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Draft Article: Deployment
Deployment is an often overlooked or underappreciated phase of the game. Whilst it is generally true that you don’t win a game in deployment, bad positioning can certainly lose you the game or lead to other problems later on. In Warhammer you only get 6 turns (or less) to reposition your troops and depending on the movement characteristics of the units involved, this means that in many cases they actually aren’t going to move all that far from where they start the game (relative to the board size).
This article aims to address issues around deployment and different strategies for getting the most out of this part of the game. For the most part, questions are posed that you, as a player should be thinking about as you deploy your force. There aren’t necessarily right or wrong answers to the questions, just options that you should be considering and choosing from based on the situation at hand.
But first, two simple rules:
1. Measuring
You are allowed to measure distances at any time in Warhammer; your turn, your opponent’s turn, deployment, whenever. Measuring can be critical in some cases and the number of opponents that I see who never measure in deployment is criminal. I’ve played people who put units towards the board edge and then I place scouts right behind them. They assumed there wasn’t room but did they measure it? No. They didn’t. Get in the habit of measuring in deployment!
2. Slow units to the center
In general, slower units go towards the middle of the board. These units have less movement and sticking them out on the flank means that they and you quite likely need to work harder to get involved in the game. Unless you have a specific plan, units with lower movement values (infantry) go towards the center of the board.
Some intro.
You get to the table and...
Take a moment to look at what you are facing when you get to the table. What units does your opponent have? What matchups are good/bad for you? Where do you think he/she will deploy and how will they try to play against you? All of these things go into creating a favourable situation for yourself. Think about things like their scouts and vanguards, or other ambushers that might affect your deployment. Also consider their threat ranges and how you can avoid them or dummy their placement into the wrong location.
Terrain
Terrain placement before deployment is an issue of itself (that can be very tactical) that won’t be dealt with here. Lets just assume you have the table laid out and need to decide how to use the layout of what you have to your advantage. You should be asking yourself, what units do I have that can take advantage of the terrain? Who should be avoiding those woods (looks at chariots)? Can I protect my flank with those rocks? Etc.
Units like skirmishers can be very effective in woods whilst cavalry should avoid them if possible (although a charge through the woods can be a move that will surprise your opponent) and in general is not as ‘dangerous’ as the rulebook may suggest. Remember to consider things like line of sight and range - and not just for your own units. Deployment is as much about your opponent as you.
Deployment Order
The order of deployment can be very important in many situations as it can allow you to find out where your opponent is going to deploy en masse and hide the same information from your opponent. Chaff units come into their own here. Deploying more expendable units first which are less valuable in terms of the game plan allows you to gain an advantage in that you force your opponent to commit before you do. Units like the Casket of Souls or artillery can also play a role here in that their position on the table in less critical and you can afford some leeway in order to gain an advantage for other units that are placed afterwards.
Remember that every unit placement gives some insight into the strategy you are employing. Think about what you are placing where and why. What does this drop say about the rest of your drops or where you main force is going to be placed?
Other Considerations
Creating Favorable Matchups
To some extent Warhammer is rock/paper/scissors and certain units are ideally suited for taking out others or limiting their actions in some manner. An example would be a unit with flaming attacks versus units with regeneration. It is important during deployment to look at trying to get the most out of these matchups or use them to your advantage.
Taking the example of regenerating unit, you can either act proactively or react to this unit being deployed. In the first case you deploy your unit with flaming attacks to zone out an area and force the deployment of the regenerating models in a certain position. If you are reacting to the drop of this unit, you would look to try and place your unit with flaming attacks in a location to counter them.
Bubbles
Many rules, items and abilities in Warhammer have a range or area of effect. Whilst you might initially jump to thinking of your BSB or general’s bubble, things like template weapons, spells and panic are also AoE abilities that are important to consider in deployment.
Obviously it is prudent to ensure you get good leadership coverage from both your general and BSB when placing your units at the start of the game. This should definitely be considered and is even more important for armies like Vampires who rely on the general like no other army does. For High Elves specifically, we are lucky in that our units tend to have relatively high leadership stats. This means we can be more flexible and can afford to use, for example, a mounted Prince who will run off and leave some of his men behind. Certain abilities and magic items can also help you in this regard. For instance the Gleaming Pennant, Standard of Discipline and the Crown of Command or stubborn troops are all other ways of accounting for the lack of a certain leadership bubble that go hand in hand with deployment as those units can sometimes afford to be ‘out of the bubble’. Whichever way you sort this out, you should think in deployment about which units need leadership support and place them accordingly.
