PDA

View Full Version : RE: Drop Pod Assault & the cheesiest thing I have ever heard...



Koppenflak
02-12-2010, 01:44 AM
OK folks,

So I've been chatting to a mate who plays Orks and Nids, and he has a friend who is not exactly known for his sportsmanship.

Said friend plays marines.

Here's the tactic - Drop pod assault states that half the drop pods in the army must arrive on the first turn. His solution is therefore to take 2 or 3 *empty* drop pods, and land them on objectives to contest them with their AV12 hides in the first turn.

Turn 2 onwards he brings down the real drop pods filled with dreadnoughts, sternguard, forgefather, etc, and lays waste where he needs to.

My question then is - Is this even legal!? Is this simply him being a cheesy-arse git? Or was my mate being screwed royally in impolite places?

Would greatly appreciate any enlightenment on this issue.

Sir Biscuit
02-12-2010, 02:02 AM
Totally legal, actually. Just because he buys the unit a transport doesn't mean he has to deploy in them. Though, he does still have to purchase them for squads, he can't just buy them on their own.

That being said: is this really that big of a deal? Drop pods are immobile AV12 open topped vehicles... hardly a hard target. And you have all game to shoot/assault them and get rid of them.

Nabterayl
02-12-2010, 02:10 AM
Quite legal, yes. Drop pods contest because they are units, and they don't have a special rule saying they don't contest. On the other hand, there's only a 1/3 chance that a given drop pod will land squarely on the objective, and that's assuming that the objective is placed in such a way that a drop pod can land on it.

If your friend feels the need to fight fire with fire, objective placement is probably the place to start. Try to place objectives in a way that makes drop podding onto them directly or impossible. If possible, surround them with Difficult Terrain, so the pods have to take a Dangerous Terrain test (and risk becoming disarmed) when they land. Place objectives near the edge of the map, so there's a 1/3 chance that the pod simply scatters off the table and mishaps. And take advantage of the fact that the space marine player has forfeited his alpha strike, so his remaining pods can be overwhelmed piecemeal.

EDIT: And then, as Sir Biscuit says, just be ready to destroy the things. As he says, fortunately they're already open-topped and damaged.

Unlighted
02-12-2010, 02:54 AM
I think I'd like to play someone using such a tactic.

The empty pods are a nuisance, but they are also points he could've used to buy far more dangerous things. If given the choice between Drop Pods cluttering objectives and say another Dread stomping around crushing my stuff I'll take annoying boxes any day.

Auto hit those boxes in CC with grenades or just get a monstrous creature to crush them. The units that lack the ability to hurt them can assault them to get an extra 6 inches.

phoenix01
02-12-2010, 07:04 AM
What I like to do is take a drop pod or two with deathwind missile launchers. Drop them first turn near a tough enemy unit, vice an objective, and launch missiles. Real nuisance, and the missiles might take out tanks or infantry. Then, drop pod in dreadnoughts or sternguard starting second turn in reserve and have tactical squads in Rhinos for movement.

pgarfunkle
02-12-2010, 07:50 AM
I'm hoping that the options for drop pods are expanded for the Blood Angels in the new codex to make their mass use a bit more practical

Papa Nurgle
02-12-2010, 09:02 AM
I use this tactic to confuse and obfuscate. The BIG problem with this tactic is that the Drop Pod can't shoot the first turn it enters play, since it counts as moving at cruising speed. Since it's open topped and immobile, it blows up REALLY easily. It's annoying, to be sure. But it isn't the best use of my points and it is highly beatable.

faolan
02-12-2010, 10:37 AM
You think THAT'S bad?

At least it's not taking 1 drop pod so it drops first turn exactly where he wants it into the middle, or in front of, your army. Or do that with 2 of 3 (half, rounding up!) pods, leaving a third empty one in reserve for that exact empty pod on an objective tactic.

Papa Nurgle
02-12-2010, 10:56 AM
I actually run 7 drop pods. That way I drop 4 the first turn and 3 more in later turns. With the Master of the Forge, I can run 6 Dreads...so I put 4 Ironclads in the Opening Drop Pod Assault.

david5th
02-12-2010, 11:13 AM
Quite legal, yes. Drop pods contest because they are units, and they don't have a special rule saying they don't contest. On the other hand, there's only a 1/3 chance that a given drop pod will land squarely on the objective, and that's assuming that the objective is placed in such a way that a drop pod can land on it.

