Trenchworks and Fortifications
Using Trenchworks and Fortifications adds an interesting dimension to games, both visually and in terms of gameplay. Unfortunately, these items are rarely seen in large formations on the tabletop and thus aren't typically well-understood. Most players don't understand how to use such fortifications, and so they aren't nearly as useful as they could be. In current military thought, a fortified position is approximately three times as hard to take. In other words, if you have 1000 soldiers in a fortified position, it will take a force of about 3000 soldiers to succesfully assault the position. With something potentially offering a 3:1 advantage, don't you think that it might be worth looking into?

So, how do I work this?
First you must understand the rules around trenchworks and fortifications. While there are a variety of kinds of fortification and they are often given house rules, they can be understood as modified terrain and cover. In general, trenchworks and short walls are treated as giving the models inside/behind them a cover save, usually a 5+. The area leading up to these pieces is usually considered Difficult Terrain, and assaulting into them of course counts as assaulting into cover. Bunker-type fortifications are usually treated as heavy cover (4+ save) and mostly cannot be assaulted into except on one side (typically the rear) where the access hatch is, but have an armor value, so they can be knocked down. Sometimes they are treated as immobile vehicles instead. This kind of fortification completely protects those inside until it takes enough damage to be destroyed.

Understanding these rules is one thing, realizing their impact is another. A 5+ Cover save may not seem like much, but imagine you have two identical shooty armies facing each other. One is out in the open or has a few units in cover, but the other is in trenchworks with a 5+ save. Each turn they will take fewer casualties than the army in the open. As the turns go by, the army in the open becomes more and more outnumbered, as their losses mean they inflict even fewer casualties in the later turns. Assault armies also have difficulties here, as all of their assault troops will have to make it through difficult terrain only to strike last in the first turn of combat, making it harder to gain a foothold on the enemy position, and there won't be any units out in the open for them to strike. Worse, if there are fortifications, they can channel the attackers into nasty fields of fire as they charge past the guns inside, moving further before being able to make contact. Now we start to see why trenchworks and fortifications can make such a huge difference. The next step is to understand their hindrances.

So what could go wrong?
There are some obvious hindrances for the attacker. I have listed most of them above. On a full gaming table built around fortifications and trenches, there also will be very little cover for the attacker, and possibly Difficult Terrain for them to cover on the way. The hindrances are less obvious for the defender, but they still exist. The primary hindrance is that you are essentially forced into playing a static gunline if you want to make the most of the fortifications. This means that there is the potential to be outflanked or to have units out of place or out of Line of Sight or range. The way the fortifications are constructed may also limit your ability to move units from one place to another, either to reinforce a section or to withdraw from a section that has been compromised. The final hindrance is that the fortifications may either have blind spots or areas that are easier to exploit by the enemy since the fortifications are stuck in place and the enemy may be able to move or to deploy in a better position. The first thing you need to know is how to evaluate the fortifications or trenchworks.

To evaluate fortifications and trenchworks you need to work out the potential fields of fire. Basically, look at the angles of the various parts and make sure there isn't anything blocking their line of sight. Then look to see where they overlap, and where they don't. This is important for both the attacker and the defender. If the attacker finds a gap that the defender didn't notice, it'll be over all too quickly. On the other hand, if the defender finds a gap, he or she may be able to make adjustments for it one way or another. (2 ways that spring to mind are Barrage weapons that require no line of sight and high firepower weapons or assault specialists in that area.) As an example, take a look at the picture below. As it is, the trenchline is almost ideally setup to face the Orks. If the Orks could deploy a little more to their right, however, a great deal of coverage would be lost to the defenders. If the scenario allowed the Orks to deploy further over, the defender would have to account for this and put something there that would prevent the Orks from easily taking that path. A Whirlwind or two and an assault squad would take care of it. A Heavy Bolter Devastator squad would also work quite well to up the firepower in that one area.

Next, you need to look at distances. Firepoints too far apart cannot support each other effectively. Beyond 24 inches and (almost all) basic weaponry is ineffective, which leaves the heavy weapons. While Heavy Weapons do have a lot of firepower, standard bolters really add up the damage. Firepoints within 24" of each other will be much more effective, and firepoints 12 inches apart are even more so as Rapid-Fire weaponry goes to work. Again, this is important for both the attacker and the defender, for exactly the same reasons as above.

Why 3:1?
I mentioned that current military thought applies a 3:1 modifier for taking on a fortified position. The way the game of 40k works, this will be modified a bit depending on the army involved. A heavily shooty army or a mostly shooty army with some counterassault will get the most effectiveness out of fortifications and trenchworks. An army primarily based around assault won't get as much effectiveness out of the fortifications, because they will have to move to make use of their assault capabilities. Similarly, an army based around mobility will be almost stifled by the fortifications, or will have to work around them. On the attacking side, shooting armies will be limited greatly, since their firepower is reduced by the cover save. It basically means that they are roughly 33% less effective. Assault armies, on the other hand, will have issues getting to grips with the defenders, but will have a massive advantage when they do so. Against most assault armies, I would suggest that the ratio is more like 2:1.

Stay Tuned for the the next episode
So far I have covered fortifications and trenchworks from both sides. I'd like to go into more detail for each side, but that will take far too much time and space to leave it as a single piece. Instead, I'll be breaking it up into a section about the Defender and a section about the Attacker.

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