Reserves - the waiting game or stalling?

[Kaiserdean]

A tactic of quite a few players in my area have been dumping a lot of their army in reserves at the start of the game and roll them out over time. In fact, I've seen players only deploy a heavy choice or two and leave everything else off the table.

Of course, this give your opponent less time to shoot up your army and the added bonus of being able to swoop in late in the game and claim objectives and it seems like the late deploying armies are winning more games than players who start off with units on the table.

Is this tactic very effective elsewhere?

I know one player conveniently forgets to roll for his BAs until turn 4 (which seems to be a huge advantage with all of his movement and hes able to claim/contest or make a late game assault with a full strength unit).

[Sinistermind]

not really around here, at least not with any regularity,in tournies the players judge it depending on mission/opponent/field of battle

[Sure]

Reserving is really a game-by-game decision. Not counting units that must reserve (odd numbered drop pods, al'rahem, etc) the question is whether you really think the tactic is effective. Against most Guard lists it is a bad idea to reserve, it just creates the opportunity for that massive shooting to eat your units as they trickle into play.
Against an army using drop pods, especially if it's dreadnoughts dropping, reserving can deny that alpha strike and give you the chance to force the other player into falling back on a plab B (which many players don't bother to have).
While you're playing games THINK. And if you're not sure, experiment. what's the worse that can happen? oh no, you lose! But maybe you learn something that makes playing more fun or even stumble into something that had not occurred to you but for the experiment.

[DaveLL]

Some armies do it better than others, really. A particularly slow army or one that has absolutely no influence on the deployment rolls is generally a poor choice for reserving everything. And yes, it also depends on which army your opponent fields.

The more control you have over the reserves dice, the better off you are, though you're supposed to pay significant points costs for that control through various special characters. That does mean that the guy who "forgets" his rolls until late in the game is giving himself an advantage. Unless, of course, he's actually forgetting - in which case he's probably still accidentally giving himself an advantage.

[thecactusman17]

One of the guys who took second in the BAO doubles tourney this year plays his Tau like that, thanks to the positional relay system. 1500 of 1850 coming in on turn 5 is pretty disgusting, especially since it is 100% legal.

[Soups]

If it means living past turn 1, I will do it. But in addition being a game by game basis, your army does have to handle it. My BA's do, only because everything of mine is fast. I can roll on the board, kneecap or hamstring the things that can shoot me off the board, and proceed from there.

My nids play with reserves anyway, due to everyone else's shooting phase, and i love me some hive commander.

It's not stalling either. games where people reserve usually end quicker than normal.

[Nick Soapdish]

I'm an Eldar player and I reserve in some situations. Lately with my current list I have two 3 man squads of jetbikes. I like to reserve these so that they don't get blown away, are in a better position with the range of their weapons the turn they come on, and to grab objective at the end of the game.

It seems like in my group that the xenos players have gotten into the habit of reserving at least a few of their troops like this. We really don't see full reserve much anymore.

[robrodgers46]

It's why I love my Regimental Advisors. The Officer of the Fleet and Astropath can really give you an advantage in the reserve game. The OotF especially, nothing messes up those deep striking Blood Angels like coming one per turn.

BB

[Yabanjin]

The risk you take holding most of your army off the table is that you can be taken apart if you arrive piece-meal. You're going to have units coming in fresh but they'll find most of their buddies might have already been pummeled into the ground by the time they arrive, you're risking a situation where you are always outnumbered and giving your opponent position on the table.

On the other hand, this can create opportunities to take an enemy in the flank depending on table set up and deployment zones. It can also help you dodge a debilitating first turn by avoiding an alpha strike and coming in once the enemy has commited their force to objectives/parts of the the table.

It's very much a situational decision.

[marsdonut]

Whenever I play against drop podding marine lists, I tend to get sick when they plop down on top of the objective and give me a classic **** eating grin. (And then promptly heavy flaming my dudes)

Reserving has saved me more often and not from early attacks in various forms, that I rely on it when I want to play my game, not be forced to play theirs. I especially hate it in Dawn of War type games, that not deploying anyone feels like the better option if my army is mobile enough.