7th Ed. How can you protect a Stegadon from missile fire ?

[steam]

Given that it's a large target and a strong bolt thrower electro magnet, I no longer rate these big boys as the death dealing unit crusher chargers that I used to.

I have taken out 3 so far, quite easily with bolt throwers and suffered little damage.

In my last game agaisnt Lizards my enemy only brought an Ancient with the Engine of the Gods and he tried to stay well away from harm for most of the game but he stil ended up as a pin cushion.

So, here's my question...

How exactly can these beasts be protected from missile fire that negates an armour save ?

 

[Dumbledore]

If you have two you can use one to obscure vision of another in a "T" formation (the front one pivots so that it is perpendicular to the one behind it), particularly an ancient in front of an engine. Either that or keep it in or behind trees etc casting the bubble for others until terradons/JSOD/magic/general combat deals with the war machine(s) in question.

 

[DonkeyHotep]

I find they aren't that vulerable to bolt throwers, things usually hit them on a 4+ (long range) wound on a 4+ and you have a 5+ save against their attacks (skink randomizing) they really have a 1/6 chance to get their d/3 wound through. So, on average, it's gonna take 5 bolt throwers 3 turns to take one down. Not something I'm super worried about. Also, if they are pounding stegadon then they aren't pounding saurus or saurus cav so whatever. If you are super worried you could take a skink BSB and give him the sun banner. This gives them a 1/9 chance of getting anything through.

Just stay out of the short range, and if they have LOL bolt throwers consider taking the lore of life to patch the thing up and nerf their pews.

 

[Trevy the Great]

I think most Stegadons want to spend as little time sitting in the back being pasted by siege weaponry as possible, and that they should recklessly (okay, maybe not that recklessly) charge forward to make contact and get into combat as soon as possible.

 

[Dumbledore]

Not always so with the engine imo, I have found that mine has been most useful for clearing up on turns 4-6, so I if facing a heavy shooting army I would consider advancing the EotG through cover then revealing it into the open on turn 3 or 4. It would still be helping things if the ward covered valuable things in the army and if you were getting sightless spells off like re-rolls or comet.

 

[Trevy the Great]

You are right, of course. I was speaking about normal Stegadons as Engines are hefty investments that one does not want to commit to combat without a certain chance of winning.
Sorry, I should have been clearer.

 

[ilnar]

actually most of the time they'l be at short range and large target, for a +2 to hit
sun standard helps, as does a nice unit of COR moving up in front of it

just make sure its not the most attractive target,

 

[hellbreaker]

just make sure its not the most attractive target,

That's why you paint all the other units except the stegadon prettily!


On a more serious note though... I tend to put my big and scary Engine of the gods in the middle of my much bigger and scarier Saurus units...
It works, the stegadon isn't the one being targeted by stone throwers and such, so I deem the Saurus solid 'bodyguards'.

Cheers!

 

[strewart]

actually most of the time they'l be at short range and large target, for a +2 to hit

Yeah I agree.. Range of a bolt thrower is 48", so on the first turn it should be long range but at least by the third if not second, it will be short range. And bolt throwers aren't anywhere near the biggest threat, stone throwers and cannons are.

The most important thing IMO is to use terradons or char skinks to take down the warmachines early and don't give them a chance to shoot you too much. If it is a particularly deadly warmachine or there are a couple, I see no problem hiding the steg behind some trees for a turn or two to keep him safe. He can catch up later. Such a large model though is indeed hard to hide, and against gunlines you are almost just going to have to accept that it won't survive.

 

[The Hunted]

actually most of the time they'l be at short range and large target, for a +2 to hit

Yeah I agree.. Range of a bolt thrower is 48", so on the first turn it should be long range but at least by the third if not second, it will be short range. And bolt throwers aren't anywhere near the biggest threat, stone throwers and cannons are.

The most important thing IMO is to use terradons or char skinks to take down the warmachines early and don't give them a chance to shoot you too much. If it is a particularly deadly warmachine or there are a couple, I see no problem hiding the steg behind some trees for a turn or two to keep him safe. He can catch up later. Such a large model though is indeed hard to hide, and against gunlines you are almost just going to have to accept that it won't survive.

charmeleon skinks? you mean, firebreathing skinks?

