Tools of the Trade
Tools of the Trade
You don’t want to paint a Warhammer miniature with a house brush just like you don’t want to shoot at a Leman Russ Battle Tank with boltguns. Knowing what weapons to employ against certain targets is critical. This issue was hinted at in Episode II during our discussion of Imperial Guard Scout Sentinels vs. Armored Sentinels. Having the right tool for the job is of the utmost importance. Force construction is critical in 40k and here is where we must begin to ensure that we have the right tools in the right hands to accomplish our objectives, whatever they may be.
In my eyes there are essentially three types of guns in 40k. There are those weapons that are designed to function against infantry. These include most rapid fire weapons and are most often carried by your own infantry units. Then you have guns intended to destroy light and medium vehicles. Sometimes these are man portable but they are generally fitted to support vehicles. Finally you have the big guns intended to destroy medium vehicles on up to heavy tanks and monstrous creatures. These are most frequently attached to main battle tanks and heavy elite infantry. Making sure you have an effective mix of these types of weapons in your army is important. You don’t want to rely on a single unit carrying big guns if your opponent happens to field multiple squadrons of Leman Russ tanks. At the same time, you don’t want to bring too much heavy hitting weaponry for fear of being overrun by infantry. As in all things, balance is the name of the game. Redundancy is required to ensure you have a proper balance in your force, don’t overlook that fact or it will cost you dearly!
Let’s start with an example that took me some time to conclude for myself. We will first look at the Tau. The Tau, compared to other armies, have a pretty limited selection of weapons. This army is all about shooting and the firearms provided in the codex have a very clear purpose. If the weaponry available to a Tau commander is not used appropriately it will likely result in many a Shas being splattered into oblivion during the assault phase. Basically, the Tau tools of the trade are Pulse weapons, Missiles, and Rail Guns. Of course there are other guns in the codex like Plasma Rifles and Flamers but these are niche weapons that should be sprinkled in by an experienced commander to get the best results. For a Tau commander he must recognize the capabilities of his weaponry and maximize their usage more so than any other army due to the inherent weakness of the Tau which is, or course, their vulnerability to assault. Pulse weapons must be used to take apart infantry units. Missile weapons (which includes Rocket Pods and Seeker Missiles) should be used to destroy light vehicles, namely transports. Rail Guns should be used against heavy armor. It is simple, clear and concise. The Tau do not want any close combat and need to maximize the usage of their weaponry appropriately. Luckily almost any Tau army will include a mix of these weapons due to the shortage of choices when it comes to firearms and thus naturally most Tau players use the Tools of Trade appropriately, often times (like myself) not aware of it for some time!
When it comes to other armies it becomes more difficult to find this mix. Other armies will have units designed for close combat that would be wasted sitting back and shooting. Sometimes they don’t have an appropriate weapon to handle heavy vehicles from range. In a very broad sense, the higher the rate of fire the better suited the weapon is against lighter things while the heavier things tend to be vulnerable to weapons that generally only have a single shot a turn. Strength 3-5 (light guns) weaponry is best used against infantry due to its obvious inability to penetrate armor. If most available infantry targets are eliminated or made essentially combat in-effective strength 4-5 weaponry can be used with minor success against very light armor as well. Strength 6-8 (medium guns) weaponry is best used against light to medium vehicles which have armor values of 10-12. Following the removal of light vehicles strength 6-7 weaponry is best used against tough heavy infantry while strength 8 weaponry is best used against vehicles with armor 13 with minor success. Finally, strength 9-10 (heavy guns) weaponry is required to effectively eliminate medium and heavy vehicles with AV 13-14 and also exceptionally tough Monstrous Creatures. Once these most durable of threats have been removed these high strength weapons generally become one shot kills against the remaining opposition.
An army that will be effective in the shooting phase will have a mix and redundancy of weapons from each of the light, medium and heavy classes ensuring that weapons are dispersed across the field with overlapping zones of fire to readily shoot the most well matched targets every single turn. A great commander will also maximize the use of high and low AP weapons to better accommodate his army’s needs. Mobility and deployment play a huge factor as well in that they dictate when and where you can engage the opponent with the best tools for the job. Always give a thought to range when building units. You should aim to make units most effective from a preferable range at all times so as to not make the unit vulnerable nor to waste shots. Keep in mind that 24” is half way from long edge to long edge and 36” is halfway from short edge to short edge. That being said, a unit with a 48” range or better becomes very valuable due to the fact that it can remain relatively removed from the hustle and bustle of close quarters fire fights and assaults where it is likely vulnerable and continue to shoot turn after turn to maximize its shooting potential.
Finally I must make mention of assault units. Most assault units are most effective against infantry…ideally troops choices that are capable of claiming objectives and tend not to be exceptionally well suited to assaulting or taking damage from the get-go. If you are playing an assault heavy force speed is your biggest asset. It enables you to eliminate your need for light guns (which are best suited to attack troops) by getting your assault units into close combat with your opponent’s troops choices. There are several units that excel at assaulting heavier targets. These are not always so quick and so the necessity for medium and heavy guns will likely still exist to have a well rounded assault army though these heavier guns are perhaps less important than they would have otherwise been. Range is still your best friend because most things cannot assault and destroy a Space Marine Land Raider on the first turn of the game, but a single Lascannon shot can get the job done before that Land Raider ever had a chance to move. A great army has units capable of moving into assaults yet still provides the right amount and mix of fire to ensure that the enemy will be pinned against the ropes before you deliver the knock out blow.
A surgeon has a bag full of tools…everything from a scalpel to a bone saw down to forceps or perhaps even a needle and thread. Having the right tools for the job in 40k means that your army will be able to do what you want it to do and to do it efficiently. Use the guidelines above to help you build strong units and select those units appropriately to work together as an army taking advantage of available special rules like Scout, Infiltrate, Deep Strike, Relentless etc. in order to maximize the effectiveness of the unit by amplifying mobility, survivability or fields of fire. Find a good balance and test it out against varied opponents and shuffle accordingly. Keep in mind that sometimes the dice just won’t go your way so don’t be willing to throw away a unit due to a few poor performances. Good luck, game on!
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