Topic: How to deploy Helblasters in an army!

[Hammer49]

I am slowly building an army, which will be cavalry/greatsword  heavy. I want to include a couple of helblasters as well. I was wondering if other people deploy them in a central position, as I see it as being a waste by putting them out on a flank, as it makes it much easier to avoid them. I know this is scenery dependent, so just consider the battlefield to be mainly open. I'm hoping to try to make the most of them. Anyone had any experience of using them in this way.
Your comments would be most appreciated!

[Union General]

On a hill if available. If not, place them between missile units, or near a large, threatening block of infantry or knights. You'll have range by Turn 2, and, if you follow the latter option, your opponent will be stuck between which thing to shoot at/magic to death.
Good hunting, and welcome to the forum! 
-The General

[Mathi Alfblut]

On one of the flanks with missile troops, or in the hinge between the flank and center...

[PoorOldDorianGray]

It's an area denial weapon as much as it is a damage weapon, to an extent. Put it in a place where you don't want the enemies elite troops, funnel them where you want them to go. If they ignore it, good news, shoot away. If they respect it, good news, helps you pick the fight.

[Odominus]

I have great success with my volley gun. I usually put it directly in the middle. If I go first, I move it directly forward 4". Like others have already mentioned, it is a FANTASTIC denial unit. Also, it protects my warmachines from flanking units as you can turn it to fire in any direction.

I try not  to fire it until turn 3 and beyond. I want to make sure its available when I really need it to take out that nasty unit moving towards you.

[mastercats]

Like the above post said. MIDDLE. The middle is a nasty helblaster place. Use if with a ton of knights to burn a whole down the middle with a fat unit of knows and a alter. Then  have the unit of knight go right and the alter go left and and charge the enemy into the wall.

[vesrian]

Under the current rules, i think i've only used my HBVG once. It was against chaos dwarves. I put it in the center, next to a large infanty block. My thinking was that there were at least two large enemy blocks i could target from that position.  I wanted to do some damage to the main enemy blocks so that i could hopefully remove a rank of CR before combat started.  And if anyone passed the main line, i could turn to shoot them as well.

I went first and advanced it along with my infantry. My opponent was concerned about it, which forced him to come to me. The only alternative for him was to stay back and let me control the battle in that area. If he took a turn to manouver and get a good charge he'd have to face another round of shooting from the gun, so i think that made him move in earlier than he would have otherwise. I don't recall how much damage the gun actually did, but its reputation was enough to change my opponent's plan. That worked to my advantage.

[Shadowlord]

With all the expensive units and monsters seen these days (well even once or twice in our gaming community), I would say use them to wittle these or defend the expensive units of your own (often juicy targets by the opponents), by deploying them in a central position.

If you are an offensive player, I am not usually, then put them where they can still be able to fire without your units blocking their line of sight.

[Mathi Alfblut]

As Shadowlord said, a central position works wonders!
They are neat on the flank too, but I think I made it a bit easier for Shadowwolfs captasus to get mine then (Well, to be honest, only his Pegasus made it through, the captain was blasted from his steed, but due to Shadowwolfs usual luck with the dice, the pegasus somehow survived the withering volley of pistols and helblaster).

However, when I used it as center - flank lynchpin, parked in a cementary, it caused all kinds of mayhem to my friend Toms undead. Hence why I dream of two helblasters on occasion. 

But that would mean my pirates can´t take any ogre mercs... and my Stirlanders should not field two...

Despite the fact you have to use the BS of the crew to get hits, and despite it´s tendency to blow up, when it works, it creates mayhem and your opponents gets scared by it´s mere presence! Shaving of -3 to their armour saves helps a lot aswell! 

[Midaski]

I have great success with my volley gun. I usually put it directly in the middle. If I go first, I move it directly forward 4". Like others have already mentioned, it is a FANTASTIC denial unit. Also, it protects my warmachines from flanking units as you can turn it to fire in any direction.

I try not  to fire it until turn 3 and beyond. I want to make sure its available when I really need it to take out that nasty unit moving towards you.

Hey who are you quoting my thoughts word for word  .................

