Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hello Dakka! So over the pass few weeks I have been playing against my friends, A BA player and a GK player. Well my BA friend ALWAYS drop pods his dread next to my ravager(s) and multi melta it(most of the time killing it).

Now I was wondering is there a way i can counter his drop pod assualt, to where he wount be able to deepstrike right next to me? Or am i pretty much gonna have to deal with it and hope my FF or flatout cover save helps me

Surround it with raiders so he can't get a shot at it without cover. Or move it so that it is covered from your opponents table edge but open to yours. Drop pods still mishap if they go off the table.

Besides Dok's good advice, on your turn, you then have the opportunity to fly your other ravagers, raiders and Venomed TrueBlasters to the Dread's rear and poke it hard. The Drop Pod will offer it some Cover Save, but DE maneuverability ought to allow a squeezed in shot.

End results is an exchange: Your Ravager for his Dread.

End results is an exchange: Your Ravager for his Dread.

What's the exact list that he's playing? Because of it's DoA/Drop Pod Heavy I would just turbo boost around the board while he comes in. If he just has a couple of Drop Pod Dreads than yeah, there's a pretty good chance that he'll come in and pop your vehicle. Something like an 89% chance to hit, 100% chance to at least glance (assuming he's within 12"), and then +2 on his damage roll. Bleh.

OP:

The odds are actually in your favor.

Against drop pod armies, flat out everything turn one if you're going first.

Dealing with drop pods is a matter of placement of your vehicles if you don't want your ravagers getting targeted. That multi-melta has a 2/3 chance to hit, restricting its drop zone gives it a 50% chance to penetrate (on a 4+), and you have a 33-50% chance of saving. That's a 16.5% chance of him getting a penetrate result.

Ravagers are most armies #1 target. You have to expect it to get shot at. If you boost the turn before you have a little bit more than a 50% chance of surviving, but then you are not shooting the turn before and your opponent has already caused the ravager to be useless.
Another solution would be to start your army in reserve to counter his drop pod shenanigans. But then you run into the problem of coming in piecemeal and catching return fire from his established positions.

Dashofpepper wrote:OP:

The odds are actually in your favor.

Against drop pod armies, flat out everything turn one if you're going first.

Dealing with drop pods is a matter of placement of your vehicles if you don't want your ravagers getting targeted. That multi-melta has a 2/3 chance to hit, restricting its drop zone gives it a 50% chance to penetrate (on a 4+), and you have a 33-50% chance of saving. That's a 16.5% chance of him getting a penetrate result.

Multi Melta is twin linked.

I agree with Dashofpepper. Turbo boost if you have first turn and bubble your ravangers, if you have second turn put everything in reserves.

DaKKaLAnce wrote:Hello Dakka! So over the pass few weeks I have been playing against my friends, A BA player and a GK player. Well my BA friend ALWAYS drop pods his dread next to my ravager(s) and multi melta it(most of the time killing it).

Now I was wondering is there a way i can counter his drop pod assualt, to where he wount be able to deepstrike right next to me? Or am i pretty much gonna have to deal with it and hope my FF or flatout cover save helps me

scrape 30 points out of somewhere and add in 3 night shields next time you play. then try to scatter some other vehicles about so its hard to drop.
The night shields will limit him to 18" and more importantly 6" for melta range.

Exergy wrote:

DaKKaLAnce wrote:Hello Dakka! So over the pass few weeks I have been playing against my friends, A BA player and a GK player. Well my BA friend ALWAYS drop pods his dread next to my ravager(s) and multi melta it(most of the time killing it).

Now I was wondering is there a way i can counter his drop pod assualt, to where he wount be able to deepstrike right next to me? Or am i pretty much gonna have to deal with it and hope my FF or flatout cover save helps me

scrape 30 points out of somewhere and add in 3 night shields next time you play. then try to scatter some other vehicles about so its hard to drop.
The night shields will limit him to 18" and more importantly 6" for melta range.

wouldnt it be 9" for melta range?

Looking at my BA codex now (at home with a cuppa) the Dreadnought (105 Heavy Support Dread) does not have a twin-linked multi melta. So no re-rolls to hit!

And a multi-melta has a 24" range, so you'd get an extra D6 penetration dice if you are within 12"

That is all.

Well wouldnt nightshields reduce range or melta by 6"? so range 18", and melta range is 9"? im I correct?

Yup. Melta is half the weapon's effective range and Nightshield's reduction counts towards determining that.

24" - 6 / 2 = 9" melta

Ah! I see! Whoops....didn't know about Nightshield rules!

