Maneuvering Guide

WarLord H0urg1ass's Guide To Battlefield Maneuvers

I put this little guide together in response to a few requests that I write a basic guide for maneuvering. When putting this guide together I decided to break each maneuver down into different requirements. In other words , different maneuvers will not be suitable for certain situations so this guide will attempt to make it clear as to when the maneuver should be used.

Here we go:

Blocking

Required Special Abilities:
Quickness OR Flight.

Required Stats:
Point cost of 20 or less.

Required Situation:
Any time your main attack units are advancing towards an enemy unit. This is best implemented when your main attack units have a ranged damage capability.

How to Implement the Maneuver:
Keep your blocking units ahead of your advancing attack units or formations. In order to keep your main attack units from being fired upon by ranged units or closed upon by melee units you should use your blocking units to make base to base contact with the enemy unit or formation. While your blocking unit is tying up the enemy units, use this time to move your main attack units within range of their units and wait. Once they have destroyed your blocking unit, you should be fresh, unpushed and ready to deal damage to their unit or formation.

If your main attack units are not ranged, then you are basically using the blockers to cause the enemy units to push. Once they have pushed, then you can freely and safely move into base to base contact with their units or formation.

Flanking

Required Special Abilities:
None

Required Stats:
None

Required Situation:
Any time your blocking units have managed to successfully tie up your enemies main attack units.

How to Implement the Maneuver:
This maneuver should nearly always be used in conjunction with the blocking maneuver. After your blocking units have managed to tangle up the enemies attack units, then you should try to move your main attack units within range of their attack unit on the same turn. The crucial part of flanking is to make sure that your attack units are outside of the enemy units front arc entirely after moving. This will cause their units to have to spend an action turning or moving in order to have a chance to attack you.

Distracting

Required Special Abilities:
Flight OR Quickness

Required Stats:
None

Required Situation:
Whenever your blocking units are attempting to tangle up your enemies primary attack formation. The enemy formation must have a dependent support unit.

How to Implement the Maneuver:
This maneuver is just like blocking in many respects except that your blocking unit is not used to intercept the attack units in a formation. Instead, the blocker is used to intercept the support unit(s) of their formation. The usual target of such intercept maneuvers is the healer of the formation.

The reason that this maneuver can be very devastating is because most healing units can only inflict one or maybe two damage to your blocker every other turn while your blocker can repeatedly attack and push in order to drop their values down. When most healers, except for the mystic draconum, are hit for a couple of clicks of damage, then they become nearly worthless. Your enemy will then turn the attack units of his formation to deal with the new threat. This will leave your units with fewer threats to face at once and a chance to gain a superior fighting position.

Here's an example: Your enemy has two Noble Archers and a Shaman that he keeps moving as a unit. Instead of making base to base contact with the archers, you make contact with only the Shaman. Your opponent will then turn his archers to deal with the new threat leaving you open to move into an attack position.

Feinting

Required Special Abilities:
None

Required Stats:
Movement rate of at least 10.

Required Situation:
There is a single unique or support figure on the board.

How to Implement the Maneuver:
Use your fast moving figure, usually a blocking figure, to move directly towards the singled out support unit or unique. It helps to feint with more than one unit at a time so that they seem to present a threat. This should cause the enemy to divert resources towards that unit. On your next movement with your figure(s), move quickly to intercept the diverted units instead.

This will cause your enemy to string out his resources along the battlefield. Then you can use your main attack unit to destroy their army one unit at a time. Here's an example: Your opponent has a single grave robber behind his units. You have two shades as part of your blocking force. Move the shades directly towards the grave robber as if you are going to attempt to make base to base contact. Your enemy will most likely pull back some or all of his resources in order to deal with the threat. Then move your shades to come into base to base contact with the units that were pulled back. Now you can use your main attack units to vaporize the grave robber and then, by the time your opponent has deal with your shades, you should be in position to retaliate.

Leapfrogging

Required Special Abilities:
Flight or Charge

Required Stats:
Defense of at least 16 and a high move of at least 10.

Required Situation:
Your enemy has several units between you and the unit you wish to eliminate.

How to Implement the Maneuver:
Use your high defense / flight or charge figure to come into contact with the weakest unit of the first formation. Pray that your enemy is not able to successfully attack you. On your next action with your figure "leap" him from to the next weakest unit the next formation. Repeat as necessary.

This is a little risky yet it allows for one important factor; While you are jumping from their weakest figure to their next weakest figure they are not able to make ranged attacks towards you. Usually, by the time your opponent figures out what you are doing, it is too late.

WarLord H0urg1ass