A while back I submitted an article to discuss some of my thoughts on building armies. As soon as the submit content feature is back online, I intend to submit it to the articles section of LO. Since then, I've decided to discuss a few other aspects on the issue of army building, and thought I would provide them below. I welcome any feedback that you may have, and intend to edit the article based on helpful comments prior to final submission, whenever that feature is fixed.
I look forward to your comments.
Your humble servent,
Valerian
Analysis:
When making selections from a Codex army list, a player should conduct some analysis to determine which units will be most effective. Such analysis should help focus the player and aid him or her in making choices that are based on reason, and not on emotion (or good marketing). Such an analysis might aid a commander in selecting units that are helpful to the army, and avoid making choices simply because the unit may appear to be “nifty�. What follows are a few techniques that might be useful in conducting such an analysis.
Evaluation:
A technique one can use in army selection is to conduct a point-by-point evaluation of potential selection choices to evaluate how effective the choice might be for your army. I’ll offer the following categories as a start for your evaluation: Mobility, Firepower, Protection, and Close Combat. Rating each of these categories using a simple scale from 1 to 5 is a technique that is easy to implement.
Mobility:
Mobility is arguably the easiest category to determine, as it is the least subjective, since every model already has a fixed movement rate. The standard movement for an infantry model is 6�, which we can rate as a 3 on the 1-5 scale. For most models, moving this distance does not significantly reduce performance. I would rate a standard Space Marine tactical squad as a 3 in Mobility, while an assault squad would be given a 5. A devastator squad, however, would earn a 1 for Mobility; although they have the same standard movement rate as the tactical squad marines, making such a move severely reduces the squad’s effectiveness for the remainder of that turn.
Firepower:
In the Firepower category, one can assign ratings for the amount of lethal, ranged fires that the unit or vehicle can place on the enemy. This category is probably the most subjective, as you will have to factor in multiple variables, including weapon ranges and strengths, AP ratings, and other effects (such as pinning). One might assign an assault squad with a firepower rating of a 1, a tactical squad a 3 (or 4 when within rapid fire range), and a devastator squad (with 4 missile launchers) a 5.
Protection:
For Space Marines, the majority of your forces will have similar Protection ratings, since the armor value is the same for most of your models. One might assign models with a 3+ save a rating of 2. Scouts might be rated as a 1, whereas bike squads might be a 3, considering the increased Toughness, and potential for Invulnerable Saves, when Turbo Boosting. Vehicles, of course, have improved Protection, when compared to standard infantry models, thus we would assign most vehicles a rating of 5 (or use an extended scale, beyond 5, to account for the significant difference in Protection afforded by vehicles).
Close Combat:
In the last category, we must assign value to the Assault potential of our units. Ratings could include a devastator squad at a 1, a tactical squad with a “hidden� power fist at a 3, and an assault squad at a 5.
Roles:
The utility of following through with a classification scheme should become apparent as one begins to determine which units to select for various army list roles. When building a force, the commander should have an appreciation for the various roles that need to be filled, in order to field an army that has mutually supporting capabilities. A few such roles include the following:
Base of Fire:
Assault Force:
Tank Destroyer:
Rear Guard/Flank Security:
Mobile Reserve:
The capabilities of each selected unit should be tailored toward the accomplishment of some role in the army. Ideally, units should compliment one another to reinforce strengths, while limiting vulnerabilities. Each of these roles requires different strengths as priorities; for example: Firepower, and then Protection are the two most important aspects for a unit that will be used as a Base of Fire. Thus, an eight man devastator squad with four missile launchers is an excellent Base of Fire selection; its Firepower potential is greater than that of almost any other unit, including most vehicles, and has an adequate degree of Protection (3+ save, basic marine “meat shields�, usually deployed in cover). Although the unit lacks in both Mobility and Close Combat capability, neither of these attributes are required in the Base of Fire force.
If another selection has similar Firepower and Protection scores, but a higher degree of Mobility and Close Combat potential than our devastator squad, we would normally consider that to be a superior choice. However, our forces are limited by a specified allocation of points with which we must make our “purchases� of units. Increased Mobility and Close Combat potential will likely come at a premium, but aren’t all that helpful for our Base of Fire units. Thus for the sake of efficiency, we should discard more costly unit choices that are good at everything, in favor of those choices that are specialized toward the role we intend for them to fulfill.
I encourage you to conduct your own similar analysis of the other roles, and those I haven’t included, and of the various unit types that you might select to fill those roles in your army.
Comparison:
Yet another method in which a player can conduct army list selection is to employ a cost-benefit analysis. Before purchasing any unit, model, upgrade, or piece of wargear always ask whether the benefit you can reasonably expect to gain from the choice is worth the opportunity cost, usually measured in terms of a standard trooper for your army. For example, let’s assume that a player is buying a mid-size Space Marine tactical squad of about 8 models. For the same points, that player could purchase a squad of 7 models, but arm one of them with a lascannon. Also for the same cost, the player could purchase a squad of 5 models, arming one with a lascannon, and upgrade the Sergeant with Terminator Honours and a power fist. What the player should question is whether the benefit gained from the available lascannon and power fist wielding Sergeant is worth the loss of 3 standard Space Marines for that unit. In order to determine whether the benefit outweighs the cost, you must examine the role that the unit is likely to fill for your army in both an offensive and defensive scheme of maneuver.