*makes mental note to read thread properly before commenting*

I know you shouldn't normally look at pts cost when determining most things, but honestly, If he is dropping in a dread to one shot a Ravager (because lets be honest, that first shot is more than likely the ONLY shot or attack that dread is gonna get! ) then he is wasting 140 pts minimum to try and destroy one of your more than likely 3 Ravagers, which are 105 pts minimum. It is honestly a good tradeoff, even if he does kill the Ravager, because next turn, you are going to get rid of the dread, or at the very least make it useless, while you still have your other Ravagers, so your not hurting as badly as he is going to be, especially seeing as starting the turn after the dread drop pods in, you have the speed to keep yourself well out of his range for the rest of the game.

Yeah Its just annoying at this point. one thing is for sure, It only last 1 turn lol

I do not get it, is it a lone drop pod? You could reserve everything. Or you now, castle in a corner (putting the ravagers furthest in.)

Overall do you have the range on him and can kite him?

The best solution I can come up with is pretty much what you're reading here: Use terrain and the board to protect them.

There are several possible scenarios that I can envision based on what you're describing, and my response to them would be somewhat different. But the primary focus is to use terrain and other models to prevent him from getting where he wants to go. Unfortunately, you really can't control that too much. Remember, when he lands, he needs to have room for both the Drop Pod *and* the Dread to deploy.. that's not a small footprint. To minimize his options, you can hug the table edge, (Dark lances have decent range) and keep in close proximity to buildings and other dangerous terrain where he can't land. You can also run a 'cover wing' with a venom or raider, shadowing your ravager on the "not near terrain" sides. That will run the potential for giving cover to targets you want to shoot, and it also may be tying up a useful resource, depending on the flow of battle.

I counsel to *never* go flat out unless you have nothing to shoot. Dark Eldar are about the offense, not the defense. If you can be shooting.. and there is something to shoot at.. shoot. Don't waste the shots by not. The "defense" of cover just is trying to save the resource for later use. By not shooting, you "give" your opponent the effect of a shaken result without him having to fire a shot. If, however, there are no targets on the table that you can get in place to shoot, then *always* go flat out at least 18" so you get the cover.

Now, if you're trying to protect yourself from a single drop pod.. don't worry about it. On turn 1 (assuming you get to go first), engage your opponent's models on your turn, put your ravagers in place to 1) destroy high value targets and 2) have some protection against the pod assault to come. #1 *always* comes before #2. If given a choice.. destroy. That pod can only ever take out 1. Get in the fight, use the Ravagers for their purpose and if he gets one, he gets one. Make sure the one he gets has already done its job. You can still use terrain and positioning to make it harder for him to deploy.. and do so. But your primary focus, IMO, is to be shooting.

If he's doing an all-reserve army where *everything* is coming in via Pods or Reserve, then yes, do the flat out move to get cover and then use your raiders and venoms to shield your ravagers along with terrain. If you have night shields, (good purchase in my opinion) then you only need to get him to be 9" away to minimize the melta. That should be something you can do fairly simply.

Hope this helps.

Yes, tyvm dakka. Ill be trying them out this weekend.

Dashofpepper wrote:OP:

Against drop pod armies, flat out everything turn one if you're going first.

Dealing with drop pods is a matter of placement of your vehicles if you don't want your ravagers getting targeted. That multi-melta has a 2/3 chance to hit, restricting its drop zone gives it a 50% chance to penetrate (on a 4+), and you have a 33-50% chance of saving. That's a 16.5% chance of him getting a penetrate result.

What is the right option when you face a mech army with drop elements? Flat-outing everything goves protection, but also means we won't be shooting much to eliminate the threats.

Sephyr wrote:

Dashofpepper wrote:OP:

Against drop pod armies, flat out everything turn one if you're going first.

Dealing with drop pods is a matter of placement of your vehicles if you don't want your ravagers getting targeted. That multi-melta has a 2/3 chance to hit, restricting its drop zone gives it a 50% chance to penetrate (on a 4+), and you have a 33-50% chance of saving. That's a 16.5% chance of him getting a penetrate result.

What is the right option when you face a mech army with drop elements? Flat-outing everything goves protection, but also means we won't be shooting much to eliminate the threats.

My opinion to this specific is to thank your opponent for the gift. By coming in via drop pod with only *part* of his army, it means she/he has chosen to put limited resources out there for you to shoot. That gives you the advantage of being able to concentrate *all* your fire on fewer targets. Oblige him and throw every die you can at those targets. The more you take out before his pods arrive, the less he can do when they finally DO show up. Again, use terrain and positioning to the best advantage you can.. but always shoot if there is the option. The best defense against an enemy is his grave.