Panic is another issue you should consider at the start of the game. Yes it might be a great idea to put your artillery in a clump on a hill for good lines of fire but are they all within 6” of the central unit? If so you could be asking for problems with panic if that unit dies. The same is true of small units of chaff who often end up in front of your army but might also be used by your opponent to cause some cascading panic checks when they flee.
In terms of panic, remember to consider the distance to the board edges (measure it!!!). When playing against a Chaos army with a Hellcannon for example, expect a unit to panic and flee. How far do they have to the board edge? Which way will they go when they flee from unit X or Y?
Threat Ranges
Threat ranges refer to the range at which you are vulnerable to certain units. For instance, longbows have a range of 30”, giving the unit that carries them an effective threat range of 30” + their normal movement (assuming they can move + shoot). If you deploy within this distance of them you are, therefore, likely to be shot at. Consider also, that longbows have a range that is greater than most other missile weapons. Longbowmen can, therefore, be placed at the limit of their 30” effective range to provide an extra turn (or even 2 if you go first) of fire against many opponents.
Ranged weapons can also provide an effective distraction. Although placing all your RBTs on a hill within close proximity to each other has potential problems, it also represents a big threat and a juicy target. Such a placement can be used to force your opponent to think. Are you going to defend this target from his forces? Or are you simply using them as a dummy to split their forces? Can your opponent afford to ignore this threat in the game? The more questions you make your opponent think about, the more likely you are to win the game as they make mistakes in their answer to the question or in forgetting about/ignoring other aspects of the game.
As we can see, threat ranges dictate how far forward or back you will deploy. A combat based force will deploy at the front of the deployment zone while a defensive one will either deploy forward and move backwards as the enemy comes toward them or castle at the board edge to start with if they have long ranged artillery. Remember though that deploying at the front of the deployment zone and somewhat away from the board edges gives you more options - you have more choices as you are neither constrained by the board edge in moving or vulnerable to running off the board if you fail panic or break.
Use forests to your advantage here. A forest gives you cover but also reduces your firepower and ability to do damage at range. Is it worth using a forest to screen your forces if it reduces your ranged damage output? Is it an obvious move to deploy your forces on the side of the table that avoids the forest and gives you better fields of fire? These are all things to be thinking about.
Scouts
Above and beyond their pain in the backside value, scouts can also play an important role in deployment. Either you can hide your scouts and catch your opponent unawares by running amok in their backfield or you can use them to force your opponent to spread his forces out across the table if he knows you have them and where you might be deploying them. In addition to this scouts can also be used as anti-vanguard insurance.
Scouts deploy before vanguard moves are made, and vanguarding units cannot move within 12” of an enemy unit. In this manner scouts can be used to block potential vanguard moves. Remember to be flexible with your scouts and vanguards - they can still charge if you don’t use your special (scout or vanguard) deployment.
Obviously having said this, it goes without saying that you should be thinking about whether your opponent has scouts and how they could affect your game. Don’t be the dummy who leaves a 12” gap behind his lines! A good tactic here is to use your initial chaff drops (probably Reavers or Eagles) and place them such that there are no 12” gaps in your lines. You probably have several units of Reavers in core, in which case one unit can be placed centrally with the others places towards the board edges. This prevents scouts getting placed behind you and these units are fast enough or have abilities such as vanguard that allow them to redeploy and get out of what might be a bad starting position.
Vanguard
Vanguard units cannot move within 12” of an enemy so you can use your own to prevent enemy vanguards from moving.
Don’t have to use the special move and can charge if you don’t.
Extra move to redeploy
Don’t have to go forward
Don’t take terrain tests
Formations and Standard ‘Deployment’ Types
The chest and the horns of the buffalo
Anyone seen the movie Zulu? One of my dad’s all time fave’s. I ended up watching it a lot as a kid… The film is only really tangentially related to this article through a discussion of Zulu fighting tactics and the ‘Chest and Horns of the Buffalo’. This deployment strategy involves placing the best and toughest warriors in the middle (the chest) whilst the younger, faster (and also generally poorer quality) warriors go on the flanks to envelop the enemy positions.
