Spacecurves’ Tactics Class: Tank Shock and Awe

Hello everyone, and welcome to another Spacecurves’ Tactics Class, where you learn practical tactics you can use on the tabletop. Today’s lesson will focus on using Tank Shock to enable otherwise impossible assaults.

Tank shock has been a part of Warhammer 40k for a long time. Everyone knows about it, and most everyone has used it a few times. I assume everyone knows that tank shock can force enemy units to fall back, but many people don’t realize other applications.

Tank shock provides many unique tactical opportunities.  The one we will cover today, is the ability to displace enemy models. The ability to move enemy models is extremely powerful in 5th ed. 40k.  Powers like Lash of Submission or Word in Your Ear are useful and rare.  However, most everyone has access to tanks of some kind.

In picture 1 below, we see my tactical marines approaching a unit of guardsmen, they have just completed their movement for this turn.  I want to charge, but am currently outside of charge range. (just over 6″ away)  However, I have a Rhino to one side of the guardsmen that is yet to move. 

When you tank shock enemy models, they have to end up more than 1″ away from your tank.  If they are displaced by the tank’s final position, they move the shortest possible distance while retaining coherency.

These constraints allow you to force the enemy to move how you want him to.  

I angle my Rhino carefully and declare a tank shock of 7 inches. Let us assume the guardsmen pass their leadership check. My tank ends up on top of some of the guardsmen, with all the guardsmen models being left of the center line of my vehicle.  This fact is crucial (and is why the angling is important) because it forces them to displace towards my tactical marines.

The result can be seen in picture 2.  The guardsmen are now in charge range of my marines.  Remember, the angle that you tank shock and the distance you move both have to be just right in order to pull off this maneuver.  

I could have also performed this tactic if my Rhino where alongside my marines instead of flanking the guardsmen.  I would have ended up parked in the middle of the guardsmen line, with the center point of my tank just past the guardsmen’s position, thus forcing them towards my marines.  You can push the enemy models any way you like, as long as you judge the final placement of your vehicle correctly.  Some angles of approach and situations are harder to judge than others.

When learning how to reliably perform this and other tactics, I find it helps to set up examples like this one for yourself.  Practice turning the Rhino and declaring the tank shock distance until you can push the guardsmen the way you want every time. 

There are many other uses of tank shock that I will cover in future articles. 

Class Dismissed!