So, what will it be... the volley gun, rocket launcher or steam tank.
Well, here are my rules of thumb, I try to consider what type of enemy army am I likely to face:-
A fast moving army with lots of cavalry and/or high quality high pts cost troops (Bretonnians, Chaos etc)
- Use a volley gun to protect your flank (preferably on a hill), along with a good quality unit to protect it, should any enemy survive the volley and get too close.
A mass attack, low toughness army trying to overwhelm with numbers (think Skaven, Goblins) or armies who try to use lots of line of sight blockers (indicating that their following troops are the real threat)
- Use a Steam Tank - move ahead at full speed, secure the center of the table and target their cheap points cost troops to try to inject a wave of panic. Then try to move along the ranks.
A quality army that stays it's distance & harasses from afar (think Wood Elves, Dark Elves)
- Use a Helstorm Rocket Battery - target the center of their army to encourage them to get up close.
Some general notes:-
- Helstorm Rocket Batteries are not very accurate - do not rely on them solely to execute any part of your plan. You will need some kind of back-up idea.
- Volley guns are unreliable. I have wiped out a few units altogether in the past but I have also failed to fire on consecutive turns. Make sure you protect your volley gun from attack (it's likely to be a mounted or airborne assault)
- Steam tanks are reliable but not as tough as you first thought. The enemy automatically hit it and it can be easily damaged by units with great weapons. Remember that the steam tank loses a lot of effectiveness as it takes on more and more wounds, it also becomes a lot less predictable. DO NOT use your tank against good troops, go for the weedy ones.