On a more serious note: hide, seek, destroy, rampage.
Hide your stegadon
Seek the steggadon's biggest threat(s)
destroy these threats with supporting troops, prevent these threats from firing (getting into CC helps)
rampage with your stegadon through the enemy lines!
A stegadon will not work on its own, nor will enything in the LM army. It needs support from Terradons, skinks and well, the rest of your army. Use it in a good combination and your stegadon will manage to survive battles as well as doing serious damage to the enemy.

The Hunted

 

[SlannOfItza]

actually most of the time they'l be at short range and large target, for a +2 to hit

Yeah I agree.. Range of a bolt thrower is 48", so on the first turn it should be long range but at least by the third if not second, it will be short range. And bolt throwers aren't anywhere near the biggest threat, stone throwers and cannons are.

The most important thing IMO is to use terradons or char skinks to take down the warmachines early and don't give them a chance to shoot you too much. If it is a particularly deadly warmachine or there are a couple, I see no problem hiding the steg behind some trees for a turn or two to keep him safe. He can catch up later. Such a large model though is indeed hard to hide, and against gunlines you are almost just going to have to accept that it won't survive.

charmeleon skinks? you mean, firebreathing skinks?

On a more serious note: hide, seek, destroy, rampage.
Hide your stegadon
Seek the steggadon's biggest threat(s)
destroy these threats with supporting troops, prevent these threats from firing (getting into CC helps)
rampage with your stegadon through the enemy lines!
A stegadon will not work on its own, nor will enything in the LM army. It needs support from Terradons, skinks and well, the rest of your army. Use it in a good combination and your stegadon will manage to survive battles as well as doing serious damage to the enemy.

I second this... (didn't have time to write a full reply, but "what he said" works in this case)

 

[ZeeWulf]

Yesterday was my very first game, ever, and that was something big I noticed: the stegadon was getting hammered by the bolt throwers. Thinking about it all, however, I wonder if, aside from air support or some other fast unit moving to take out the guns, using Imperial Guard tactics in this one instance would help:

Bring more than one. Bring two, or perhaps three.

It works for Russes, forcing someone to either concentrate their firepower, and maybe, maybe not take one down and risk the others rampaging, or to split their firepower and bear even less of a chance. Between that, or Big Scary Target substitution (Packs of sentinels, chimera and valkyries) with big saurus/cav units, and they'll have to just figure out what particular unit will hurt them..."less"

Anyway, that's my initial impression after my very first game, vs orkses. We'll have to see what subsequent games produce.

 

[The Hunted]

that theory is solid, but has one leak.

That kind of army could easily be qualified as a : Rock-paper-scissors.
You absolutely crush certain armies, and stand no chance at all vs others. This is not so with balanced lists.
Also, if your opponent has the guns/means to kill steggies, they're likely to stall the game and kill 2 off for a starter and then finish you off with the 3rd. The Saurus Cav is (IMHO) a smaller threat than the stegadons,:
-not stubborn
-stupid
-rely on charge solely (for they are not stubborn)
-5 wounds T4, withouth ' skink save' or high Toughness...

So 2 great cannons and your a goner. No great cannons and your a winner....or something like that.

Also, if you try target overload on your opponent (with your main units). Make sure you always hit very hard, instead of very hard/medium hard. And be very wary of target overloading with hammers, it can cost you dearly...

Next, the cost of 2 extra stegadons is waaay more than the fast support. Which can do other stuff than killing WM too...
My favor is clear by now,

The Hunted

 

[Agrifex]

Actually, it's not as hard as you may think to keep your big expensive EotG safe. I go with the 'bodyguard' tactic, keeping him beside two big scary saurus units. Cannons get REALLY worried not when there's a big monster tramping up their backside, it's when they got saurus and TG rolling over their infantry.
My EotG is fine most of the time, the only things that do any real damage are those wizards. (unless you're playing empire or dwarves). Though, if you're in a 2k game you're prob taking a slann.
'Course, this is only in my experience.

Some terradons won't hurt, either
And tell me when I can get some charmeleon skinks.