So I'm kinda new to WHFB and have been reading the forums and was wondering if someone(s) could elaborate on some tactics: 1. Screening: what does that mean? are Skinks or Skink Skirmishers better for it? What is the tactic to useing skirmishers? When i use them they just seem to die real quick, but yet is see list after list with tons of skirmishers? 2. When you bring something for "Chaf" what are you talking about? i.e. what is Chaf and what is the best way to kill it? Thanks
Screening is using one unit between a ranged enemy unit and your own, to grant the unit in the back -2 from that enemy's shooting and thereby reducing effectiveness heavily of the shooting unit. You usually use a small low point unit to screen so if it is killed first it isn't a big loss. There may be other interpretations of screening I don't know but as far as I know this is the main one. Chaff are small disposable units meant to die or be put in sacrificial roles for the sake of a tactic or strategy. Ours are usually skink skirmishers and are used to screen, deflect charges into directions preferable to you, chase and harass other enemy units with low armor. Other armies have different forms of chaff, not all skirmishers, and not all weak. Usually what they have in common is low armor and numbers. Low strength is common but not universal. They are also used to increase the amount of units you have to allow you to make your opponent deploy his more important first in the alternating deployment type scenarios, because you can deploy chaff and if you have enough you are starting to deploy your blocks and dinosaurs while he is already almost out of units. This way you can deploy your units in the most beneficial position possible. Hope this helps, it may have more I have not listed, but I think this covers some of it.
Skinks = Chaf (in the case of lizardmen) Skinks are for shooting not fighting (unless they have Kroxigors in the unit) Screening is puting skinks between something shooting at you and the rest of your army. Redirect is geting some one to chase your skinks who just ran away from a charge, so that you can later charge them with saurus or somethg.
Hey, thanks for the info. That helped a ton. It would see that Skirmishers would be good choice for screens since they receive a (-1) to hit from shooting. Thanks.
Okay next set of questions: 1. Can a single character or model (OB on Carn, Steg). Charge a scout unit that pops in behind them. Or do they have to take that turn to turn and face them and then charge them on the next turn when they are in LOS?
You can only charge a unit in your front arc, so yes you would have to take a turn to turn round before you can a charge if the unit is behind you
Next couple of questions: 1. Skirmishers - Sally's and Skinks. if say a unit pops in behind them or overruns behind them. On my turn can i turn about in the movement phase and shoot them in the shooting phase? Or if they are fleeing. Can I ralley in the Movement phase and shoot back at the enemy in the shooting phase? 2. allocating shooting on single mounted units - so unless the mount is a monstrous mount then all attacks (shooting/thunderstomp/stomp) are allocated to the rider correct? if it s a monstrous mount it would be allocated randomely (1-4) mount/(5-6) rider, correct? again, assuming its a single rider. 3. Chariots & War Machines hitting Objects/building etc. - In the rule book there is some lame description about if a chariot "hit a building it would be good" or something like that. what really happens though, is it destroyed, does it simply take a Dangerous Terrain test or does it just simply stop in place. And whatever the answer is, dies it apply to war machines? Reason i ask is I keep playing this WoC army and his stupid Hell Cannon and Chariots keep running into objects that are described as "Impassible Terrain." 4. Impact Hits - Those are stregnth of the Chariot not the rider correct? book doesnt say. 5. More of an army spacific question. HE army - there spear units (spearmen & Seaguard) have some special rule "Martiial Prowess" that allows them to attack in an "Additional rank" is this beyond the additonal ranks already granted by spears/supporting attacks/ behing horded? becuase my buddy is claiming he can fight in (ranks) if he is horded. so a unit of 10x5 can come at me with (50) attacks, ASF and Hatred because his innitative is higher than mine. Seems correct, i just wanted to double check. Thanks.
1. Yes. 2. Correct. EDIT: Monstrous mounts and Monsters are different. Monstrous mounts are ignored like regular mounts. Monsters get the 1-4/5-6 to hit stuff. In close combat you can attack anything you want. 3. Impassible terrain is just that, impassible. You can't move over it unless you are a flyer or ethereal. Even then, you can't end your movement phase in impassible terrain. Moving up against it is ok. Running into it stops your movement. If you move into it involuntarily, say by fleeing, you have to take a difficult terrain test. I'm not entirely sure about the Hellcannon, but I'm pretty sure it auto-fails any terrain tests. Maybe someone else should chime in here. 4. Chariot strength. (it would suck to get impact hits using the strength of skinks, right?) 5. Unfortunately yes. Elves suck. Just remember that your buddy DOES NOT get the extra attack from spears OR from Martial Prowess if he charges you (basically he has "fight in extra ranks+1"). Use that to your advantage. Oh, and check out the HE FAQ if he challenges that. There is a line in there about Martial Prowess. Says to ignore the last sentence. It helps us a little bit. DOUBLE EDIT: Saurus can get 50 attacks also using spears+horde, and the best thing is that you can do it with 10 less models! But our bases are big so it's not as effective. Just throw a couple salamanders at him or cast dwellers if he pulls that crap.
Thanks, on a followup to question #2. My question arose from the following situations. In round 2 of CC i had my Old Blood (OB) mounted on a Carn fighting against a Blood Thirster(BT). After we both attacked my Carn and his BT had there thunder stomp (TS) attacks. When the BT did his TS i assumed it was allocated randomly, i.e. (1-4) on Carn & (5-6) on me. which seemed correct. later on in round-4 my OB+Carn where fighting his Skulltaker mounted on a Jugernaught. The Jugernaught only had one wound so we assumed it to be a regular cavalry mount. So when my OB+Carn did its TS i allocated all those hits against the Skulltaker. Was that correct? By the way My OB+Carn ate his BT for lunch. Armor of Destiny + Dawnstone+Sword of Striking(+1 to hit)+the Poisen attack thing was unstoppable. 1+ AS, 4+ WS, +1 to hit with Poisen attacks all mounted atop a Carn. His TS got 3 wounds on my Carn but other than that he was dead on the round he Charged me. Best part is that unit cost me almost 80pts less than his BT Again, thanks for your help.
Yeah, if the enemy has Stomp or Thunderstomp, then you cannot Stomp or Thunderstomp them (because only big models have those abilities and you can only Stomp small models, i.e. Infantry, Swarms and War Beast) Did you have the the Venom of the Firefly Frog on your Oldblood? Because that can only be applied on mundane weapons, so unfortunately you cannot make your magical weapons poisonous with it.
Yes on all counts. Looks like i screwed alot of things up there...DOH! I think i understand now. so no Poisen and no TS on on large targets. Thanks for all your help.
Next set 1. So if someone issues a Challenge to my Hero and I have a Champion in the unit. Can i accept the Challenge with my Champion? The book has me confused. 2. So dangerous terrain tests. do only the models in a unit touching the terrain take the test?
Yes your champion can totally step up to the challenge. Also, I don't know but to me and my group it seemed silly to have 5 or 6 guys go down because one guy skimmed over a rock or something. We always play it as the number of guys going through the terrain take the test. UNLESS, they touch an enemy unit when they are fleeing. Then everybody can go down.