Welcome again everyone to the third lesson in my style of Warhammer.  I am beginning to wonder if I am actually providing anything of real use.  I feel like a Troy Mclure version of some great coaching guy.  Hi, I am Trent, you might remember from such tournaments as Fortunes of War, Winner of the Northern Front and 14th at Big March.  Haha

After establishing how important being prepared before the game  is, we can now start to look at the actual process of playing the game.  Everyone I have ever played has a pretty good understanding of how the game actually works in simple terms.  I have watched lots of great, close and exciting games, and the best ones involve moves and counter moves.  In most circumstances, the game is won and lost in the movement phase.  Very occasionally, you can do everything right and still get beaten…  those are the games that you just shrug your shoulders and look to improve for next time.   I vividly remember watching a game between Lachlan McWhirter and Evan Ferris at Orktoberfest three years ago.  Lachlan was on 55 out of a possible 60, Evan on 58 out of a possible 60.  Lachlan was playing Tomb Kings, Evan a Khorne Minotaur army that had pretty much monstered everyone.  Lachlan systematically destroyed each and every unit, utilising all the strengths of his army, and the weaknesses of Evan’s.   It bordered on the most flawlessly executed game I have ever seen, second behind my game against Gavin Clarke at the Masters… J  He was able to beat Evan by controlling the movement phase.  Admittedly Tomb Kings do have some advantages as they can move in the Magic Phase as well, but the point is still valid. 

So how do you get the best out of your army in the Movement phase?  Ignore this entire section if you are playing Dwarves.  I play very quick, aggressive armies that are capable of redeploying rapidly and facing most combat opponents.  However, they also tend to be lacking in static combat resolution, which means being put into combats I do not want to fight will result in me losing the game!  Ergo, movement is essential. J

Ok, so onto basic concepts.  The purpose of movement is to get your troops into favourable positions that result in one of the following things occurring: a) you flank charge or rear charge an enemy unit, b) you deny your opponent a charge, c) you get a frontal charge that will result in a significant chance of breaking the enemy, or results in no negative outcomes, d) you avoid enemy shooting or diverters, e) you allow yourself flexibility and ranges of options for later turns, f) force your opponent to take Terror or Panic checks or g) force your opponent into an undesirable charge or movement.

So, pretty simple eh? J

a)      This is the finest moment in Warhammer you can achieve.  There are a lot of factors involved in doing this, and they usually revolve around having multiple units in play.

b)      Diverting is a skill that takes a lot of forethought.  First step is contemplating whether you will flee the charge or hold.  Second step is determining what line you want them to run.  Third step is attempting to keep your unit alive via terrain or other units.  Fourth step is to cut a hole in a box.  Fifth step is to put your “junk” in that box.  Sixth step is to get her to open that box.  Its my d!ck in a box!

c)       This one is the situation most likely to occur without much planning, particularly with a cavalry unit.  The main point is to ensure that you consider the potential ramifications of the charge.  Things like – will I win combat if the dice are average?  By what margin?  Is it likely to break or hold?  If it holds, do I have support coming or will I win a grinding match?  Does he have support coming?  If he breaks, can I pursue without potential countercharges?  If I test not to pursue, will I be in a bad position?  Will breaking cause Panic?  Will I land in a scenery piece that will bog me down for a few turns?  It’s a lot of things to consider when going into a charge, but all very important in terms of the entire game.

d)      Another one that a lot of players have a good handle on already, but thinking of out of the box ways to nullify this can also work to your advantage.  For example, I have units of Dire Wolves in my Vampires army.  At a few points in my games at Dogcon, there was one or two models left, and I would run the up to 1” away from Archers, position them sideways block the entire units LOS.  Yes, they died on some occasions, but they protected the main units coming in behind them from shooting.

e)      This one is probably my most important one.  Thinking ahead is critical, so important, and having your units have multiple options for future turns is essential to this working.  I try to position a unit so that I have two options for the next turn, dependant on what the opponent does.  IE – If he charges unit 1, then unit 2 can flank charge him.  If he does not charge unit 1, then unit 2 can run in and divert him away, allowing unit 1 to flank charge him next turn.  Try and give your units plenty of direction and options they can go with.

f)       Terror can be game changing.  Sometimes it is not.  Its worth giving it a chance though.  Landing behind three Bretonnian lances with a Dragon and position three units of Dogs in front of them is a fun one.  Any fails, and they are dead.  And if they pass, they can maybe kill 30 points of dogs!  Awesome. J

g)      And the final one, forcing your opponent into things they don’t want to do.  I would say that the greatest players can make you do things you don’t want, just by clever placement of models, use of terrain and positioning of characters.  Diverters are a good example of this.  They force your opponent to make a move.  Whether they charge a character out of the unit to get the diverter out of the way, or charge the whole unit, or make another unit try and charge them out of the way, you are forced to react in a way that is undesirable for you.  This is the real key point to Warhammer.  As I said at the start, movement controls the game.  When your opponent is moving in ways you want, you are winning the game.

So, there is a lot of information there that will take a lot of time to digest.  Practicing is obviously the best method of success, but practicing without a purpose will achieve very little.  When you next play a game, and have spent plenty of time building the correct list and reading up on your opponents army, consider your plan before the game starts.   Try and focus on maximising your units effectiveness in the movement phase.  Actively concentrate on thinking as far ahead as possible and planning out your moves.  Trents Top Tip for this lesson – plan out what you will do in your next movement phase whilst your opponent is in his movement phase.   

So that’s it for this lesson.  If you don’t want any more lessons, good.  Send me an email and stuff off.  Otherwise, Lesson 4 will be out on Monday sometime.  Shooting and Magic probably.

Cheers

Trent