Between two big blocks of infantry and moving forward with them - occupy the centre of the board 24" radius (behind you as well as in front). Fire later turns when enemy units are at short range - devastating.

[stareso]

Be wary of defending it as well, enemy flyers, shooters and casters will make it a priority target more often than not. An archer screen in front that moves out of the way when you would like to fire is a reasonable solution. Otherwise outriders make good warmachine defenders as well.

[Merrick]

What I like to do it put it in between two units of flagellants in the centre of the line. Them flaggies won't be running away any time soon, so no real chance of it being flanked any time in the early stages. So the enemy is either forced foward through the helblaster fire (sometimes I take two to be evil  ) into the battleline, or go down the flanks to avoid it, where they are met by two hammer units of knights. While the knights charge/kill/tie up the enemy, the battleline sweeps up anything in the middle, then comes round to help the knights dispatch the enemy.

[Huntsmen]

I usually place mine (if I take one) on the flank of a center infantry block. In this position they can shoot at any enemy infront theaterning my block and when they are engaged it can cover their flanks.

[Count Stephano]

If the scenery allows it I usually put the hellblaster in woodterrain. Works great, flyer's attacking the hell blaster will usually get stuck in the forrest. If the scenery doesn't allow it then I put it in middle between infantry blocks.

However it also depends on where of course the opponent deploys his juicy targets. So it hard to say where the best spot is to deploy the hellblaster, very situational.

[Folken]

Its only hard as there are so many good choices.  It has the niceties of being able to mow down both infantry and heavy cavalry as well as scary enough to bring down the big nasties w/ a frontage much smaller then a unit of missile troops for comparable costs to one.  Usually they are deployed to protect one of the flanks of my army giving freedom for the rest to advance.

[NavySpy007]

My HBVG is always a prime target.  But 75% of the time, it either misfires or explodes.  I'm starting to reconsider deploying it and use the 110 pts for something else.

[Union General]

My HBVG is always a prime target.  But 75% of the time, it either misfires or explodes.  I'm starting to reconsider deploying it and use the 110 pts for something else.

Yes, but how many points worth of firepower/magic/combat blocks does your opponent throw against it? The answer to that alone could justify using the Helblaster as a fire magnet to distract your opponents from your primary operations.
-The General

[farmer]

I've started deploying mine behind my lines. There seems little point risking it by firing into infantry blocks. Also in the front of the army it become a target for enemy shooting. Behind the lines it can still fire at large targets and I find that it protects the rear of the army from flyers or any units that break though my lines.

[The Real Rick Salamone]

Don't be afraid to move it forward.  People get really scared when it advances on them.

[Union General]

Don't be afraid to move it forward.  People get really scared when it advances on them.

True, but the only flaw I see with this is the fact that they'll start shooting/charging/magic-frying it. If you had TWO Helblasters, however... 
-The General

[Mattias Mårtensson]

I usually deploy mine to the side of the centre infantry, maybe 12-20" from the side of the table.

I've tried to put my hellblaster in the centre, but if the infantry needs to advance I often find that they get in the way of the hellblaster. In addition if the centre breaks the hellblaster is often lost in the pursuit. Better to have it slightly out of the way and blasting at the enemy that broke through!

If I can I like to put a piece of scenery between the hellblaster and the enemy. The idea is to make it harder for enemy magic, missiles, flyers, skirmishers and fast cav to get to the hellblaster. Having to shoot it at skirmishers at long range to keep it alive is the ultimate led down!

A forest 12" to the front and a wall protecting its flank would be ideal. In this case an enemy is (more or less) forced to first move within 12", then charge.

And I agree. Don't be afraid to move your hellblaster!

[Nicholas Bies]

You can delpy it right between two infantry blocks with a very very small gap so that if enemy flyers want to attack they collide also with the Infantry blocks in which case you should easily win the combat and keep the machine alive.

Deploy the helblaster infront of the Heavy Cavalry no matter WHERE that is on the table.

[jekkakhan]

I use mine in the main battle line to disrupt the general advance of the enemy troops.  If I use 2 I use them as part of a firebase with the handgunners and crossbowmen, they defend the latter.