
Now, I'm considering adding some Gargoyles or even (gasp!) Raveners for their fast movement. Either of these units would be very helpful in terms of getting quickly into the enemy Deployment Zone and Trapping enemies or making sure they are within 6" of Falling Back squads, herding them off the board. Gargoyles are generally pretty awesome, but they'd be at the expense of more Genestealers most likely, which limits the amount of damage this army can dish out or take. An individual Ravener or two might be a very good addition, however. Since they can be used in units of one, Raveners may be most useful in this regard. If they die, it wasn't that big an investment and it saves my other units from being shot. Hmm, something to consider.
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