I look forward to your comments.
Your humble servent,
Valerian
Analysis:
When making selections from a Codex army list, a player should conduct some analysis to determine which units will be most effective. Such analysis should help focus the player and aid him or her in making choices that are based on reason, and not on emotion (or good marketing). Such an analysis might aid a commander in selecting units that are helpful to the army, and avoid making choices simply because the unit may appear to be “nifty�. What follows are a few techniques that might be useful in conducting such an analysis.
Evaluation:
A technique one can use in army selection is to conduct a point-by-point evaluation of potential selection choices to evaluate how effective the choice might be for your army. I’ll offer the following categories as a start for your evaluation: Mobility, Firepower, Protection, and Close Combat. Rating each of these categories using a simple scale from 1 to 5 is a technique that is easy to implement.
Mobility:
Mobility is arguably the easiest category to determine, as it is the least subjective, since every model already has a fixed movement rate. The standard movement for an infantry model is 6�, which we can rate as a 3 on the 1-5 scale. For most models, moving this distance does not significantly reduce performance. I would rate a standard Space Marine tactical squad as a 3 in Mobility, while an assault squad would be given a 5. A devastator squad, however, would earn a 1 for Mobility; although they have the same standard movement rate as the tactical squad marines, making such a move severely reduces the squad’s effectiveness for the remainder of that turn.
Firepower:
In the Firepower category, one can assign ratings for the amount of lethal, ranged fires that the unit or vehicle can place on the enemy. This category is probably the most subjective, as you will have to factor in multiple variables, including weapon ranges and strengths, AP ratings, and other effects (such as pinning). One might assign an assault squad with a firepower rating of a 1, a tactical squad a 3 (or 4 when within rapid fire range), and a devastator squad (with 4 missile launchers) a 5.
Protection:
For Space Marines, the majority of your forces will have similar Protection ratings, since the armor value is the same for most of your models. One might assign models with a 3+ save a rating of 2. Scouts might be rated as a 1, whereas bike squads might be a 3, considering the increased Toughness, and potential for Invulnerable Saves, when Turbo Boosting. Vehicles, of course, have improved Protection, when compared to standard infantry models, thus we would assign most vehicles a rating of 5 (or use an extended scale, beyond 5, to account for the significant difference in Protection afforded by vehicles).
Close Combat:
In the last category, we must assign value to the Assault potential of our units. Ratings could include a devastator squad at a 1, a tactical squad with a “hidden� power fist at a 3, and an assault squad at a 5.
Roles:
The utility of following through with a classification scheme should become apparent as one begins to determine which units to select for various army list roles. When building a force, the commander should have an appreciation for the various roles that need to be filled, in order to field an army that has mutually supporting capabilities. A few such roles include the following:
Base of Fire:
Assault Force:
Tank Destroyer:
Rear Guard/Flank Security:
Mobile Reserve:
The capabilities of each selected unit should be tailored toward the accomplishment of some role in the army. Ideally, units should compliment one another to reinforce strengths, while limiting vulnerabilities. Each of these roles requires different strengths as priorities; for example: Firepower, and then Protection are the two most important aspects for a unit that will be used as a Base of Fire. Thus, an eight man devastator squad with four missile launchers is an excellent Base of Fire selection; its Firepower potential is greater than that of almost any other unit, including most vehicles, and has an adequate degree of Protection (3+ save, basic marine “meat shields�, usually deployed in cover). Although the unit lacks in both Mobility and Close Combat capability, neither of these attributes are required in the Base of Fire force.
If another selection has similar Firepower and Protection scores, but a higher degree of Mobility and Close Combat potential than our devastator squad, we would normally consider that to be a superior choice. However, our forces are limited by a specified allocation of points with which we must make our “purchases� of units. Increased Mobility and Close Combat potential will likely come at a premium, but aren’t all that helpful for our Base of Fire units. Thus for the sake of efficiency, we should discard more costly unit choices that are good at everything, in favor of those choices that are specialized toward the role we intend for them to fulfill.
I encourage you to conduct your own similar analysis of the other roles, and those I haven’t included, and of the various unit types that you might select to fill those roles in your army.
Comparison:
Yet another method in which a player can conduct army list selection is to employ a cost-benefit analysis. Before purchasing any unit, model, upgrade, or piece of wargear always ask whether the benefit you can reasonably expect to gain from the choice is worth the opportunity cost, usually measured in terms of a standard trooper for your army. For example, let’s assume that a player is buying a mid-size Space Marine tactical squad of about 8 models. For the same points, that player could purchase a squad of 7 models, but arm one of them with a lascannon. Also for the same cost, the player could purchase a squad of 5 models, arming one with a lascannon, and upgrade the Sergeant with Terminator Honours and a power fist. What the player should question is whether the benefit gained from the available lascannon and power fist wielding Sergeant is worth the loss of 3 standard Space Marines for that unit. In order to determine whether the benefit outweighs the cost, you must examine the role that the unit is likely to fill for your army in both an offensive and defensive scheme of maneuver.
