<![CDATA[Latest posts for the thread "planetstrike and the automatic win"]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/69.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net planetstrike and the automatic win DA units, so you could say he was playing regular marines. I was a mix of CSM and renegade guardsmen. The ratio of guns, vehicles, and troop strength was about the same for both of us.

Now I was defending, so I set up the board in a way that I could have units all over it with cover from just about any direction. In the middle I had a compound set up with defences around it. My logic was I would have him surrounded no matter where he landed, and he'd have to land everything in the open. I would've had everything in the middle compound and nothing else on the board, but the (completely unnecessary) firestorms would've destroyed me.

We ignored strategems.

He was pissed that the SM codex says you split into combat squads when you deploy, and seeing as the attacker never deploys, he'd be unable to split his squads (other than from drop pods, for some dumb reason). So for some reason that made him not want to deep strike at all. He chose the deployment zone closest to 2 of the 4 objectives and was having everything come in from his board edge. By turn 2 it was basically all on the board.

His firestorms still raped, and most didn't even hit, but w/e. Now with us having the same # of points, I already suffered losses, and my forces being spread out, he was just able to kill everything 1 by 1 at his leisure. He reached half of the objectives by turn 2, so now all he had to do was sit there and he wins the game.

Even if what I had grouped up to counterattack it would then be me with less points vs dug in marines. If I clustered on setup I would've died from firestorms and been able to be surrounded easily. If I had lots of reserves I think it would still be him killing 1 by 1 at his leisure because they come in from random edges. I had mostly dakka, if I had hand to hand troops it would've been even worse.

I don't see any way I could've won. Is this just a flaw with planetstrike? I don't want every game to be defender on 1 edge with cover, rest of board empty (this is the only fair game i've seen).

1) attacker chooses how he comes in the game
2) firestorm is completely overpowered and does nothing but unbalance the sides
3) attacker only has to exist and that takes away an objective from the defender

I just don't see how planetstrike makes sense using equal point armies.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354495.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354495.page GMT Re:planetstrike and the automatic win
Also, IS planetstrike meant to be equal points? Due to the attackers vs defenders nature, I assumed one side would have a slight advantage in points which would be offset by oh i dunno orbital sphess ships raining hot fire down on the defenders?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354519.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354519.page GMT Re:planetstrike and the automatic win
I think the more objectives there are the worse it is for the defender. So free bastions don't seem like an advantage.

I assumed the firestorms were there way of offesetting the defenders ability to choose terrain and deploy on the whole board.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354526.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354526.page GMT Re:planetstrike and the automatic win
erikwfg wrote:I don't see anything in the basic mission about uneven points.

Im assuming you mean planetstrike basic missions, not the basic missions from the BRB.

Well what are stratagems then? surely the stratagems help even up the game? Because otherwise sounds like it might be unbalanced...

(small note- I do not have planetstrike )]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354537.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354537.page GMT Re:planetstrike and the automatic win http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354553.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354553.page GMT planetstrike and the automatic win http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354566.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354566.page GMT Re:planetstrike and the automatic win
So the defender can set up the terrain to suit his army, a plus. They also know what table edge the attacker is using as a drop zone, another plus.

Still dont' like the firestorm though. Maybe i'll have to try more games.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354594.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354594.page GMT planetstrike and the automatic win 2d6. If you want a challenge then play as the defender. I enjoy playing Planet Strike bit I definitely think the rules are heavily weighted in the favor of the attacker.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354622.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4354622.page GMT planetstrike and the automatic win
1) Take the time to read the rules thoroughly, as some of the smaller differences affect the game greatly

2) I would advise to use the stratagems, the attacker stratagems seem a bit more advantageous but the defending ones can work well if used carefully, and definitely look at the army-specific stratagems.

3) Follow the steps laid out at the beginning of the rules as it is easy to mess things up if you don't (page 8)

I have played both as attacker and defender (SM), and I like both equally, on the attack I loved that I could spend all my points on Elites and Fast Attacks (no troops required). As a defender I love that I could set-up the terrain as I wanted, which can make it extremely difficult for the attacker.

It is easy to protect yourself from the firestorm by keeping your infantry inside buildings (the firestorm still has difficulties against AV14), or even better: in ruins under a floor or ledge (since the firestorm is an ordnance/barrage, the template will damage/wound the first thing it touches viewed from the top)
You can even protect smaller vehicles (and interceptor guns) in that same manner.

As the defender, without going to the extreme of completely blocking access to your objectives, you must use the terrain at your advantage and make it as nasty as possible for the attacker to get to them, some of the things I have used extensively: impassable terrain (again with some restraint), difficult/dangerous terrain, mine-field stratagems, deployment zone denial stratagem (that one is important), ruins (lots of them), buildings (the fortress is awesome), bridges and other funneling pieces of terrain to create uber kill-zones. Terrain is the one advantage that you must really use to its fullest.

Finally, as the defender I would deploy all of my "shooty" items (heavy weapons squads, tanks, artillery) on the board right at the start and only keep counter-assault units and fast-attack in reserve. The reserve rolls are pretty easy in Planetstrike so most of the attacking army will arrive quickly, you don't wanna be waiting on guns to arrive late...

Also per the latest SM faq/errata:

Q: When a unit of 10 Space Marines with the Combat
Squad special rule arrives from reserve as two combat
squads, can they move on from, or Deep Strike onto,
two different locations? (p51)
A: Yes.

Which means that while the squad is in reserve it counts as one unit (read: you roll for it with one dice), if the roll is good they then split (he still has to let you know beforehand which squads will be combat-squaded) and are placed separately on the board (from his edge, in/out of vehicles, or deep-striking).

Hope this helps.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4355938.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4355938.page GMT Re:planetstrike and the automatic win http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4355966.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4355966.page GMT planetstrike and the automatic win http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4356008.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4356008.page GMT planetstrike and the automatic win http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4356070.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4356070.page GMT planetstrike and the automatic win
orkybenji wrote:So you used a homebrew codex, didn't follow the rules properly, and deployed in an unorthodox manner? And you want to know why it's unbalanced??

I was going to say it but its more fun to get them to reach the conclusion themselves ya spoilsport !]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4357138.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4357138.page GMT planetstrike and the automatic win
orkybenji wrote:So you used a homebrew codex, didn't follow the rules properly, and deployed in an unorthodox manner? And you want to know why it's unbalanced??

I said he had no special DA units, so it's nothing that couldn't be fielded with the SM codex. Me knowing he wasn't deep striking would've changed my setup, but because terrain was already set it wouldn't have mattered so much.

The point was that he deployed in an unorthodox manner and automatically won just because of it. It didn't really feel like a planetstrike deployment, but there was nothing illegal or unrealistic about it.

I was thinking about a defender's options when the opponent does that, and the only real way to not be destroyed piecemeal is to form your own line somewhere. Yet that would make it very similar to just a normal game of 40k. I just don't know if all the planetstrike changes are fair for both sides.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4357224.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4357224.page GMT planetstrike and the automatic win
I would advise to spend more time setting up the board in your favor next time.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4357432.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4357432.page GMT Re:planetstrike and the automatic win http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4357510.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/453260/4357510.page GMT