40K: Top 5 Stratagems For Astra Militarum
The Astra Militarum are rumbling in and we’re taking a look at our Top 5 Favorite Stratagems!
We’ve been digging through the book all week on our Twitch Channel and we’ve gotten lots of play with the new Astra Militarum. They are pretty good… But we wanted to take a look at 5 Stratagems that we really appreciated about the Guard. These aren’t the “most powerful” options (although some are contenders), but the Top 5 that we think showcase how the AM tick.
Consolidate Squads
Lots of folks on the stream were wondering about Guardsmen’s Squad sizes. Infantry Squads are now 10 men with no option to increase them. Conscripts are 20-30 sized squads now. So how do you get massive “blob squads?” Well – you can’t anymore. Unless you pay 1 CP to consolidate your Infantry Squads (note: This does not apply to Conscripts). You would want to do this so that you can maximize the effectiveness of Orders (only needing to use one vs two).
We liked Consolidate Squads because we appreciate the concept that the Astra Militarum are able to reform squads and keep fighting instead of running around understrength. It’s a neat concept that makes sense for the army – it can also lead to some pretty crazy situations where one squad has 5 or 6 special weapons…guess who’s going to form a new Veteran Squad (if they survive).
Jury Rigging
Sometimes you just need to stop in the middle of a battle and pull out your Duct Tape and fix things. That’s exactly what this Stratagem does. What we really liked about this (aside from getting back a wound) was that it doesn’t impact your ability to shoot for the turn. That one wound can make the difference in your BS as well! It really helps Valhallans out as it’s doubly effective with their Regimental Doctrine.
Take Cover!
This one is going to see a LOT of play. Take your average Guard Squad, get them in cover and then toss this Stratagem on them, too. If you REALLY want that unit to avoid getting destroyed you can also tap your Astropaths to call in a Psychic Barrier and/or Nightshroud. Who’s going to want to shoot at a unit with a +2 save AND a -1 to be hit?
Grenadiers
You know what’s funny? 10D6 worth of Grenades during either shooting or Overwatch. If only there was a Regiment that was just better at hitting in Overwatch…Oh hello Mordians!
Mobile Command Vehicle
The Astra Militarum do extremely well when they get their orders right. So one way to attack them is to pick-off their Officers. Fortunately for the Guard, they can park an Officer in a Chimera and still toss out those oh-so-helpful orders from the safety of an Armored Vehicle. They are probably sipping coffee in those things, too. Perks of being an Officer I suppose!
The Astra Militarum have 25 stratagems in total – we’ve only covered a fifth of the options they have! If you’re an Astra Militarum player I hope you’re ready to hit the books because when this Codex comes out you’re going to want to study-up. They have a lot of really good tools in their kit but it’s going to be up to you to know when to use them.
Imperial Big Guns Never Tire! Get ready for the Arty barrage from the Astra Militarum!
