Tactics and Styles in the Warhammer 40k Game

Tactics and styles in this game are debateable, some people say they do exist, and some say they don't exist. One fundamental that we all should learn in my understanding is that All war is as the sword and the sword is as all war. Where you have a feint, parry and deflection you have in sword work you have that in the tactic you select for a force.

We all all have our own versions of tactics and styles, and they commonly fit into these catagories:

Warhammer

All out nasty - Designed to wipe the enemy out from the first turn straight through a composition of firepower(both direct and indirect) and close combat. Space nautical and Chaos Space (and other Meq's) lists tend to be in this field. Killing the enemy is the only real goal, terrain can be secured when it can't be retaken.

Offensive - The army is nasty in nature, a estimate of mobility assets are able to sieze and hold table quarters, vehicles hunt other vehicles, infantry killers do their work and you goal is terrain and models, not just models.

Static Defensive - Designed for you to stay put and your opponent to be eaten away by immense ammounts of firepower. Practically Imperial Guard only, only Iron Warriors and just maybe, Thousand Sons, can come close to equaling the firepower.

Mobile Defensive - Elder and Tau only, able to have immense mobility while staying in the one place and causing immense headaches for the opponent.

Counter assault nasty - Army is in a primarily nasty position(controlling 2 or more quarters at the start of a game), yet the army is of a counter attacking formation, consider two duelists in Akido and you will understand. Can be used by all armies.

Counter assault Defensive - first defensive formation (controlling one quarter instead of two), however with the composition of mobility assets and a large ammount of firepower, both direct and indirect, you are able to start nasty actions right from defensive positions and take the fight to the enemy in no time what so ever.

Counter assault Neutral - Able to come to be either Counter assault Offensive, or Counter Defensive and may interchange during a game.

Styles or types of forces, how we build our forces, what we consist of and how we play em, sometimes we have it right and sometimes we don't. I feel that they are at least three catagories of styles and I will exertion to construe them below. If you can think of some more place em as comments.

Mechanised - Carrying five or more units with an armour value, and maximising the value of the vehicles and dreadnaughts over the infantry.

Mechanised Infantry- May have a large estimate of armour units, which are often generally transports, with some heavy vehicles. Something close to a Combined Arms approach, although not quiet there.

Light Infantry

Infantry of any and all types are used. This type only applies to Infantry of a 4+ save or lower. So your Imperial Guard Infantry lists go in here.

Heavy Infantry

Anything with a 3+ Save or better, Deathwing Ravenwing, codex Space marines or Chaos Space Marines in here, same for the Meq's, able to be used in any tactic to a degree of success.

Combined Arms

Where there is no clear original element. Equal spending on vehicles and infantry, both working together and maybe the best way to get a Counter assault nasty tactic into a force.

While insight these styles and tactics you have to understand that they work together. A Heavy Infantry force has a style of Combined Arms and a Tactic of Counter assault nasty is the mechanised Dark Angels I played for a while. The Ranger list I have in mind would be a Light Infantry Counter assault Neutral, maybe even Counter assault Offensive.

The final point I wish to make is if you can understand your force, and the force you face, then victory is Practically assured, after all Sun Tzu never had to deal with battles considered by a die roll did he?

Tactics and Styles in the Warhammer 40k Game