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Hi all,

I have been thinking a lot about wargaming tactics (as opposed to specifically real life tactics) lately, especially while reading a lot of the army specific tactics here. I was trying to come up with something that would apply to every army and be useful to everyone.

I was browsing through Sun Tzu the other day, thinking how I could bring some of it to life in wargames (where you can see the whole battlefield and know how to predict what is going to happen - as opposed to real life where you hope for the best).

Something he wrote sparked my tactical mind and I came up with a blog post entitled “Sun Tzu Says: Grab Your Opponent By The Nuts”

Yep, not quite the Confucius style wisdom we came to expect from the great man, but useful just the same - especially for those that often play the same opponents.

You can check it out here if you are interested.

http://wargamingaddict.blogspot.com/2012/06/sun-tzu-grab-your-enemy-by-nuts.html

I’d love your feedback, and is there a military book that has ever inspired you with tactics to use in a wargame?

Thanks all

Spot on with this post, man. I play with a big group of friends (around 11 or so) and after learning their habits and favorite tactics, I can sort of predict where they'll want to move next and then capitalize. Sun Tzu was a smart cookie.

Thanks I appreciate that - I also play the same guys and can often predict what they are gonna do in each situation.

Sun Tzu brought that home for me.

IMO WW2 tactics are much more useful.

Sun Tzu was more of a war philosopher. He has no actual tactics, he has strategic ideas that can be turn into tactics.



Strategic Level of War
The strategic level of war is concerned with the art and science of employing national power.

Operational Level of War

The operational level of war is concerned with the planning and conduct of campaigns. It is at this level that military strategy is implemented by assigning missions, tasks and resources to tactical operations. See also campaign.

Campaign

A controlled series of simultaneous or sequential operations designed to achieve an operational commander's objective, normally within a given time or space. See also operational level of war.

Tactical Level of War

The tactical level of war is concerned with the planning and conduct of battle and is characterised by the application of concentrated force and offensive action to gain objectives.



That is the breakdown of true strategy these levels from a higher-achy.

In 40k
Strategic Level of War - Understanding your codex, and the strengths, but especially weaknesses your race has at it's disposal.

Operational Level of War/ Campaign- in one off games, these are one and the same. This is list building. When you build a list know what everything is going to do. make sure you have a role for every entry in said list. Decide how they are going to function with one another. understand there weakness and find units that will help neutralize that disadvantage.

Start to create a plan for turn one, or two before you play. Make take all comers lists do not tailor. If you tailor you will do badly. (or destroy them) You do not learn how to use your units for maximum effect, you only know how to pick units which exert maximum effect.

Tactical Level of War-
The application of the force you have purchased through your list. sounds straight forwards but is the heart and soul of 40k. Pick fire lanes, consider cover. stalling maneuvers, rhino rushes, drop pod assaults, the fish of fury, tar pits. all these things are tactical weapons.

Clauzewitz, Jomini and Moltke these are the ideas you need to understand.

That's a really good point - and I love how you broke down the strategic and tactical elements of 40K.

And I strongly second the Clausewitz, Jomini and Moltke recommendations.

You can derp your opponent by doing random things occassionally.

If someone is thinking 'he will charge X' unit and you charge unit Y then you are at an advantage (assuming Y is what do you want to do)

But thinking differently can screw up some people.

SoliderSnake wrote:Spot on with this post, man. I play with a big group of friends (around 11 or so) and after learning their habits and favorite tactics, I can sort of predict where they'll want to move next and then capitalize.

Just so long as your opponents don't feel the same way about you.

@Thrawn, yea I'm familiar with the 3 levels, it was one of my first lessons as an MSII at the SDSU ROTC XD. As far as being only a war philosopher, that's not entirely true. At the Battle of Guiling, he pulled a classic bait and switch tactic by feigning inferior numbers and then ambushing Wei's army on it's march back to their capital, thinking they won.

I truly believe that what information can be gleaned from war philosophers has an incredibly limited application in a standard game of 40k. While I greatly enjoy 40k as a game, its probably the most limited of all wargames I've played in terms of being an exercise in true military tactics. The game is too simple, has too little maneouvre, has no or very little built-in ability to perform basic tactical moves like hull down tanks, and the morale effects are too limited (you're either good to go, pinned, or running away, not to mention the excessive amount of fearless units that ignore it all together).

In terms of applying some of the bigger picture stuff that Sun Tzu and Clausewitz discuss, 40k is too small a game in too short a time frame to truly apply any of the concepts.

Just to add to the antitome remarks:
Sun Tzu is nearly always taken out of context. In essence he describes guerilla warfare, which is not applicable to most 40k armies.

i cant say i am familiar with Sun Tzu's strategies but he was a smart man.

I believe every bit of strategy you see can be atleast learnt from if not applied to 40k.

As eldar you win by controlling the pace of the game, and forcing the enemy into positions you want them instead of the other way around. By keeping your enemy on the back foot he's fighting an uphill battle the whole time. Im no expert in real life tactics but i believe this is one that would be applicable.

In the end dont focus too much on real life tactics to win you 40k. If anything you will learn more from reading about chess than any real life tactics and strategies, though they can help you get a correct state of mind for such things.