deployment

[BigRed]

Maybe this should be in the General Community board but since i am a Khadoran, i felt it would be better to ask my fellow Khadorans. I was wondering how you guys set up your deployment zone? I realize it will be different for every person and army but how do you Generally set up deployment? I have always had trouble doing this, and last night i totally screwed up deployment against skorne. Do you place as much as you can on the front line of your deployment zone or do you hold certain things back? A little advice would be great.

[ChainGun]

First are the warjacks. Unless you have nasty/surprising pathfinder capabilities (Kodiak/Karchev/Old Witch) you want them to be closest to the enemy where no difficult terrain in your way. They are slow and you want them to move straight forward with little detours.

The warcaster is behind them. Close, but not too close, as you don't want them to be slammed into your warcaster or having your opponent easily nail down your high DEF warcaster with an AOE spell targeting your low DEF warjacks. I deploy the wardog behind the warcaster as I completely ignore its offensive capabilities and I just want it survive and give me the bonuses.

Slow infantry (namely MoW) are as close to the warjacks and the middle of the force as possible for the same reasons, their slowness. Fast infantry (Doom Reavers, Iron Fangs etc') take the sides of the front. I may run them on the first turn so they can advance in front of the warjacks but only as long as they don't slow the warjacks down.

In the flanks I either deploy cavalry (Uhlans or characters) and/or Doom Reavers if I want to threaten my opponent's flanks or manhunters if I just want to guard mine.

Hope this helps.

[thrasymacus]

I set my troops up to line up with the terrain I want them to benefit from.

I make sure my Caster can see at least one trooper of each squad that I want to cast an upkeep on without having to move. Also, make sure that trooper is in range, usually 6".

Activate Caster, cast upkeep keeps and other spells, charge across the board.

[Avecrien]

I always hope to deploy second. I try to space my models out at the beginning and during the advance so that when the faster moving enemy shifts his models I can shift what I want to kill them with so that the right tool will be there to smish them.

First, eye the terrain and how it will impact the fight.
Second, take in how your opponent groups and breaks apart their forces. Is he trying to brick, flank you, bait you...
Think about how you want to smish him and what he'll be doing to try to stop it. Deployment is really just the first step towards realizing the fight you've already won in your mind.

In most of my lists, I field a few self-sufficient models/units that can either serve as a back up, flanking, or harassing force. I loves me my Shocktroopers, so I use them to guard, block LoS, and funnel the incoming enemy. Often I'll have my ranged models near that wall and hinging off of it to get the best shots.
So I typically have 2-4 groupings in an army I field.
The melee/wall/caster usually gets put down on the fastest road to melee. The ranged attack hinge picks a side of the wall that looks tasty for the moment.
The distraction/bait goes long on a side path.
The harassers advance similarly but more safely awaiting squishy targets for them to hit and run on.

Just make sure how you deploy on whatever field you have doesnt cut off one arm from working with the other as needed. Someone has to punish the enemy for taking the bait. The wall has to be able to swing around to stifle attackers. Ranged people have to get someone in their sights and earn their points.