Gunnbjorn Tactics?

[Sir Motor]

Hi

I've been playing Gunnbjorn for a while.
Anyone had tried him much?

I find Gunnbjorn is really hard to play.
His beast & himself & his units shoot well,but that's all he can do(in my view).
He can't stop/slow incoming enemies.
I know bazooka and spear can slow enemy but its critical based.
Is it only me? I feel he is really hard to play.

So,tell me,teach me how to play him.

[DarkJeebs]

He can't stop/slow incoming enemies.

Try Throwing in a tarpit unit in your list, like champs or some Fenns. Use the bombers animus on them and throw all those AOEs a Gunnbjorn list can generate into the fray.

[The Happy Anarchist]

Use his rock wall more. Try and use his crit bazooka and the crit slam to knock down or remove models that are blocking LOS to the caster, then use your ranged beasts to kill their caster.
Try an Earthborn and/or Fennblades for a melee counterpunch.

[Sevwall]

I runhim on the front line and just use the rockwall to prevent enemies engaging. I don't need to slow them down when they can't actually get to me. Then I pop Repulsion and blast the hell out of them for thier trouble.

[bildo]

i started out with a full ranged army with him, and have come to see that he can work like that, but theres always something missing, im planning on running a mix of melee and ranged, and not just tarpit melee. my heavy will be an ebdt as they are reliable hitters and an axer for speed buff and thresher

[PG_ELJE]

I have been working with him, and I treat like a gun platform with benefits. The rock wall is amazing for keeping you ranged safe. If you have multiple pieces that have range attack( i always use 2 impalers with him), his spell to auto boost battle grps is very efficient, as it effects him also. The key is to have a tarpit model to keep him away form the action, I don't know if you noticied but he is gimp city in melee.

[MrChomperz]

it is really all about that rock wall and a decent firing line. Form up the wall and gun down a heavy a turn, maybe a little more. Target the ones with reach first. Arrange your formation to move and shoot, while looking for lanes for the blitzer to shoot the enemy caster. The bomber is more for later game assassination, but I have won plenty with the blitzer being sent in to kill few screening infantry then pump two fully boosted shots into my opponents caster for the win.

[unclebiggins]

Pygmies are an outstanding unit with him. A first turn threat of 40" into the board when supported by snipe. Throw in a chronicler and a rock wall and your first striking pygmies have a DEF of 15-17.

Pygs are terrible shots and will have to combine first turn to get any hits, however after that they can either aim or bushwack.

Bombers and Blitzers are great, both get great use out of Guided Fire. I would suggest fielding one or the other at all times when using Gunbjorn.

Also, runeshapers are decent support, and while this for me is theory machine, it doesnt take a genius to figure out the potential that Janessa has when they combine their terrian control.

I am in the habit of included either a unit of Fenns or Champs with Gunnbjorn depending on how I am feeling. Fennblades if the enemy is a shooting army so that they can advance under the protection of Gunbjorns feat making them a impressive DEF 16. Before charging in and tieing them down, followed by a bombardment with Gunbjorns battlegroup and ranged forces. If the enemy is a melee force, a unit of champions are good because they are perfect for counter charging enemy jacks or heavy targets that try to aggress you.

It is true that Gunnbjorn is a ranged caster that doesnt really do anything for melee forces. But it matters what melee forces can do for Gunnbjorn.

Sample Gunbjorn list

Gunny
-Bomber 10
-Impaler 5
-Slag 6
Runeshapers 4
pyg Bushwackers 8
Runebearer 2
Whelps 2
Swamp Gobbers 1
Chronicler 2

The above list shoots as much as it can and opt to begin the game with two whelps in play that should shadow the Bomber. It will strike first via the Pymies who will then fall back and have snipe dropped from the middle of turn 2 onwards. After the pygs have finished their turn 2 shooting then the runebearer can move snipe onto the Slag and Gunbjorn will cast farshot on himself and guided fire while popping his feat. The impaler can buff himself and then everything else just shoots. Combined with the Pygmies first strike, you should be able to knock the wind out of the melee threats that would charge you on turn 2/3 and seriously weaken their ability to hurt you at range thanks to cover. Especially from units such as Gunmages, or other weak units with low RAT and CRA who will now need to combine the get off any kills. On the top of turn 3, eat the whelps that were spawned in play on the Bomber and reave all your fury and do it again. This time, drop rock walls to either improve your defences or in front of big melee threats so they cannot charge you. If you need to sacrifice a beast, for tactical gain here, sacrifice an Impaler, its job is done. Use the Swamp Gobbers cloud to cover your forces and shut down shooting. Keep Bushwacking back the pygmies if you have to or if you think that the enemies strength is suitably diverted then aim and take down troopers or combine on beasts/jacks/solos.

Victory from this list comes from either ranged attrition or getting a critical devestation, slam or KD off from your beasts/runeshapers that will allow a Bomber with guided fire to put the hurt on the enemy caster.

I would sample other lists but this is the one I would play at 35pts, after just one outing I am in love with it.