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I am just curious how people play their higher priced units. (HQ's MC's elite units ect)

Do you place them at the front and centre of your units/army to tank damage?

Or do you place them in the back so your fodder models/units can soak up the brunt of the fire?

It really depends how that particular model is supposed to work. Like say Celestine or Mephiston, they're supposed to be in the front. Something like a vindicare or a farseer is supposed to be in the middle/back.

You can, of course, do unexpected things, like keep crisis suits behind fire warriors. That usually plays against each units efficiency though.

It really matters more on what that model does, than the fact that you paid 200 points for it...

uberjoras wrote:
It really matters more on what that model does, than the fact that you paid 200 points for it...

This. Once you begin the game cost is irrelevant.

I generally have gaunts in the front, gaunts in the back and gaunts in the middle.

Guardsmen in the front, tanks on the flanks, officers in the center, artillary in the back, BA up the rear.

 PrinceRaven wrote:
I generally have gaunts in the front, gaunts in the back and gaunts in the middle.

i agree with this. Most armies control around 3 inches of the objective, we Tyranid players may control 1 foot on all sides of it. Gaunts, every gaunts.

As for Tau: Firewarriors behind whatever cover, crisis suits with short range weapons in the front, long range weapons in the back, broadsides actually in the front ( cover for firewarriors with their 2+ saves ( unless they have Ap2 ) and Hammerhead in the flank.

Still a bit unsure how to use pathfinders optimally, but i will guess they are better scouted forward into cover than outflanking.

Whatever drones in the front for soaking bullets.

Look at the stats on your character before deciding if it should be upfront or back behind. For example if my character has something sv2+ 4++ fnp and 3+ wounds while all my other models have sv3+ or higher and W1 then I would put the character in front as he can soak up a lot more damage before be gets close to dying and then if he gets to his last few wounds you can start using los.

Highly depends on the unit. On a smaller scale such as wolf guard termis as squad leaders for my GH they go in the front to tank shots. For whole units it depends what its meant to do. A t-fex will be out front tanking gak so gaunts can be safe (not like it matters if a few are lost) but I may position my raiders and venoms to block view of my talos as he loops around cover so I can get him in close range.

Imperial Deceit wrote:
BA up the rear.

*giggle*

Pretty much what other people said: what do those models do?

I play SM they are all High priced, i just try to put everything in cover

 lambsandlions wrote:
Look at the stats on your character before deciding if it should be upfront or back behind. For example if my character has something sv2+ 4++ fnp and 3+ wounds while all my other models have sv3+ or higher and W1 then I would put the character in front as he can soak up a lot more damage before be gets close to dying and then if he gets to his last few wounds you can start using los.

Awesome reply, this really makes sense to me.

I tend to be a bit timid with putting shiny HQ's up front and centre, but if they are built to withstand a punishing, i see it is worth it. And now with los you have a chance to cull back some wounds if your opponent fires everything he has at your HQ.

depends... putting a warboss on a bike in front of my nob bikers to eat str 10 shots and shuck the rest backwards to nobz is great. when playing orks, but when playing eldar my toughness 3 hq's like yriel need something in front because instant death to str 6+ is annoying

After list creation point cost is irrelevant. It only matters what the unit does.

This isn't Fantasy where point cost does matter. All that matters here is taking objectives, or rarely killing the opponent.

Depends on what the unit does.

Depends on how survivable they are. On the balance, usually up front.