D.R.A.I.C.H. The new Age of Mammoths.
Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2010 2:40 pm
1. Incentives for Mammoths.
There are good reasons why you can expect to see FLU (few large units) rather than MSU.
I consider a Mammoth unit to be in the range of 30 to 60 models.
1.1. Too large to notice small bites.
The sheer mass a Mammoth unit is huge.
Most BS shooting will take a lot of time to downsize it significantly. It could require a whole gunline to get rid of a single Mammoth unit.
Most spells will deal so ridiculously low amount of damage that the Mammoth will barely notice.
The mightiest unit charging a Mammoth unit is not likely to destroy more than half of it.
1.2. Beware of the wounded beast.
A large Mammoth unit is now much more fearsome than it used to be, back in 7th edition. Large units are not anymore staring helplessly at the smaller unit attacking them.
As rear ranks fill in the lost models, a Mammoth unit has always more models in reserve, able to step in and get a chance to retaliate. Worse, if it is charged frontally, the second rank models get a single attack as well.
As a consequence, elite small units who relied previously on charging and killing all models in contact from a larger unit, affording not to take any armour, are going now to suffer heavily, and the many losses they can inflict on the large unit are compensated by the less numerous, but more expensive losses they experience themselves.
1.3. Survival of the largest.
Large Mammoth units are easily stubborn: the unit with the most ranks in a melee is steadfast, i.e. stubborn. If in range, the unit uses the General’s Ld and the BSB reroll.
Important: the steadfast rule applies for a unit with more ranks at the end of combat, even if it is disrupted by a flank-charge (the rank bonus is gone, but the steadfast rule remains).
As a consequence, even if you charge a very large Mammoth unit with many elite troops, monsters, chariots, if you make a zillion casualties plus lots of static combat resolution, as long as the Mammoth retains more ranks than any of your troops, it will just need to pass a Ld test (rerollable within BSB reach) in order to survive, when your charging momentum is exhausted (no more impact hits, breath weapons, magic banner…) and where some rescue units may countercharge your own units.
Therefore, many armies will get a 5xR unit where “R” (ranks) tries to be much higher than the opponent’s.
If your “R” is smaller, you need to grind down the opposite “R” – and keep yours as high as possible before your combat resolution starts to mean anything.
Steadfast is going to play a large role and I expect many armies to run at least a very large unit and a nearby general & BSB, in order to guarantee more ranks than the opponent.
1.4. Last survivor retains whole value.
Mammoth units are great for points denial strategy.
There is no more VP for half-destroyed unit. Worse, even if a fleeing unit is way below 25% survivors, it always can rally on a double 1 – and deny all VP for that unit.
Even more frustrating: if the Mammoth is fleeing in the end of turn 6, but still on the table, then you gained no VP.
You may have killed the champion: 0 VP.
You may have made it flee once: 25 VPs for capturing the pennant bearer in the process.
All the efforts made are wasted if the survivors rally (quite easy to do with a musician, as long as the unit is above 25%) or if it just refuses to flee, or if it did not reach the table's edge while fleeing.
If it is depleted enough, then the last few men will “play the clock” and try to reach alive the end of the game, which is likely to come soon at this stage, and they will deny any VP for all your tremendous efforts to deplete that unit.
Units with sufficient numbers are quite impossible to destroy to the last man and make outstanding pts denial.
If all 3 mandatory units of your foe are Mammoth units, then good luck to kill them all. Not only they are offering no easy VP at all, but also they somehow support each other.
There are good reasons why you can expect to see FLU (few large units) rather than MSU.
I consider a Mammoth unit to be in the range of 30 to 60 models.
1.1. Too large to notice small bites.
The sheer mass a Mammoth unit is huge.
Most BS shooting will take a lot of time to downsize it significantly. It could require a whole gunline to get rid of a single Mammoth unit.
Most spells will deal so ridiculously low amount of damage that the Mammoth will barely notice.
The mightiest unit charging a Mammoth unit is not likely to destroy more than half of it.
1.2. Beware of the wounded beast.
A large Mammoth unit is now much more fearsome than it used to be, back in 7th edition. Large units are not anymore staring helplessly at the smaller unit attacking them.
As rear ranks fill in the lost models, a Mammoth unit has always more models in reserve, able to step in and get a chance to retaliate. Worse, if it is charged frontally, the second rank models get a single attack as well.
As a consequence, elite small units who relied previously on charging and killing all models in contact from a larger unit, affording not to take any armour, are going now to suffer heavily, and the many losses they can inflict on the large unit are compensated by the less numerous, but more expensive losses they experience themselves.
1.3. Survival of the largest.
Large Mammoth units are easily stubborn: the unit with the most ranks in a melee is steadfast, i.e. stubborn. If in range, the unit uses the General’s Ld and the BSB reroll.
Important: the steadfast rule applies for a unit with more ranks at the end of combat, even if it is disrupted by a flank-charge (the rank bonus is gone, but the steadfast rule remains).
As a consequence, even if you charge a very large Mammoth unit with many elite troops, monsters, chariots, if you make a zillion casualties plus lots of static combat resolution, as long as the Mammoth retains more ranks than any of your troops, it will just need to pass a Ld test (rerollable within BSB reach) in order to survive, when your charging momentum is exhausted (no more impact hits, breath weapons, magic banner…) and where some rescue units may countercharge your own units.
Therefore, many armies will get a 5xR unit where “R” (ranks) tries to be much higher than the opponent’s.
If your “R” is smaller, you need to grind down the opposite “R” – and keep yours as high as possible before your combat resolution starts to mean anything.
Steadfast is going to play a large role and I expect many armies to run at least a very large unit and a nearby general & BSB, in order to guarantee more ranks than the opponent.
1.4. Last survivor retains whole value.
Mammoth units are great for points denial strategy.
There is no more VP for half-destroyed unit. Worse, even if a fleeing unit is way below 25% survivors, it always can rally on a double 1 – and deny all VP for that unit.
Even more frustrating: if the Mammoth is fleeing in the end of turn 6, but still on the table, then you gained no VP.
You may have killed the champion: 0 VP.
You may have made it flee once: 25 VPs for capturing the pennant bearer in the process.
All the efforts made are wasted if the survivors rally (quite easy to do with a musician, as long as the unit is above 25%) or if it just refuses to flee, or if it did not reach the table's edge while fleeing.
If it is depleted enough, then the last few men will “play the clock” and try to reach alive the end of the game, which is likely to come soon at this stage, and they will deny any VP for all your tremendous efforts to deplete that unit.
Units with sufficient numbers are quite impossible to destroy to the last man and make outstanding pts denial.
If all 3 mandatory units of your foe are Mammoth units, then good luck to kill them all. Not only they are offering no easy VP at all, but also they somehow support each other.