Image from wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impi#mediaviewer/File:Zulu_battle_tactics_language-neutral.svg
Castle
The castle is a pretty standard strategy, we’ve all played against that Dwarf, Empire or O&G player who puts all their guns, spear chukkas or artillery in a corner with a couple of huge blocks in front of them. The castle is however, useful in many other situations…
Case Study: HE Star Dragon List v. Bretonnia
Dragon v Brets image
The Bretonninan player has deployed centrally and his buses have a good number of options in terms of movement. The opposing force is a High Elf one consisting of a Star Dragon, Silver Helm bus and double Frost birds. They have superior movement to anything in the Bret list. Deploying centrally was a mistake on the part of the Bret player as it allows his units to be surrounded by the faster force.
What should have happened?
The Bretonnian player should have recognised the lack of ranged firepower in the High Elf list and castled in a corner. His two trebuchets are enough to force the HE player to engage and by castling it prevents the enemy flyers from surrounding his force.
Refused flank
The refused flank is a classic deployment archetype used throughout history as well as on the Warhammer table. Some of the best (historical) examples of this technique come from Alexander the Great. In many of his battles, Alexander deployed his infantry to the center and his cavalry heavily weighted to one side. When the infantry engaged, Alexander and his ‘Companion Cavalry’ would strike the flank of the enemy hard before turning in towards the center.
The refused flank happens to work very well against central deployments or opponents who are far more numerous than you are. By deploying to one side of the table only, you can bring more force to bear on a single area whilst denying your opponent’s ability to do the same.
Cavalry on the flank
Case Study: Cavalry Placement
Reference some of Curu’s hybrid list games and pics
Examples of poor deployment and explanation:
My game w/dragon v. Brets and they deply on middle - give me the advantage
Curu placing helms in middle and WL on flank - tough to get them in CC
Strong Wings
Tricksy Tricks
This is an area for discussion of some ideas that aren’t strictly related to deployment and are more general tips for success.
An idea that might catch some people out is to put something like your armybook or similar on one part of the table to cover it up. This may lead to your opponent to think you won’t put any units in that area of the board. You can then remove the offending item and perhaps catch them off guard when you deploy units in the previously obscured area of the table. Even if you don’t want or intend to do this, remember that the converse is also true - if part of the board is covered when you get to the table you should remove whatever item is there to increase the space you have available to deploy in and give yourself more options whilst making your opponent think more about where you might deploy.
Confidence is a tricksy beast for sure so it can go in here! If you act confident and make it seem like you have a plan (even if you don’t… you should though!) it can make your opponent uneasy and even give you a psychological edge. You act confident, say something like “I knew you’d put them there” and start to wrong-foot your opponent. It can be pretty funny too in some cases. Little comments about what is happening can go a long way in changing your mindset as well as your opponent’s for the game so set about winning this mental battle first!
Summary
And finally, thanks to all who have contributed to this article.
Things to Consider When Deploying
These are the things you should have in mind when deploying. It is a good idea to think through these things before you show up for a game. It is also smart to take note of how you can improve these things after you see how your deployment has worked in a battle.
- Which of your units are vulnerable to flank attacks? These often need to protect their flanks with terrain.
- Which of your troops can take advantage of the terrain? Usually skirmishers are great for moving up through woods etc. Certain abilities make this possible for other troops as well.
- Which units need to be screened with cheaper troops?
- Which units can work independently? These can often be deployed on the flanks.
- Do any of your troops need to be placed after you see where certain of your opponent's troops go? If so, it is good to deploy them late.
- How far forward should you deploy? This is important when one side has missile troops.
There are of course a number of other minor factors you can consider, but most of the above are important for any army.
Standard Tactics of Deployment
Collapsing Flank/Centre
This tactic is based on letting a large part of your opponent's army smash through yours. You sacrifice some of your units to achieve this. The goal can be to take out his weaker units first, and then gang up on the harder parts. These parts of his army will be unable to march and having to manoeuvre a lot. If you do it right, you can hit his main units from the flanks. The challenge with this tactic is to deploy the right units to either sacrifice or have them escape at the last minute. It involves fooling your opponent into placing many of his hardest troops close to eachother and denying them many victory points. It can also be very useful for an army with a lot of shooting, as you let him advance on some of your missile troops while your army gets into position. To carry it out, place your missile and/or sacrifice/escape units first. See where he deploys his main force, and deploy your main force elsewhere.
Where is Your Army?
This deployment involves spreading your troops. It is best for armies with many cheap and manoeuvrable units. The idea is to confuse your opponent so that he does not take many victory points from you. It requires that most of your units are good at working on their own. Divide your deployment zone into 4 from the right to the left (in your head). Deploy one quarter of your army (in points) in each of these imaginary parts of your deployment zone. It is important that you take more notice of the terrain with this deployment than how your opponent deploys. With this tactic you are aiming for a game that lasts many turns. Deploy to move into positions protected by terrain in turn one. If you are successful, your opponent will be unsure what part of your army to engage and make mistakes.
