Tips with Astra Militarum + Unnoticed Points

[Dflint]

Hello,

This is, I believe, my second post on the BOLS forum but I've noticed some points in the new IG, ahem Astra Militarum, codex that I think need to be said, especially since I don't think they've been noticed.

1. Camo gear on the Company Command Squad = Bad Decision! (Or at least more costly than you think!)

So you're thinking that your company command is going to hide behind your lines with a +1 to their cover save because they've got camo gear? Well, the problem is that's you can only buy the veterans 2 point camo gear (From the Company Command Squad Entry). If you do so, your commander will be the only one without and a savvy opponent can use the focus fire rule to direct all of their shots against your Commander!

So maybe you'll counter by the astute observation that you can buy camo gear for your commander? However, this will cost an extra 10 points as the commander needs to purchase camo gear from the Special Issue Wargear section.

Even if you've got the points, you best not be bringing any advisors, because if you do they're not wearing camo gear no matter what, and many opponents would be more than happy to focus fire out your precious advisors.

Reverse Jump Shoot Jump Heavy Weapon Teams (HWT)
My thoughts here were to find a use for the enginseer. The idea works like this:
Deployment
- Place 1-weapon tank (basilisk or wyvern would work, or chimera) in front of heavy weapon team, rendering them invisible to enemy fire
Movement phase
- move tank over to give vision to the HWT
Shooting phase
- fire HWT
- move covering tank flat out to re-cover the HWT
- use enginseer to give power of the machine spirit to the tank, allowing you to fire despite having just moved flat out!

I know that this tactic is already in use, but with the enginseer you can do it without sacrificing the tank's firepower. As well, the enginseer power doesn't stop the rest of the unit from shooting, so 2 plasma cannon servitor's could lay down some covering fire.


Thanks for reading, I hope these prove useful/informative, and I'll post more if I find anything else that might be novel,

[Bigred]

Excellent - we'll get these out to the masses shortly...

[davel]

I have noticed a lot of conversations about why take commissars when you have priests. No one has mentioned that fearless prevents going to ground. Which for flimsy guard manning aegis lines or cunning plans with orders may put a spanner in the works.

Dave l

[Denzark]

I think the Camo gear is a bit of a non-issue. Look, assume if you buy it, you are bunkering down. You are going to ground and using orders to get straight back up. Behind ADL you are all 2+ when GtG. On battlements the camo users are 2+ and the advisors 3+. Who cares if they focus fire? They are all getting shot anyway and it just means that the commander and the vets are living longer - they will have to shoot more units against them. Against barrage you are all going to get some. and if they don't focus fire the 2+ vets will clearly be at the front! So you have paid 18 points - remind me, 30 points in the last codex?

[This Dave]

Also, PotMS doesn't allow a vehicle to fire if it moves Flat Out. Check page 40 of the BRB. So you could use the vehicle for cover but you couldn't shoot with it after. Might be an okay tactic for a tank that's had its guns shot off but I wouldn't use it on a regular basis. Probably better to have the Enginseer fix the thing.

[Magos Bellum]

So you have paid 18 points - remind me, 30 points in the last codex?

It was a set cost of 20 points for the command squad, and included the commander, veterans and any attached advisers.

[Dflint]

I think the Camo gear is a bit of a non-issue. Look, assume if you buy it, you are bunkering down. You are going to ground and using orders to get straight back up. Behind ADL you are all 2+ when GtG. On battlements the camo users are 2+ and the advisors 3+. Who cares if they focus fire? They are all getting shot anyway and it just means that the commander and the vets are living longer - they will have to shoot more units against them. Against barrage you are all going to get some. and if they don't focus fire the 2+ vets will clearly be at the front! So you have paid 18 points - remind me, 30 points in the last codex?

I think that the focus fire is an issue, because it'll allow a couple twin linked shots to have a good shot of killing your advisor, for example if you're relying on a Officer of the Fleet to keep an opponent's Heldrakes off the table you would rather not have him get focus fired out of the game turn 1.

[Eversor253]

crouching tiger, hidden chimera with camo... hide your command squad in that behind the ADL, can still issue orders etc.

[Denzark]

I think that the focus fire is an issue, because it'll allow a couple twin linked shots to have a good shot of killing your advisor, for example if you're relying on a Officer of the Fleet to keep an opponent's Heldrakes off the table you would rather not have him get focus fired out of the game turn 1.

It isn't a good idea to rely on something that reduces the chance of an event happening by 16%. You would be mad to be putting them anywhere out of significant cover. The CCS is so much more than just advisors. Again if you FF advisors they require a second turn of shooting in which the order giver is not getting blasted.