# general tactics for 40k walkers



## cccp (Dec 15, 2006)

there are a fair few of these walking machines in 40k, but are they worth the points? in which situations are they most effective? what are their pros? what are their cons?

im interested in using guard sentinels specifically, i would like some pointers on how you guys find them.


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

Well, they handle rough terrain better than other vehicles, and are a good source of mobile firepower. They're also all but untouchable in assault, unless you're up against high str units, powerfists or rending units. 

Guard sentinels, however, are more of a mobile heavy weapon team...not enough attacks to be really great in assault. A trio of lascannon-toting sentinels make a great mobile tank hunting squad.


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## 501st (Aug 24, 2007)

Another great thing about sentinels is if you put improved comms on them you have a better chance to bring in your tanks for escalation.


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## Engelus (Jul 26, 2007)

Galahad said:


> Well, they handle rough terrain better than other vehicles, and are a good source of mobile firepower. They're also all but untouchable in assault, unless you're up against high str units, powerfists or rending units.


question, how are they better than other vehicles in rough terrain.

I must be doing it wrong. every time I have walked a walker into rough terrain it has become immobilised


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

Walkers handle difficult terrain just as infantry do. If they run into rocks or shrubs they just roll 2d6 and pick the best for their movement speed to get through it.

They only have to make a test IF the terrain is classified as Dangerous (rather than just difficult. Stuff like lava fields, monster plants, etc). If they roll a 1 on their dangerous terrain test then they are immobilized rather than suffering a wound like infantry would. 

See pp 17, 61, and the quick reference sheet in the back of the BBB

Back onto Sentinels, if I recall, they also get a scout move. They're really handy to have in escalation.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

I think a good way to look at walkers is that they bridge a gap between infantry and tanks. A walker combines the mobility of an infantryman with armaments that aren't man-portable. In the case of sentinels, you've got walking lascannons (and let's face it, the other weapons options are far less useful) that can take advantage of being able to reposition themselves for better shots. 

When I play against Imperial Guard armies, the sentinels are generally armed with a lascannon, one has improved comms, everything has extra armor, and periodically, I even see hunter-killer missiles on them. Being able to position shots with them kind of makes the somewhat pricey missile worthwhile.


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## nightmarine (Mar 30, 2007)

yeah sentinels also have the scouts rule which menas you can move them up 6" before the game starts. very useful. Beyond that, they are just as people have said. they are moblie gun platforms. They may not be good at the assault, but squads of 1 could be used to tie up swarms like tyranids ro a while, until their sheer waight of numbers gives them enough glancing hits to kill it.


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

If you pick a fight with a unit of critters with a low enough strength, you could tie them up indefinitely, or at least until you score enough kills to break them. Takes S4 or greater to even glance AV 10, so IG, Tau, Orks, Eldar, Dark Eldar and Sisters of battle are all pretty much helpless against even a sentinel in assault, unless they have powerfists and the like handy.


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

And oddly enough, you can still dump one into close combat with Space Marines and be pretty safe if there's not a fist in there (although really, who doesn't take power fists these days?). You'll still most likely lose the sentinel, but you might bring a few marines down with you. And if they don't kill it, then that's five "models" to count so you might not be quite so badly outnumbered after the Marines have their way with the guardsmen in melee.


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

I wonder if it's possible for the walker's player to opt not to make any attacks when in an assaut.

If a walker is assaulting a unit that cannot possibly harm it, the only way to end the assault is to inflict more wounds on the enemy (as in, well, any) and force the squad to make a moralle check. They eithe rpass and keep fighting, or fail and start falling back. This could end up being a bad thing if they;re able to regroup the next turn and blast your fragile walker to pieces.

So if a guy with a sentinel wanted to tie up, say, a heavy weapon squad for the duration of the game, could he simply decide never to attack and force the combat to continue with no winner declared?

Using a cheap walker to tie up an expensive heavy weapon squad seems like a good use, even if you;re not technically 'earning points back'


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

Unfortunately, you do have to fight if you're in close combat. If you think about it, a player with the walker that a unit couldn't hurt could decide not to attack. Fine. Then, what's to stop the opposing player from saying that they're not going to engage the model in close combat and have the unit act as if it were unengaged (i.e., said heavy weapons squad would be shooting.)?


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

Ah well.

I just realized though...keep your sentinels away from grenades. ;-) Even frag grenades can glance a sentinel in close combat. So the theoretically helpless guard squad you;re stomping could up and swarm you if the player thought to give them frags.


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## DeathFang (Jun 5, 2007)

A normal marine can hurt a sentinel in close combat, with his bare hands


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## nightmarine (Mar 30, 2007)

yeah grenades tend to make the light armor screach in pain. but a dred can take on frags (not krak but who uses those in every list?) and it takes 20 models in order to overwhelm him and make him take that auto glancing hit. i dont think its that easy since he rips a couple heads off almost every turn.


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## Galahad (Dec 21, 2006)

Well, in this thread we were mainly talking about sentinels so the fact dreads are tougher doesn't make much difference ;-)

As for who uses kraks...well once Jervis is done, every imperial army will have kraks, frags and pistols. Right now every blood angel and dark angel has them, and every CSM too.


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## Das Boogie Man (Aug 26, 2007)

KEEP SENTINELS AWAY FROM ANGRY MARINES AT ALL COSTS!!! in a shootout, they own but in CC they DIE

i saw a sentinel squadron completely wipe a marine guys armoured spearhead just because he underestimated them and thought they were useless so he kept procrastinating what turn he was gonna blow them up


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