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| − | So, you've read the rulebook. You purchased some models (or found some proxy counters or whatever). You know how game goes, and the difference between Fury and Focus. You know how to Activate your units, and you know that a Feat requires timing. The following is a small selection of topics on the game that will hopefully raise your awareness of what is going on between the dicerolls. You can go a long way in this game by creating a balanced army list where the units synergize with each other. Obviously you can read the statistics on each models (and the articles on this site) to get wiser on their properties, but it might still be hard to fathom what the list is supposed to do, and what is meant by "balanced". So we are going to discuss here what is it the game is about. What are you fighting for, what are the common strategies, and what tactics are used to accomplish them.
| + | {{Warnbox|This series of articles are still a WIP.}} |
| | + | {{Index LOTS|text=}} |
| | + | Welcome to Intermediate Training, aka '''Learn Objectives, Tactics, & Strategy (LOTS)'''. |
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| − | =Objectives=
| + | Articles in the LOTS series are aimed at intermediate players, who have a good grasp of the core rulebook and their own model's special rules, and now want to become better players and win more games. |
| − | There are two ways to win the game; Victory by scenario or by assassination; fulfilling the scenario objective or eliminating the enemy 'caster. Your first games have likely been using the missions from the core rulebook: Incoming, Annihilation, Seek and Destroy, Throw Down, Mosh Pit, Close Quarters, Hold the Line, Outflank and Reinforcements. These have relatively simple objectives and you can easily play right out of the book, some even with multiple players. In these rulebook missions, there are zones that you need to control, which means you are required to move forward and attack your opponent. This is why people play the game with objectives. A few players prefer to play the game without missions, so the only goal of the game is assassination. Missions add urgency and a reason to get stuck in the game, and even games that are ended quickly by assassination are still often greatly affected by their mission simply by propelling the players to approach each other.
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| − | ==The Steamroller Objectives==
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| − | Most players use the "Steamroller" format, a set of scenarios that are updated and tweaked anually by Privateer Press. Most tournaments and a great many casual games too use these rules. If you are the only one to control a flag or a zone, you earn control points. If you destroy the opponents Steamroller Objective, you earn control points, and the first player to reach 5 control points is the winner. Often, all flags/objectives will be constantly contested/protected by both players until an opening occurs, and the game ends by assassination.
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| − | The Steamroller Objectives adds to the game in a different way than the race for points. The Bunker Objective for example can help against blast damage or the Armory Objective improves the ammo of nearby models. In this format, you choose what objective you want on your side of the table, so you should choose something that synergizes with your army. Naturally, your objectives can affect your army composition, but keep in mind that not all Steamroller Missions have Steamroller Objectives, some merely have flags or zones. So you can't rely on your Objective to have any supporting role in your army, but if it is there, you want to get the best use out of it. The valid Objectives are tweaked yearly every time a new Steamroller is released. They are found in the Steamroller document [http://files.privateerpress.com/op/2016/SteamrollerRules2016.pdf]. The 2016 Steamroller Objectives are:
| + | So, you've read the rulebook. You purchased some models (or found some proxy counters or whatever). You know how the game goes, and the difference between Fury and Focus. You know how to Activate your units, and you know that a Feat requires timing. Obviously, you can read the statistics on each models (and the articles on this site) to get wiser on their properties, but it still might be hard to fathom what your army is supposed to do. But from here onward, you can go a long way in this game by creating a balanced army list where the units synergize with each other. So we are going to discuss here what it is the game is about. |
| − | ===Arcane Wonder===
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| − | * It is pulsating with arcane energy, so it zaps enemies who attacks it in melee. Useful against squishy targets who might be able to destroy it, such as weaponmaster infantry with one wound.
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| − | * It emits a Null Zone bubble, shortening enemies spell range against models standing near it. So positioning your caster and some support solos behind it might be a good idea if you are doing [[Major Victoria Haley|ranged magic duels]] or worried your [[Mohsar the Desertwalker|squishy spellslinger]] might be assassinated.
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| − | ===Armory===
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| − | * Is reinforced, so does not suffer any damage from low pow weapons.
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| − | * May grant magical ammunition to nearby models. Some models with [[Mammoth|large quantities of weapons]] love this.
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| − | ===Bunker===
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| − | *Dugout. Its really, really durable unless you get up close.
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| − | *It also makes your nearby guys more durable by making them immune to blasts. An excellent objective for a ranged infantry army.
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| − | ===Effigy of Valor===
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| − | *Its huge, so it provides cover.
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| − | *Its also awesome to behold, so knocked down models get their act together faster. Models with [[Trollkin|Tough]] likes this.
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| − | ===Fuel Cache===
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| − | *Its burning, and you may place smoke to cover a useful spot with a cloud effect. Neat.
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| − | *Its burning, so it hurts to get near.
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| − | ===Stockpile===
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| − | *It can be used to repair or heal your battlegroup. Really useful for your ranged beasts and jacks who are not interested in going near the enemy.
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| − | *Also, your guys can be used to take the hits it suffers, keeping it alive longer.
