# Etiquette for Split targeting.



## Deathypoo (Jun 27, 2011)

I'm just curious how most people handle split targeting in general. But specific questions include:

How often do you bother allocating attacks to champions? Is it considered a near-pointless (rude?) waste of time when the champion doesn't have anything besides the extra attack?

Then for heroes... I found myself with a bunch of spearmen up against a hero (in a unit) with one wound left in a game today, and I kept rolling one attack at a time to see if I could kill him. Totally legit with RAW (right?), but it just kind of felt odd, and my opponent never even targeted the Black Guard champion with Crimson death.


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## stevenhassell (Aug 5, 2009)

we all ways declare before we role.... i thought thats the way it was saposed to happen.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

declare all attacks from the same initiative before you roll. Or at least make it obvious what you are doing. Normally I'll split off 1 attack and throw it at the champ first and then roll all the others... I rarely 'declare' the remaining attacks at the unit when I declare the attack on the champion, but I feel its implicit (I'm not going to pick up more dice and say "and so are these").

If there are characters in the enemy unit, especially mages, you better believe I'll attack them. In which case I'm much more cautious in how I declare attacks: making it perfectly clear how many attacks are at each character, champion and unit.


I don't understand those who'll let me sit in combat with them for turn after turn ignoring my squishy mages.... when I used to play HE I would commonly have my archmage in combat for turns before people would kill him (while I buffed the unit). Not killing a hugely powerful but incredibly fragile model when you have free rein to is pretty silly, and the sort of mistake I feel should lead to someone losing a game.


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

I will always go a mage or other character if I have something to deal with it... I tend not to bother with the Champ unless I am thinking about how to remove the characters with ranks etc coming into play.


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

Yeah, champs aren't normally that important. I throw 1 attack their way since I lose nothing for doing it but its not normally that important.


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## neilbatte (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't normally bother with the champ as 1 extra attack rarely makes the difference but if theres a chance to kill a character then I'll put a few attacks his way. especially mages or BSB as they can make a massive difference to a combat.


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## olderplayer (Dec 11, 2009)

I will alternate strategies. If I am tar-pitting a unit and expect to lose combat but can kill or wound a character, then that is what I will do. On the other hand, if combat resolution is a close call, I may allocate attacks to the unit (maybe one to the champ) to max active combat resolution (ACR). If the unit I am facing is likely to remain steadfast and not break and out-last my units in extended combat, I often will try to kill the characters first. If wearing down the enemy unit gives me a chance of breaking it or tkaking away steadfast (at least sooner), then I'll go for rank and file. It all just depends on what maximizes ultimate victory points and positions my units better for the end game. Of course, mages are almost always targetted due to their roles.

On the etiq. it is generally considered proper to declare all targets before rolling all attacks of the same initiative but perfectly acceptable to decide what to target later for those attacks that come later. Also, in tourney and certain other environments rolling as many attacks at once (to speed up the game) in the same combat or shooting attack as is practicable is considered good form.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

As almost all of the battles I play have been either VC or Daemons I habitually target characters with all the models who can attack - unless I have no chance of damaging them - as they usually either buff units or stop them from crumbling away.

I agree with previous posters that the polite way to do it is to declare an entire Initiative step before you roll for any of them.



olderplayer said:


> ...in tourney and certain other environments rolling as many attacks at once (to speed up the game) in the same combat or shooting attack as is practicable is considered good form.


As this technique is in the BRB I would say it is etiquette for even casual games.


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## Deathypoo (Jun 27, 2011)

Solid answers guys, thank you all.


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