Tactica Necrons
by oshovah
August 22, 2002
Hello, you may know me as oshovah on the 40k Necron board. I wrote up
this
report for those of you who are playing Necron armies. I will discuss
their
troop types, weaponry, wargear, and some tactics for harvesting the
younger
races of the galaxy!
HQ: The only HQ choice is a Lord, but this is not bad! He is pretty
tough,
and his strength lies in the tasty wargear he can have. For my Lord,
I
usually use a Warscythe, Phase Shifter, and a Resurrection Orb. This
is a
nice combo, allowing the lord and any models within six inches do their
We'll
Be Back rolls, while the Phase Shifter gives him a 4+ invulnerable
save. A
Warcythe allows no saves in close combat, even invulnerable! Of course,
if
you give your lord a Warscythe, you have to replace the Staff of Light
he
would normally have. The Staff of Light can generally kill anything,
since
the AP 3 can kill most troops in the galaxy without allowing them an
armor
save. There is, of course, a very nice selection of wargear that you
can
choose from, just pick which ones you want! ***NOTE*** Contrary to
popular
belief, you do not NEED a Resurrection Orb to win! It is nice, yes,
but you
can not have one and still be okay! Just make sure that your enemy
isnt
loading a plethora of heavy weapons, but if it is a normal amount or
small,
hey, you don't need it!
ELITES: Immortals rock! I mean, they have two shots with a strength
five, AP
4 weapon, and with a Lord with a Resurrection Orb and a Staff of Light,
they
are tough! These are the most preferable Elite choice, but remember:
Just
because they are tough, even if your lord has that wonderful little
orb, DO
NOT expose them to a lot of fire, just like any choice in any army
that is
small in number and somewhat expensive! Normally, six or more is preferred,
because five is not a big enough of a punch. One warning: DO NOT think
of
them as terminators! they are cheaper, so don't take five unless you
want to!
Flayed Ones are very interesting, and you can deep
strike them even if
deep strike is not in your game. Generally, this is the only way they
work
well, since they can shot down before they reach the lines. A Necron
army is
generally geared to shooting, but Flayed Ones can still rip apart enemies.
They lack a big punch, but with a meaty squad of ten they can cleave
through
most basic troops. A good combo: deep strike a monolith(AHHHHH!-imagine
one
of them poppin up behind you!) and cause some havoc. Then, teleport
the
Flayed Ones, along with some wraiths, and you have successfully trapped
your
opponent! OR, you could have a monolith, move it up, and whne the enemy
is
near, teleport them and smash into the enemy, halting the advance.
Pariahs are very interesting. They do have the same guns
as Immortals,
they DO have warscythes, and they do have a nice way with reducing
enemy
leadership, BUT they do not benefit from the We'll Be Back Rule. You
MUST
prevent enemy shooting from hitting them, but still allow them to shoot.
Remedy? Keep them in an area with some type of troops to their front,
and to
their flanks. Get them into combat, and they are deadly, just hit hard
with
them!
TROOPS: Only Warriors, but they are good! They have the same stats as
marines, only they have Initiative 2. They do benefit from the We'll
Be Back
rule. You NEED solid masses of these. Two squads of ten ain't gonna
cut it
unless you have a REALLY cunning plan. Three squads of twelve or higher
is a
nice number, but you can have four of ten, in which case you need them
to be
together. They are very good at, well, shooting! They have the capabilty
to
take down a Land Raider, which is scary! They can hold up in assault,
but
don't count on them to win every one. NEVER EVER isolate your squads;
always
make sure they aren't far away from each other.
FAST ATTACK: Wraiths are really cool looking, but not the optimum troop.
the
do have a 3+ invulnerable save, a nice amount of attacks, and a high
Initiative, but don't use them in a massive assault, like charging
them into
a squad of twenty guys! Use them to isolate and threaten groups or
small
units, not for a full out frontal assault! With this tactic, they can
be
deadly, but they are once again very small in number. Use them wisely,
for
they DO count towards your phase out rule.
Scarab Swarms are entirely underrated. They are perfect
for tying up the
enemy, and with disruption fields, and a meaty squad of them, get rid
of a
tank or dreadnought! Don't charge them into a strong squad of guys
with power
weapons, for I made a mistake once to charge them into a unit of terminators
with a chaplain, and they didn't even stand a chance. I managed to
kill one
terminator, but they simply pounded me into dust. Just use them wisely:
Don't
expose them to a lot of shooting, keep them around difficult terrain
since
they gain a +1 save in it.
