DEATH FROM ABOVE Tactics for Flying Units By Ken Kennedy Squig Herder When the Warhammer Armies:

Dwarfs book came out, I immediately set about comparing the troops, magic items, and special rules of this army with the previously released Empire and Orcs & Goblins armies. I was thoroughly satisfied that my Dwarfs could handle anything that these other two armies could throw at me. All was right in the Warhammer world. Unfortunately, my comfort has since been disturbed by the release of many more army books and the proliferation of the troop type that has become my bane: flying units. I despise flyers! Flyers in all their forms are a blight on the Warhammer world, from the mischievous flying units coming from all directions to the powerful character on a terrifying flying monster swooping across half the battlefield in 1 turn. What's the Deal with Flying Units? Flying units are extraordinarily mobile, being able to move up to 20" in a single turn and being able to move over terrain and troops without penalty. Not only are they fast, but as Skirmishers, they are extremely maneuverable, difficult to catch, and hard to destroy with shooting. Skirmishers can move and charge in any direction, and opponents get -1 to hit when attempting to shoot at them. Wise generals usually try to keep their flyers at long range so my Dwarf Thunderers need, at best, a 6 to hit them. Skirmishers, and thus flying units, do have a few disadvantages. Each flying model has a Unit Strength of 1 regardless of the size of the base or the number of Wounds it has. The big disadvantage, however, is the fact that Skirmishers don't negate an enemy unit's rank bonus and do not get one of their own. If this rule was otherwise, flying units would be unbeatable. Flying Unit Tactics Given these advantages and limitations, most flying units can be very useful but need to be used wisely. I should know I've had flyers commit terrible atrocities to my Dwarf army over the years. Destroy the Weak. Sending your sneaky Bats, Furies, or Terradons to destroy my vulnerable artillery is probably the number one use for flyers. War machines are manned by very few models who are not designed to put up much of a fight (even Dwarf crews). The great thing about this tactic is that it has relatively low risk and will partially pay for the flying troops (in Victory Points) After destroying or running off a few war machine crews, your flyers will be behind enemy lines ready for another mission. This tactic is also effective against other small, weak units if your flyers have strong attacks or have a special ability like Fear. Disrupt the March. Flyers can be used in various ways to slow down an enemy's advance. If your enemy has an infantry army and you have high Leadership, you can move your flyers directly in front of your opponent's best unit (5"-7" away from the

unit) to prevent it from marching on Turn 1. When you outpace your adversary with your 3D6" flee movement, all you need to do is use your high Leadership to rally next turn. Armies with low Leadership, expensive flyers, or bad luck should take an extra turn to maneuver behind your enemy. This is the sweet spot! Once here, your opponent either will be forced to crawl across the battlefield or will have to attempt to remove you. You can also use this tactic to slow an entire side of the opponent's army. A well placed flying unit behind enemy lines can slow down two or three enemy units on a good day. Take out the rest of your foe's army before the slowed units arrive for battle. Bait. This tactic is very similar to a frontal March Disruption mentioned above except that the purpose of moving your flyers directly in front of an enemy unit is to get it to charge into a trap. The most obvious trap you could spring would be to lure the enemy into a vulnerable position for an assault by your fast troops. However, don't count on experienced players falling for it. Another type of trap that is less obvious is one that draws a charging unit into an awkward position. For instance, if a slow enemy unit ends its failed charge against your flyers facing a wooded area, or better yet, partially within difficult terrain, then you have effectively taken it out of the game for the next few turns. Take advantage of this time to organize ambushes on enemy units that were depending on this unit to watch their flank. Something you might consider when using this tactic or the frontal March Disruption is having your General positioned near the flee path so your flying unit gets help with the rally test. Kill Strays. Very few players are foolish enough to move their weak characters out of their protective units with flyers on the board. However, if you have very strong flyers (e.g., Terradons or Pegasus Knights), you can pick Level 1 and Level 2 Wizards right out of a unit's front rank. This is very risky because even if you roll well and kill the enemy Wizard, you will most likely still lose combat. This could be the end of your flying unit. Is it worth it? If you've sacked a few war machines already, and the Wizard has a spell that is rocking you, you might want to risk it. Remember, you flee 3D6", and infantry pursues only 2D6". Protection. Enemy flyers and Fast Cavalry are the bane of war machines and small skirmishing units. If your flyers are better than your enemy's flyers, then an intricate game of cat and mouse can begin. You are the cat, by the way. Corner them and destroy them! Similarly, most Fast Cavalry are pretty weak. A charge in the side by five or more of even the weakest flyers should win the combat. Watch out for traps, though, since fleeing Fast Cavalry can set your flyers up for a fall.

Attack! Few flying units are hearty enough to survive long in combat, but they are excellent at getting a few bonus points added to your Combat Resolution if used in conjunction with another of your units. Although you don't negate your enemy's rank bonus, a unit of five or more flyers can still get you a +2 bonus for a rear attack and could be the extra troops you need to get that +1 bonus for outnumbering your enemy. If your flyers can actually kill a few enemy troops on the charge, so much the better! This can backfire, however, if your opponent gets more points for killing your flyers than the flyers earn for the rear charge. This is unlikely in the 1st turn of combat, but your flyers become a liability once they get reduced to a Unit Strength of 4 or fewer. Avoid charging Unbreakable units, Stubborn units, or units with multiple attacks. Even better than adding bonus Combat Resolution points is the possibility the enemy unit will run off when it fails its required Panic test for being charged in the side or rear while engaged in combat. This is great against low Leadership armies, but don't count on it working against Dwarfs, 'cause it won't. Take Objectives. Once your unit of flyers has chased off a few war machine crews, killed a stray Wizard, and helped one of your units win a combat, it's time to use them to stake your claim. If your flyers still have Unit Strength of 5 or more, you can use them to claim objectives and board quarters. Top Three Flying Units # Flying Unit Cost Ea. 35 points 55 points 33 points Attacks Ea. (Strength) 3(S4) 1-2(S5) & 2(S4) 2(S4) Other Factors Hit and Run attack, poison javelins Great armor, Unit Strength 2 each Daemonic (Fear, Save), Toughness 4