Advanced Tactics
In this part I want to talk a bit about some of the things that are not so obvious during deployment and hard to plan before a game. There are many details to consider when deploying, and you cannot think of everything at once, but some things can be practiced.
Reading Your Opponent
Watching what your opponent does during deployment can be a very good way of finding out what he is thinking/planning. It can also let you get an idea of what magic items he has taken. Whenever your opponent picks up a unit to deploy it, look at where he is looking. Your opponent will often simulate the moves of the unit in his head, and if you follow his eyes, you might see what he is planning. Do this with every unit, and you might get an idea of what tricks he wants to pull on you. Sometimes an opponent will change his mind during the deployment of a unit. Don't get bored...pay attention. This is the time he will give you the most hints. The order in which he deploy his units can also be an indication of what he is about to do. If he deploys cheap units first, he might be planning a ‘denied flank'.
Your Body Language
You can give away as much to your opponent. You cannot avoid looking at your units, your opponents units and the terrain to deploy well. If your opponent keeps an eye on you, you might give things away as well as he can. To confuse him, you can do certain tricks. Some of these tricks may seem silly, but they work...often even on good opponents. Why? Because your body language will affect his impression of your plan without him thinking about it. I cannot tell you how to use these tricks...some are good at poker, some are not. I can only tell you what I do.
- When deploying a unit, pretend you are considering more options than you actually are.
- Decide what unit to deploy where while your opponent is thinking. He will not keep an eye on you when he is deploying.
- Sit down slightly to one side of your zone, but deploy on the other side.
- Make some nervous remark when your opponent places one of his main units right where you want it. He might think you are revealing a weak spot.
- Say "Yes" in a thoughtful manner when he places a unit where you do not want it. He might think he is deploying right where you want him to.
- Keep quiet about your own deployment. Some players talk too much and give up things that way.
- Take long time to deploy some of your units, without touching them before you have decided where to put them.
- If you have an overall plan, take two minutes to take through it before deploying your first unit. Then deploy each of your other units very fast.
Summary
All in all, the way you deploy depends mainly on three things: Your army, your opponent's army and the terrain. You can prepare beforehand which deployment tactics are good with your army. If your army allows it, you can plan on different deployment tactics against various opposing armies. As an example, you might do ‘horns of the warlord' against a smaller Chaos army, and ‘denied flank' against an Orc and Goblin horde army. You can also plan how you will adapt your plan to different types and amounts of terrain. This requires slightly more experience, but take a mental note of the things listed at the top after each game, and you can only get better.
Taking your opponents deployment and tactics into mind is the next step. If your army is vulnerable against certain enemy deployments, try to learn how to see your opponents plan. As an example your army might be vulnerable to ‘horns of the warlord'. You can counter this with a ‘denied flank" if you are observant. Another option is to change your plan, and deploy in a way your opponent is vulnerable to. You might have planned ‘horns', but see that your opponent is vulnerable to a 'collapsing flank'.
Last comes the more subtle things regarding body language and tricks. These are the hardest to learn, and will require that you know the basics pretty well. Do not start with these until you are certain on your overall plan and how to counter your opponent's deployment.
From phierlihy
I took some time to re-read and digest the material and you've got a lot of very valid and important things in there. Actually pretty much everything you wrote is worth mentioning so I can't say "take this or that out"! I think the only thing I might add would be to be aware of the different speeds of your units so that your fast units don't entirely leave their slower units behind. The player that can find synergy between his units and combine those different elements will almost always win the match.
One other thought - before I deploy even a single unit, I look at my opponent's deployment zone and can usually guess where his troops are going to go. If you think you have to take the fight to your opponent, where is the most defensible portion of the board - that's where he'll deploy. If your opponent is coming to you, he'll want to make use of the most open channel available that will get him across the board. And so on.
There is a fundamental set of questions I am still grappling with - maybe you can help? Or perhaps this is so broad that it goes beyond an internet forum. But I've often tried, with much futility I'm sorry to say, to explain why do people deploy they way they deploy? When I put down my big hammer-cavalry unit, what should its target be? What is the criteria I should use to determine the best target for my missile troops? Is it better to put two chariots side by side or should they support a block unit? How far apart should I split up my block units so they are optimally placed to support each other? Not an easy set of question...why do players deploy they way they deploy?
phierlihy
phierlihy@druchii.net
