40K Deep Thought – Rapid Response Units
Bigred here with some thoughts I’ve been having over my last few games. The well designed rapid-response unit can save your bacon and throw the bad guy on his heels.
Have you ever had those games where you are barely hanging on, and then your opponent start pulling in reserve units over turns and you are sitting there saying: “I can’t even handle his small army core, much less his reserves… How is he doing that?”
Welcome to the world of rapid reserve forces. Those small units usually designed specifically to plug those holes, mop up enemy breakthroughs, and get you back on the offense when times look dark.
In general these units tend to be:
-Mobile
-Cost effective
-Lethal in the short-term
You want an couple of units you can either hide, or reserve reliably that won’t undermine your army with their absence, and can put down an enemy problem area in a single turn or either shooting or assault. For assaulters, tarpitting is a good result too, if knocking the badguy silly isn’t a realistic option for your codex. In general these units aren’t designed for durability and often don’t make it off the table in one piece – but its a tough job being a hero.
Here are a handful of common units I plug into various armies for this duty:
Space Marines:
Sternguard x 5 (5x combi-plasma) – Rhino (185pts)
These guys kill armored stuff and monstrous creatures dead. Special issue ammo makes them a flexible threat if they make it past thier first plasma salvo.
CSMs
Terminators x3 (2xcombi-melta, HF) (105pts)
Hardhitting, dirt cheap, and able to deal with vehicles or hordes anywhere.
Eldar
Fire Dragons x5 -Serpent w/SCs (180pts)
Flexible targets with the vehicle and unit weaponry, and fast.
IG
Veterans x10 (3xmelta) -Chimera (155pts)
The unit we all love to hate. So cheap, effective, and scoring.
Dark Eldar
Kabalite Trueborn x4 (4xblaster) – Venom 2xSCs (173pts)
Bye-bye hordes or mech, and crazy fast (especially with the Duke).
Now many of these units are mounted, but any mobile unit such as Jumptroops or deepstrikers are handy as well. The trick is mastering exactly where to being them into action in the variable flow of battle, as well as learning exactly how to use them reliably ober dozens of games.
So what are your favorite rapid-response units and tell us how you use them on the tabletop?