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| − | =Strategic Concepts=
| + | What are you trying to do when you pick up your models and move them within striking distance of your opponent? How do you create synergies? What are the common strategies, and what tactics are used to accomplish them? WarmaHordes is a game of prioritizing very limited resources, so what are they? How about that 2d6 dice format, why is that so clever? |
| − | Now, lets take a look at some of the common dynamics that are used by players to understand their games, and what happens on the board. You probably want a balanced list that has enough flexibility to grab some points ( or at the very least stop the opponent from doing so) and finish off the enemy caster if the opportunity arises. When you create an armylist, you want it to be able to cope with a lot of different situations, depending on what kinds of enemies you usually play against. Before you go to war, you might contemplate what sort of strategies and tactics are available to you. The strategy is the over-arching way you are going to play the game in order to win. It also defines what kind of models you want to field. The tactical side of things is represented by your faction's ingame shenanigans, such as possible ways to ensure that you strike first, avoid being hit, or survive a hit.
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| − | So, you have quite a few strategic options to choose from. The army will invariably be better at some things, but some times it is not enough to read the cards (or war room), figure out which is the most killy, and then just take that. Your army synergy is crucial, and choosing abilities that complement each other and your strategy. You want your list to be good at killing the enemy, true. You might also want it to be able to limit your opponents options, dictate what they can or cannot do, and survive the retaliation of your clever opponent. Either way, it is a good idea to have a feeling what it is your army is trying to do, and few armies are able to do it all.
| + | In conventional war, tactics consist of the actions and reactions on the field. A tactician knows the overall strategy that their forces are built around. Your strategy might be war of attrition by having lots of [[Devastator|armor]] supported by huge quantities of [[Winter Guard|infantry]]; or attrition by lots of guys [[Venator Slingers|designed to die]] in order to release [[Cryx|corpse]] tokens or [[Supreme Aptimus Zaal & Kovaas|soul]] tokens that empower the rest of your standing army. The tactician must apply tactical choices and prioritize their resources to get the most out of the strategy. |
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| − | ==Destructive Flexibility==
| + | Conventional tactics are maneuvers such as attacking on the flank, stealth, applying pressure with tanks/elite fighters, suppressing fire, the hit-and-run, or fortification. Obviously, game tactics are less elaborated than conventional warfare tactics, but this game is surprisingly full of maneuvers. Many a game has been won or lost due to one side being better at fury/focus management, unit positioning, timing, maneuvering or activation order. |
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| − | Destructive Power is obviously what the game is about, but it is less obvious once you start analyzing it a little. You could more fittingly say its about Different Ways to Murder Different Things.You want to destroy as much as the opponents army as possible. So this is about the relevant qualities a model may have that enables it to be destructive: amount of attacks, attack accuracy, damage amount and threat range. You want it all, but the balance is the tricky part. The opposite side of the table might just as well field a gargantuan or a devastator or something else that requires a humongous damage output of your most hard hitting models - or it may be a horde of zombies that require numerous attacks to clear. Or it may be a dodgy solo, that might really hard to hit, or even to target it. You want anti armor, anti infantry, and anti-solo qualities. Of course, the model is pointless unless it can deliver the attacks. Better reach and an excellent Speed score helps you deliver those attacks, as do movement tricks such as Counter Charge, Vengeance, Rush and so on. The added value of the models Speed and weapon range gives you the threat range, but remember your potential speed modifiers, such as casting Rush or Mobility, which may inherently change how dangerous a model really is. A model with bad attacks but an outstanding threat range can threaten other models with bad defenses, such as certain support solos. So you want a decent spread of categories, or ways to switch your attacks from category to category. Thresher can turn a single hard hitting attacker into an infantry mulching machine, and the model can now support both anti infantry and anti armor roles in your army composition. Combined Attacks works the other way, turning a great many attacks into fewer and more efficient attacks. All potential attack modifications theoretically allow a greater field of flexibility that modify your attacks, such as Carnage, Calamity, Chiller. The balancing act depends on the spells, abilities and feat of the warlock or warcaster and your support models.
| + | The following is a breakdown of the game into a series of "lessons", each manageable as food for thought for the new player, before advancing to the next lesson. Each lesson is either written by a Battle College user such as yourself, or distilled from various community strategy bloggers, from tips and tricks from many an excellent player, and from Privateer Press' faction forums, or the old MK2 Battle College and updated where necessary to MK3. |
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| − | ==Attrition== | + | <span style="font-size: 1.9em; font-family:Times New Roman;">LOTS Articles</span> ([{{FULLURL:Template: LOTS article list|action=edit}} Edit]) |
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| | + | {{Template: LOTS article list}} |
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| − | Your attrition capacity is related to your destructive power, but really has a lot to do with your defenses as well. If your army is able to stay alive on the board longer than the enemy, you are playing the attrition game. The army might combine really numerous and / or tough elements, or powerful spells that increase the resilience of the army. It can dish out enough damage to remove more of the opponents models than the opponent can remove of yours. This should allow you to gain a progressively better position every turn. At some point this should open up for either the possibility of assassination or gathering enough scenario points to win.
