http://www.warhammer-empire.com/warroom/pregame.phpI decided to go ahead and write about up about the pregame in Warhammer. I didn't see any discussion of it in the war room and I feel it deserves some attention. If any of you have any suggestions, or comments please feel free to make them. Otherwise, I hope this article is up to par and will eventually make its way to the war room.
The Pre-Game
By Darren
A game of Warhammer starts well before the first turn. The game starts as soon as you know who your opponent is, and what the table will look like. (Even earlier if you use the rules laid down by the normal rule book for terrain.) Knowing what table side to choose can be a pivotal decision. Knowing how you are going to deploy your army and then doing following through is another key skill. Lastly, choosing to go first or second is not always as simple of a choice as it sounds.
The first thing any player should do is take a good look at how the table is set up. Where are there forests? Where are there hills? How are the buildings located? Look for the paths the run across the field. In almost any game of Warhammer there are a couple of lines of open ground that run across the board. These are where the meat of the game will take place. This is where troops will be able to move quickly, and where the majority of the combats will take place. Look for these lines. From the layout of the board try and predict how the majority of the battle will flow.
If you are lucky enough to be able to choose your table side, this will be one of the biggest decisions you can make in the game. When selecting table side, the first thing you want to look at are the hills. Does one side have more hills, bigger hills, hills with better line of sight? If you play an army with a lot of shooting, you want the hills for line of sight purposes. If you have an army without any shooting, you want hills to make sure your opponent doesn’t get them. If you play an all melee Empire army and are fighting a dwarf gunline, you will be better off if you deny you Dwarf player the hills. The same goes with any other army that has shooting. Next look at how good is the line of sight from these hills. Are they looking over a forest, or are they perched right in front of the main area where the battle will take place? Everything said about hills applies to buildings, however, buildings are far less common to see.
Forests can have a major effect on the game. Most players see forests as an area that will block of movement and protect your flanks. This is generally a good assumption. There are times this isn’t true, Wood Elves, or Beastmen for example. Unless you are fighting an army with lots of exotic troops, odds are your opponent won’t try and move through the forests, and if they do, it will take them long enough to get through that you will be able to adjust.
At this point you should know where that majority of the fighting will take place, and what hills and buildings will be able to shoot at units that are involved in the fighting, as well as the forests that will limit these lines of battle. From here you will want to choose the side that can control the shooting used in the game, even if you don’t actually use any shooting.
The next thing you will want to do is roll for spells. Many people wait, but this is when you rule book instructs you to, and the earliest you can. Once you know what spells each mage has you will able to plan better where they need to be.
Now onto deployment. Deployment is an art unto itself. There are no solid rules for how to deploy your troops, but I’m going to outline a few general rules that are worth trying to follow.
First, deploy stuff in the order of weakest to strongest. This allows you to adjust to where you opponent deploys and put your strong units where they need to be.
Second, know where you want your key units to be deployed, then, make sure you save space for them. Nothing is worse than having a great spot for a unit of 25 swordsmen then realizing that you stupidly put a cannon right there.
Now what to deploy first, the following are a list of units you will want to deploy early. First, cheap units that are expendable, and while these units are useful, they are not normally game breaking. Second, maneuverable units. If you have a unit of Pistoliers and learn that where they are, they are a waste, you can adjust that far easier than moving a 25 man block of infantry. Third, deploy the obvious choices. Your opponent is going to assume that you are going to put a block of handgunners on a hill. You lose nothing by deploying the unit early, they would go there anyway.
One quick trick I am fond of is putting a missile unit like Handgunners or Crossbowmen in the woods. Often there is a wood whose edge is at the front of your deployment zone. By putting the unit just inside the wood they are able to benefit from cover. Additionally any unit that your opponent sends to destroy the unit will have to spend an additional turn getting out of the woods. Lastly the space is not going to be used by another unit in your army. The space would be empty otherwise. The down side of this is that your missile troops have a harder time moving, but how often do you move your Handgunners and Crossbowmen anyway?
Lastly put your characters where they need to be. Don’t tip off your opponent as to where they are going early by leaving a hole in a unit for the character. Keep all your cards hidden as long as possible. Remember to put your general somewhere where his leadership will be useful.
The last major pregame choice is if you want the first turn, or the second turn. Most people will choose first turn, yet it is not as easy of a choice as people treat it as. I’m going to list a couple of pros and cons of going first and second below then explain them further.
First Turn
Pro – First round of shooting
Pro – First round of magic
Pro- Able to move away from table edge (panic less of a problem)
Con – May be out of range for shooting weapons IE Handgunners
Second Turn
Pro – Get the last turn
Pro – Give you a chance to see what your opponents plan is
Pro- Opponent will move within Handgunner Range
Con- Have to take a round of shoot and magic before you even begin the game
First turn has several clear advantages. You have the first chance to cast your spells and shoot. You are able to do damage before your opponent can do anything about it. The disadvantage is that your troops may be out of range. Handgunners are completely useless on the first turn of the game. Another advantage of having the first turn is you are able to move away from the table edge. It is very disheartening to have a unit destroyed on the first turn to enemy shooting and having 3 other units panic and flee off the board. If you have the first turn you are able to move away from the table edge making it less likely that the unit will flee off the table. This still does nothing about the units fleeing, it just gives you a solid chance to rally the unit.
The advantages of second turn are not as obvious as those of first turn. You are not able to take the initiative and have to take a few lumps before you are able to begin. The advantages of second turn are still very significant. If you have handgunners, your opponent will be in range. Your opponent will also show a bit more of his plan as he moves towards you, allowing you to make any adjustments you need to make. Finally, you get the last turn. The last turn is something that is often over looked. In a tournament setting where things such as table quarters and hills matter, you are given the final chance to shoot for these objectives, without fearing your opponents reactions. You are able to send a unit into a table quarter, exposing their flank, and putting the unit in a position they would be destroyed without any fear. These last minute moves can be game changing to those that seize them.
There are many different choices that are made before a game of Warhammer even begins. These choices require careful planning and preparation. Taking the time to make informed decisions can be the difference between winning or losing your next game.
