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.

I see numerous army lists with a variety of number of troops and although they get used to sit on objectives is there a time where only maximum numbers will suffice?

I'm planning a siege regt for my DKOK and i have options at using small 5-man teams with assault weapons and a HF or mole mortar. They are BS4 and 4+ so pretty reasonable.
I was looking at mounting them all in Centaurs instead of going large with 10 troops and going on foot for around the same cost in points.

Are small veteran squads with mobility in your opinion better than larger foot based groups?

My plan would be to get forward as fast as possible and camp in terrain or on the objective. Is it better to weather the fire walking in or catch a ride?

i'm just after thoughts and opinions

The questions is impossible to answer without looking at the army list, intended strategy, and the unit you are looking to use.

Smaller squads have low staying power - in this instance the centaur doesn't provide much survivability, but instead gives greater mobility. An army like this would need to have high priority threats for your opponent to target (keeping your MSU alive). If you bring some passive artillery units then your opponents will just decimate the small infantry squads that are easy to access. I'd be looking at leman russ demolishers and other frontline vehicles to press urgency while the centaurs can advance.

Infantry blobs can be good too, but they involve luring the enemy to you and winning wars of attrition.

the list is.................

Commisaar General, Power Swd, MB 95

3 x thudds 165
3 x thudds 165
2 x rapier destroyers 90

Engineers (5) HF, PG, Centaur 115
Engineers (5) HF, PG, Centaur 115
Engineers (5) HF, PG, Centaur 115
Engineers (5) HF, PG, Centaur 115

3 x earthshaker carriages 225
3 x earthshaker carriages 225

Skyshield 75

i saw small mobile teams as an objective harasser/grabber whilst i just pound the crap out of everything. Brutal and simple but not sure if points on transport are better put into troops. i play terrain heavy as i own a FW city terrain board so cover is in abundance. as the vehicles are open topped i thought i could have fun doing drive by shootings and draw the opposing player away from my big guns.

I'm just more interested in knowing when its right to increase infantry numbers or when to seek out smaller units - such as the necron doughnut lists that exist.

This list will run into the troubles I briefly mentioned. Your opponent just has to kill 20 guardsmen and you'll be unable to claim objectives. Armies heavily reliant on artillery would be best suited with blob troops who reliably hold positions.

The minimum range on the earthshakers could provide you with some real difficulties. A mechanized army could just rush right to your deployment zone and start picking apart the defenseless artillery. Your troops would be little deterrence as the flamers would be useless and 4 plasma guns is not too scary.

The next threat would be a deepstrike list - which would once again capitalize on artillery's inability to shoot at point blank.

I'd seriously consider: A) Drop the centaurs and expand the troops to platoons or at least 10 man squads who can hug cover. B) Free up some points and try to squeeze 1-2 more centaur based engineer teams. As an opponent, I would take your troops more seriously if there were 5-6 little squads buzzing around. I know I'd be able to kill 3-4 of them, but that would still leave 1 or 2 for you to capture objectives/harass my own objectives.

Artillery can fire point blank, its just more likely to scatter significantly. Minimum range on barrage weapons is no longer the bugbear it used to be.

my incremental increase on the list was going to see 2 lots of grenadiers melta'd up in centaurs.

sometimes i get lost in the narrative and i start to visualise scenes from the end of saving private ryan with my little rabbit teams harrassing guys into choke points.

its application to wargaming doesnt appear to be the best idea but i think there is some strength in this being a list that people would not expect to see and prepare for. i can swap some of the big guns for medusa's i already possess but i may consider your words and build a full on mini mobile engineer army list

well not IG but i use min squads of dire avengers to unlock wave serpents. that alwats works out