| + | [[Category:Learning the game]] |
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| − | ==Board Control==
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| − | Some warlocks and warcasters mainly smash face. Others are able to stand back and through other means dictate what the enemy can and can't do. This can happen through feats or spells, such as the feats of [[The Harbinger of Menoth]], [[The Old Witch of Khador]] or [[Krueger the Stormwrath]] that dictates tactical limitation around them by punishing and discouraging movement. Since this allows the player better tactical possibilities than his opponent, maneuvering should allow the player to set up assassination or gather enough scenario points to win. Board control is a highly efficient tool that, while in itself it does not assist attrition or destruction, though it may provide scenario victory by denying access to areas or moving the enemy away. But board control is everything that allows you to regulate the position of the opponent, such as throwing enemies, knockdowns and some cloud effects.
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| − | =WarmaHordes Tactics=
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| − | WarmaHordes is a game of prioritizing very limited ressources. In conventional war, tactics consists of the actions and reactions on the field. A tactician knows the overall strategy that his forces are built around. Your strategy might be war of attrition by having lots of [[Devastator|armor]] supported by huge quantities of [[Winter Guard|infantry]]; or attrition by lots of guys designed to die in order to release [[Cryx|corpse]] tokens or [[Supreme Aptimus Zaal & Kovaas|soul]] tokens that empower the rest of your standing army. The tactician must apply tactical choices and prioritize his resources to get the most of the strategy. Conventional tactics are maneuvers such as attacking on the flank, stealth, apply pressure with tanks/elite fighters, suppressive fire, the hit and run, or holding the line. Obviously, game tactics are less elaborated than conventional warfare tactics, but this game is surprisingly full of maneuvers. Many a game has been won or lost due to one side being better at fury/focus management, unit positioning, timing, maneuvering or activation order. Besides this, knowing your dice helps a lot. A good place to start "unlocking" the game tactics is understanding what units are able to take on what without requiring really lucky dice, and how these odds changes if you apply your spell buffs around the board.
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| − | THIS ARTICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING ELABORATED (last edit 2016/11/18)
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| − | This page is under construction and the following areas are being written
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| − | *Chaff vs Elites: on jamming, control of movement, unjamming, tarpit, attrition resistant units, screening, imbedding
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| − | *Go first or second
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| − | =Boosting and Combining=
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| − | Warmachine/Hordes has two options that can improve the basic probabilities underlying the two-dice mechanic: boosting attack and combined attacks. Generally, you want to familiarize yourself with the probability of 2d6. The roll that will come up the most is 7, and if you roll 3d6, your average roll is 10.5. If you are required to roll above the said number when you attack and roll for damage, you are so to speak on the wrong side of the bell curve. it is crucial to arrange your die rolls, so they are directed against targets below the bell curve. This can be modified by your boosts and combined attacks, and via buffs and debuffs [[Boosting and Combining| Learn to crunch those numbers. ]]
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Articles in the LOTS series are aimed at intermediate players, who have a good grasp of the core rulebook and their own model's special rules, and now want to become better players and win more games.
So, you've read the rulebook. You purchased some models (or found some proxy counters or whatever). You know how the game goes, and the difference between Fury and Focus. You know how to Activate your units, and you know that a Feat requires timing. Obviously, you can read the statistics on each models (and the articles on this site) to get wiser on their properties, but it still might be hard to fathom what your army is supposed to do. But from here onward, you can go a long way in this game by creating a balanced army list where the units synergize with each other. So we are going to discuss here what it is the game is about.
What are you trying to do when you pick up your models and move them within striking distance of your opponent? How do you create synergies? What are the common strategies, and what tactics are used to accomplish them? WarmaHordes is a game of prioritizing very limited resources, so what are they? How about that 2d6 dice format, why is that so clever?
In conventional war, tactics consist of the actions and reactions on the field. A tactician knows the overall strategy that their forces are built around. Your strategy might be war of attrition by having lots of armor supported by huge quantities of infantry; or attrition by lots of guys designed to die in order to release corpse tokens or soul tokens that empower the rest of your standing army. The tactician must apply tactical choices and prioritize their resources to get the most out of the strategy.
Conventional tactics are maneuvers such as attacking on the flank, stealth, applying pressure with tanks/elite fighters, suppressing fire, the hit-and-run, or fortification. Obviously, game tactics are less elaborated than conventional warfare tactics, but this game is surprisingly full of maneuvers. Many a game has been won or lost due to one side being better at fury/focus management, unit positioning, timing, maneuvering or activation order.
The following is a breakdown of the game into a series of "lessons", each manageable as food for thought for the new player, before advancing to the next lesson. Each lesson is either written by a Battle College user such as yourself, or distilled from various community strategy bloggers, from tips and tricks from many an excellent player, and from Privateer Press' faction forums, or the old MK2 Battle College and updated where necessary to MK3.
