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I've always played Orks, but I've recently started playing Guard.

How do you deploy with shooting armies?

I've been getting my ass kicked in most of my games. We play with player-placed terrain, and the first floor is always LOS blocking. I basically deploy, have a hard time finding anything to shoot, then my opponent moves from building to building, using the LOS blocking to leapfrog to me and tag me into combat before I can shoot. Most of the players at my store use close combat armies (Dark Angels terminators, Blood Angels, Tyranids, sisters, Harlequins etc).

It's especially bad when I run into Harlequins because they can hide their entire army and charge my deployment zone.

This isn't a rant, because obviously Guard are doing well right now, I just personally don't know what to do and need help.

You need to to learn how to screen your shooty units. Screening is usually done with cheap units, that would be troops for guard. You place those troops in a spot where your opponent is unable to charge your shooty units. Ideally, he can charge your screening unit, but would then be exposed to your shooty units. If any of your screening unit survives you would fallback and then kill that enemy close combat unit.

That post basically sums it up. Without screens good assault players will own you.

That said you can build a few options into your tool bag to supplement. Most or all of the following elements are typically present in my lists:

Troops and transports. Troops for cheap disposable screens that get better later game. And transports to allow you to respond to assault and weather alpha strikes. Filled with troops or kasrkin or even bulgryns. Be mindful of positioning though so if they do wrap and destroy one of your transports you still have model placement and aren't auto destroyed. Or forced to use the strat. Hugging buildings and terrain in a manner that guarantees disembark if possible.

Scout and reserve units. Scouts to provide a safe-r zone to deploy around and to push back enemy pregame moves. Reserves to preserve key damage dealers for a beta strike. On that note master tactician is auto include for me. Deploy half and half. You win the roll move the defensive half up you lose move the aggressive half back and possibly into reserves.

More combat oriented command squad. Dead dog death mask being the most durable but even the bog standard is fairly tough. This can be a screen and road block slash offensive unit depending on build.

Counter assault. Basically give them a target of your choosing using screens as the set up and then counter assault to remove their threat. Rough riders are the IG specialist but Bulgryns would be a more road block screen version I suppose. I think command squads compete with bulgryns now.

Build your shooty units for close quarters. For example one or more of your russes with triple HF. Armoured or scout sentinel units with HF/chainsaws. Basically multi purpose units that can threaten up close while screening and have effective overwatch.

I'm sure there's more but that's what I got.

cjmate8 wrote:
and the first floor is always LOS blocking

There's your problem. Stop using a house rule that favors melee units.

Options are solid terrain(so house rule not needed), shooty army one shots enemy army or shooty armies learn to use screens as they can't just auto-win

tneva82 wrote:
Options are solid terrain(so house rule not needed), shooty army one shots enemy army or shooty armies learn to use screens as they can't just auto-win

You know about the obscuring rule, right? You don't auto-win just because ruins don't block line of sight to units standing inside them and give complete immunity to shooting.

The age old problem: Shooty armies never want CC armies to CC and CC armies never want shooty armies to shoot.

Honestly, that first floor LOS block seems kinda unfair because it's only hindering one side of the equation. Should be more like "first floor counts as heavy cover or something."