‘Warhammer: The Old World’- Linehammer Might Be OK Actually
Today we talk about that dangerous new fad all ‘The Old World’ kids are up too – Linehammer.
Warhammer the Old World is a great game. It’s a ton of fun to play and is getting good support from GW. These are the signs of a successful game. It is however, still a new game and people are still figuring out how to play it. This has led to a decent amount of debate about the rules and what should be allowed. One hot topic that has come up again and again since the rules first dropped is what is called ‘Linehammer’. Today, let’s take a look at what Linehammer is and if it’s all that bad.
What Is ‘Linehammer’?
Linehammer is the term given to the practice of deploying a unit in a long, often single-rank deep, line. In The Old World all models in the fighting rank, i.e. the rank in contact with the enemy, get to attack. Now only models in base to base contact with the enemy get their full attacks, all other models only get a single attack. However, with most models only having one attack, this doesn’t matter. As a result, a twenty-model unit deployed in a single line will get twenty attacks. In contrast, that same unit deployed in a five-by-four formation would only get five attacks. Thus, Linehammer is seen as a way to maximize your attacks and minimize losing out on attack due to combat losses.
Why People Don’t Like Linehmmaer
The biggest reason people have come down against Linehammer is effectively that it is silly and un-tactical. And, those are fair to a degree. Everyone running long, thin lines does look silly, and maybe more importantly doesn’t look like a rank and flank game. It is not the game people want to play. While allowing units to have some form of wrap around, it’s also a bit silly that a model potentially 20 or 30 inches from the enemy can make their attacks. As for un-tactical I’m less sure. Certainly if everyone just took 3 massive wide units and slowly advanced towards each other then yeah, it would be. However, that’s not what happens, and arguably one or two units in a line could lead to a more tactical game.
People Are Trying To Stop It
As people continue to worry about Linehammer, some groups and events have tried to come out with ways to stop it. The main way I’ve seen is fairly arbitrary limits to how wide a unit can be. Many seem to be settling on no unit can be more than 10 wide. Though I’ve seen a few other numbers. Rather than trying to limit the number of models that can attack, they are simply putting artificial constraints on unit sizes and formations. Here’s why I think these ‘fixes’ are both unnecessary and might actually hurt game balance.
Linehammer Just Isn’t Really That Good
Look the simple truth is Linehammer just isn’t that good of a tactic most of the time. A unit in a massive line is impossible to maneuver and has a lot of trouble moving. It’s basically never going to get the Charge off, and if it does will almost certainly be a Disordered Charge. Due to its massive size it also opens itself up to be charged by multiple units at once, negating its advantages. Big units in lines also block the rest of your army and hamper your other units’ movements.
Even in isolation, it’s only really good for some select units. If we pit identical units against each other; one in line and one not, the line does not always come out ahead. Now, for some units, it will – normally those with very high-powered attacks. A unit with great weapons in line will normally beat an identical unit in a block. However, this is not true for everything. Most basic infantry that hits and wounds an identical unit on 4+s and has a save needs 5-6 attacks to equal 1 point of static combat resolution. For say a unit of 20 goblins, line doesn’t give them a real combat boost. Spears can also change this equation. But the rub is that – not all units are good in lines.
Everyone Can Do It
Another reason I don’t really think it’s an issue is because… well everyone can do it. Linehammer is tactic that every army in the game can use, for better or worse. It’s not skewing things towards one army or build, because anyone can use it if they need too. This makes it really hard for me to say it is broken. It doesn’t really give any one faction an unfair advantage.
Linehammer Has A Good Use
Linehammer might actually have a major role in the game. It can be an effective way to counter large monsters. Against units with a small frontage, something like a dragon rider will almost always kill the front rank and be safe from any return attacks. However a massive unit in a line IS very effective vs one charging target, like a lone dragon. Charge a unit fifty wide and though your dragon might kill eight or ten, you will still take a ton of attacks back. Lines can act as a counter and check on the threat of rampaging large monsters, which is another thing people are worried about in The Old World. A unit doesn’t even have to always be in a line to have this as a threat. They can reform after Falling Back In Good Order into a line to better fight a dragon, leading to a dynamic and tactical fight.
In Conclusion- Linehammer is Just Fine
At the end of the day Linehammer is just… fine. It’s a tactic that works for some things and doesn’t work for others. I’ve rarely seen it used because it simply isn’t great most of the time. It has a ton of drawbacks and can be countered. On the other hand, it does have a role in countering some things and, for certain units, might be what makes them viable. It’s not the be-all and end-all of tactics, but I think it does actually have a place. Maybe it’s a bit silly, but so are plenty of things in the game. The argument that it’s un-tactical is just false. It actually adds to the tactical depth of the game. Artificially trying to remove it from the game because you just don’t personally like it, can actually lead to its own problems and more imbalance. It also seems like it’s just too early to be making big changes like that. Maybe in the future, we will get more data that proves me wrong, but from what I’ve seen, it just isn’t an issue and is maybe a net positive for the game.
Let us know what you think about Linehammer, down in the comments.
