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Giant Rat Torpedos; A rank breaking low cost support tactic
Topic Started: 12th March 2008 - 09:27 PM (431 Views)
CapAmr05
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Has anyone ever tried this? I saw a fellow skaven player do this at an Indy GT and he placed in the top 4 of 67 if I remember correctly. He used it on the far edges to help roll the enemy flanks so he could sweep around behind their battle line. He was playing it with a pure no shooting no magic horde.

Basically took 1 rat pack and put them in a file:


^^^
Rat 1
Rat 2
Rat 3
Rat 4
Rat 5
Rat 6
Pack Master

and charged them into the flank of an enemy ranked unit; engaged in the front with a (CR +5) block of clanrats. Limiting the number of flank enemies who could strike back at easy to kill naked rats to 2 or 3 (depending on base size) and still getting the whip attack.


--Cap
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Clan Skrittar
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Rusty Tincanne
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...you can still call me Rusty Tincanne if you want, though.

Never seen it done, though it sounds like an effective tactic. That said, it has come up a few times here, and I've never seen anyone list it as a very sportsman-esque tactic. (Generally frowned upon.)

Btw, they are also known as rat darts.
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CapAmr05
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No one was too alarmed by it in the tournament, they were all to giddy from not having to face skaven magic or jezzails.

--Cap

lol darts.
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Clan Skrittar
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Zavratatar
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Grey Seer
It's good, because it limits how many hits the little buggers are going to take back. It's bad, because it makes the units "print" pretty darn huge... that's seven models in a row, very easy to smack some magic or shooting into. It becomes a bit weird to manouver, because wheels with one 20mm base cost very very little, but the whole unit swings like a monkey. I can imagine that it worked very well for him, because in a no shooting no magic horde he must have had a truckload of models, somehow tiny ratdarts don't rank so high up on the "to kill" lists. :)

I use these tiny teams aswell, but I use them in an entirely different way. No matter how you use them, 7 models in a little bunch with 6" move for 30pts is very nice and very useful. :)

Just don't try this vs swordmasters. :P
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Skavenblight
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Chieftain
Well, I think the major complaint against it is that its seriously meta-gaming. ie. there's no way a unit as undisciplned as giant rats would be able to be kept in single file while that close to the enemy.

Also, for that same reason, a 30pt unit that is so hideously effective is brutal in anything but a tournament, even then I would probably mark down honour points for the playstyle.

Skavenblight
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Mutator
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Retired fat dude

The truly evil thing is that you can run 4 rat darts together, as if they were one unit, whilst making it clear to your opponent that they are 4 separate units.

Why?

That will be 4 units in the flank, 4 units needing to be dropped below US5 (your opponent needs to allocate attacks against them), 4 units to be cleared out by counterchargers, 4 units making break tests and/or fleeing/pursuing etc etc. Greater degree of redundancy, and greater chance that a flukey roll does something awesome :)
Mostly harmless
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Zavratatar
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Grey Seer
You would? It takes but a fart from an elf with an arrow to send the thing running, and then you've got something panicky running the wrong way. Take something a bit larger and destroy the unit, everything within 6" takes panic... Sure, it's a nice thing for 30 pts, but it's nowhere near as safe as 40pts of slaves. :)

I do think you're very correct on the metagaming bit though, not without a sleigh and a harness would they run in a row like that XD In fact, if I ever wanted to field them in one long line, I'd feel compelled to give the packmaster a santa hat and the front rat a red nose... ;)
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CapAmr05
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Now I've got an image of Christmas in Skavenblight stuck in my head.
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Clan Skrittar
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Sciencespark
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Grey Seer
This months painting comp. is maulder conversion, I was building a master maulder on cockatrice now seriously considering rat pulled sleigh, or should that be rat dart slayers? No must stay focussed on cockatrice, no must make santa for dec open comp, now see what you've done?!
Currently joint first in PRS points, may as well blow my trumpet whilst I've got one.

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Grey Seer
Trust me, I know the feeling. :P
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