If your friend feels the need to fight fire with fire, objective placement is probably the place to start. Try to place objectives in a way that makes drop podding onto them directly or impossible. If possible, surround them with Difficult Terrain, so the pods have to take a Dangerous Terrain test (and risk becoming disarmed) when they land. Place objectives near the edge of the map, so there's a 1/3 chance that the pod simply scatters off the table and mishaps. And take advantage of the fact that the space marine player has forfeited his alpha strike, so his remaining pods can be overwhelmed piecemeal.

EDIT: And then, as Sir Biscuit says, just be ready to destroy the things. As he says, fortunately they're already open-topped and damaged.

Drop pods are not scoring units -
SM Codex page 135 - drop pod = open topped Vehicle.
Rulebook Page 90 - Vehicles are not scoring units.

Duke
02-12-2010, 11:27 AM
Even so, it can still contest an objective. just like a rhino can... It just can't capture it.

Duke

david5th
02-12-2010, 11:29 AM
Even so, it can still contest an objective. just like a rhino can... It just can't capture it.

Duke

You are correct, just seems a waste of a drop pod.

DarkLink
02-12-2010, 11:54 AM
You are correct, just seems a waste of a drop pod.

Keeping the enemy from scoring an objective unless they waste time shooting it, all for 35pts? Not too bad, I'd say. Though definitely more worth it if it also brings something else to the fight, like said Dreadnoughts.

Polonius
02-12-2010, 12:20 PM
It's a pretty stock tactic. It's especially nice when used for tactical squad. Take a squad with melta, combi-melta, and a multimelta. put them in a pod, and either deep strike and pop a tank, or deploy the pod for causing havoc, and deploy the tactical squad to hold objectives.

Tynskel
02-12-2010, 02:09 PM
You can do this...

But, really, after 1 drop pod coming down empty, you are wasting the points on a perfectly good transport. You might as well take the moving transport: Rhino. They do the same things that the Drop Pod does, contest, but are harder to kill. Being immobile and +1 to dmg table makes Drop Pods very easy to destroy. However, a moving Rhino onto an objective at the end of the game is difficult to remove, unless precious firepower is spent on them- firepower that should have already been used on them!

Another thing about that tactic: There is no negative to charging a Drop Pod- you gain another 6" of movement. The vehicle does not fight back. Why would you give your opponent more mobility in the beginning of the game?

DarkLink
02-12-2010, 03:22 PM
For some reason, where I'm from Drop Pods never die. Ever.

Tynskel
02-12-2010, 03:32 PM
Some pretty rugged Drop Pods, eh?

I like using Screamer Killers on 'em. The Fex gets 6" closer to the enemy (usually) and destroys the pod instantly. 5 Auto glance, most likely Pens, =destroyed Drop Pod/Vaporized Drop Pod.

DarkLink
02-12-2010, 03:45 PM
Yeah, it always seems like there's either better targets so they don't get shot, or the shooting always whiffs against the pod:rolleyes:.

therealjohnny5
02-12-2010, 03:54 PM
this tactic always works for me. in one game i was assaulted by 5 Assault termies for 2 rounds and they never managed to destroy it but got shot to heck as my tactical and assault squads came at them...lucky dpod...

Polonius
02-12-2010, 05:12 PM
Another nasty tactic is to drop the pod in front of a shooting unit, or right in a choke point of terrain. It can block LOS, give cover, or prevent models from moving.

Papa Nurgle
02-12-2010, 07:03 PM
The big benefit that the Drop Pods have over Rhino's are the Locator Beacon's. Any Deep Striking Unit can come crashing down around the Drop Pod's without deviating. This also mean's that the Librarion can use the Infinity Gate without a mishap.

Units that can use Deepstrike:

Drop Pods
Terminator's
Landspeeders
Assault Troops

You should see folk's faces when Term's DS without rolling for scatter.

Mobious
02-12-2010, 07:41 PM
This is not cheesy. It is completely legal and I think it is a great tactic for full drop pod armies. If you cannot get the alpha strike, at least you can slow movement and block LoS with huge pods. It is thinking outside of the box, and it separates the good players from the not so good players.

DarkLink
02-13-2010, 12:57 PM
This is not cheesy. It is completely legal and I think it is a great tactic for full drop pod armies. If you cannot get the alpha strike, at least you can slow movement and block LoS with huge pods. It is thinking outside of the box, and it separates the good players from the not so good players.

And if your first wave has some Dreadnoughts in it, hide them behind the pods. The enemy then has to roll on to the board edge, blow up the pods, then finally go for the Dreads. If they fail to do that, then they get a couple dreads to the face, plus all the other deepstriking stuff you have coming in after that.