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I have a tendency to use reserves a lot. It's something I have always enjoyed and I want to be doing it correctly. Below is an army list that illustrates a number of questions (please no army list critique here):

1) If the entire battalion (except the mandrakes) deploy in the transports and, apart from this, only the Farseer deploys on the board can the other 8 units (3 Mandrakes, 5 scourges) deploy in reserve?
.......1a) Do the troops inside a transport count as 'deployed on the battlefield'?

2) How may deployments would I make deploying this way (as described in 1). It could be 3, 8, 11 or 16 and I have no idea which! This is very important for deciding who gets to go first.

3) If it is 11 deployments (i.e. one for each raider, one for the Farseer and one for each unit in reserve) could I simply deploy the 8 units in reserve first, thus seeing most of my opponents moves before actually putting down a model?

4) Am I correct in thinking that there is no longer the option to put any unit you want in reserve? (I can't find a rule for this and think I am correct)

5) If a unit is in a transport in reserve (not relevant in this army, but, for example, Drop Pods) would it count as 1 or multiple units?

6) Is there anything else I am missing that you can see?


Battalion Detachment (807)

HQ (160)
Haemonculus, Agoniser 80
Haemonculus, Agoniser 80

Troops (227)
5 Wracks, 1 Liquefier, Agoniser 72
5 Wracks, 1 Liquefier, Agoniser 72
6 Wracks, 1 Liquefier, Agoniser 83


Elites (190)
10 Mandrakes 190

Dedicated Transport 230
Raider 115
Raider 115

Outrider Detachment (1193)

HQ (113)
Farseer 113

Elites (380)
10 Mandrakes 190
10 Mandrakes 190

Fast Attack (700)
10 Scourges 140
10 Scourges 140
10 Scourges 140
10 Scourges 140
10 Scourges 140

UNITS are what are counted for the On the Table/Off the Table calculation.

DCannon4Life wrote:
UNITS are what are counted for the On the Table/Off the Table calculation.

Yes, this is why all my questions refer to units. I'm sorry if I was unclear, I will try to think of a way to rephrase and get back to you.

I'll try to answer as best I can, but I may be wrong:

1) In a matched-play game, at least have the total number of units must be deployed on the battlefield during your deployment. You have 16 units so 8 must be deployed on the battlefield, so 8 can be held in reserve.

2) The rules state you deploy "1 unit at a time". I would think this means you would deploy your transport then deploy each unit inside the transport. That would be 16 total deployments for you. Whether this is correct, I don't know.

3) I see no problem with this and it's a pretty solid strategy, you'd have 16 in total but you can do the reserve units first.

4) You can only put units in reserve that say they specifically can be placed in reserve and arrive from reserve (via deep strike or what have you). This does not count missions that have special reserve rules.

5) Multiple separate units I imagine.

6) Holding 8 units in reserve and not going first is a great way to watch your farseer die if you're not careful.

I think when you deploy the transport you also deploy everyone inside the transport, but I'm not absolutely sure of that.

I think when you deploy the transport you also deploy everyone inside the transport, but I'm not absolutely sure of that.

You're correct. Totally missed that as my FORGEWORLD admech don't actually have transports I never looked too close. Under the transport section in the main rules it says you can embark units at the start instead of deploying separately. You just need to declare the passengers when you set up the transport. So you have 11 deployment units OP.

1) and 1a) No, I don't believe so. It is very hard to read the transport rules as saying that the units inside them are still in some sense "on the board". For example, when models disembark you are supposed to set them up on the board. So I think units inside transports count against the 50% that you can keep off the board. Incidentally this would mean that units that deploy embarked and do not disembark by the end of turn 3 are destroyed.

2) My understanding is that Deep Strike type units take up one of your deployment turns. You deploy units into a transport simultaneously with deploying the transport.

3) yes you can pick the order

4) yes only units that specifically let you keep them in reserve can be held back

5) Each transport is a unit. Each unit it is carrying is a unit.

If you read the rules for actual units, they say that you deploy the unit somewhere else. For instance a terminator squad says:

"During deployment you can set up this unit in the teleportarium chamber instead of placing it on the battlefield".

To me, that indicates that you do deploy it, and that it uses up a your turn to deploy a unit. So you can deploy nothing and see what your opponent does, but it doesn't increase your chance of getting first turn.

With transports on the other hand it does say that when you deploy it you also deploy whatever's inside it. This therefore would make you more likely to get first turn, especially if you stuck a ton of models in a superheavy!

I think that units in transports count as on the battlefield rather than in reserve. The mechanic is very different. I couldn't absolutely swear to this though.

I wouldn't say I was too clear on this though to be honest. I'd like to see an FAQ.

Under transports. You deploy the transport plus all units inside it at one time. Example player a deploys a big mek, player b deploys a guardian unit, player a deploys a trukk with 5 burns Boyz, 5 nobz, a warboss, and a big mek in it, player b deploys a farseer...


As for reserves it depends how you are playing.

There is no longer a generic reserves rule that anything can use, you can place some units in reserves due to mission rules(narrative play) and or their datasheet rules(matched play).

As called out half your army has to start deployed in matched play, the rest can go in reserves- if they have rules on their datasheet which allow them to do so.

Any units which have not arrived by turn 3 end are destroyed. This means you do not ever want to have more than 7 units in reserves. At 8 units you can bring in 4 turn 1, 2 turn 2, and 1 turn 3. Which adds up to 7 units. So your 8th is destroyed. This trend continues for all numbers past 8. 7 reserved units is the max you can do without having some destroyed under the current rules.

Any units which have not arrived by turn 3 end are destroyed. This means you do not ever want to have more than 7 units in reserves. At 8 units you can bring in 4 turn 1, 2 turn 2, and 1 turn 3. Which adds up to 7 units. So your 8th is destroyed. This trend continues for all numbers past 8. 7 reserved units is the max you can do without having some destroyed under the current rules.

Where does it say you can only bring in some at a time? So far as I can tell, you can bring them all on whenever you feel like it

So the biggest area of contention seems to be whether units in transports count for your half on the battlefield, your half off the battlefield or neither. Hmm.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Jackal444 wrote:

Any units which have not arrived by turn 3 end are destroyed. This means you do not ever want to have more than 7 units in reserves. At 8 units you can bring in 4 turn 1, 2 turn 2, and 1 turn 3. Which adds up to 7 units. So your 8th is destroyed. This trend continues for all numbers past 8. 7 reserved units is the max you can do without having some destroyed under the current rules.

Where does it say you can only bring in some at a time? So far as I can tell, you can bring them all on whenever you feel like it

Yes I've just gone back and looked over all the relevant rules I can find. I can't find this restriction anywhere. Might have missed it though.

Yeah, as much as I might like a ruling on limiting the number of deep strikes, it doesn't appear to exist. Feel free to keep on looking though

Jackal444 wrote:

Any units which have not arrived by turn 3 end are destroyed. This means you do not ever want to have more than 7 units in reserves. At 8 units you can bring in 4 turn 1, 2 turn 2, and 1 turn 3. Which adds up to 7 units. So your 8th is destroyed. This trend continues for all numbers past 8. 7 reserved units is the max you can do without having some destroyed under the current rules.

Where does it say you can only bring in some at a time? So far as I can tell, you can bring them all on whenever you feel like it

No idea where I got that from, totally not true. Sorry my bad