Black Templar Tactics
written by: Marshall Hans Ulbrecht
I use a Chaplain HQ with jumppack. In high
points games I give him terminator honors, and a plasma pistol. I use
him with a maxed out Assault squad with 1 fist, 1 ppistol, meltabombs, and
2 shields. Very nice fast assaulty squad!
For troops I use 9 ini's and 1 neo in a rhino or 10 ini's and 5 neo's in
a crusader all with 1 fist, and a flamer or meltagun. Rhinos have extra
armor, dozer blades, smoke and searchlights. In high point games (over
2000) I use a Marshall with termie honors, mc lightning claws with a command
squad of 1 ini w/fist, 1 ini w/flamer, standard bearer w/fist, +6 ini's with
ccw and bps in a rhino.
For fire support and fast attack I use a Pred. Ann. with lascanon sponsons,
PMSB, and searchlight, a whirlwind, attack bikes with mmeltas, and speeders
w/mmeltas. I also use 7 man squads with 5 ini's & 2 neo's with lascanon
and pgun as dismounted fire support. I am undefeated in tournaments
even playing the shooty Tau and Eldar. I usually take the vow of hit
on 3+/must assault, or initial free move against psychers. I put the
EC in a rhino with 9 ini's equipped as above.
Against shooty armies I charge using vehicles (crusader, speeders)
and smoke as cover for the rhinos and assault squad in a line ahead formation.
If cover is available I use that as much as possible to save my smoke for
as long as I can. I also use speeders to give my transports hull down
cover.
Against assaulty armies (BA, Orcs, Wolfs, Chaos, etc.) I usually
take a defensive stance with my 15 man squad(s) deployed out front to take
the initial enemy charge while shooting them up as they advance. I
target the transports first, then the fast moving assaulty units, then the
HQ's. I hold my rhino squads loaded for counter charging with my assault
squad and HQ's when the enemy hits my front line. I have never lost
against Orcs or BA either. I usually try to assault BA first when they
get close so they lose their +1 I and S advantages.
Keep your mission objectives in mind constantly! Don't get so
wrapped up in killing the enemy that you forget the victory conditions.
The tactics really depend on the scenario being played and the victory conditions.
I'll divide it into two basic scenario types: offensive and defensive.
BT on the offense.
I usually take the troops and support vehicles listed before with fewer foot
squads. Like 3 rhino squads, 1 crusader w/15 man squad, and two foot
squads (size depending on the point level we are playing.
The main advantage of BT is the flexibility of our troop squads. We
can have up to 10 marines (initiates) and 5 neophytes (scouts with WS3, BS3,
and Ld7).
We can have one heavy weapon including Plasma canons and one assault weapon
(mgun, pgun or flamer). No vet sergeants are allowed.
In high point games over 2000 I usually take an assault terminator squad
with 7 termies ( 2 with TH and shields). I take 2-3 landspeeders
with mmeltas and a full assault squad as listed before.
The HQ is the Chaplain with jumppack. In high point games I add the
Marshall and command squad. I use the Predator Ann. w/lascanon sponsons,
searchlight and PMSB, and Whirlwind as heavy support. I equip the foot
squads with lascanons and pguns.
I launch my assault using as much cover as possible and move 12" a turn down
one flank. I use the speeders as mobile cover to give my transports
hull down benefits as I advance. I save my smoke until I no longer
have speeders or cover left in front. My transports travel in line
ahead formation with the speeder(s) first followed by the Crusader,then the
rhinos and finally the assault squad. I give my transports dozer blades
and I move right through woods using the hull down benefits they provide.
The predator I usually place in woods in a good firing position to provide
fire support for the advancing transports. The whirlwind is usually
placed behind woods in a central location to bombard troops and light vehicles.
The foot squads are usually in cover to hold my table quarters and provide
fire support with their lascanons. I use overlapping fields of fire
to ensure full coverage of the battlefield.
I hate Eldar and Tau being able to move out and shoot and then move back
behind cover so I place or move my lascanon units to cover all blind spots
behind cover. I use one neo in the rhinos with 8 or 9 ini's.
IC's like the Champion and Marshall ride with the 9 man squads. The
ini's have bp's and ccw's with one pfist,and one flamer or mgun. The
one neo in each squad is fluffy and he is used in cc to be btb with enemy
IC's so any extra hits in cc caused by that IC do not apply to my ini's due
to the neo's different WS.
I try and hit as many different enemy squads as possible when I assault to
tie up their forces (particularly the shooty ones). I try and keep
my Chaplain and assault squad as a mobile reserve to engage countercharging
units like the Death Co. I always take the vow of hitting on a 3+/must
assault and advance when playing BA. I use the Champion to take out
squad vet sergeants and weaker IC's.
BT Defensive Tactics
This is how I prefer to fight if the scenario victory conditions allow it.
Even in Cleanse missions I play defensive for 4 turns and go offensive on
turn 4 or 5 to take or contest table quarters.
My force structure is usually the same with the 15 man crusader squad dismounted
in front of my army with the other 15 man squad. They form a solid
wall like this '.'.'.'.'.'.'.' with 2" between the first and second rank
and only a base wide gap between models on the same rank. CCW and BP
armed initiates in front with neo's and heavy weapons in the second rank.
I try and place them in cover or woods to get the cover save against incoming
fire. I give the crusader squad a lascanon and pgun instead of the
fist and flamer. I usually put two more 7 man squad armed with lascanon,
brifles and pgun 4" behind this formation so they are shielded by it (5 ini's
and 2 neo's each).
Two rhino squads I keep mounted behind cover to act as countercharging or
spoiler charging units along with the assault squad and Chaplain. A
spoiler charge is when a unit charges advancing enemy units before they reach
the MLR (main line of resistance). They also can react to deepstriking
units that land behind my forces. I place the Pred. and/or the
crusader in woods covering main lines of advance for the enemy. I use
attackbikes with mmelta's behind the front line shielded by it. If
I have bunkers then I put the 7 man shooty squad in it (3 ini's with Brifles,
1 lascanon, 1 pgun, 2 shotgun neo's). The whirlwind I place as far
back as possible in woods if they are available with 6" of woods in front
of it to shield it from enemy fire.
As the enemy advance I concentrate my lascanon, and mmelta fire on the rhinos
and landraiders first, then the terminators, assualt marines, and Death
Co., and finally on the tac squads or fire support units. I use the
whirlwind first on scout squads, then light vehicles, then devastator squads.
When the rhino-less tac squads get into charge range I charge them first
with my front line squads or with my counter charge units (rhino's and assault
squads) so the BA do not get their charge bonus of +1S and +1I. Hopefully
the BA will have uncoordinated charges resulting from their raging and the
loss of their transports on different turns thus stringing out their assaulting
units. My counter charge units can also take advantage of a weak flank
to charge into the BA rear down one flank and attack his support units (devastators
etc.).
Like I said before I use the EC to kill vet sergeants and weaker IC's.
My Chaplain and Assault squad I use to countercharge his Death Co., assault
marines and terminators that make it to my MLR. Thay are also good
at taking out immobilized LR's or crusaders with their meltabombs.
These tactics work well against all assaulty armies (BA, Chaos, Wolves, Orcs,
Tyranids etc.) They do not work well against shooty armies like Dark
Angels, IG, Tau and Eldar. Against shooty armies I usually use the
offensive tactics. I sometimes take the vow against psychers (Eldar,
Chaos) that allows me an extra move (like infiltration) before my first move.
Your Brother-In-Arms
Marshall Hans Ulbrecht
1st Company, 14th Crusade (Epsilon Eridani)
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