Destroyers are excellent! They can move and shoot. They
give your army
mobility. They have three powerful shots each. WOW! These are perfect
for
protecting your flanks. They can sheer down infantry units at a horrifying
rate(for your opponent ;-), and as long as they stay near your units,
they
are pretty safe. They have a high toughness, and can live pretty long,
especially since they can just hide behind your lines and shoot. As
with the
other fast attack units, absolutely do NOT expose them to a lot of
shooting,
as they too will perish soon. They are good for capturing board edges
if you
are pretty sure they will not get shot to death.
HEAVY SUPPORT: Heavy Destroyers too are underrated. Yes, they are expensive,
but they can pack a devastating punch. Only two in a unit, or as some
people
do, two seperate, are not a SURE tank killer. With three, you can almost
make
sure that that tanks is gone. Plus, when all the vehicles are gone,
you can
knock out members of a tough group, or the HQ unit of your enemy. If
the
opponent has no vehicles, do not use them, as it would be a big waste
of
valuable points, but consider them, maybe one or two, if your opponent
only
has one or two light vehicles. Use them wisely as well, keep them together
with your army.
Tomb Spyders too are excellent. At first, not many people
are keen to use
them. But they are pretty tough, and with a particle projector, they
can have
a weapon just like a staff of light! Cost? reduce one attack! Since
you
wouldn't dare put them in the front of your lines(shame on you!), if
any
enemy units do get into combat with them, they will probably tired
out, and
if you have a nice, hearty supply of scarab swarms that you generated
with
the spidey, it will be like going from the oven into a frying pan for
the
enemy.
Monolith. Incredible. Huge. Nice Weaponry. MASSIVE. But,
it too has its
flaws. It can be destroyed, so make sure you use it to optimum effect.
Not
much tactic for it, since almost any gun can see it, so just use it
to shoot
at enemy units, and use the power matrix as wisely as possible. Imagine
the
enemy getting into combat with a big squad of warriors. The warriors
dissapear, and they cheer, getting ready to charge the next unit,when
the
same group of warriors come behind them, shooting them to death! Deepstriking
it is cool, and very deadly(once again, for the enemy). One of these
days, i
will buy one of these, but I am still building a 1,500 pt force, so
when the
time comes, maybe one of the C'tan will bless me with one...sigh...
Well, that is it for reviewing the choices in the list. I hope you have
listened this long, and remember: these are my opinions, so if you
don't
agree with something I have said, that is fine! I gave these to the
revered
Brother Edward to post up to give you some thoughts and help. Now,
onto the
tactics!!!!!
LURE: this one is pretty cool- make your army into a line. When the
enemy is
assaulting, use something(scarab swarms work best) to tie up one of
the
assaults on one of your flanks. Retreat the troops on that side to
your
other, making a massive force that can't be outflanked. Shoot at the
enemy.
By the time the one flank assault is done killing your swarms, all
they can
see is their main force dead, and a force of Necrons waiting for them!
This
works well, but only really for forces that will come at you.
DESTROY: If an enemy is coming at you, shoot at all parts of the enemy
at
first. When they get a little bit closer, make sure your troops are
together,
and knock out one side. When the other has to swing in, knock them
out too.
Also, use only really for forces that are assaulting.
DUEL- This is for an army that can assault and shoot. Use a nice close
combat
unit or two to deal with the assault part, as well as dividing up your
shots
between the shooty part and the assault part. When the assault is over,
move
your troops that are assault ones into cover, making their way toward
the
enemy. Use a duelling firefight with the shooty enemy, until the assault
troops come in and tear their way through. When the enemy is busy dealing
with your assault troops, move your main army up, so when your assault
troops
are dead or running, they turn their heads to see your main force ready
to
fight!
POUND- In the case of a shoot army, shoot back at 'em. Don't think just
because they are shooting, you can't. Use a lot of firepower, and this
is
when it is okay to use a LOT of warriors and Destroyers. Fast Attack
should
be ignored.
Hope this helps all of you rising Necron players. Now, go on! Go! Harvest
the
Younger Races!
~oshovah~
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