1 Terradons 2 Pegasus Knights 3 Tzeentch Screamers

These are my picks for the three best flying units; all have a very high point cost per model. If I did not have enough points to field a unit of the top three with Unit Strength 5 (more if you are facing quality shooters or are facing overpowering magic)

or if I were facing a low Leadership army, then I would have to go with the Undead Fear-causing flying units, Fell Bats (20 points each) or Carrion (similar at 24 points each, but with Toughness 4). My "best" flying units were chosen based on the amount of damage they can do, and how well they will survive once in combat. "Best" can really only be measured once an objective has been chosen. If the sole purpose of your flyers is to slow down your enemy, then the best flying units are the least expensive ones. Characters on Flying Monsters The Warhammer rulebook makes a definite distinction between flying monsters and flying units. Players facing them or using them on the battlefield should make a distinction, too. No one who has ever played against a powerful character on a flying monster needs to be told how destructive this combination can be; it is a game-altering troop selection. Most gamers playing against a character on a flying monster will put all their effort into destroying this unit. Below are a few other things to consider before fielding this combination. Flying Monster Advantages More Powerful Flyer Tactics. Many of the flying unit tactics can be used even more effectively with a flying monster. Any of the tactics involving combat are going to go even better when a monster and a character (usually Lord level) are involved. A modestly enhanced Blood Dragon Vampire Lord on a Zombie Dragon can get 10 attacks at Strength 6. That's a LOT of potential damage! The reality is that most Lords on flying monsters will do a significant amount of damage to even the most heavily armored units. Not Skirmisher.: Unlike flying units, flying monsters do not get the advantages and disadvantages of being Skirmishers. The greatest implication of this fact is that monstrous flying mounts and their riders can negate a unit's rank bonus if they have a Unit Strength of 5 or more. On that, a note of caution: know your Unit Strength! Don't fly into the rear of a hard unit expecting to get a +2 rear charge bonus to your Combat Resolution and negate their rank bonus only to find out that your Elector Count on a Pegasus only has a Unit Strength of 4. At that point, you would not negate their rank bonus and would not get a rear charge bonus. Fight for your life, 'cause you're in trouble! Fear and Terror. Most monstrous mounts (and some riders) cause Terror or Fear.Terror is even better than Fear! In addition to having all the advantages of

Fear, your terrifying monster will scare off enemy units within 6" if they fail a Psychology test at the beginning of their turn. Also, enemies failing the Terror test required when attempting to charge or face the charge of your terrifying monster will run. Terror is an amazing weapon and can win battles by itself against low Leadership armies! More Bang for Your Character Buck. Let's face it, a character on a flying monster that moves 20" a turn will see a lot more action than my Dwarf Lord locked in a unit of Hammerers that move 3". The first few combats might be against inferior enemy units like skirmishers, war machines, enemy flyers, or missile troops, but when the bulk of your army gets into combat, your juggernaut will get its chance to shine against your enemy's creme-de-la-creme. If you're lucky, your opponent's General will not flee from your terrifying presence, and you will get to destroy him face-toface. Now that's return on investment! Flying Monster Disadvantages Expensive. Lords are expensive even before you begin to add equipment and magic items. Throw in a hearty flying monster and you've just spent 25% of your 2,000 points. Obviously, the more you spend on this single model, the less you have to spend on units of troops. Prime Target. Your opponent knows how dangerous and expensive a character on a flying monster can be and has painted a target on your model's chest. Most monsters are large creatures and thus give enemy shooters a +1 to hit instead of the -1 to hit that flying units give. In addition to that, characters on monsters do not get the +1 bonus to their armor saving throw that characters on warhorses get (or +2 for barded warhorses). Risky. The two disadvantages above add up to one conclusion, "All eggs in one basket." Against certain armies, fielding an expensive character-monster can be extremely risky. Armies with strong shooting, powerful war machines, or great magic should be avoided. Regardless of what army you face, stay out of your enemy's charge range. Being forced to flee from a combat you can't win is never good, and one bad rally roll is all you need for your General to flap off the table edge. Where's the General? As most flying monsters require a Lord character to ride them, there is a very good chance that your General will be far from your battle line when it comes time to confront the enemy. Unless you time things very well, don't plan on your General being within 12" of your initial combats to lend them his high Leadership. This absence is not really a problem with high Leadership armies, but low Leadership armies will often fold if charged and their General is not nearby. If only the Dwarfs had a flying monster...

Flyers in Conclusion Ultimately, flyers can be a very versatile troop selection. Though their disadvantages are many, flyers can be used in such a way to make them a lethal force on the battlefield. When their advantages are maximized and disadvantages avoided, flyers can seriously hamper an opponent's battle plan and give you control of the game's momentum. Trust me; I've been on the receiving end of flyers enough to know how deadly they can be. Now, if I can only convince the Warhammer Development Team to add Dwarf flyers in the next edition...