Uhlans and doing it wrong

[marskitten]

So I've used the Uhlans in a few games lately and I seem ot be doing nothing but getting them ingloriously killed in embarrassing and useless ways.

So the setups I used them with are eIrusk, pButcher and Zerkova. Every time I've used them they usually either charge a vital target like a heavy or light warbeast usually kill it then get iron fleshed or covered and die via the other heavy in range or whatever threat has counter attacks waiting. While they're good, it feels like I'm not getting value for the points as the IFP can do what they do better as a swamping unit (18 inch move!), they have almost as much charge range and possibly better damage outcomes.

I've been thinking that I should have them run long on the flanks and attack the enemy's backfield instead of trying to alpha strike. But then I forfeit warcaster support. About the only time I feel like I get my points worth is with a boundless charge caster sending them 13 inches ahead.

So how do I do Uhlans right?

[whats82]

They are heavy killers.
Take them in lists where you lack melee heavy and use them to take down enemy heavies from range. I have a butcher list where they are my heavy cracker, with butcher handling a single destroyer. Put ironflesh on them with greylord following, they are 18/19 from range with 5 wounds, that means besides dedicated long range jacks, they are not going down. On feat turn swap to fury, 3 of them can take down the avatar (assuming you deal with enliven with some kind of infantry lock such as minifeating IFPs. That's how much damage output they can do, from 13" away. Sadly, their lower mat and low number of attacks means they handle infantry horribly (unlike Cygnar's storm lances which handle infantry superbly but struggle vs heavies).

Just remember they take the same role as melee heavy jacks but struggle to deal wtih infantry, so plan the rest of your list accordingly.

[marskitten]

I guess the problem is i already have well supported heavy removal in the beast/behemoth + juggernaut + mechanics + koldun lord i usually field. Maybe I'm just not at the point level where they're economical with more than 1 jack on a caster.

[whats82]

Indeed, they have the threat range but their target selection is rather limited. You could send them after multiwound infantry and they would be ok, if slightly expensive method of removing them. With impact and charge attack they have a good chance of taking down a Troll Champion wall for example (start from the 2nd models on either side), and is significantly boosted by any buffs (S&P, battlelust, fury, etc) to acomplish the task.

If you want that job to be filled by your heavy jacks, then don't go for redundancy with Uhlans.

[zombie-a-go-go]

My thought on the Uhlans is that they're first strikers that are going to die, so don't count on them doing more than cracking that heavy.

Use them to get rid of Defenders, Vanquishers, etc - or smash the Avatar up before you engage it with the rest of your force. Basically, figure out what the single most dangerous model on the opposite side of the field is, send them in to smash it, and then use them as lane-cloggers or to suck up enemy attacks while the rest of your force advances. They're not going to get two charges off, barring a big mistake on your opponent's part. So give them the charge that matters most.

This is assuming you're taking a min unit. I don't know what the point of a full unit is, unless you only charge in half of the unit in your first wave, then the other half on the second wave. That might work...

[General Nemo]

It is okay if your Uhlans die, so long as they grant you board position. If they die without pinning something down, your concern is legitimate. While you can send them at the back field with some success, don't discount the option to tarpit a unit of light troops (Flameguard, Winter Guard, Satyxis, Stormblades, etc.)

[DemonCalibre]

Storm Blades will chop Uhlans to little bits.

Personally, I can see value in a minimum unit, three on target power 16s, that dereach over solid hitting power to halt the advance of an enemy heavy element, If you provide Warcaster support in terms of Battle Lust/Fury, Signs and Portents etc, they have a decent shot of totally crippling or killing a heavy.

Remember also that 3 Uhlans have a much smaller footprint that a big unit of Iron Fangs, This means their application can be more surgical and less a commitment. If you roll in with Fangs, you generally engage over a large front(because they take up so much space), This means your opponent won't cluster to defeat the fangs, but will spread out to match, Uhlans on the other hand, can and are tightly grouped, which means your opponent will have to cluster assets to remove them, which generally will provide you a better counter strike opportunity.

[Kuarnix]

I use my Uhlans to great effect with Karchev to poke holes that I can exploit in enemy lines, and tie up a heavy I can't deal with for a round. For example, I will charge and position them in such a way that his powerslide into their line is covered from the other half of their line, making retaliation against anything but the uhlans quite difficult for most armies. They dont' always kill what they hit, but they often mangle it so badly that I don't have to worry about it too much more.