8th Ed. Aquatic Tactics

[conquahex]

I'd like to open up discussion on how to take advantage of aquatic terrain that shows up on your battlefield, as I have found them to be quite common. Does our aquatic special rule give enough advantages for you to build a game strategy around a river or marsh?

In my games, I've found such features to be great bunkers for a shooty unit like salamanders. They also make good lanes for a big skink cohort unit to move down as anyone that tries to face them won't be able to have ranks.

Now, you only get a safe river around half the time (I hate 8th ed terrain rules btw), but it's not too hard to figure out what it's going to be early in deployment so you can base the rest of your strategy around that.

I'm curious to hear if anyone else has any tricks.

 

[n810]

If you can manage to scout your chamelions in water, they are almost completely immune to balistic skill shots. (-3 to hit)

 

[VampTeddy]

If you can manage to scout your chamelions in water, they are almost completely immune to balistic skill shots. (-3 to hit)

I once told an opponent this and it made him decide to go for the almost equally hard to hit -2 sally unit in a forest elsewhere on the battlefield, rolling a 6, or rolling 6 + then having to roll 4, 5 or 6 really intimidates a foe, the idea of rolling a target number twice, messes with them, and you can usually force feed them targets!

 

[Pinktaco]

A mist swamp would grant hard cover + the -1 to hit from our army special rule. So that would be -5 to hit.

 

[VampTeddy]

A mist swamp would grant hard cover + the -1 to hit from our army special rule. So that would be -5 to hit.

To not even start about that swamp which makes everyone but skirmishers suffer horrible horrible dangerous terrain mishaps (or is it more targetted than non-skirmishers?) anywhoes, that is wicked!

 

[Scalenex]

If you can manage to scout your chamelions in water, they are almost completely immune to balistic skill shots. (-3 to hit)

That's when my opponent shrugs and toss a fireball at them.

When I move my Chameleon Skinks I have two concerns.

1) Stay out of charge arcs of things
2) Get them as close to a war machine or lone model target as possible.

Generally only rookie players will shoot at Chameleon Skinks or players with literally no other targets, so the soft cover doesn't really matter for Chameleon Skinks. It sometimes matters for Salamanders and Skink Skirmishers, but they still will rarely face that kind of attack.

I don't use water bodies as a missile weapon shield. I use them as a barrier.

Sometimes you just have to risk a charge to get a good Salamander shot off. When that happens I'd prefer to make the enemy take a dangerous terrain test, especially if it's a chariot.

If you have a decent sized block of Skroxigor or Kroxigor, put a marsh towards the middle of the table during deployment (but not in the middle lane, that's where your Temple Guard or monsters go). This gives you more freedom of movement then your opponent. If you don't take a decent sized block of heavy hitting aquatic troops, put your marshes towards the edges of the table where your Skirmishers are likely to move. Try to redirect opponents through marshes to take dangerous terrain tests while you are moving them away from your main lines.

Rivers are tricky. They are as bad for Saurus and most big dinosaurs as they are for the enemy. If your enemy has a lot of shooting, try to stick a river in the corner where it won't impede the main lines. If the enemy sticks a war machine in that protected corner, no biggie since your war machine hunters all are aquatic or fly. If the enemy doesn't have much shooting, stretch the river across the table. Make them come to you and harass them with Skinks as they are crossing the river without marching.